Oral Traditions--Tall Tales and Fables

We are beginning a new unit!  We will be studying Oral Traditions and storytelling, starting with the study of American Tall Tales and Folklore.  Today you will learn about some of the New Hampshire folklore and some legendary heroes in American Folk history.  Complete the questions on the handout and enjoy learning about some bigger than life heroes!

 Quizlet-  Oral Tradition Flashcards.  Study the definitions of important terms you need to know during this unit.

Complete the worksheet on Folk Heroes (click here for a copy of the worksheet)-  Use the sites below to find the information.

American Folklore-  Use this site to find tall tales from different parts of the country
Tall Tales -the basics  A lot of good links to different tall tales
American Tall Tales-  good site with some videos to watch
Animated Tall Tales- a fun, interactive site to learn more about tall tales
Myths, Folklore and Fairy Tales- Read different myths and legends from around the world
Aesop's Fables- online collection of Aesop Fables

Here are some good resources to learn about American Folk Heroes

"Tall talk, or exaggerated storytelling, began in the 1800s as a way for Americans to come to terms with the vast and inhospitable lands they’d come to inhabit – thick, dark forests filled with bears and panthers; treeless, arid deserts and plains; towering mountains; and uncharted seacoasts.  The heroes and heroines of the tales were like the land itself – gigantic, extravagant, restless, and flamboyant.  Their exaggerated feats of courage and endurance helped the backwoodsman face the overwhelming task of developing such a land."   --American Tall Tales, by Mary Pope Osborne, 1991. 

Tall Tale Heroes  --Links to information and resources on many American Folk Heroes (see left side of page)
Fact Monster- information on Tall Tale characters

A Midsummer's Night Dream

Watch these videos for an overview of the play

8th Grade Holocaust Final Project

William Shakespeare--A Midsummer's Night Dream

Want to learn some interesting facts about Shakespeare to impress your friends and family?  Click here to watch the presentation below.

We will be reading A Midsummer's Night Dream. Click here to use the pdf version or go to the Floger website.

Folger version of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Here's another version of the play 
Read Charles and Mary Lamb's story version of the play

Here's a brief summary so you will understand what's happening:

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, residents of Athens mix with fairies from a local forest, with comic results. In the city, Theseus, Duke of Athens, is to marry Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Bottom the weaver and his friends rehearse in the woods a play they hope to stage for the wedding celebrations.

Four young Athenians are in a romantic tangle. Lysander and Demetrius love Hermia; she loves Lysander and her friend Helena loves Demetrius. Hermia’s father, Egeus, commands Hermia to marry Demetrius, and Theseus supports the father’s right. All four young Athenians end up in the woods, where Robin Goodfellow, who serves the fairy king Oberon, puts flower juice on the eyes of Lysander, and then Demetrius, unintentionally causing both to love Helena. Oberon, who is quarreling with his wife, Titania, uses the flower juice on her eyes. She falls in love with Bottom, who now, thanks to  Robin Goodfellow, wears  an ass's head.

As the lovers sleep, Robin Goodfellow restores Lysander's love for Hermia, so that now each young woman is matched with the man she loves. Oberon disenchants Titania and removes Bottom’s ass’s head. The two young couples join the royal couple in getting married, and Bottom rejoins his friends to perform the play.