Folktales from the Americas

Students explore Confucianism and Daoism. In this world history lesson plan, students Compare and contrast the basic tenants of Confucianism and Daoism and identify their influence in Chinese Folktales.

Learners of all ages read and discuss books about Asian America. In this Asian-America lesson plan, different books for every age group are listed and various teaching strategies are suggested. Great tips cover virtually every grade level!

Introduce learners to allegorical art with four bronze sculptures by Francesco Bertos. After modeling how to recognize bias and allegory in Bertos' Africa, class groups examine the other three sculptures in the series before creating...

High schoolers read several historical folktales and give examples of compassion in the folktale. They describe challenges a person who forgives must be ing to face and give examples of songs or poems that speak to the idea of forgiveness.

Students exchange folktales with a key-pal using dialog journal writing. They write out a folktale from their own cultural background and exchange it with students of another. They record their impressions of each other's folktales.

High schoolers compare Cameroonian and African-American folktales. In this folktales instructional activity, students participate in a jigsaw activity that requires them to read "The Owl Never Sleeps as Night," "Why the Lizard Often...

Students read stories from various cultures and create a passport indicating the completion and comprehension of the story. The template for the passport is included. The instructional activity can be used for a broad range of ages...

High schoolers write in their journals about the role of music in their lives. They discuss the media's use of music and watch a video clip about someone who prohibited the use of music. They create an illustration to show the folklife...

Sometimes a folk tale takes root and, even if it is not true, can determine the development of a word and its associated meanings. Take earwig, for example. An earwig has a false reputation for crawling into your brain, but the name...

“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is famous, in part, because it established a uniquely American form of humor. In this famous story, Mark Twain combines the tall-tale, the dialect story, and satire. Here is a resource...