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Folklife Resources for Educators

Sponsoring Organization Information

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103
Washington, DC 20024 (202) 633-3168


Barn Again ! Celebrating an American Icon - Teacher's Guide
by Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
http://www.sites.si.edu/education/BATeacher_Guide.pdf

Teacher resource guide with four lesson plans for grades 4-12 on the topic of the American barn as symbol, architecture, community gathering place, and window to the past. Created to accompany an exhibition of the same name developed by SITES, the materials can also function in a stand-alone capacity. They include research and activity-oriented lessons through which students gather information about barn raising, barn dances, corn husking, and quilting bees by reading oral history transcripts, examine architectural designs and historical photos of barns, and do interviews to learn more about barns and to hear barn stories. Lessons focus on the subjects of American Culture, American History, Architecture/Design, Folklife, Language and Visual Arts and address National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. (48 p. PDF)

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Activities Language: English
Subjects: Barns; Architecture; Agriculture; United States--History; Farm life; Community life; Folklore; Inquiry-based learning; Interviewing; United States--Social life and customs; Needlework
Geographic locations: United States

Sponsoring Organization:
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103
Washington DC 20024
(202) 633-3168
http://www.sites.si.edu/


Corridos sin Fronteras: A New World Ballad Tradition
by Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
http://www.corridos.org/main2.asp?language=E

Bilingual (Spanish and English) interactive educational website for elementary, middle, and high school teachers and students. Site introduces students to the historical and cultural importance of the corrido, a popular narrative poem or ballad found in Spanish-speaking areas of the Americas. The site includes lesson plans and historical and contextual background on the development of the corrido, including its use in expressions of social justice and the telling of stories of oppression and history. Examples of corridos are presented through video and audio recordings on the site and students are encouraged to create their own corridos. Subject areas covered include music, the performing arts, history, language arts, and Spanish-language traditions of Mexico and the United States.

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English; Spanish
Subjects: Music; Storytelling; Texas--Social life and customs; Mexico--Social life and customs; Corridos; Ballads; Songwriting; Mexican Americans
Geographic locations: United States; Texas; Mexico

Sponsoring Organization:
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103
Washington DC 20024
(202) 633-3168
http://www.sites.si.edu/


The Grand Generation: Interviewing Guide & Questionnaire
by Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
http://smithsonianeducation.org/migrations/seek1/grand1.html

Educational website designed as a guide for collecting folklore and oral history from older tradition-bearers. It features a general guide to conducting interviews and a sample list of questions which may be adapted to specific needs and circumstances. The site also includes some examples of ways to preserve and present your findings and a selection of further readings. The site was produced to accompany the exhibition, "The Grand Generation: Memory, Mastery, Legacy," organized by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and SITES, but can easily serve in a stand-alone capacity to instruct students in grades 3 through college in the documentation of family folklore and oral history collected from elders.

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12; Undergraduate Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Activities Language: English
Subjects: Interviewing; Inquiry-based learning; Folklore--Fieldwork; Family--Folklore; Family--History; Older people; Oral history
Geographic locations: [No specific location]

Sponsoring Organization:
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103
Washington DC 20024
(202) 633-3168
http://www.sites.si.edu/

Other Organizations:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
600 Maryland Avenue, S.W. Suite 2001
Washington DC 20024
(202) 633-6440
http://www.folklife.si.edu/


Key Ingredients: America by Food - Teacher's Guide
by Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
http://www.sites.si.edu/education/KI%20Teacher%27s%20Guide.pdf

Teacher resource guide with five lesson plans plus handouts for grades 4-12 on the topic of family and local food traditions. Created to accompany an exhibition of the same name developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the materials can also function in a stand-alone capacity. They include research and activity-oriented lessons during which students gather recipes, interview family members, create an exhibition on their state's agricultural history, and examine the effects of the media on their food choices. Lessons focus on the subjects of American Culture, American History, Multiculturalism, and Technology, and address National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies and Health Education. (32 p. PDF)

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Science; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Lesson plans; Activities Language: English
Subjects: Health; Food; Foodways; Inquiry-based learning; Interviewing; United States--History; Agriculture
Geographic locations: United States

Sponsoring Organization:
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103
Washington DC 20024
(202) 633-3168
http://www.sites.si.edu/


 

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   June 23, 2011
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