Create a Class Book of Folk Heroes

MATERIALS:

• Pens
• Paper

SUGGESTED GROUPING:

• Cooperative groups and individuals

ENCOURAGE students to think of heroes from different cultures, countries, or periods in time and recall folk tales they have read or heard about.

HAVE students research and write about one of these folk heroes. Students may want to include illustrations to go with their writing.

ALLOW time for students to share with the class the information they were able to learn about these folk heroes.

COMBINE all research and illustrations to create a class book of folk heroes and display it in the classroom library.

GRADE students on their ability to gather information, organize their writing, and include relevant details.

Write a Bragging Speech

MATERIALS:

• Lined paper
• Pencils and pens
• Tape recorder

SUGGESTED GROUPING:

• Individuals

TELL students to brainstorm a list of special skills or talents they have or wish they had.

SUGGEST that students describe these skills in the form of a bragging speech, using “Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind” as a model.

REMIND them to use similes in their speech, superlative adjectives, comparison words such as most and best, and the prefix out- as in the word outrun.

Persuasive Writing

TEACH/MODEL Point out that the purpose of the bragging speech is to persuade the audience that you are a person of many talents. Like other persuasive writing, it should attempt to convince the audience by offering good examples that prove a point. Here the examples should take the form of hyperbole as well as similes.

PRACTICE/APPLY Have students use their list of “talents” as a basis for writing persuasive statements about themselves. Encourage students to keep a lighthearted, humorous tone that will entertain the audience.