Thematic Units - Tall Tales - Fables - Myths

Tall Tales - Fables - Myths

You will find various Web Sites on the top portion of this page.
Further down, you will find Activities.
At the bottom of the page, you will find Books that you can order directly from Amazon.com!

Web Sites

Aaron Shepard's Storybook
"Here you'll find world tales told by Aaron Shepard -- folktales, tall tales, legends, classic tales, and sacred tales -- plus original humor and fantasy. Most of the stories have been published in top children's magazines like Cricket and Australia's School Magazine, while some are from Aaron's picture books."

Absolutely Whootie: Stories to Grow By
"Rread folk and fairy tales from around the world that tell tales of courage, friendship, kindness, and love." Site includes word games, coloring pages, and fairy tale scripts.

African Fold Tales
Find a great collection of literature and lesson ideas.

American Folklife Center
"The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress was created by Congress in 1976 "to preserve and present American Folklife." The Center incorporates the Archive of Folk Culture, which was established at the Library in 1928 as a repository for American Folk Music. The Center and its collections have grown to encompass all aspects of folklore and folklife from this country and around the world."

American Life Histories
"These life histories were written by the staff of the Folklore Project of the Federal Writers' Project for the U.S. Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration (WPA) from 1936-1940."

Creation Myths & Sacred Narratives of Creation
A great list of resources.

Encyclopedia Mythica
A great resource for mythology around the world.

Fairytales from Farmhouse Fables
"Read stories with names like The Sad Nettle and The Beautiful Butterfly, Millie The Harvest Mouse, and Matilda Finds a New Home."

Myths & Legends
A great collection of myths and legends ranging from animals to tales from around the world.

Myths, Folktales and Fairy Tales
"Explore myths from around the world, learn about folktales and storytelling, or read about fairy tales! From Scholastic.com."

The Paul Bunyan Trail
"Learn about the historic trail that begins in Brainerd, Minnesota. There are maps of the trail, a tic-tac-toe game, and more!"

Paul Bunyan Trail Tall Tale
"Animated tale of Paul Bunyan and Babe, his blue ox."

Stories, Folklore, and Fairy Tales Theme Page
"Students and teachers will find curricular resources; in addition, there are links to lesson plans which will help teachers plan instruction on this theme."

{Return to the top of the page.}

Lesson Plans

The Teacher's Corner Resources This indicates resources located on The Teacher's Corner.

The Teacher's Corner Resources Compare & Contrast Grades Any
This activity will help develop critical thinking skills.
Submitted by: WAYSTEVE@email-removed

The Teacher's Corner Resources Sunrise...Sunset - Bilingual Telemation Unit Grades K-3
This lesson will allow students to explore two different cultures' myths of the creation of the sun, and how the sun is a valued part of our environment and survival.
Submitted by: WAYSTEVE@email-removed

American Folk Tale Unit Grades Various
A good introducation to your unit.

The Book of Virtues Grade 5
Student will write personal "Book of Virtues " modeled on the book The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett.

Character and Action Identification Grades K-2
Students will engage in building characters in a story.

Fable Writing--Interdisciplinary Approach To Social Sciences Grades 3-8
In our dynamic world, the quality of life is dependent upon our capacity and ability to educate our students for a future that increasingly demands responsible, MORAL, and ethical participation for interaction among people. It also requires that the educational processes promotes the development of the abilities and ATTITUDES necessary for relating harmoniously and respectfully with others.

Fables Gades 8-12
This lesson encourages students to consider a moral and a central theme in authoring a fable for elementary school students.

Fables and Real Life Grades 5-12
This is a lesson where students read fables, determine the morals of the fables, and discuss real life examples of where the moral may or may not have helped them in their own lives.

Fairy Tale Journey Grades 3-4
In this creative writing process, the student will assume the role of the main character in the fairy tale. The student will use fantasy to change the ending of a familiar fairy tale. (This lesson could easily be used in a fable/tall tale.)

Folktales Grades Various
A collection of 12 units.

Folktales and Legends Are Part of the Heritage of Indians Grade 3
Students will read one or more Indian folktales or myths and complete various activities.

Introduction to the Study of American Tall Tales Grade 4
This is a great unit.

Little Red Riding Hood and Lon Po Po Grades K-2
This literature-based unit provides students with opportunities to compare Little Red Riding Hood, with the Chinese version, Lon Po Po and the Korean version, The Sun Girl and the Moon Boy. While examining the characters, conflict and resolution in each story, students will also learn about the different characteristics of each culture.

Mapping Constellations Grades 4-8
Students will develop an awareness and appreciation of star patterns through observation of the night sky. They will also learn about the mythology related to the various constellations.

Once Upon A Time . . . Grades 4-6
This writing activity uses the fairy tale structure to demonstrate all of the elements of a short story.

Paul Bunyan Grades 4-5
The student will use story and folklore collections to find an appropriate story to tell about Paul Bunyan.

Pig Endings Grades 1-3
This lesson plan allows students to become familar with fairy tale genre through personal writing practices and computer software programs.

Playing with American Folk Heroes of the Nineteenth Century Grades Intermediate
"Through the medium of drama, this curriculum unit will explore selected mythic heroes and cultural figures drawn from American folk literature, who typify the changing American experience, late 1700's to 1900."

Saleng: A Philippine Folktale Grade Middle School
In an ongoing effort to increase tolerance of other cultures through education, the lessons in this CyberGuide were designed to introduce students to the land and stories of the Philippines.

Traditional Literature Lesson Plans Grades All
This site has it ALL! You will find lesson plans across the grade levels for: Tall Tales, Myths & Legends, Folk Tales, Fables, and Nursery Rhymes. It is a MUST VISIT!

{Return to the top of the page.}

Books

Ackamarackus
by Julius Lester

Amazing & Incredible Counting Stories! : A Number of Tall Tales
by Max Grover

American Tall Tales (Puffin Books)
by Adrien Stoutenburg

American Tall Tales
by Mary Pope Osborne

Beowulf : A New Telling
by Robert Nye

Big Men, Big Country : A Collection of American Tall Tales
by Paul Robert Walker

Brother Wolf of Gubbio : A Legend Saint Francis
by Colony Elliott Santangelo

The Canterbury Tales (Oxford Illustrated Classics)
by Geraldine McCaughrean

The Checker Playing Hound Dog : Tall Tales from a Southwestern Storyteller
by Joe Hayes

The Children's Treasury of Virtues
by William J. Bennett