Curated OER
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Curated OER
Why do people mover where they do?
Learners read factual stories of migration to Hawaii, analyze and explain push and pull factors, interview parents about their cultural heritage, identify countried of origin of their ancestors, graph migration patterns on an world map,...
Curated OER
Schools
First graders complete a unit of lessons on school and how schools have changed. They read a Laura Ingalls Wilder excerpt, view and discuss a Norman Rockwell painting, conduct an interview, construct a school map, and create an ABC book...
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Pattern Detectives
Students discover patterns in language, math and science. They experience patterns by hearing stories, and becoming pattern detectives.
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Storytelling
Students discuss how they know certain aspects about their families and customs. As a class, they discover that life changes over time and stories are only preserved if they are told. They read many different pieces of literature to...
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Japanese Culture
First graders research information about Japanese people and culture. They read a Japanese story listening for rhyme schemes. They create their own rhyme schemes. They discuss Japanese food and sample rice cakes. They read Haiku and then...
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Examples of Justice Systems and Practices in Western Africa
Tenth graders explore African belief systems. For this West African lesson, 10th graders research these belief systems. Students create a wooden figure that represents these beliefs.
Curated OER
Que te gusta comer? What Do You Like to Eat?
Eighth graders examine their preferences concerning foods, beverages and eating habits during different meals. A variety of exercises in listening, speaking, reading and writing will be provided to ensure that students discuss their...
Curated OER
Sentence-Combining in Grade Eight
Eighth graders examine and discuss signaled sentence-combining. They read sentences and then combine them. They revise paragraphs from their own compositions using sentence-combining.
Curated OER
Good Prevails
Students write descriptive paragraphs of characters after reading a Japanese folktale in which characters represent by good and evil.
Curated OER
Rock Art
First graders create and share their own rock art based on Navajo and Hawaiian rock art.
Curated OER
Nontraditional Occupations
Students participate in a class discussion about stereotypes and nontraditional occupations. Thy fill out a worksheet while they search through a database.
Curated OER
Getting to Know You
Third graders explore different types of poetry and illustrate their own experiences through creating their own poem. In this getting to know you lesson, 3rd graders create and recite their poems with a self-portrait.
Other
Milwaukee Public Museum: Indian Country: Oral Tradition
The Milwaukee Public Museum provides this introduction to the Native American oral tradition and oral literature of the Great Lakes region. Describes common themes and characters, including trickster characters and windingo (ice...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Storytelling: Oral Traditions
Students talk about what makes a good story, look at the oral tradition of storytelling, and compare and contrast stories from two different cultural traditions. This is one of four storytelling lessons.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Definition of Oral Tradition and Folklore
This curriculum unit for teaching about "Folklore in the Oral Tradition, Fairytales, Fables and Folk-legend" begins with a definition of Oral Tradition.
Other
Central Oregon Community College: African Storytelling
This essay provides an excellent explanation of the importance of storytelling and what the author refers to as "orature," oral tradition as opposed to "literature" or written tradition. Clear examples are provided, including several...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: American Masters Collection: N. Scott Momaday
This is a collection of three video lessons from N. Scott Momaday about Kiowa Native American stories, storytelling, and their oral traditions.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Storytelling:the Meaning Behind the Mask
In many cultures, masks are used in oral story telling. Many learning activities are described on this site that will help students learn aspects of story telling and the different ways various cultures used masks.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Fable and Trickster Tales Around the World
The lessons presented in this website "introduce children to folk tales" and how these folktales are changed and affected by generational and cultural values. Includes several links to further related information on folktales, fables,...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Teaching the Epic Through Ghost Stories
This lesson plan uses the oral tradition of ghost stories (anchored in the Gothic) as a means of explaining the oral tradition of the epics. Included in the lesson plan is an overview, practice, objectives, resources, preparation, and more.
Other
Chaver: The Mishnah
This research site from Chaver.com describes the Mishnah in-depth: "The Art of Writing the Oral Tradition," "The Decalog as Wisdom Literature," and "Woven Texts: Literary Form in Ancient Hebrew Legal Codes."
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian: Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide
The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide by by Marjorie Hunt is an excellent resource for collecting family and community cultural information. It provides step-by-step information on how to plan and conduct...
PBS
Pbs: Using Supporting Evidence to Interpret Meaning a Native American Folktale
In this instructional activity, students will watch a video clip with a Native American storyteller telling a traditional story. Students will use supporting evidence from the story to give meaning to oral and written texts.