There is a wealth of material in the oral tradition of fantasy which can be used in creating gripping fiction for young readers. One way of employing a tale from the oral tradition to produce a modern fantasy is to superimpose the old story on a new one in such a way that it is tightly interwoven in the action and meaning of the new story. This…

This student booklet, one of a series of readings on minority cultures, contains nine Indian folktales. Stories included are: Minnesota is Minabozho's Land, about the way Minnesota was formed; How We Got the Rainbow; How the Birds Came to Have Their Many Colors; The Study of Coyote and Moradjawinga (Earth Wanderer); The Four Winds, A Sioux legend,…

Text of Sejour's story "Le Mulatre" (The Mulatto) is included. (RS)

Examines the folktales chapter through nine editions of the influential children's literature textbook, "Children and Books." Compares and contrasts variables that include the language, general organization, specific chapters on folktales and chapters or sections on storytelling, illustrations, indexes, and bibliographies. (Author/LRW)

Despite the tremendous changes wrought by technology, folktales contain certain truths about life, human nature, and what's needed to maintain a viable, socially sane society. Folktales are invaluable for stressing heroic actions, personal and social growth, and progress toward meaningful goals. (MLH)

Discussion of Russian folktales suggests a structured approach to introducing the characters, settings, and motifs in an elementary classroom. Highlights include beginner-level texts; connections to Russian culture; writing connections; activities; and an annotated bibliography of 32 titles. (LRW)

This article is a poignant commentary on the connection of the Native Hawaiian people with the past, the present, and the future. In this article, the author positions himself within the histories of his people. He talks about putting faces to his ancestors by linking them with the people of his day, and he talks about reconstructing the…

Folklore-based learning is a kind of situated learning paradigm in which students learn by solving problems embedded in a near-real situation. The proposed learning approach employs further interesting story plots from folklores as the background situation to motivate students to participate in learning activities. It is believed that such a…

Intended to promote the preservation of the Hopi language, two illustrated children's books present traditional Hopi tales in bilingual format. Based on a story told by Herschel Talashoema, "Coyote & Little Turtle" tells how Little Turtle tricked Coyote into carrying him from the hot sand that burned his feet to Little Turtle's home in a spring.…

Writing must receive major emphasis in teaching-learning situations. There are important differences between creative endeavors and those that involve role learning and exact answers. Creativity emphasizes the novel, the unique, the original, and the open-ended. Creativity should stress writing across the curriculum, and should involve reading and…

This paper asserts that multicultural literature must not be set aside as "other" literature, or worse, be dismissed as second class literature. The paper argues the intrinsic value of multicultural literature, and outlines class and individual activities that show the vast possibilities of stories from around the world. The following…