PBS
Pbs: A World of Stories: The Beaded Bag
Kentucky-based storyteller Mary Hamilton tells a haunting tale set in Victorian times, about a man who gives a young lady a ride across the Ohio River to her home in Louisville. When she disappears, he learns that he has become part of a...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Storytelling in Ritual and Performance in Bali
Balinese stories are continually told and retold. The Kayonan is the first and last puppet seen in the Balinese wayang shadow theater. As it dances, it symbolizes the living tradition of storytelling that deeply explains and entertains,...
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: English Language Arts: Grade 3: The Stories Julian Tells
Third graders learn that stories and books are important for learning about themselves and others. This unit allows students to learn how storytelling can be a way to learn about other cultures, pass on family history and traditions, and...
American Indian Heritage Foundation
Native American Eagle Stories
From several Native American tribes come these stories of Eagle. Values of the culture are preserved in the retelling of these stories that show Eagle's value and symbolism for the Native Americans.
Other
Personal: Raven and the Man That Sits on the Tides
This is a Native American Raven tale from a Pacific Northwest tribe provided by Native American Storyteller, Barry McWilliams.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Early American and Colonial Period to 1776
Background information about the literary traditions of the pre-Colonial and Colonial period. Includes information about Native American oral traditions and Native American cultures. Follow the links to the Early American era and to...
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Lesson Plan: Writing Folktales
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...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Native Voices, Chippewa Songs
Study the great oral tradition of the Chippewa Tribe in the Great Lakes regions through their music collected by Frances Densmore. For classroom activities and lesson enhancements click on the link, "Chippewa Songs Activities."
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Native Voices: Ghost Dance Songs
A Native American Paiute man known as Wovoka, after seeing a vision, started the Ghost Dance religion which had many songs to carry on its oral tradition. Click on the tab "Ghost Dance Songs Activities" to explore activities and photos.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Native Voices: Black Elk
Sioux visionary and leader, Black Elk, and his aide to writing Black Elk Speaks, poet John D. Niehardt, are featured in this lesson with regard to the concept of oral tradition in American and Native American writing. Click on "Black Elk...
Other
Storytelling to Assess Speaking and Listening
An effective use of rubrics that encourages the student storyteller how to determine if his/her audience is listening. Learn about the different listening skill rubrics, storytelling rubrics and a self-assessment guide that asks the...
PBS
Mpr: The Meaning of Sioux Music and Song
This site from the Minnesota Public Radio provides the text of a 1915 article written by musician and self-trained anthropologist, Frances Densmore. Densmore spent years studying the music and culture of the Teton Sioux and other native...
Other
Pima Legend of the Flood on Superstition Mountain
English text of the Pima legend "The Flood on Superstition Mountain."
Other
Native American Indian Legends: Origin of the Saguaro and Palo Verde Cacti: A Pi
A Native American Pima legend on how the saguaro and palo verde cacti came into existence. With links to other Native American legends, artwork, photographs, articles, and more.
HotChalk
Hot Chalk: Lesson Plans Page: Native American Legends
A lesson plan for teaching Native American Legends. Well-designed, and applicable to any legend which you might choose to read.
TESL Journal
The Internet Tesl Journal: Software Language Learning
A great article providing info and stats about the use of presentation software to enhance classroom leaning, specifically in ESL classrooms. Includes detailed comparisons to traditional presentation methods (oral, word processing) and...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Digital Storytelling With Class Flow Technology
[Free Registration/Login Required] Digital storytelling is the combination of the ancient art of oral storytelling with today's technology, enabling students to write their own uniquely personal tales and then personalize them even more...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Storytelling: Tales of Everyday Life
Learners explore how events from everyday life can become stories, and how different types of narratives-such as ships' logs and journals-can tell the story of the same event. This is one of four storytelling lessons.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Storytelling: Writers' Workshop
Students draw on their understanding of different types of narratives to inspire and enrich their own storytelling. This is one of four storytelling lessons.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Teaching the Epic Through Ghost Stories
This lesson plan uses the oral tradition of ghost stories (anchored in the Gothic) as a means of explaining the oral tradition of the epics. Included in the lesson plan is an overview, practice, objectives, resources, preparation, and more.
Other
Chaver: The Mishnah
This research site from Chaver.com describes the Mishnah in-depth: "The Art of Writing the Oral Tradition," "The Decalog as Wisdom Literature," and "Woven Texts: Literary Form in Ancient Hebrew Legal Codes."
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
Fordham University: Medieval Sourcebook: Law of the Salian Franks
This site from the Medieval Sourcebook of the Fordham University provides an example of a Germanic law code taken from oral tradition and set down in writing.
Other
Story Arts:storytelling Activities & Lesson Ideas
Use this site to get pupils interested in and enthusiastic about storytelling with these cool lesson ideas. Look through these short descriptions of lesson ideas to help develop a lesson to fit your classroom needs.
Other
Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation: Family Histories
Follow the stories of six Americans with different backgrounds who wanted to know more about their ancestors' journeys to America and used immigration and genealogy records to complete their family histories.