Ninth graders present tales and myths in the oral tradition. They discuss the African method of telling a story where each member of the group tells a part of the story. They make up a composite hero and write a story that describes...

Throughout time, innovators have taken basic ideas and changed them into creative and cutting-edge designs. Kids tackle the topic of innovations in relation to traditional or creative objects. They discuss traditional Navajo pottery then...

Ever wonder where wool comes from? How it is used to make a woven rug? Introduce the Native American craft of rug making to your preschool or kindergarten class with a discussion. Learners examine and discuss images of a Native American...

A video leads off this activity on fables, introducing the class to this important form of traditional storytelling. The group defines fable and hears an explanation of the origin of this type of folk tale. They summarize the story they...

Imagine you are a Plains Indian, a nomad getting ready to follow a herd of buffalo. Now imagine what you would have to pack for your trip. Little ones examine images of a traditional parfleche (packing box), and then create packing lists...

Learners explore, examine and study a module that focuses on the science of the oral environment and major scientific concepts relating to oral health. They investigate the process of tooth decay by interacting with stories and games...

In this dialogue about traditions worksheet, students participate in a question and answer session on the subject of traditions.

Students explore families and culture. In this family and culture lesson, students discuss their families and their similarities and differences. Students read the book The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco and create their own quilt...

Fourth graders study Indian women in Texas. In this US history lesson, 4th graders discuss what each Indian woman's contribution was by completing a timeline and table. Students examine the Caddo Women's pottery tradition...

Students study fables in a broad context. In this literary lesson on fables, students define terms unique to them. Students use a variety of technological resources to gather and classify information into three categories. Students also...

Explore legends and storytelling with your learners. After listening to some legends, pupils work collaboratively and then individually to come up with original legends about animals.

Students examine what life was like for slaves from the point of view of ex-slaves. They use resources from the Federal Writers' Project which took place in the mid- 1930's. They look at the importance of religion, the different status...

Students investigate the history of education for Native Americans. The roles of adults is the focus and how they delivered instruction to upcoming generations. Students focus upon the skill of oral tradition and write a summary of the...

Sixth graders research Veteran's Day and wars that affected the United States. In this research lesson plan, 6th graders work in small groups to create an oral presentation based on Internet and conventional research. They complete...

Use Shel Silverstein's poem "Batty" to introduce poetry to young readers. This lesson is not formatted well, but the plan does suggest learners memorize a poem, recite the poem individually, and then recite the poem as a class. Poetry...

Students examine the importance of oral traditions while reading various fairy and folk tales. Given a piece of clay, they can mold it into any shape they want and pass it to their neighbor which keeps building the object. They use...

Students interview local Native Americans to explore their history, culture, and contributions to the region. They contact a local Native American organization, conduct an interview with a volunteer and write thank-you notes.

Students participate in an oral story telling activity designed to show how story embellishments occur. They read "Beowulf" and identify incongruities that suggest additions and embellishments over the years.

Fourth graders explore lives of Chief Plenty Coups and Crow Indians, focusing specifically on tradition of Vision Quests. Students identify reasons for Vision Quests, and create presentation to share information found with classmates.

Students experience through role-play the art of shadow puppetry and appreciate the role of oral traditions in Chinese history. They research the origins and history of puppetry as a part of a unit on China. They discover what Chinese...

Showing how folk poetry keeps alive national heritage is the stated goal of this proposal for a unit on the poetry of the Balkans.

Learners review factors that contributed to the development of the spiritual, which reflects the influence of African religious and Christian traditions, and slavery. Students collect spirituals/songs of their heritage from family...

Students examine the culture of Acadian through the paintings of Robert Harris. Using the internet, they read examples of Acadian history through primary source documents. As a class, they continue to share stories orally by pretending...

Students explore their family history by examining home remedy traditions. They read and discuss a handout about home remedies, conduct an interview with a family member, and complete an interview worksheet.