Slide 1 John Henry An American Tall Tale Do you know someone who is strong? How can you tell he or she is strong? John Henry was the strongest baby ever born. That baby was so strong that he could lift up his crib with just one hand. But that’s not all he could do. He was so VERY strong that when he was just a year old, he could pick up an ax, swing it around, and chop down a tree in the time it takes you or me to sneeze. John Henry grew and grew and grew. When he was a young man, he grew SO tall that his head popped through the roof of his house! He was big, and he was strong, and he was as energetic as can be. The only time he was still was when he was sleeping. And was John Henry fast! He could beat any person in a foot race, and he could even outrun the fastest horse!

Slide 2 John Henry An American Tall Tale (Cont.) One day, John Henry heard that a railroad was being built. He thought, “I am big, and I am strong. I can work on the railroad.” So off he went to ask the railroad boss for a job. “Can you use a hammer?” asked the boss. “Can I use a hammer?” repeated John Henry. “Watch this!” He picked up two sledgehammers, one in each hand, and walked over to a huge boulder. It was right where the railroad tracks were supposed to go. John Henry whirled the sledgehammers over his head and swung away at that big boulder. The hammers sang. Brrring! Brrring! When the dust cleared, the boulder was gone. All that was left was a pile of pebbles. “You’re hired!” exclaimed the boss. So John Henry began clearing the way for the railroad tracks. It was hard physical work, but it wasn’t too hard for John Henry! When other workers became exhausted, John Henry just kept on going.

Slide 3 John Henry An American Tall Tale (Cont.) All of a sudden, the work came to a stop. Big Bend Mountain was sitting right where the tracks had to go. And what a huge mountain it was! It was so big that the tracks couldn’t go around it. The workers needed to make a tunnel right through the middle. Making a hole in a mountain is sure hard to do. But John Henry said, “I can conquer this mountain. I can make a tunnel right through it!” So John Henry whirled his hammers and swung away at that mountain. He made the rocks fly. Brrring! Brrring! Then one day a salesman came by to see the boss. “I have a machine that can do the work in half the time,” he said. “It’s faster than ten men.” “It’s not faster than I am!” said John Henry. “Let’s have a race—your machine against me and my hammers. I’ll start on one side of the mountain. Your machine can start on the other. Whoever digs to the middle of the mountain first is the winner!” “My machine is sure to win!” said the salesman. And the race was set for the very next day.

Slide 3 John Henry An American Tall Tale (Cont.) The next morning, the race began. From one side of the mountain came the sound of John Henry’s hammers. Brrring! Brrring! From the other side came the sound of the machine. THUMP, THUMP! All day and night, John Henry and the machine worked. Brrring! Brrring! THUMP, THUMP! Brrring! Brrring! THUMP, THUMP! Sparks flew from the hammers. Steam poured from the machine. By dawn the next day, the race was over. Who had won? John Henry! He reached the middle of the mountain first. The workers cheered as John Henry walked out of the tunnel. John Henry was exhausted, but he smiled as he lifted his two hammers above his head. Then he slumped over. John Henry had given his life to beat the machine. He became a hero. For years to come, people told stories about the race that proved John Henry was faster and stronger than a machine. And you’re hearing the story today! Unit 2, Week 4 1. Where are you likely to see huge boulders? 2. What hard task or skill would you like to conquer? 3. What do you do when you are feeling energetic? 4. What makes you feel exhausted? 5. Who is your hero? Why? 6. What animal can outrun a guinea pig? 7. What kind of physical activities do you like to do? 8. How can you prove that you know how to read? 9. When would you be more likely to slump over, when you’ve finished a race or when you’re eating lunch? 10. What makes a pinwheel whirl?