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PPT
Curated OER

Elements of the Oral Tradition

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Various genres of oral tradition are outlined and defined in these slides. Give your class examples of folk tales, fairy tales, parables, fables, legends, and myths before reading an example of one of these stories. This overview acts as...
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PPT
Curated OER

Exploring Themes in Literature: The Oral Tradition

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Are you are considering a unit on Beowulf or Superman, on myths, or tricksters? Here's a great overview you can use to launch a study of universal themes and archetypes. The focus here is on the oral tradition, but the concepts apply to...
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PPT
Curated OER

Africa: Art and Culture

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Posing an introductory question about the reflection of culture within art, this lecture on African art forms will garner intrigue and imagination. From oral tradition (the African griot), to images of African masks and Western...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

John and Mary Jones and the Importance of Oral History

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the role of John and Mary Jones in the abolitionist movement. Using primary source documents, they discover the importance of an oral history and take notes on the Jones' role. They write a summary of the data to...
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Lesson Plan
Incredible Art Department

Story Tellers - "Passing on the Traditions"

For Teachers 6th - 10th
It's important for young people to learn about their ancestry and the role of storytelling as a means of passing along traditions, information, and lessons. Based on what they already learned about Native American oral tradition,...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Don't Stop the Weaving

For Students 7th - 12th
The importance of oral tradition is evident throughout time and across space. Introduce your learners to some interesting stories and then test their knowledge with these questions. Ten multiple-choice questions focus on characters and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Language Arts, African Americans, Oral Tradition and the Blues

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
When slavery took Africans from their land, they were separated from the rich musical and oral traditions native to each country and region. While working as slaves, Africans found they had two places where they could use these musical...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytelling in the Oral Tradition

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders research Greek mythological characters. They write about problems faced by middle school-aged children and how the character would handle them. Students also create story boards to accompany their oral narratives.
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PPT
Curated OER

International Folklore

For Teachers 5th - 9th
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...
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PPT
Curated OER

Tall Tales

For Teachers 5th - 7th
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...
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PPT
Curated OER

Tall Tales: Larger Than Life Stories

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Review the elements of tall tales with your class. Take a look at their genesis and purpose. Different types of figurative language found in tall tales are included such as hyperbole, simile, and metaphor. Before reading an American tall...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Latino Folklore and Culture: Stories of Family, Traditions of Pride

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students define the terms fable and folktale. They write a fable to illustrate a Latino proverb. Students are explained that a folktale is a story passed down through the oral tradition of a particular culture. A fable is a type of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We of the Sea: Tribal Native American Stories

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A video featuring members of Oregon’s Astoria Native American fishing community launches a study of the oral tradition of poetry, and how traditions are passed down within different cultures. Activities, assessments, extensions and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Poetry: Family and Traditions

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's All Greek to Me

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Introduce your class to the Greek alphabet and language. Examine how the Greek language influenced the English language. Study the history, timeline of achievements, and the role oral history played in Greece.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Epic Improvisation

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Really? Rapping The Odyssey? Really. A discussion of the oral tradition of story telling and its links to Epic poetry sets the stage for a series of activities that encourage improvisation to integrate music into other classrooms....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeing Words in a New Way

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What's the best resource to use when looking up words? Use Visual Thesaurus to see a word's meaning. The class accesses the interactive website and then compares and contrasts the difference between using a traditional dictionary and the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Talking Stick

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine the lives of the Aboriginal peoples of Saskatchewan. In this talking stick activity, students discover dance, art, music, and traditions of the First Nations people.  Students design and create a talking stick to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folktales: Oral Traditions as a Basis for Instruction in our Schools

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students visit their school library to read a variety of folktales. While they read, they identify the trickster or hero in each and discuss how the character represents the chaos in the real world. In groups, they write their own...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners define folklore, folk groups, tradition, and oral narrative. They identify traditional elements in Their Eyes Were Watching God Analyze and understand the role of traditional folkways and folk speech in the overall literary...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk Traditions in the Blues

For Teachers All
Click here to download a PDF of this lesson. (2.8 MB) Overview This lesson will enable teachers to use the blues to explore selected topics in African American folklore. Students will learn about some of the African American cultural...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folklore and Culture

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore the four kinds of folklore in this seven instructional activity unit. Through reading a variety of legends, muths, fables, and folklores the concepts pf the lessons are synthesized byStudents.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Preserving History for Illuminating Today's Values and Traditions

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Young scholars use the processes of oral history and the latest technology to engage in historical inquiry and the preservation of the past. The work in cooperative groups or individually to discover and capture the past by interviewing...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Taste of the Caribbean

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students are introduced to the foods and traditions of the Caribbean. In groups, they brainstorm their own definition of culture and review the physical and political geography of the Caribbean. They spend time sampling different foods...