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Matewan Online: The Hatfield and Mc Coy Feud

For Students 9th - 10th
Part history, part folklore, what is the real story of the Hatfields and McCoys? Site provides the story of the American Romeo and Juliet and an excellent study of American folk culture. Go to other areas of this site for more history of...
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Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian American Art Museum: Contemporary Folk Art

For Students 9th - 10th
Colorful treasures from the Smithsonian are included in this exhibit along with explanations below each picture. Click on 'Index' to see the complete list of works.
Unit Plan
C-SPAN

C Span American Writers: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief summary of The Adventures of Huck Finn by Mark Twain. Also includes an online text of the work as well as links to other informational websites.
Handout
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Stephen Foster

For Students 9th - 10th
A website that accompanies a film on Stephen Foster. Students can listen to the famous songs, view a timeline of his life, and find information about Foster's contemporaries.
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Contemplator

The Contemplator's: I've Been Working on the Railroad

For Students 6th - 8th
This site offers complete lyrics with a bit of history on this American folk song.
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Other

Paul Bunyan: The Giant Lumberjack

For Students 3rd - 5th
This online version of the tall tale of Paul Bunyan features illustrations of this American folk hero.
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: Local Legacies

For Students 9th - 10th
Experience America through its grassroots! Diverse populations lend cultural colorfulness to our country. Read about an International Food Fair in California, Annie Oakley Days in Ohio, and Wabanaki Basketry in Maine. Click on your...
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Sheg: Reading Like a Historian: Booker T. Washington vs w.e.b. Du Bois

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read primary source documents to solve a problem surrounding a historical question. This document-based inquiry lesson allows students to read a speech of Booker T. Washington's and a selection...
Handout
Wisconsin Historical Society

[Archived Content]wisconsin Historical Society: Paul Bunyan

For Students 9th - 10th
Many legends live on in Wisconsin (and elsewhere) about Paul Bunyan, a giant of a lumberjack and a folk hero. This article describes how the legends have survived and grown.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Etta Baker

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Etta Baker, an American folk musician who influenced the folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s with her mastery of East Coast Piedmont blues, a unique fingerpicking style of...
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Performing Arts Encyclopedia: Shenandoah

For Students 9th - 10th
The Library of Congress provides background information on the origins of the popular folk tune, "Shenandoah."
Handout
Other

Grandma Moses: Reflections of America

For Students 9th - 10th
An essay about Grandma Moses and her apotheosis as an artist.
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: Veterans History Project

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection, sponsored by the Library of Congress, of stories and experiences of veterans "while they are still among us." Students can also interview a veteran using the Project Kit supplied. Choose: How to participate in the Project...
Handout
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Aaron Copland

For Students 3rd - 8th
Aaron Copland (1900-1990 CE) was one of the first composers to put jazzy music into symphonic music, Copland was also one of the greatest American composers. Read more about him and his work. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to...
Lesson Plan
Broward Education Foundation

Broward Education Foundation: The Arts and Crafts of Storytelling [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
In the Arts and Crafts of Storytelling, American folk heroes come to life, help students expand their vocabulary and increase knowledge of figurative language. Students identify figurative language like similes, idioms and hyperboles....
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Other

Mad River Theater Works: The Ballad of John Henry [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
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Other

Memory Is a Painter: The Art of Grandma Moses

For Students 9th - 10th
This site has a short biography with three enlargeable images of the work of Grandma Moses.
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Library of Congress

Loc: Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site from the Library of Congress, you can listen to an 82-year-old Virginia fiddler, Henry Reed, playing tunes recorded in the 1960's. Many of the tunes have been transcribed and the notation can be viewed on line as well. The...
Unit Plan
Indiana University

Harriet Beecher Stowe Wright Fiction Collection

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Full-text works by Harriet Beecher Stowe can be viewed as facsimiles of the original books, as PDF documents, and as plain text.
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Davy Crockett (In Spanish)

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about one of the most interesting early Americans. From Tennessee to Congress to the Alamo, find out what drove this extraordinary man.
Handout
Classical Bands

Classicbands: James Taylor

For Students 9th - 10th
Features details on the personal life as well as the professional life of "Sweet Baby James", James Taylor, one of the most popular folk singer/songwriters of the 1970s.
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center: Guantanamera, a Poem and a Song

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The folk classic "Guantanamera," takes on added meaning when students learn of its origin. Cuban political activist Jose Marti and controversial American activist Pete Seeger, serve as the basis for a fascinating comparative study....
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Davy Crockett

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about one of the most interesting early Americans. From Tennessee to Congress to the Alamo, find out what drove this extraordinary man.
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center: Lesson Plan: Writing Folktales

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
With this lesson plan, learners examine the American tradition of folk tales and tall tales, then write and illustrate their own original tale. Provides links to more information, an assessment rubric, extension ideas, and a list of...

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