Multi-Cultural

African American Asian Deaf Culture Jewish Folktales Story Song Family - Personal World Folktales Greek Native American Tall Tales

African American

Aaron Shephard’s Geography Index: Africa
Stories from Nigeria, Tanzania, and other African countries listed by title and format. Most are online versions suitable for retelling or reader's theater.

Performing Arts of West Africa
Notable links include Senegal, with a timeline of its history, The Oral Tradition, with links to storytelling, drumming, and world-renowned drum master and griot Doudou N'Diaye Rose. Books, Links, and Resources make this an excellent site for middle and high school students and K-12 social studies teachers interested in West African culture and history.

All About Africa
Online lesson plans, folktales, and much more!

Asian Folktales

Generosity of Spirit Folktale
This lesson looks at who has the responsibility to be generous and what changes can come about because of one’s generosity.

Asian Folktales
Through a study of various Asian folktales, learners will investigate everyday qualities and characteristics that influence society.

Deaf Culture

NPR Program
A world of silence. That's often how those of us who can hear imagine deafness. But that silence contains a multitude of voices, with a shared history and ..

ASL
Sign Language, free lesson plans, ASL dictionary and resources. Information on Deaf culture, history, grammar, and terminology.

Jewish Folktales

The Tree that Absorbed Tears
Found on the site for storyteller Laura Simms, this featured tale tells of the depths of sadness. The story was collected from a Romanian Jewish woman in the 1920’s and later adapted and translated to English. For students in gr. 6-12.

Generosity of Spirit Folktale
Lesson plan for students in gr. 9-12 on folk tales that explore ideas related to acts of kindness and giving. Includes ideas for essay’s and group activities.

Jewish Short Stories
The Jewish Magazine is a grassroots effort and features a wide selection of Jewish short stories among other topics.

The Red Slipper
Read about rosy-red’s magical slippers on this site. Click next to read more fairytales such as The Fairy Frog and The Sleep of One Hundred Years. For students in gr. 3-12.

Jewish Family Stories
Read a collection of original stories by Alan Radding on this site that lists stories for children and teens. Stories touch on various topics from being the new kid in school to being embarrassed at a school dance. For students in gr. k-12

Stories
This site lists assorted Jewish stories arranged in categories that include: From the Sages, Chassidic Stories, Contemporary Stories, and Fables and Parables. For students in gr. 6-12.

Jewish Story Collection
This website provides an extensive collection listing of Jewish stories.

Sources for Jewish Folktales and Stories
This PDF file also lists a bibliography of books and videos for adults and children.

Story Songs

CD Baby: David E. Taylor
Review of Taylor’s CD, “The Ants Went Marching,” a collection of traditional songs with new words for a “fresh twist,” all accompanied by the artist on traditional acoustic instruments. David Taylor is the son of Tut Taylor, world famous flat-picking dobro (slide guitar) player. Students can click a track to hear audio samples.

Corridos sin Fronteras
Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibit and educational Web site celebrating the Hispanic-American narrative songs known as "corridos," which preserve and celebrate folk heroes and true love, among other themes. Bilingual, interactive site for teachers or students, gr. 4-12. Listen to famous corridos, download lyrics, choose corridos from different historical periods, learn more about corridos songwriters, or click "Teachers" to browse and download corridos lesson plans.

Dan Hall's Story Song Creations
Midwestern folk singer Dan Hall describes the six-part process of his in-school story song writing program. Each class in a grade level creates one verse for a collective story song that they perform for the school and their parents.

History Happens: Cool Stories about U. S. History
Nine story songs about historical subjects: African American, women, Revolutionary, Native American, Civil War, immigration, and WWII. Choose either audio or music video. Some subjects link to teacher support materials.

Mix-n-Match: Working with syllables using musical patterns (Academy Curricular Exchange, “Language Arts Lessons, K-5”)
Students gr. 2-4 learn about syllables by composing original five-note songs using lyrics from their favorite poem.

Family and Personal

The Academy Curricular Exchange: “Writing Poems with Photographs”
Lesson plan for students gr. 6-12 to bring in personal photographs and write poems about them. Students who have no photographs may use photos from Time Tales, a collection of "found" photos sorted by time period.

Story Arts: Exploring Cultural Roots through Storytelling
A how-to guide for discovering family and personal lore, including tips on collecting family stories, remembering your life story, interview questions, and story prompts. For teachers or students in gr. 9-12.

Sharing Family Stories
A great lesson plan for incorporating sharing personal and family stories for grades 6-8.

World

Aaron's Geography Index by Aaron Shephard
Online world tales, organized by country or continent for teachers and students of all ages.

August House Resources
A great resource guide to a variety of storytelling sites- including international storytelling topics of interest.

The Baldwin Project, Bringing Yesterdays Classics to Today’s Children
Click Stories--By Genre and scroll through alphabetical links to over 3,000 e-stories: fables, fairy tales, legends and mythology. For students gr. 4–12.

Clow (Elementary School) Storytellers
Listen to world stories recorded by Clow Elementary School students. Many are well-known tales, such as “Abiyoyo,” “Why Anansi Has a Small Waist,” and “Rumplestiltskin.” Also includes tales from Noodlehead Stories and Stories in My Pocket, by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss. For students gr. K-6. (Teachers can go to “Resources for Storytellers and Their Teachers” page and link to rationale, background, resources, and teacher handouts.)

World Wise Schools Primary Resources: Folktales
Peace Corps educational site. Traditional tales from Africa, the Americas, and Asia, collected by Peace Corps volunteers. For teachers and students gr. 3–12. Teachers can find lesson plans by grade or country on the site map.

Greek

It Came from Greek Mythology
Six-lesson unit which connects the form and function of Greek myths to modern-day questions, purposes and art. For students gr. 3-5 but easily adapted to upper grades.

Impact of Greek Mythology on Modern Times
Great post-festival extension. Student view collections of objects (or pictures) to identify the impact of Greek mythology on modern art and architecture, review definitions and related terminology, and write a myth they have heard. For students gr. 7-9.

Teaching Tips from MythWeb
A series of brief (but not too brief) explanations of lesson extensions for Greek myths. Ideas include designing a mythology game, writing a letter to a Greek god or goddess, writing a how-to composition to help a hero fight the Hydra, for example, and more. For students gr. 4-10?

Native American

Native American Lore Index Page
Scores of traditional stories in printable form, organized by nation or tribe. Check for stories told at the festival and see how these versions differ. This website is designed in partnership with the Discovery Channel for schools. (You can also go to that site for lots more information!) It is full of stories and music. Stories are suitable for students grades 2-6.

NativeTech: Native American Technology and Art
A wonderful source for incorporating lots of projects into your classroom. You will find information on games, toys, beadwork, clay, pottery, stoneware, tools, food, and recipes, all of the Native American culture. Check out the poems, essays and first-person accounts of traditional Native American life at the Poetry and Stories page. Don't miss "Are You Part Indian?" by Les Tate.

Native Americans at KidInfo
General articles on the history of the First Americans along with articles and links on specific tribes. Suitable for students in grades 3 – 6.

First Americans for Grade Schoolers
This site includes basic information and pictures about the Northwest, Plains, California, Southwest, and Woodland Native American cultures. For students grades 1 – 5.

Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Native American Resources
Find books for children about Native Americans or resource books for teachers

Tall Tales

Lionel's Tall Tales
At the PBS Kids Between the Lions site, young readers can create their own tall tale by clicking buttons to shuffle sentences within a short, short story. These are impossible, but not traditional tall tales, but you can print the crazy story and then use it to create a more complex or traditional tall tale. For students gr. K-2.

Tall Tales Today
A lesson of four, 45-minute sessions utilizing mime, improvisation, writing and storytelling. Students improvise a tall tale collaboratively, examine tall tales they've heard and analyze their characteristics using a checklist, mime a tall tale as it is told and write their own modern-day tall tale. Excellent way to extend Bil Lepp's 2005 festival performance. For students gr. 5-8.

Thundering Tall Tales: Using Read Aloud as a Springboard to Writing
You can use the read aloud story suggested, Thunder Rose, by Jerdine Nolan or simply build on one of the tall tales told at the 2005 festival. In this four-session unit, students respond to a read aloud or oral story, examine the common elements of tall tales and identify the like elements in the story, then pair up to write their own tall tales. Booklist, rubric, T-chart, and checklist provided.