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Tall Tale West.Pdf

Tall Tale West.Pdf

Genre Study/Literary Elements That tornado whirled and swirled and that spot Death Valley. Now, most people would wiggled and wagged like an alligator with its tail be pretty banged up by such a fall. Not Bill, Learn on fire. Bill hung right on. It sucked up Lake though. He was as happy as a bear in honey. a New Michigan and dumped the water into the Grand Lots of folks heard about Bill’s tornado ride, Canyon. Bill hung right on. At last, that tornado no doubt. That’s where they got the idea for Genre! got tired. It stopped its whirling, and Bill fell off. . Of course, nobody but Bill ever rode a Pecos He fell so hard that the ground sank. Folks call tornado. Most cowboys just ride broncos. n What’s a Tall Tale? Bill For the pioneers and cowboys who settled the American West, life was rough. They froze in blizzards, got slammed by tornadoes, and were Rides a attacked by wild animals. One way they coped was by telling each other Tornado wild and funny stories about people who were outstanding and brave. The people were real. But storytellers exaggerated to make them into A tall tale inspiring, larger-than-life heroes. Many tall tales were so popular that we from the still tell them today, like those of and . Wild West Dozens of famous tall tales have been passed down, and they all have certain ingredients in common. Read through the list below, then go urely you’ve back and find each element in “ Rides a Tornado.” heard tell of Pecos Bill. He HYPERBOLE This is a fancy word for a statement that is exaggerated. Circle was a two examples of hyperbole in the story of Pecos Bill. down in . SHe was about the bravest A funny tone Tall tales are supposed to make you laugh. Find two examples cowboy that ever lived. of humor, which creates a funny tone. I seen with my own eyes Tall tales are written the way cowboys would tell the time Bill used two Words like “ain’t” them around a campfire, with words they really used in conversation. The everyday rattlesnakes as a . And language of people who live in a particular place or time is known as a dialect. then there was the time Bill Find two examples of cowboy dialect shot all the stars out of the in the story. sky—all of ’em except the WRITE a Tall Tale! Lone Star, that is. Similes Tall tales Using the ingredients above and But my favorite Pecos Bill story is the one tornado ever born from the clouds. It was so big include great descriptions. the Pecos Bill tale as a model, about the time he rode a tornado. You see, that folks on the moon could see it swirling. One way to describe write your own tall tale about there wasn’t a horse in the world that was too It picked up elephants from Africa and whales something is to use a yourself or someone you know. wild for him. So it’s not surprising that one day, from the Pacific Ocean. But that didn’t scare simile, in which one thing is Then you and your friends can sit Bill decided he wanted to ride a tornado—and Bill. He just reached up and grabbed that compared with another using around and have some laughs. not just any tornado. No, sir. Bill waited for tornado out of the sky. He threw it down to the like or as. Find two similes.

the biggest, the mightiest, the most terrifying ground and hopped right on. Bill Cigliano Shutterstock

24 storyworks scholastic.com/storyworks • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 25