Social Studies: Geographic Perspective
Describe the major physical patterns, ecosystems, resources and land uses of the state, region, country and explain the processes that created them.
Content Standard 2:3

Procedure:
Prior to this lesson flatten a ball of play dough (one can) on the plate.  Lay the map of Michigan on top of the flattened dough and poke holes with a pencil in an outline form of the Great Lakes. When you lift the paper map you should have a nice outline of the Great Lakes and Michigan.  Raise the edges of the dough a little so that when the ice cube melts, the water stays on it. You can cover the plate with a damp paper towel and it will be all right till you do the lesson (a few hours).

Engage:    Tell the students that scientists believe, long ago, glaciers carved out deep areas of land and later melted, filling them with water.  I am using a spoon to carve out the deep areas that the glacier did long ago (carve out the lakes.)  These glaciers are  believed to have created the Great Lakes as they melted.  We will leave the ice cube, which is our glacier, on top to see what happens when it melts.  Now we will hear a story that offers another explanation of how the Great Lakes were formed.

Anticipatory Set:  Help students to understand the concept of legacy. (anything that people pass on to their children)  Does anybody know who Paul Bunyan was? (a make-believe giant lumberjack who was the subject of many tall tales)  Does anybody know what a tall tale is? (a funny, exaggerated story) Define exaggerate for the students. (taking the truth and adding on to it so that no longer the same or no longer possible.  I am going to read to you a tall tale about Paul Bunyan and how the Great Lakes were formed.  It gives us an exaggerated version of what scientists believe.  As I read pay attention to any exaggerations that you may hear.  Later I will ask you to name some parts of the story that are exaggerated.  Read the story to the students.

As I was reading I heard so many different exaggerations.  I would like to share one with you.  Babe the ox was described as being so large that he knocked down tall trees with his tail.  Did you hear any other exaggerations in this tale?  Allow time for the students to talk about all the exaggerations they heard.

Questions for discussion:
*  Why was the Winter of the Blue Snow one of the worst winters Paul had ever seen?  (It was so cold that words froze
    as people spoke and the snow turned blue before it touched the ground)
*  Why did Babe's fur turn blue?  ( Babe's fur turned blue because he had been out in the cold too long)
*  What do you think that a frozen word translator does?  ( thaws or unfreezes words so that people can understand
     them)
*  Why was it difficult for Paul to keep his mind on his work? (He had lost his left mitten and his hand was freezing.)
*  What work were Paul and Babe doing in the valleys of Michigan? (logging trees)
*  How did Paul and Babe's larger than normal size affect the number of trees they were able to cut?  (They were able to
    log a valley that stretched for hundreds of miles and then another without becoming tired.)
*  What made Paul laugh when he had finished logging the valley?  (He had logged the land into the shape of a great
     mitten.)
*  What natural feature was moving toward Paul's camp?  (a giant glacier)
*  What caused the glacier to begin melting?  (Every time Paul's hammer struck the iron for Babe's new shoes, sparks
     flew off, landed on the surface of the glacier, and caused it to melt.)

Independent Practice:
The students will write a paper that explains how the Great Lakes and Michigan were formed according to the tale.
They should include some of  the exaggerations that the author uses to explain their formation?

Closure:
Students will share their work with the class.

Assessment:
Students' papers will be assessed according the rubric developed for this activity.

Paul Bunyan Trail
http://www.paulbunyantrial.com/

Books:
Paul Bunyan Swings His Ax  by Dell J. McCormick

Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellog

Paul Bunyan (Folk Tales of America) by Nanci A. Lyman and Bert Dodson

The Bunyans by Audrey Wood

Teaching Tall Tales by Tracey West
 
 

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