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Writing a Tall Tale
Learners investigate tall tales. For this tall tales lesson, students read tall tales, then write their own. Learners focus on writing about exciting character development, plots, and scenes. Students edit and revise their papers before...
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Through the Eyes of the Big Bad Wolf
Imagine how the wolf would tell the tale of Little Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs. Young writers re-imagine classic tales by adopting the point of view of another character in the story. After reading models like The True Story...
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Folk Groups
Students study the characteristics of a folk group, themselves and their folk groups, and write about a folk group that is meaningful to them. They identify various folk groups within the school community and discover that everyone,...
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Writing Myths
Students read and write myths. In this world mythology lesson, students read and analyze myths from various cultures and then recognize their attributes as they write their own myths that explain natural phenomena.
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Once Upon a Genre
Students examine fractured fairy tales before responding by writing in many different genres including a persuasive essay, a personal narrative, a letter, an advertisement, and a resume'. They create a pop-up book with their written...
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The Gullah People of the Sea Islands
Eighth graders examine the lives of the Gullah-Geechee people. In this unique cultures lesson, 8th graders explore music, language, and slavery of the Gullah-Geechee people from the southern low-country in the United States. Students...
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Introduction to Traditional Oral Narratives
Students are introduced to the idea of traditional oral narratives and divide them into genres. They explore the genres of context, motifs and variants. Each student finds oral narratives in their own lives and practice retelling them in...
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The School: School Culture Across Louisiana
Students identify and research school customs and folk groups through discussion and interviews. Then they identify and learn that traditional culture exists within other cultural contexts, such as the academic world of school, and in...
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Birth and Early Childhood
Eighth graders read and compare creation stories of different cultures around the world. They identify and define the concept of the cycle of life and collect and analyze birth and childhood folk beliefs and stories in their families...
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Children's Book Creations
Students create a children's book version of the Japanese folk story "Momotaro Boy of the Peach" and present the story to elementary students. In this children's book lesson, students design their book to explain Japanese culture to...
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LETTER FROM ONE CHARACTER TO ANOTHER
Fourth graders read stories and pick one with characters they find interesting. Then students create a dialogue of writing a letter from one character to another. The letter must relate to the original story in some way that can easily...
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Analysis of Character in a Short Story
Ninth graders examine a character from the short story, John Steinbeck's, "Flight." students respond to questions about the story and illustrate the character's journey.
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Walking Poetry
Fifth graders write walking poetry using the Walking Poetry Checklist and a teacher poem as an example.
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"Eggs"ellent Eggs
Students complete an Easter Scavenger Hunt by researching Internet sites and discover how different cultures decorate Easter eggs. Students also examine nutritional facts about eggs and additional trivia or fun facts during their...
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Exploring Folk Traditions and Folk Beliefs
Ninth graders work together to brainstorm an idea to focus on the similiarties and differences between various cultures. Individually, they interview family members using questions they created based on their topic. They use their...
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Guided Reading with Ten Oni Drummers
Second graders read the book, Ten Oni Drummers. Working in guided reading groups, they discuss fantasy as a genre and preview the book. They review word identification strategies and read the book silently. After reading, they confirm...
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Making Use of Fieldwork
Young scholars transcribe, analyze, and archive fieldwork and create a team project drawn from fieldwork. They brainstorm a list of reasons why preservation of collected materials is important and explore the online archives of the...
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The First Americans
Young scholars participate in theatre activities to study American history. In this American history and theatre lesson plan, students work in groups to research a specific Native American group to investigate their lifestyle. Young...
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Is That a Fact? A Comment on Modern Fables
Students complete literary analysis for modern fables or urban legends. In this modern fables lesson, students listen to an urban legend and discuss it. Students then research urban legends online and write their own urban legend.
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A Study of "Twilight Crane" by Kinoshita Junji
Students read and analyze the Japanese play, "Twilight Crane," by Kinoshita Junji. They read a handout on Japanese theatre, conduct Internet research, answer discussion questions, and compare/contrast versions of the story.
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Living History - Civil War
Eighth graders, after researching antebellum North Carolina and the role of North Carolina in the Civil War, write, edit, publish, and produce their own plays.