Native American Folk Tales

Learning about Native American life ways is almost always a favorite topic for our students. This well organized PowerPoint presents basic information about the Ute Indians, native to the Spanish Fork area of Utah. Each slide contains...

Students examine how aspects of Native American and American folk music are alike and different. They contrast both forms of music and engage in many activities to identify or explain how music fulfills a variety of purposes.

Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the legends of Native Americans that are found in the Northwest Region. They conduct research using a variety of resources and create puppets and a stage for the acting of one of the...

Paul Bunyan was a big guy—but not as big as his story has grown to be! Young readers listen and read along to the enjoyable story of Paul Bunyan, his big blue ox Babe, and the amazing imprint they left along the American landscape.

Youngsters practice retelling a part of their favorite Native American tale to a small group of their peers. Peer partners assess each others performances. To keep comments positive and constructive, consider giving your class sentence...

Seven quick slides give your class the "facts" on Paul Bunyan. This tall tale was made up to entertain lumberjacks and many interesting points are detailed here. As you study various folk tales, show this presentation to portray one of...

The excavation of a cache of artifacts found on San Nicolas Island, a part of the Channel Island chain, is the focus of a documentary that shows how archaeologists uncover artifacts and use these finds to attempt to understand the past....

Students compare and contrast the details from the life of the real David Crockett and the legendary folk hero he later became. They identify the characteristics of a tall tale and follow a rubric to create a tall tale of their own.

Your class hears a Native American Indian point of view of Europeans' arrival in Louisiana. They assess how cultural perspectives (especially an insider's view) and native language can shape a story. Each pupil identifies the...

Fifth graders read the Native American tale, "The Frog and the Crane," focusing on the use of onomatopoeia in it. In groups, they brainstorm list of words that are examples of the device. Finally, 5th graders write their own stories...