Curated OER
African American Poetry: Family and Traditions
Learners are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...
Curated OER
African-American Folktales
Learners are introduced to the characteristics of folktales and their purpose. As a class, they listen to a folktale, answer questions about the characters and share which part they enjoyed the best. In groups, they compare and...
Curated OER
Drama and African American Folktales: Addressing the Social Development Needs of My Students
Fifth graders develop cultural awareness of their heritage, therefore building their self-esteem. They discover the link between learning and social skills and recognize that learning is an integral part of their lives. The recognize...
Curated OER
Zora Hurston Teacher's Guide
Students explore American culture by reading classic literature in class. In this African-American history instructional activity, students read the story Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree while identifying the work and contributions...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
Learners define folklore, folk groups, tradition, and oral narrative. They identify traditional elements in Their Eyes Were Watching God Analyze and understand the role of traditional folkways and folk speech in the overall literary...
Curated OER
Arkansas Black Pioneers: A History of African-American Colonies in Arkansas
Students research regions of early Arkansas as they relate to African American colonies in Arkansas after the Civil War. They discuss the characteristics of the regions, view a Powerpoint presentation, and write reflective journals.
Curated OER
Social Studies, Music, The Blues, Urbanization, and Technology
Enable students to use the blues to explore urbanization, technology, and their effects on everyday life in the 20th century. Musicians were among the large number of people who, between 1914 and 1945, participated in the Great Migration...
Curated OER
Myth, Legend and Folklore
Students examine the role of myths and folklore in the Native American culture. They listen to examples of oral history and write their own. They share their story with the class.
Curated OER
A Bird's Eye View of the Caribbean: Art, Folklore, and Music
Students examine the Caribbean in terms of its music, art, and folklore. As a class, they listen to a folktale and discuss the difference between telling a story and reading a story. In groups, they write their own folktale and share...
Curated OER
Folktales (African American, Chinese, Japanese and Korean)
Students participate in a variety of activities that are concerned with comparing different cultures through the literary genre of folktales. The stories are used to stimulate student interest and provide a context for how a society...
Curated OER
Arkansas Black Pioneers: A History of African-American Colonies in Arkansas
Students identify various regions of early Arkansas as these regions relate to African American colonies that settled in Arkansas after the Civil War.
Curated OER
African Folktales Lesson
Students explore what a folktale consists of as it relates to oral tradition. In this folktale lesson, students are told the African folktale, Why the Sun is Lives in the Sky and make personal inferences about what the folktale is...
Curated OER
Literature: Porgy and Bess
Students examine the various portrayals of African-Americans in literature, focusing on the opera, Porgy and Bess. They conduct Internet research on African-American culture between the two World Wars. Students write fictional or...
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
Snoozer
Pupils read a fictional story set during the Civil War and identify how oral history and folklore contribute to the richness of U.S. history, African American history, and baseball history.
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
Choose Your Path
Students identify the plot and theme of cartoons. In groups, they discuss and compare the written and movie versions of popular fairy tales. Individually, they write their own fairy tale and share them with the class. They write their...
Curated OER
What About Films?
Students watch and analyze a film of an Appalachian folktale. They define trickster and anti-hero, view and discuss the film, complete a handout, compose an original film review, and debate each character's behavior.
Curated OER
Exploring Folk Traditions and Folk Beliefs
Ninth graders work together to brainstorm an idea to focus on the similiarties and differences between various cultures. Individually, they interview family members using questions they created based on their topic. They use their...
Curated OER
Christmas Around the World (Grade 2)
Student groups create slides on one of the cultures listed. They view videos that show United States families celebrating Christmas based on their native countries' traditions and a video which tells the story of La Bafana, the old woman...
S.E. Schlosser
American Folklore: John Henry: The Steel Driving Man
At this site read about John Henry, the steel-drivin' man who uses two hand-held hammers to dig a tunnel faster than a steam drill!
![Mad River Theater Works: The Ballad of John Henry [Pdf] Website](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Mad River Theater Works: The Ballad of John Henry [Pdf] Website")
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Mad River Theater Works: The Ballad of John Henry [Pdf]
Scroll down this study guide to find the lyrics to the Ballad of John Henry, which was collected from individuals in the West Virginia mountains in the 1920's. Discusses the different versions of the song and the history behind it.