Folklife Resources for Educators
Materials Related to United States--Social life and customsThere are 18 titles in this list.
American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music
by Costa-Kim, Patricia http://americansabor.org/classroom
Classroom curriculum and educator resources for middle and high school students focused on Latino music and culture found in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Antonio, Miami, and New York City. Topics include the social and cultural history of Latino music, Latino music's impact on American popular culture, the vocabulary and styles of Latino music, and Latino musicians. Although created to accompany an exhibition of the same name, the educational materials can stand alone. The site includes lessons, activities, and word games, video and audio recordings, biographical information on Latino musicians, interpretive maps, and bilingual accompanying resources. Most of the materials on the site can be found in both Spanish and English and in PDF-format.
| Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture |
| Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources; Lesson plans; Activities; Audio recordings |
Language: English; Spanish |
Subjects: United States--Social life and customs; Maps in education; Puerto Ricans; Mexican Americans; Hispanic Americans; Music; Popular music; New York (N.Y.)--Social life and customs; Miami (Fla.)--Social life and customs; San Antonio (Tex.)--Social life and customs; San Francisco (Calif.)--Social life and customs; History; Hip hop; Salsa (Music); Rap (Music); Dance music; Dance; Immigrants; Cuban Americans; Merengue (Dance)
Geographic locations: United States; Texas; New York (N.Y.); Florida; California |
Sponsoring Organization: Experience Music Project 325 5th Avenue N Seattle WA 98109
(206) 770-2776 http://www.empmuseum.org/index.asp
Other Organizations:
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) 470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103 Washington DC 22024
(202) 633-3168 http://www.sites.si.edu/
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/
Baseball: Across a Divided Society - Primary Source Set
by Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/baseball/
Sheet music, video clips, images, trading cards, and photographs tell the story of how baseball emerged as the American national pastime. Featured primary source items show Americans from different backgrounds and social experiences embracing the sport. A Teacher Guide (7 p. PDF) provides background on baseball in the context of American social and economic history, including a focus on minority participation, and a discussion of baseball in both urban and rural contexts.
| Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Sports and Recreation; History and Social Studies; Music |
| Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources |
Language: English |
Subjects: Baseball; Sports; United States--Social life and customs; Social history
Geographic locations: United States |
Sponsoring Organization: Library of Congress 101 Independence Avenue, SE Washington DC 20540-1300
(202) 707-5000 http://www.loc.gov/teachers/
Country Music Hall of Fame - Teacher Resource Guide
by Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum http://countrymusichalloffame.org/assets/Uploads/Files/TeachersResourceGuide2.pdf
Teacher resource guide with seven lesson plans for K-12 education focusing on the history of country music and its role in American culture. Materials are intended for pre- and post-visit lessons for classes coming to the County Music Hall of Fame, but can be used equally well in a stand-alone capacity. Lessons cover the topics of musical instruments, the characteristics and roles of museums, the public image of musical performers, country music in America, and music in general. The lessons contain curriculum connections to Language Arts, Music, the Visual Arts, Math, and Social Studies. (22 p. PDF)
| Grade Level: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture; Math |
| Resource Type: Lesson plans; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: Art; Performance; History; Country music; Music; Musical instruments; Musicians; United States--Social life and customs; Museums--Curatorship; Popular music
Geographic locations: United States |
Sponsoring Organization: Country Music Hall of Fame 222 Fifth Avenue, South Nashville TN 37203
(615) 416-2088 http://countrymusichalloffame.org/
Dust Bowl Migration -- Primary Source Set
by Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/dust-bowl-migration/
Photographs, recorded music, and song lyrics document the daily ordeals of rural migrant families from the Great Plains during a decade marked by both the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. Includes a Dust Bowl Migration Teacher Guide (8 p. PDF), photographs, and sound recordings collected at California migrant labor camps, and a link to primary source analysis tools.
| Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: History and Social Studies; Art and Culture; Music |
| Resource Type: Primary sources; Audio recordings |
Language: English |
Subjects: United States--History--1933-1945; Labor history; United States--Social life and customs; Social history; Texas--Social life and customs; New Mexico--Social life and customs; Oklahoma--Social life and customs; California--Social life and customs; Music; Dust Bowl Era, 1931-1939; Folk songs; Migration, Internal; Migrant agricultural laborers; New Deal, 1933-1939; Great Plains--Social life and customs
Geographic locations: Great Plains; United States; Texas; Oklahoma; New Mexico; California |
Sponsoring Organization: Library of Congress 101 Independence Avenue, SE Washington DC 20540-1300
(202) 707-5000 http://www.loc.gov/teachers/
Ethnic Fraternal Societies and Mutual Aid: An American Tradition with Old World Roots
by Historical Society of Pennsylvania http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=87
Lesson plan related to the origins, functions, rise, and eventual decline of fraternal and self-help organizations among immigrants and African Americans with activities for middle and high school students. The lesson focuses on ways that immigrants and African Americans developed alternative social structures and mutual assistance organizations that served their social, psychological, cultural, and economic needs. It also explores issues of diversity, ethnic identity, and whether the government or the people are responsible for providing the social and economic safety net of mutual aid. Background materials include a glossary, resources for teachers and students, and links to primary source materials, including photographs and oral histories, drawn from the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania The lesson plan is correlated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, History, and Geography.
| Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture |
| Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: Pennsylvania--Social life and customs; Fraternal organizations; Ethnicity; Ethnic groups; Immigrants; United States--History; United States--Social life and customs; African Americans
Geographic locations: United States; Pennsylvania |
Sponsoring Organization: Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 Locust Street Philadelphia PA 19107
(215) 732-6200 http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1
Folk Arts in Education - A Resource Handbook II
by Marsha MacDowell, LuAnne Kozma http://www.folkartsineducation.org/
Resource handbook examining folklife, folklore, and folk arts in education throughout the United States with sample curricula from over fifty programs for youth in K-12 educational settings, museums, arts and humanities councils, and other non-profit cultural and arts organizations. The 262-page handbook includes many web-based educational resources, plus a webography and bibliography, for the study of folk arts that encourage students to become involved in hands-on, experiential learning, fieldwork, and place-based research in local community settings. It is available on the site in downloadable form or for sale in hardcopy or on CD through the Michigan State University Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program Store.
| Grade Level: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Sports and Recreation; Science; Performing Arts; Music; Math; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture |
| Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: Festivals; Fieldwork (Educational method); Folklore; Occupations--Folklore; Oral history; Inquiry-based learning; Music; Oral tradition; Place-based education; Holidays; Vernacular architecture; Urban folklore; United States--Social life and customs; Rites of passage; Storytelling; Artisans; Community life; Children--Folklore; Folk music; Folk songs; Folklore--Fieldwork; Folk art; Foodways; Ethnic arts; Culture; Ethnic folklore; Family--Folklore; History; Needlework
Geographic locations: United States; General |
Sponsoring Organization: Michigan State University Museum Michigan State University East Lansing MI 48824
(517) 353-2370 http://museum.msu.edu/
Other Organizations:
Michigan Traditional Arts Program Michigan State University Museum East Lansing Michigan 48824-1045
(517) 353-2370 http://museum.msu.edu/s-program/MTAP/
Folkstreams Generic Lesson Plan
by Folkstreams http://www.folkstreams.net/educators/WkshtLesson.htm
Generic lesson plan for grades 10-12 for use with films available as streaming video on folkstreams.net. Lesson plan template offers suggestions for viewing films as literary texts and primary sources, analyzing documentary filmmaking techniques, and guiding students in reflecting on the traditions, sense of place, identity, and beliefs of American cultural groups and communities.
| Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12; Undergraduate |
Curriculum: Art and Culture; History and Social Studies; Language Arts; Performing Arts; Music |
| Resource Type: Activities; Lesson plans; Primary sources; Video recordings |
Language: English |
Subjects: United States--Social life and customs; Folk music; Folklore; Ethnographic films; Educational films; United States--History
Geographic locations: United States; General |
Sponsoring Organization: Folkstreams
http://www.folkstreams.net
Indivisible Educator's Guide
by Center for Creative Photography http://www.indivisible.org/resources.htm
An educator's guide for K-12 students that combines photography and first-person narratives to explore community life, identity, and civic action (72 p. PDF). Lesson plans are available on taking documentary photographs, collecting oral histories, and analyzing gathered fieldwork documentation. It includes descriptions of twelve community documentation projects undertaken throughout the United States. Created in 2000 in connection with a national documentary project called "Indivisible: Stories of American Community." A selection of slides and an audio cd of excerpted project interviews accompanies the lessons.
Sponsoring Organization: Center for Creative Photography University of Arizona Libraries Tucson AZ 85721-0103
(520) 621-7968 http://www.creativephotography.org/
Other Organizations:
Center for Documentary Studies Duke University Durham NC 27705
(919) 660-3663 http://cds.aas.duke.edu/
Jubilation! : African American Celebrations in the Southeast
by Digital Traditions http://www.digitaltraditions.net/html/J_Resources.cfm
Educator guide that explores the special nature of African-American celebrations within the family and community, and encourages students to discover their own cultural heritage. It focuses on rites of passage and community celebrations among African Americans in the Southeastern United States, with guidance in documenting celebrations and doing oral history. Includes lesson plans, activities, teacher background, and a bibliography of adult and children's literature. The guide is geared towards students in grades 3-12. (51 p. PDF)
| Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: History and Social Studies; Art and Culture |
| Resource Type: Lesson plans; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: United States--Social life and customs; Folklore--Fieldwork; Rites of passage; Southern States--Social life and customs; African Americans; Holidays; Family--Folklore; South Carolina--Social life and customs; North Carolina--Social life and customs; Celebration
Geographic locations: Southern States |
Sponsoring Organization: Digital Traditions Folklife Resource Center, McKissick Museum Columbia SC 29208
(803) 777-3714 http://www.digitaltraditions.net/Index.cfm
Other Organizations:
McKissick Museum University of South Carolina Columbia SC 29208
(803) 777-7251 http://www.cas.sc.edu/mcks/
Shapes, Sound Holes, and Strings Teacher's Guide
by Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum http://countrymusichalloffame.org/assets/Uploads/Files/2014-07SSS-lessoninside2.pdf
Teacher resource guide with ten lesson plans for grades K-8 designed to help teachers introduce their students to some of the traditional instruments featured in country music and to the sounds they create. The materials can be used in connection with a tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum or as a stand-alone unit. Lessons cover the topics of sound, the voice, country music instruments, including the guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and also the playing of country music. They address curriculum objectives in the Tennessee State Curriculum Standards in Language Arts, Music, Math, Social Studies, and Science. (24 p. PDF)
| Grade Level: K-2; 3-5; 6-8 |
Curriculum: Art and Culture; History and Social Studies; Language Arts; Math; Music; Science; Performing Arts |
| Resource Type: Lesson plans; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: Sound; Country music; Musical instruments; Music; Musicians; United States--Social life and customs; Fiddle tunes; Banjo music; Guitar music; Mandolin music
Geographic locations: United States |
Sponsoring Organization: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum 222 Fifth Avenue, South Nashville TN 37203
(615) 416-2088 http://countrymusichalloffame.org/
The Sonic Memorial Project - For Educators
by The Sonic Memorial Project http://www.sonicmemorial.org/public/index.html
Based on programs created for National Public Radio's Lost and Found Sound, the Sonic Memorial Project developed as a cross-media collaboration of independent radio and new media producers, artists, historians, and people from around the world who contributed recordings to the September 11 Digital Archive. SonicMemorial.org is an open archive with an online audio installation of the history of the World Trade Center, New York City. In addition to the audio recordings, the site includes a curriculum for educators with modules of lesson plans on the following topics: 1) History and Time; 2) Memorials; 3) The Places and Stories of Our Lives; 4) Civic Ideals and Practices; 5) Culture and Identity, and 6) How to Talk about 9/11. Accompanying follow-up activities and resources can be used with the lesson plans. The curriculum materials were written to support national standards in Social Studies education.
| Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: History and Social Studies |
| Resource Type: Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: United States--Social life and customs; September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001; Oral history; Memorials; History; Storytelling; World Trade Center (New York, N.Y.); United States--History
Geographic locations: United States; New York (N.Y.) |
Sponsoring Organization: Sonic Memorial Project National Public Radio Washington DC 20001
(877) 894-8500 http://sonicmemorial.org/sonic/public/index.html
Other Organizations:
National Public Radio 635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington DC 20001
(202) 513-2000 http://www.npr.org/
Thanksgiving - Primary Source Set
by Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/thanksgiving/
Study photographs, paintings, letters, and official proclamations to discover historical perspectives on American Thanksgiving holiday traditions, beginning with the pilgrims who came to North America on the Mayflower. The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. Includes a Thanksgiving teacher's guide (6 p. PDF), and photographs and manuscript materials drawn from the Library of Congress' online digital collections, and a link to primary source analysis tools.
| Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture |
| Resource Type: Primary sources |
Language: English |
Subjects: Massachusetts--Social life and customs; Thanksgiving Day; Holidays; United States--Social life and customs; United States--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Geographic locations: United States; Massachusetts |
Sponsoring Organization: Library of Congress 101 Independence Avenue, SE Washington DC 20540-1300
(202) 707-5000 http://www.loc.gov/teachers/
Veterans' Stories: Struggles for Participation - Primary Source Set
by Veterans History Project http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/veterans/struggles.html
Primary source materials from the Veterans History Project Collection at the Library of Congress that support teaching about U.S. history and social studies. Women and people of color have often had to overcome obstacles in order to participate fully in the U.S. armed forces. In these materials, veterans tell their stories of discrimination and
struggles for recognition in the U.S. armed forces through interviews, memoirs, and photographs. Materials on the site include an accompanying Teacher Guide (8 p. PDF), and audio and video recordings. For the Veterans' History Project, go to: http://www.loc.gov/vets
| Grade Level: 9-12 |
Curriculum: History and Social Studies |
| Resource Type: Primary sources; Audio recordings; Activities; Video recordings |
Language: English |
Subjects: Storytelling; Hispanic American soldiers; African American soldiers; Veterans; Women soldiers; War; Oral history; World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953; Persian Gulf War, 1991; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; United States--Social life and customs; Social history; Asian American soldiers; United States--History
Geographic locations: United States |
Sponsoring Organization: Veterans History Project Library of Congress Washington DC 20540-4615
(202) 707-4916 http://www.loc.gov/vets
Veterans' Stories: The Veterans History Project - Primary Source Set
by Veterans History Project http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/veterans/
Primary source materials from the Veterans History Project Collection at the Library of Congress that support teaching about 20th-century U.S. history, social studies, and oral history. Materials on the site include a Veterans History Project teacher guide (8 p. PDF), photographs, drawings, letters, memoirs, and video interviews of American veterans. The primary source set links to "Primary Source Analysis Tools" and "Especially for Educators and Students," a guide on how to conduct interviews with veterans and submit them to the Library of Congress for inclusion in the Veterans History Project Collection. For the Veterans' History Project, go to: http://www.loc.gov/vets/
| Grade Level: 9-12 |
Curriculum: History and Social Studies; Language Arts |
| Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: United States--Social life and customs; Korean War, 1950-1953; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1914-1918; Military history; Storytelling; Interviewing; Oral history; Veterans; History; War; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Soldiers; United States--History
Geographic locations: United States |
Sponsoring Organization: Veterans History Project Library of Congress Washington DC 20540-4615
(202) 707-4916 http://www.loc.gov/vets/
Waiting for a Train: Trains in Country Music and American Life
by Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum http://countrymusichalloffame.org/teacher-s-resources/
Teacher resource guide with lesson plan for K-12 classes on the topic of trains and other forms of transportation and their intersections with American life and with country music. Lesson has curriculum connections to Language Arts, Music, and Social Studies.
| Grade Level: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: History and Social Studies; Language Arts; Music |
| Resource Type: Lesson plans |
Language: English |
Subjects: Railroads; Travel; Transportation; United States--Social life and customs; Song lyrics; Music; Country music; United States--History
Geographic locations: United States |
Sponsoring Organization: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum 222 Fifth Avenue, South Nashville TN 37203
(615) 416-2088 http://countrymusichalloffame.org/
Work and Travel on the Rails
by Historical Society of Pennsylvania http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=850
Educational unit with lesson plans and activities designed to introduce students to the role and experiences of immigrant labor on the railroads in American history and the evolution of railroad travel from the perspective of the traveler. The materials in this guide are geared to the middle and high school classroom for use in the curriculum areas of history, geography, reading, writing, and the arts. The unit has two major areas of focus—Working on the Rails; and Public Space on the Rails. Background materials include a glossary, resources for teachers and students, and links to primary source materials, such as railroad ballads, travel accounts, and railroad reports, drawn from the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and other materials. The lesson plan is correlated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards for Reading and Writing, History, and Geography.
| Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture |
| Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: United States--History; United States--Social life and customs; Railroad construction workers; Railroads; Labor history; Industrialization; Immigrants; Irish Americans; Italian Americans; Immigrant labor; Music; Ballads; Travel; Geography
Geographic locations: United States |
Sponsoring Organization: Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 Locust Street Philadelphia PA 19107
(215) 732-6200 http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1
The World at the Fair: Experiences of the 1893 Columbian Exposition
by University of California, Los Angeles History and Information Studies Departments http://uclawce.ats.ucla.edu/for-teachers
Curriculum materials with lesson plans and activities that introduce secondary school students to a variety of historical and anthropological issues related to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The site includes primary source materials such as maps, photos, posters and articles from the late 19th century that allow students to analyze questions related to the event, including how different cultural groups and nations were exhibited and displayed on the fairgrounds and how this affected American attitudes towards immigration at the time. It also has three lesson plan modules for students: 1) Globalization Lesson Plan - China at the Fair; 2) Technology Lesson Plan - Electricity at the Fair; and 3) Anthropology Lesson Plan - Anthropological Exhibits at the Fair and the Midway. The curriculum materials address national standards for History and Educational Technology.
| Grade Level: 9-12 |
Curriculum: Science; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture |
| Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: Maps in education; Culture; Immigrants; Emigration and immigration; Exhibitions; Indians of South America; Festivals; Ethnic groups; Ethnic arts; United States--Social life and customs; China--Social life and customs; Indians of North America; Electricity; Anthropology; History; Museums--Curatorship
Geographic locations: United States; South America; China |
Sponsoring Organization: UCLA History Department Box 951473 Los Angeles CA 90095-1473
(310) 825-4601 http://www.history.ucla.edu/
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