Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Portraits That Capture Character
One of the great things about technology is that it lets youngsters visit museums that may be many miles away. With this resource, middle and high schoolers can visit the portrait galleries at J. Paul Getty Museum, located in Los...
Curated OER
Documenting Child Labor in Nepal
Fourth graders, using Apple's iMovie, create a digital documentary to raise awareness about the existing child labor in Nepal.
Curated OER
The Too Small House: Story and Craft Activity
Engage students in setting and character with this story and craft activity set. To begin the activity, learners read the short story "The Too Small House." They then cut out and color a picture of the house and paper figures of the...
Curated OER
Poetry Pop-Up
Third graders, after exploring the process of writing poetry through imagery words that go beyond pen and paper, create a Poetry Pop-Up Book. They incorporate the use of the Thesaurus and clip-art/digital photography to assist them in...
Curated OER
Storytelling
Young scholars 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...
Curated OER
Activating Students Through Storytelling
Fourth graders produce a podcast of a elements of a Chinese folk tale. In this Chinese folk tale and podcasting lesson, 4th graders watch as the teacher performs Peach Blossom Spring: A Chinese folk tale. They decide on who will stay in...
Curated OER
Nursery Rhyme Modernization
Students retell a nursery rhyme updating it and create a video. In this Movie Maker nursery rhyme instructional activity, students use technology to update a nursery rhyme. Students incorporate special effects, actions, and captured...
Curated OER
SKYPE Pals
Students use the program SKYPE to speak to a pal in a Latin American country and describe their life and compare and contrast it to the other's. In this SKYPE lesson plan, students create digital presentations about life in North...
Curated OER
How Does Ancestry Affect Folklore?
Young scholars break into groups of 4 or 5 and choose an option to demonstrate a different cultural perspective in a fairy tale or other folklore that they are familiar. Possible choices are: PowerPoint presentation, video, digital...
Curated OER
Literature Through Silent Movies
Students participate in an engaging, alternative assessment activity: making a silent film of an Edgar Allen Poe story. This project offers them an additional way to demonstrate their mastery of the topic.
Perkins School for the Blind
Language Experience Stories
Here is a great way to bring core content to your special education classroom. Included is a set of instructional ideas intended to help learners increase their verbal and written expression through storytelling. Tape recorders, story...
Curated OER
Local Heroes
Students investigate heroes in their community by presenting a story of a true hero to their class. In this storytelling lesson, students interview a local person who has performed a heroic deed and create a presentation with Windows...
Curated OER
Techno Movie
Students explore storytelling by using video editing software. In this movie making lesson, students identify the uses of PowerPoint and create a story using a digital camera which takes stills or video. Students combine this footage...
Curated OER
Literature Through Silent Movies
Students watch Charlie Chaplin films and discuss film elements. They select a story written by Edgar Allen Poe to write and produce a movie of. They film scenes, edit, and create a final iMovie project.
Curated OER
Every Object Tells a Story
Students read the story behind objects in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and create a story about an object in the exhibit. In this design lesson, students explore the "Design for the Other 90%" exhibition and create a...
Curated OER
Fairy Tales Retold
Students use writing processes effectively to adapt and retell stories. They reread a favorite fairy tale, then adapt and retell in a PowerPoint or other multimedia presentation. They present their rewritten and edited presentations to...
Curated OER
Landforms
Students study how landforms affect all aspects of a community. Students work in groups to identify landforms from other works of art. In cooperative groups Students select a work of art depicting a particular land form and create a poem.
Curated OER
Caterpillar, Caterpillar How Do You Grow?
Students work in small groups of three or four to create books based on the Eric Carle books studied. Topics may include tadpoles, guppies, people, moths, and plants. Media used may include Kid Pix, sound recordings, art pieces,...
Curated OER
Folk Tales Project
Students explore folk tales originating from other countries. They examine the countries language, culture, and values while reading their folk tales.
Curated OER
Stories of Nepal
Students explore folktales and fairy tales from Nepal to help them understand the Nepalese culture, and to compare the stories to the ones the students may know. After reading the stories, students consider what rural life is like in...
Curated OER
Memories from the National Sites
Students write a virtual postcard. In this logo instructional activity students are introduced to the concept of postcard writing. Students research the national sites and states highlighted on quarters for that year. Students take a...
Curated OER
Stories of the American Experience
High schoolers identify a veteran to interview. This could be a family member of one of students or someone contacted through an organization in the community. They use a storyboard to plan their movie about their subject.