Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Taming the Longest, Thinnest, Meanest, Most Dangerous Hyperbole

Last week in class, when the fourth graders were reading the tall tale of Pecos Bill and planning how to rewrite the story, I explained what a hyperbole is--that over the top, out of this world exaggeration.  I encouraged them to try including one hyperbole in their stories.  This is the result:

If he were to run around the world, he would be running faster than the world was spinning!
He was as strong and skilled as a giant.
His favorite lasso, which he used on the tornado, was so long it took weeks to reach the end of it.
Pecos Bill went soaring through the air like a plane.
Texas was such a dry place that you would die of thirst just by crossing its borders.
It was so hot it could kill a fellow!

And my favorite:
When such a tornado happened to pass by, he looped his rope around it, but not just any rope--he used the longest, thinnest, meanest, most dangerous rattler he happened to have in his back pocket to lasso that tornado.

6 comments:

Dorothy said...

You've got some great story tellers in that class, Willow!

roxie said...

Oh, you have some world-class tale tellers there! ". . .die of thirst crossing the border." . . . "happened to have in his back pocket." I hope they carry this fun into their daily lives. "He had a thousand and twenty seven apps for his cell phone that he used daily. It would start his coffee in the morning and change all the traffic lights to green as he approached."

(verification word "bedshet" is it the linen used to short sheet a bed, or is it what happens when you're too weak from cholera to get out of bed?)

Bethany said...

I just love your lessons!!! It has me thinking about the pictures that could go with them!!

ellen b. said...

Those are great! :0)

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

That's terrific! I liked them all :)

Anonymous said...

One that one of my fourth graders wrote (years ago, but I'll always remember it) was, "The man was so tall that when he stood on his head, his feet touched the moon." Great, huh?