Folktales from the Americas

Students participate in a series of activities to explore the types of food Americans eat, how food choices differ in various parts of the country, and how the availability of various foods has changed over time.

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...

Disney versus Grimm? To launch a five-week unit on fairy and folk tales, class members compare modern versions of these classic stories with more original versions. The richly detailed unit, while largely teacher led, encourages middle...

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!

Students research Native American groups and compile information into a web/chart with various categories. They read and summarize folktales from their assigned group and then present their research to the class. They compare their group...

High schoolers define folklore, folk groups, tradition, and oral narrative, identify traditional elements in Their Eyes Were Watching God, and analyze and explain the role of traditional folkways and folk speech in the overall literary...

High schoolers examine Russian Folktales. For this folklore lesson, students discuss the attributes of common folktales they know and then discover details regarding Russian folktales. High schoolers read 3 folktales and then complete...

Folklore is composed of stories that convey cultural heritage and traditions. Many types of tales are listed as well as what they portray in various contexts and situations. Give your learners a brief description or definition of...

A great way to learn to understand people and their environment is to study their folktales. Stories from China, Vietnam, India, Iran, Persia, and Palestine offer an opportunity for readers to investigate the cultures of Asia. A list of...

Do you know why woodpeckers have red heads? Why the possum has no hair on its tail? Why a cat has nine lives? Find out by downloading this resource that uses Zora Neale Hurston's collection Mules and Men as the basis of a study of...