Curated OER
Most Wonderful Gift
Students discover that folktales reveal a great deal about the place in which they originate. They identify physical and human characteristics of a place and explain how culture influences the way people think. They illustrate cultural...
Curated OER
Frogs: Fact or Folklore
Students discover how frogs are adapted to their environment. They view and discuss a Discovery Channel video on frogs and the myths surrounding frogs. In small, groups they compile data on frogs from the internet to create a Frog Fact...
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Tall Tales
Students read tall tales and then write their own tall tales. In this tall tales lesson plan, students read tall tales, write their own, produce plays, and watch videos of their tall tales.
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Create Your Own Hero
Chinese legends are the focus of an interesting lesson that combines social studies with writing. Learners read the Chinese folk tale, "Li Chi Slays The Serpent." After the story is over, they make a list of the courageous things...
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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.
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Writing for Advanced ESL Learners
Students complete many creative writing assignments in their advanced ESL class. In this creative writing lesson plan, students complete book reports, folktales, biographies, historical journal entries, and more.
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Mountain Humor: Folklore
Students complete a series of lesson plans that examine and define Appalachian humor. They complete surveys and examine Appalachian folk tales, picture books, film and jokes for shared characteristics.
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Learning About the Kumeyaay Indians
Third graders research the Native American nation of Kumeyaay. Scholars use the internet to research past history. Through email, 3rd graders communicate with a Kumeyaay child to discover life on a present day reservation. They create a...
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California Native American Basket Weaving
Fourth graders consider the role that baskets play in the traditional lives of Native Americans in California. Students investigate types of baskets and their various uses and then weave their own baskets.
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Native American Indians: Wampanoags
Students understand the contributions of the Native American tribes. In this Native American lesson, recognize Native American names, words and cultures. Students understand that different tribes lived in different parts of the country....
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Molas from South America
Third graders research world geography by creating a class presentation. In this South American lesson, 3rd graders read assigned text regarding the customs and traditions of different Indian communities in South America. Students...
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The School: School Culture Across Louisiana
Young scholars identify and research school customs and folk groups through discussion and interviews. Then they identify and learn that traditional culture exists within other cultural contexts, such as the academic world of school,...
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Mad Science Lab: Original Lesson Plan
Students conduct a number of simple experiments, collect and categorize the results as either chemical or physical change. The lesson plan uses connections to folklore, science fiction and comic books to assist each student as they make...
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Understanding Genres
Young scholars identify genres of literature. In this literature instructional activity, students read definitions of the various genres. Young scholars choose books and list clues in the texts that help them identify the appropriate genre.
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Native American Cultures
Students investigate the Native American Heritage and explore their customs cultures. They discover characteristics of the Native Americans through the study of their art, artifacts, stories and symbols.
Endowment of United States Institute of Peace
Active Listening
Ensure that your pupils listen to one another in constructive ways by introducing them to active listening skills through discussion, role playing, and partner work.
Curated OER
"Knot" the Whole Truth: Writing a Modern-Day Story with a Tall Tale's Voice
Beyond Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, tall tales can be a great way to teach young writers about word choice and voice in their writing. Using Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee and the Six-Trait Writing process, they begin to write...
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Can You Stretch the Truth?
Students study folk tales. They write a class folk tale and then one of their own using a famous character or known celebrity as their main character. They put on a class play of one of the student's folk tales.
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Tell Me a Whopper!
Sixth graders investigate tall tales as a literary genre. They listen to a number of tall tales to discover how exaggeration is used as a story element. They write and publish a tall tale using word processing software. They illustrate...
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Spin Me a Story
Students examine the motif of spinning and weaving in myths and folktales. They read various myths, complete a WebQuest, develop a mind map of story elements, and write an original "spider" story.
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Introduction to Traditional Oral Narratives
Students are introduced to the idea of traditional oral narratives and divide them into genres. They explore the genres of context, motifs and variants. Each student finds oral narratives in their own lives and practice retelling them in...
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How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun
Students explore U.S. history by reading a Native American tale in class. In this cultural storytelling lesson, students read the story How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun and discuss the characters and themes of the Native American...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Comparing Key Ideas and Details in Fiction and Nonfiction
Students recognize the differences between fiction and nonfiction texts. In this genre study instructional activity, students discuss what nonfiction means and write the definition. Students listen to a read aloud and vote whether the...
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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...