Curated OER
Paul Bunyan: Opening the Door for American Storytelling
Guide the next generation of storytellers with these American oral tradition stories.
Learning to Give
Asian Folktales
A great way to learn to understand people and their environment is to study their folktales. Stories from China, Vietnam, India, Iran, Persia, and Palestine offer an opportunity for readers to investigate the cultures of Asia. A list of...
Curated OER
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Young scholars discuss and define folklore, locate town of Sleepy Hollow, NY, on map, calculate distance from Sleepy Hollow to their school, if applicable, review vocabulary list from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, read story aloud, and...
Curated OER
African Folktales
High schoolers read African folktales. In this literature instructional activity, students share prior knowledge about South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria. Then high schoolers work in groups to read an assigned African folktale and...
Curated OER
Totem Transformations
Learners are introduced in the Humanities class, as they explore the origins of Totems in Native American folklore. In the computer lab, students read Totem stories and explore the meaning and symbolism behind the myths using various Web...
Curated OER
Transforming Anansi Folktales Into Storyboards
Students work in small groups to illustrate a story board of a folktale. They develop the meaning of a trickster as a humor device in folktales by listening to several about Leprechauns and the Coyote of Native American tales. They then...
Yale University
The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions
Aaron Douglas, Meta Warrick Fuller, Palmer Hayden, William Johnson, and James Lesesne Wells, the painters and sculptors of the Harlem Renaissance, are featured in a unit study of artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
Curated OER
Storytelling In America
Students discuss how Washington Irving is considered an important 19th century-American storyteller. They create their own version of a passage from 'The Legend' after listening to the story.
Curated OER
Celebrating Asian and Pacific-Island Heritage
Students complete a variety of activities surrounding Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May.
Curated OER
Cinderella in Africa
Explore African folk tales! After reading the African folk tale "Mufaro's Beautiful daughters" and the American version of "Cinderella," youngsters list differences and similarities between the two. Draw a T-chart on the board, and hold...
Curated OER
Japanese Folktales for Children
Students study Japanese folkart traditions and culture through storytelling, class discussions, and a creative project. The project involves students creating drawings of a pre-selected folktale and putting them together in a class book.
Curated OER
The Eight Immortals
Students compare and contrast the Eight Immortals with American super-
heroes, such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman while examining the literary genre of folktales and its connection to art.
Curated OER
Songs
Second graders practice singing the chorus of a Scottish ballad. They also sing two American folk songs in class. They are encouraged to use the correct pitch while singing.
Curated OER
America's Mighty Rivers
Young scholars examine the cultural importance of America's rivers. Using the Mississippi and Hudson Rivers, they examine a story that takes place on each river. They are introduced to the concepts of preservation and stewardship.
Curated OER
Africa's Climatic Regions
Students are introduced to the different climates and vegetation of Africa, and compare them to similar climatic regions found in the United States.
Curated OER
A Study of China with Lon Po Po, a Chinese Little Red-riding Hood
Sixth graders study and identify the elements of a story such as. setting, character, plot, and theme, using two versions of the folktale Little Red-Riding Hood. They use the Internet to locate more information on the author Ed Young.