Curated OER
Making Cultural Connections
Students explore cultures through storytelling. They read African folktales. Students discuss characteristics of folktales. They research and write a folktale that includes an animal. Additional cross curriculum activities are included.
Curated OER
Power to the Little People
Students explore the classic story theme of good versus evil as relayed in folk tales.
Curated OER
Dancing Hands, Abstract Drawings
Students discover African musical rhythms by performing Ancestral Spirit Dances. In this musical lesson, students research Willis "Bing" Davis and the abstract work he created. Students listen to Yoruba drum music and...
Curated OER
Sato and the Elephants
Students write a persuasive letter to the government of an African country that has elephants as a resource. Students research and debate the pros and cons of ivory use. Students identify the value of ivory products versus the lives of...
Curated OER
WET Science Lesson #11: How Light Affects Water
Scientists listen to the story of Wadja Egnankou who works to save African mangrove forests. They experiment with refraction and the introduction of particulate matter to water. They conclude with creative writing about the need for a...
Curated OER
African Savanna
First graders are introduced to the ecosystems of savannas throughout the world. Using new vocabulary, they identify and describe the characteristics of a savanna and the animals that live there. They also describe the Earth's physical...
Curated OER
Animal Invasion
Young scholars research and illustrate the natural habitats and evolution of giraffes and other animals imported into ancient Rome. They draw a map of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia and draw the animals from each region in their...
Curated OER
Art Lesson: Doll Making
Students read and discuss the main characters and supporting characters in the African folktale, "Tiger and the Big Wind." They highlight the physical features of the animal that makes them unique and transfers those same qualities to...
Curated OER
Language Arts Lesson: Printing and Publishing
Students listen to an African folktale about an animal character that can walk and talk and retell the main events of the story in their own words. They illustrate the folktale utilizing a relief printmaking method as a replica of an...
Curated OER
The Piano
Second graders read The Piano and become familiar with racial discrimination. In this racial discrimination book lesson, 2nd graders answer comprehension question to focus on the importance of the book. Students discuss the...
Curated OER
Animals of Africa
Students identify animals indigenous to Africa, then create an imaginary animal using various materials they have at home. They write about their animal and include its name, characteristics, and describe how it defends itself.
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...
Curated OER
Animals of Madagascar
Students are each assigned an animal from Madagascar. They research their animal and design a picture book about their animal. Students design a cover page, back page, bibliography page and the title page. Their book will contain...
Curated OER
Fables and Trickster Tales Around the World
Students analyze fables and trickster tales from various cultural traditions. In this fable analysis instructional activity, students identify the elements of fables and trickster stories. Students read Aesop's fables and Ananse...
Curated OER
Doll Making
Students discuss folktales and read Tiger and The Big Wind, listening for animal characters for later discussion. In this language arts lesson, students complete a T chart on characters and make a doll for one either chosen or assigned....
Curated OER
Wildlife Preservers
Students research endangered animal species and how they might be preserved by writing speeches to present to classmates.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Got Lactase? The Co-Evolution of Genes and Culture
Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...
Curated OER
Hunt the Fact Monster Hunt #26
In this internet research activity, students use the Fact Monster search engine to find the answers to ten unrelated questions.
Curated OER
Food Webs
Students produce a newspaper covering topics related to food webs. They use print and electronic sources to gather information about specific animals. They share their information with the class.
Curated OER
Wild Habitats
Students research and Illustrate the natural habitats of giraffes and other animals imported into ancient Rome. They draw a map of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia and draw the animals that come from each region in their proper places.
Curated OER
Information Safari
Students go to the library and research animals using features in the text to help them organize information. In this locating information lesson plan, students complete this task in teams.
Can Teach
Can Teach: African Folk Tales
Eight African folk tales, like "Why the Cheetah's Cheeks Are Stained" to "The Curse of the Chameleon", are at this site. All eight are traditional Zulu stories. The site provides resources for teachers such as lesson plans and games.
San Diego Zoo Global
San Diego Zoo: Animals
This resource describes the most popular animals at the world-famous San Diego Zoo. Each profile gives background about a specific animal, and more information about the species.
Other
Database of Award Winning Children's Literature
This is a phenomenal resource. It allows the user to create a reading list of quality children's literature based of choices such as reading level, type of book, genre, ethnicity, gender, etc. In addition, one can determine if a book won...