Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Eastern Shoshone: Hide Painting of the Sun Dance

For Students 9th - 10th
Painting on animal hides is a longstanding tradition of the Great Basin and Great Plains people of the United States. Painting, in tandem with oral traditions, functioned to record history.Cotsiogo, a member of the Eastern Shoshone...
Website
Virtual Museum of Canada

Virtual Museum of Canada: Community Stories: Admiral Digby Museum: Digby County: A Journey Through Time

For Students 9th - 10th
Digby, Nova Scotia is a community with a long history of oral tradition. This has played a large part in preserving the community's history as elders' stories, gleaned from interviews, have been preserved for the future. This exhibit...
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Early American and Colonial Period to 1776

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Background information about the literary traditions of the pre-Colonial and Colonial period. Includes information about Native American oral traditions and Native American cultures. Follow the links to the Early American era and to...
Unit Plan
ibiblio

Ibiblio: Cherokee Sacred Stories & Sacred Rituals

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Explains the traditional Cherokee rules that surround both telling and listening to oral tradition. Identifies two basic types of Cherokee oral tradition: sacred stories and small animal stories. This site also contains a video of a...
Website
American Indian Heritage Foundation

Native American Eagle Stories

For Students 9th - 10th
From several Native American tribes come these stories of Eagle. Values of the culture are preserved in the retelling of these stories that show Eagle's value and symbolism for the Native Americans.
Website
Other

Storytelling to Assess Speaking and Listening

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
An effective use of rubrics that encourages the student storyteller how to determine if his/her audience is listening. Learn about the different listening skill rubrics, storytelling rubrics and a self-assessment guide that asks the...
Lesson Plan
Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Leslie Marmon Silko

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site features links to lesson plans and activities for the book "Ceremony" by Leslie Marmon Silko. Come and explore the world of this amazing author.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Storytelling: Tales of Everyday Life

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Students explore how events from everyday life can become stories, and how different types of narratives-such as ships' logs and journals-can tell the story of the same event. This is one of four storytelling lessons.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Becoming Visible: N. Scott Momaday

For Students 9th - 10th
Relying on many elements, including traditional Native American and European American traditions, this biography features the rich literary contributions of N. Scott Momaday. See "N.Scott Momaday Activities" for more resources.
Website
Other

Storytelling in the Classroom

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
There are several steps to becoming a storyteller. Find out what they are and be on your way to becoming a storyteller here! Learn how to find good stories to tell, and how to tell them to an audience effectively.
Primary
Other

Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation: Family Histories

For Students 9th - 10th
Follow the stories of six Americans with different backgrounds who wanted to know more about their ancestors' journeys to America and used immigration and genealogy records to complete their family histories.
Lesson Plan
Teachnology

Teachnology: Lesson Plan: Write Me a Picture

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this lesson, 3rd through 5th graders select related pictures from magazines and newspapers, write captions for each, glue them in sequence on a poster board, and use the pictures to tell a story.
Website
East of England Broadband Network

E2 Bn: About Myths and Legends: Why Are Stories Told

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
This website from England explains the role of myth and legend in every culture and gives many reasons for the importance of the retelling in myth, especially to children. There are links to other interesting spots on the general website.
Activity
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Molly of Denali: Storytime Stick Puppets Family Activity

For Students K - 1st
Make puppets of Molly and her family and friends from the PBS KIDS series MOLLY OF DENALI, and use them to retell a story you watched. You can also take Molly on a new adventure by making up your own story. The activity also includes...
Website
American Indian Heritage Foundation

Indians.org: Pawnee Literature

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief background information about the history and culture of the Pawnee. Includes the text of a Pawnee prayer. This site links to specific Pawnee stories and to other information on the Pawnee Tribe and authors.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Recordkeeping and History

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Although many species note the passing of time, only our own species, Homo sapiens, is capable of sharing accounts, or memories, of past events and turning these into stories or "histories." This article traces the development of written...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Digital Story Writing: Cultural Myths

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
You are a folklorist observing the lives and cultures of different people. You want to tell the world about their culture, beliefs, and values. You and a group of other folklorist are going to research the lives of a an ethnic group, and...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Native Voices: Black Elk

For Students 9th - 10th
Sioux visionary and leader, Black Elk, and his aide to writing Black Elk Speaks, poet John D. Niehardt, are featured in this lesson with regard to the concept of oral tradition in American and Native American writing. Click on "Black Elk...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Native Voices: Ghost Dance Songs

For Students 9th - 10th
A Native American Paiute man known as Wovoka, after seeing a vision, started the Ghost Dance religion which had many songs to carry on its oral tradition. Click on the tab "Ghost Dance Songs Activities" to explore activities and photos.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Native Voices, Chippewa Songs

For Students 9th - 10th
Study the great oral tradition of the Chippewa Tribe in the Great Lakes regions through their music collected by Frances Densmore. For classroom activities and lesson enhancements click on the link, "Chippewa Songs Activities."
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: Warrior in Two Worlds: Two Row Wampum [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This PBS series lesson plan is designed to explain a Haudenosaunee wampum belt, which was used along with their oral tradition to document events of historical significance to them. Special adaptations are provided for elementary, middle...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Animal Fables and Trickster Tales

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Animals and tricksters appear in folk tales from a wide variety of cultures, especially those with strong oral storytelling traditions. Use this lesson plan to introduce students to these characters and the lessons they were used to...
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Digital Storytelling With Class Flow Technology

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] Digital storytelling is the combination of the ancient art of oral storytelling with today's technology, enabling students to write their own uniquely personal tales and then personalize them even more...
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PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Building Video Literacy: Storyboarding

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
In this activity developed by EDC's Center for Children and Technology, students explore the relationship between types of shots and storytelling.