Native Americans, or Indigenous People, are located geographically across the entire continent of North America. There are many stereotypes of native culture, but their culture varies as much as their locations, as each group of native peoples have their own traditions. This lesson focuses on...
Learners explore character traits and life lessons through folktales from various American cultures. The stories illustrate the impact of "paying a debt forward" rather than "paying it back."
There are times when a person learns that it is better not to give a generous gift at all if it will be disrespected by the receiver. There are also times a person may realize too late that there is a cost for bad behavior.
Through folktales from around the world, learners explore humans' important role as caretakers of the Earth and the role of civil society in environmental stewardship.
In the featured folktales, we learn the impact of misjudging the character of another, and understand that an evil act does not require a person to return evil with evil.
The featured folktales explore themes of helping people make judgments of integrity in different situations.
As demonstrated in these folktales, even the smallest things, when shared, can be examples of philanthropy.
All cultures have practices and customs regarding hospitality, or how we treat guests. In these folktales, we learn about different expectations and degrees of these customs and how travelers test the limits of hospitality and feel the effects of their host's generosity.
The purpose of this lesson is to have the children identify the value of the gifts in the folktale "The Drum." They brainstorm gifts they have to give (time, talent, and treasure) and the value these gifts may have to others.
Learners reflect on their experience with performing an act of kindness from the previous lesson. They compare their experience to the message in a folktale, and write about the impact of a single small act of caring.