Objectives Note: Common Essential Learnings objectives from the six areas have been included, as appropriate, to illustrate how they can be integrated into English language arts lessons. For a complete listing of C.E.L.s objectives, refers to Objectives for the Common Essential Learnings   Share ideas, observations, and experiences in structured small and large group talk.   Use strategies to generate and gather ideas (e.g., brainstorming).   Convey ideas using a variety of media. Conduct a search for resources (IL).   Participate in a variety of shared language experiences. Sing in-tune and begin to develop the ability to sing harmony (arts ed).

Activities Sample Lesson 1: Introducing the Unit Assessment and Evaluation Observe students' ability to listen and respond to the ideas of others. Anecdotal comments could focus on the abilities specified on the class or small group discussion checklist included in the Assessment and Evaluation section of this guide. Engaging Activities Have students share humourous personal experiences, funny stories they have read, riddles, jokes, and humourous poems. Provide an opportunity for each student to contribute to the discussion. Exploring Activities Have students brainstorm reasons why they laugh or why some things are considered to be funny. Record their ideas on chart paper. Categorize these ideas under the headings of Exaggeration, Word Play and Nonsense, Irony, Surprise and the Unexpected, or Ridiculous Situation or Character. Discuss the topic for this unit of study. Encourage students to contribute to a class display of resources in the following days and weeks. Lesson Extensions Students may enjoy singing or listening to the song "I Love to Laugh" from the soundtrack of the movie Mary Poppins. Students could be encouraged to gather and share humourous poetry with the class during daily shared language sessions.

Focus 1: Exaggeration (Lessons 2-5)

	Sample Lesson 2 Assessment and Evaluation Evaluation of writing should focus on students' ability to use exaggeration to create humour. Resources And to Think That I Saw it On Mulberry Street
Identify ways in which exaggeration and other devices are used to convey humour. Discuss ideas using their own language (C). Recognize how words and word combinations influence or convey meaning. Share observations in structured group talk. Recall, organize, and summarize information. Participate in a variety of shared language experiences. Explain own point of view and provide evidence from text and experiences. Identify ways in which exaggeration is used to convey humour. Recognize how words and word combinations influence or convey meaning. Work through the stages of a writing process	Engaging Activities Have students complete oral or written statements such as the following: He laughed so loud that __________. She ate so much that __________. It was so quiet that __________. Share and compare possible answers. Present the word "exaggeration" to the class. What is the meaning of the word? What are some examples of exaggeration? Exploring Activities Have students share interesting sights and sounds they recall from their walks or rides to school. Record these on the board. If students are familiar with the story And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, have them summarize the plot. Parts of the story may be read to facilitate recall of specific details. Alternatively, a student could be chosen to read the story to the class. Sufficient preparation time should be provided. Discuss students' personal responses to the story. Was the ending a surprise? A disappointment? Discuss how the author uses exaggeration to create humour. Review the list of sights and sounds. Have students discuss how these items could be exaggerated to create an unbelievable story. Have students write humourous paragraphs or stories using exaggeration to describe imaginary events on their journeys home from school. Illustrations could be made to accompany the text. Have students share their compositions with the class. A display of the stories could be titled "Would You Believe ...."
Share writing in various ways. Identify ways in which exaggeration and other devices are used to convey humour. Sustain roles in dramatic situations and accept/respond to others in role (arts ed). Use quotation marks.   Listen attentively to a range of texts for pleasure and information. Share ideas in structured large group talk.	Lesson Extensions (choose one or two) Have students read other books by Dr. Seuss and identify how the author creates humour. Have students dramatize the story or an adaptation of the story. One student could portray the child in the story as the other students portray the characters and events in the child's imagination. Have students pretend that they are the child's parent and write his or her response to the child's story. Quotation marks could be introduced or reviewed. Share the poem "Jimmy Jet and His TV Set" from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Have students discuss the examples of exaggeration in this poem.
	Sample Lesson 3 Assessment and Evaluation Observe students' participation in class discussion and peer editing activities. Resource "Mummy Slept Late and Daddy Fixed the Breakfast" (J. Ciardi). This poem can be found in many poetry analogies including The Random House Book of Poetry for Children.
Begin to interpret figurative language. Share ideas, observations, and experiences. Recognize how words and word combinations influence or convey meaning. Examine resources for stereotyping (PSVS). Experiment with language. Respond to and discuss meanings, ideas, and effects in a range of texts. Identify ways in which exaggeration and other devices are used to convey humour. Recognize how words and word combinations influence or convey meaning. Make choices that reflect their interests (IL).   Revise draft material. Share writing in various ways.	Engaging Activities Have students make comparisons using "like" or "as" (similes). Oral or written responses could be provided for sentences such as: He was as hungry as __________. She was as fast as __________. They were shaking like __________. He was as quiet as __________. Exploring Activities Have students share personal experiences similar to the one described in "Mummy Slept Late and Daddy Fixed the Breakfast". Perhaps the person who usually prepares meals has worked late, has been ill, or has been away on business or pleasure trips, which made it necessary for other family members to prepare meals. (Remind students that in many homes people take turns cooking.) List and categorize the adjectives students use to describe the meals created by their family members under headings such as edible and inedible. Share the poem with the class. Provide an opportunity for students to discuss their personal responses. What were their favourite parts? What did they visualize as the poem was being read? Have students identify examples of exaggeration and similes in the poem. Discuss the rhyme and rhythm. Share the poem a second time to ensure that students have internalized the pattern. Have students choose personal experiences they would like to write about in verse. Encourage students to exaggerate the details of these experiences. Students could use a poetry pattern similar to John Ciardi's as a framework for their writing. Have students prepare first drafts of their poems and discuss them with partners. Suggestions for revision can be incorporated into the final draft. Have students share the poems.
Participate in choral reading. Convey ideas using a variety of media. Participate in guided viewing experiences. Check for punctuation and capitalization.     Use words for specific purposes. Spell common words correctly and use a strategy to learn new words. Gradually incorporate the vocabulary of action words into their talk and writing (C).	Lesson Extensions (choose one or two) Have students choral read Ciardi's poem. Students could audio tape their poems to share with others. Sound effects or music could be used to enhance the recordings. Students could identify examples of exaggeration in television cartoons. Students might enjoy the figurative language in "The Whipping Boy". This poem provides many opportunities for language study. One of the following areas could be examined by individual students, small groups, or the whole class: Punctuation: Have students locate and identify the different types of sentences found in the poem (questions, statements, and exclamatory sentences). Examine how the use of different punctuation marks determines how sentences are to be read. Quotation Marks: Discuss the purpose of using quotation marks. Find an example of a direct quotation in the poem. Have students practise using quotation marks in their own writing. Contractions: Have students locate the contractions in the poem and identify the words that have been combined to form the contractions. A list of contractions could be compiled from students' independent reading and writing. Verbs and Tense: Have students identify words that show action. Determine if these words show action that is happening or action that has happened. Categorize the words under the headings of present and past tense. Examine the categories to determine how the spellings of words can be changed to indicate the present and past tenses.
	Sample Lesson 4 Assessment and Evaluation Assess students' ability to incorporate exaggeration into their writing efforts. Confer with students throughout the writing process. Resources Paul Bunyan Pecos Bill Alternate tall tales may be used and the lesson can be adapted
Distinguish between cause and effect. Identify ways in which exaggeration is used to convey humour. Share ideas, observations, and experiences. Set purposes and predict what text might be about. Identify intent and purpose of visual texts. Connect new information with prior knowledge to make sense of new ideas. Recall, organize, and summarize information. Participate in guided reading and viewing experiences. Identify similarities and differences among texts. Recognize common features of tall tales from similar and different traditions. Focus on and complete learning tasks (IL). Understand that they are communicating meaning through their art work (arts ed).	Engaging Activities Share the following sentence with the students: When he was only three weeks old, he rolled around so much in his sleep that he knocked down four square miles of standing timber. Discuss the probability of this happening. What human characteristic is being exaggerated? Tell students that this sentence is about Paul Bunyan, the strongest, smartest, and tallest lumberjack in America. Have students share stories they have heard or read about Paul Bunyan. Exploring Activities Read Steven Kellogg's Paul Bunyan. Examine how the illustrations clarify and extend the text. Discuss and list examples of exaggeration from the story. Categorize these examples into the stages of Paul's life - Birth, Childhood, Young Adult, Adult. Brainstorm other events that could have taken place in Paul's life. Record these under the appropriate headings. Introduce another tall tale, Steven Kellogg's Pecos Bill. Share the text and illustrations with the class. Repeat the discussion and brainstorming activities suggested above. Compare the lives of Paul and Pecos. Are there similarities? What are the differences? Have students identify common qualities in the two tall tales. Collaboratively compose a definition for a tall tale. Have students compose and illustrate tall tales in picture book format. Events brainstormed for either Paul Bunyan's or Pecos Bill's life could be used to create original stories. Focus students' attention on using illustrations to extend and clarify the text. Students could be encouraged to experiment with various media in creating their illustrations. The completed picture books could be read during silent reading or independent practice sessions, displayed in the school resource centre, or shared with students from other classes.
Recognize common features of a range of texts from similar and different traditions. Demonstrate respect for religious, spiritual, or cultural values and beliefs (PSVS). Participate in shared language experiences.	Sample Lesson 5 Assessment and Evaluation A checklist could be used to record observations about student participation in the co-operative learning groups. Resource Iktomi and the Boulder
Respond sensitively to the ideas, comments, and products of others (PSVS). Recognize common features of texts from various cultures and experiences. Activate and build upon prior knowledge and experiences. Demonstrate respect for religious, spiritual, or cultural values and beliefs. Set purposes and predict what text might be about. Apply cueing systems. Work co-operatively and contribute positively in group learning activities (PSVS). Determine main and supporting ideas using prior knowledge, predictions, connections, inferences, and visual cues.	Engaging Activities Tell students that Aboriginal peoples also have traditional stories with humourous central characters. Unlike Paul Bunyan, people in Aboriginal legends are interrelated with nature and meet adversity when they attempt to control or deceive nature. Traditionally, these stories were told to teach children to avoid selfishness and to encourage them to think about the impact of selfishness on the people and natural world around them. Exploring Activities Introduce students to Paul Goble's book Iktomi and the Boulder. Tell students that Iktomi is an important figure in Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota stories, and that each First Nation has a similar character (the Cree - Wesakechak; the Siksika - Napi; the Anishnabe - Nanabozho; the Micmac - Gluscap). Tell or read the story. The text features three different types of print. Large type is used to tell the story events, small type is used to record Iktomi's thoughts, and italics are used to provide comments about Iktomi's behaviour. The author provides suggestions in the introduction for encouraging student response. Have students work in co-operative groups to chart Iktomi's actions or deeds, his reasons for his actions, and the consequences. A similar chart could be constructed for Paul Bunyan, and students could identify similarities and differences in character, action, and plot development. This comparison could lead to a discussion about different cultural perspectives on the relationship between humans and nature.
Identify similarities and differences among texts. Experience the work of Aboriginal authors. Identify similarities and differences among texts.   Use reference materials effectively. Conduct a search for resources and materials (IL).	Lesson Extensions (choose one or two) Involve students in an author study of Paul Goble. He has written three additional books in the Iktomi series, as well as other traditional Dakota legends and stories. Share the traditional Yupik story The Eye of the Needle as told by Betty Huffman. As a large group, construct an extended story map. Have students compare the actions of Amik with those of Iktomi. Have students research the history of culturally contextualized stories by connecting the Paul Bunyan story to the emerging American (East Coast) lumber industry. Students could locate information on the traditional perspectives of the Yupik and the Dakota.