Native American Folk Tales

Students read Dancing With the Indians by Angela Shelf Medearis. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of Native American festivals and traditions. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing,...

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...

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.

Students read various examples of legends from Native American tribes. Using the Internet, they each read a different story and note the importance of tradition. They draw a picture of their favorite part of the story and write a...

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...

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....

Give your class an overview of American tall tales and some examples with these slides. The basic definition of folk stories, legends, and tall tales is explained, followed by famous characters from American lore. Reading suggestions are...

Students examine plot and setting of Cinderella, and how it changes as it is translated into different cultures, discuss universal literary elements of the Cinderella story, and write narratives with original settings and plots...