Curated OER
Movement Adventure
Students discover movement and pantomime techniques in this adventurous story telling experience for kindergarten. Assessment is done through a short question and answer session and students drawing the "adventure".
Curated OER
Speaking Out For Women's Rights
Students write a children's story in which the characters are encouraged to speak out for the equality of women. They create a character and plot outline that includes details and supporting statements for women's rights. A brief 2-3...
Curated OER
Storytelling With Artists
Students retell a legend orally, illustrating it with the art style of the source culture.
Curated OER
Autobiography: Storytelling
Students investigate using computers to write an autobiography over an extended period of time. They use the Kidpix computer software to practice the writing process. As an extension to the instructional activity students can take...
Curated OER
Beowulf Lesson Plan
Learners analyze the text of Beowulf. In this epic poetry lesson, students explore the themes and imagery in the text to evaluate their meaning. Learners analyze the Old English language and examine the cultural and historical context of...
Curated OER
Fresh Greens In The Home
Students engage in the study of nutritional food choices that include fresh greens. They investigate the benefits of using simple planting techniques. The instructional activity also includes recipes for students to try out the habit of...
Curated OER
Legends and Myths: Trickster Tales
Students work in groups to research the characteristics of various myths and legends. They read tales, illustrate them, record oral storytelling efforts and write an original folktale. Students then invite parents to a dramatic...
Curated OER
Landscape Book
Students create a three-dimensional book about landscapes. They must show their understanding of shape, color and balance.
Curated OER
Reliving History through Slave Narratives
Helpful for an American literature or history unit, this lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine slavery in the United States. They read slave narratives that were part of the Federal Writers' Project and then conduct their own...
Curated OER
"The Clever Monkey"
Second graders complete a variety of activities related to the book "The Clever Monkey" by Rob Cleveland. They answer story comprehension questions, and rewrite the story. Students also complete a comprehension and fact or opinion...
Curated OER
Painted Story Quilt
Emmulate some of Faith Ringgolds famous painted story quilts in your classroom. Have your class choose a story or you choose one for the whole class to portray. They will select their favorite scene to paint onto their story quilt. What...
August House
The Clever Monkey
Your clever kindergartners will enjoy a series of activities based on the West African folktale, The Clever Monkey, adapted by Rob Cleveland. They sequence the story with pictures, copy sentences, illustrate idioms about cats, and taste...
Curated OER
Pinhole Photo Narratives
High schoolers create original pieces of poetry and use this as a basis for a photography series using "pin-hole camera" techniques. This high school instructional activity is cross-curricular in scope.
Curated OER
Sundiata, Mali’s Lion King
Students investigate the history of Mali. In this African cultures lesson plan, students research the impact of Sundiata Keita as king of Mali, recognize the significance of historical Malian festivals, and create character masks to be...
Curated OER
Poetry and Our National Anthem
Students express the meaning of the Star-Spangled Banner. For this American history lesson, students read through the national anthem and complete an activities from a list of choices. Some choices include: writing the anthem in your own...
Curated OER
The Clever Monkey Rides Again
Learners explore a West African folktale. In this folktale lesson, students read the book The Clever Monkey Rides Again and discuss the trickster characters from the tale. Learners participate in a discussion about the folktale and...
Penguin Books
An Educator’s Guide to Ruta Sepetys
Historical fiction novels give readers a chance to step into someone else's shoes. An educator's guide from Penguin Common Core Lesson Plans provides resources to accompany three historical fiction novels written by Ruta Sepetys: Between...
Curated OER
Native American Legends
Students work together in groups to research a Native American legend. They present the information they gathered in a format they chose. They write their own legend based on their research.
Curated OER
"Julie of the Wolves"
Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this lesson. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. They...
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
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
Shadow Puppetry in South India
Students read a variety of literature from India, including folktales and fables. They then select a scene or story to script, work together to design and craft shadow puppets of characters and scenery, narrate a story, manipulate the...
Curated OER
Dramatizing Fables
Students familiarize themselves with fables by listening to several of them. They define fables. They identify the moral of a specific fable. They identify characters, plot and sequence of events. They create a mask of a character in a...
Curated OER
Off Times of Slaves on the Sea Islands
Sixth graders explore the aspect of slave life on the Sea Islands. They explore the Gullah language, folk tales, music and games during the "off" times of slaves. Students read and interpret Gullah folk tales. They recognize music in the...