In West Bengal, India, a traditional caste community of artists, called "patuas", paint colorful scrolls to accompany songs which they sing to relate historic, current, religious, and cultural events to their audiences. These itinerant painter/singers are part of a long lineage that has passed the tradition down for generations. In this…

Focusing on reworkings of tales from the European oral folk tradition, this book shows educators how to use these tales effectively in the high school and middle school curriculum. The first chapter of the book, "Folktales and Literary Fictions" looks at the nature of folktales, their place in contemporary North American culture, and the…

Folklore and folk arts encompass the body of traditional knowledge learned and artifacts produced outside of formal institutions as a result of participation in folk groups. A great portion of daily life and culture is folk. Folklore and folk arts acquire distinctly local characteristics through the influences of geography, history, or talented…

The folk songs and ballads of early America describe life as experienced by the common people. They were sung within the family, by neighbors and at gatherings of larger communities. The stories told were carried in the memories of those who heard them. Once a strictly aural and oral tradition, the words came to be written down, and the surviving…

The 26 units of Spanish instruction for grades K-8 presented here were developed by participants in a 1995-96 teacher institute. The units are designed to help children and adolescents learn both language and culture through Mexican legends. Activities help introduce the legend, test comprehension, and extend the meaning, to develop deeper…

This paper discusses the use of contemporary legends in the teaching of language and culture, specifically in English-as-a-second-language. Contemporary legends are a type of folk narrative, but unlike folk tales, they are believed to be true. They usually concern ordinary people who are known to the narrator, occur in familiar settings, and are…

This book is composed of 21 essays that define and illustrate the folklore of Texas. Following the introduction, the six essays concerned with defining are: "Classroom Definitions of Folklore" (F. E. Abernethy); "Defining Folklore for My Students" (Joyce Roach); "Folklore and Cinema" (Jim Harris); "Toward a…

As an instructional tool, folk literature can foster literacy, promote cultural awareness, and create connections with the content areas. Yet few resources provide background about folk literature and how to use it your classroom. "Happily Ever After" fills this gap with a reader-friendly collection of articles that define folk literature and its…

This bibliography lists books, articles, and journals as well as a selection of sound recordings and videotapes to assist individuals and teachers researching the folklife of Georgia. Print resources are organized under 10 major categories including: (1) "General Folklife Studies"; (2) "Fieldwork Methodology"; (3)…

This report focuses on rhythmic meters characteristic of Bulgarian folk music. Folk instruments, attire, music history, and methods of learning the folk traditional music and dances are presented. Students prepare a lecture/recital to showcase their learning of this unit. The project is intended for use in an undergraduate music history course for…

This Amana (Iowa) Folklife Curriculum has been planned as an easily-implemented sequence of activities comparing community and family folklife traditions with current practices. The K-5 activities are planned to coincide with holidays in the regular school calendar whenever possible. All activities compare and contrast present-day practices with…

This conference report argues that folk arts, which are transmitted informally by community word of mouth and example, represent the core culture of the community. Since a central goal for education is to prepare students to understand, live in, and contribute to their culture, the traditional folk arts represent valuable classroom resources. They…

This manual provides a general introduction to folklore and folklife. Certain articles herein may be used in a basic activity-oriented approach to the study of folklore, beginning at the fourth grade level. Other articles proved a more in-depth study of folklife and of the means by which folk culture is preserved and shared. The teacher must…

Fables and trickster tales are short narratives that use animal characters with human features to convey folk wisdom and to help people understand human nature and human behavior. These stories were originally passed down through oral tradition and written down later. The legendary figure Aesop was reported to have orally passed on his animal…

Developed as part of an educational kit that includes a four-part videotape, maps, photographs, and audio tapes, this guide gives teacher preparation information, objectives, teaching strategies, and student activities for each of 3 lessons in 4 units: Unit 1, "Introduction to Folklife," presents a definition in lesson 1, "What is…