
Continuing my series detailing our homeschooling curriculum for 4th grade for anyone who is considering homeschooling to see how we do it in real detail.
As I explained in an earlier post, I try to take an interdisciplinary approach to homeschooling. This year, our theme is our identity as Americans. We are studying American history, American literature, and I created a special unit on American Folk Music, Folk Art, and Folktales. I put so much work into researching resources for this unit and I am quite proud of how it turned out. I tried to work in a lot of content on the music and traditions of Native Americans and the African-American community. If anyone out there has any suggestions or ideas, please send them along.
American Folk Music and Patriotic Songs
TEXT: Wee Sing America
- We Love the USA
- John F. Kennedy Quote
- The Star-Spangled Banner
- Preamble to the Constitution
- You’re a Grand Old Flag
- Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue
- The Stars and Stripes Forever
- There Are Many Flags
- America
- Thomas Jefferson Quote
- Abraham Lincoln Quote
- Martin Luther King Jr. Quote
- America, America
- America the Beautiful
- Statue of Liberty Excerpt
- The United States
- Presidents of the United States
- Yankee Doodle Boy
- Yankee Doodle
- Old Abe Lincoln
- Abraham Lincoln Quote
- Dixie
- Battle Hymn of the Republic
- George Washington Quote
- When Johnny Comes Marching Home
- Goober Peas
- The Caissons
- Marine’s Hymn
- Patrick Henry Quote
- Anchors Aweigh
- Sweet Betsey from Pike
- I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
- John Henry
- Drill, Ye Tarriers
- Paddy Works on the Railway
- The Old Chisholm Trail
- Goodbye, Old Paint
- I Ride an Old Paint
- Git Along, Little Dogies
- My Home’s in Montana
- Old Texas
- The Boll Weevil
- Pick a Bale o’ Cotton
- Cotton Needs Pickin’
- Shuckin’ of the Corn
- Old Settler’s Song
- Sacramento
- Blow Ye Winds
- Cape Cod Chantey
- Blow the Man Down
- Erie Canal
- Down the River
TEXT: Wee Sing Fun ‘n’ Folk
- Crawdad Song
- Bought Me a Cat
- Polly Wolly Doodle
- Shortin’ Bread
- Oh, Dear! What Can the Matter Be?
- There’s a Little Wheel A-Turnin’
- Jennie Jenkins
- The Wabash Cannonball
- Grizzly Bear
- Train Is A Comin’
- The Rattlin’ Bog
- Great Granddad
- Billy Boy
- Father Grumble
- Hold On
- The Old Gray Mare
- The Big Rock Candy Mountain
- Cindy
- Old Joe Clark
- Frog Went A-Courtin’
- Grasshoppers Three
- The Bee and the Pup
- Little Red Caboose
- The Bear
- The Arkansas Traveler
- Keemo Kymo
- Goin’ to Boston
- The Railroad Cars Are Coming
- Old Dan Tucker
- Had a Little Rooster
- Little Liza Jane
- Put Your Little Foot
- Hop Up, My Ladies
- The Frog in the Bog
- Pawpaw Patch
- Buffalo Gals
- Turn the Glasses Over
- Turkey in the Straw
- Jingle at the Window
- Shoo Fly
- Rig-A-Jig-Jig
Native American Culture and Music
Audio Resource: Sacred Music: Chants and Dances of the Native Americans
- Introduction and Prelude: How the West Was Lost
- Winter Ceremony
- The Counter-Clockwise Circle Dance
- Celebrate Wild Rice
- The Cradlesong
- Advice for the Young
- Wishes of Happiness and Prosperity
- Elevation
- Intertribal Song to Stop the Rain
- Heal the Soul
- Brandishing the Tomahawk
TEXT: More than Moccasins: A Kid’s Activity Guide to Traditional North American Indian Life
Everyday Life
- Tepee
- Backrest
- Wigwam
- Pueblo Village
- Weaving
- Burden Basket
- Pottery
- Boxes
- Parfleche
- Bark Containers
- Pouch
- Canoe
- Fishing Lure
- Duck Decoy
- Special Shield
- Coup Stick
- Wampum
- Peace Pipe
Things to Wear
- Vest
- Breechcloth and Apron
- Leggings
- Armbands
- Cuffs
- Anklets
- Fancy Dance Bustle
- Women and Girls’ Capes
- Pueblo Dress
- Headbands
- Warbonnets
- Plains Bonnet
- Bonnet Case
- Iroquois Headdress
- Pipe Bone Breastplate
- Bear Claw Necklace
- Shell Necklace
- Shell Gorget
- Shell Etching
- Fetish Necklace
- Seed and Corn Necklace
- Silver Bracelet
- Earring Loops
- Bounty of Beads
- Face Painting
- Mud Head Mask
- False Face Mask
- Kachina Mask
Song and Dance
- Musical Rasp
- Gourd Rattle
- Turtle Shell Rattle
- Whale Rattle
- Drumbeats
- Bull Roarer
Toys
- Cradleboard
- Cradle Charms
- Corncob Doll
- Hunting Toys (Deer Hat, Spear)
- Kachina Doll
- Dog Travois
- Spinning Top
Games
- Hubbub
- Stick Game
- Bowl Game
- Throw Sticks
- Wooden Dice
- Shell Dice
- Stick Dice
- Walnut Shell Game
- Kainsish
- Stick Counting Game
- Hidden Stick Game
- Hand Game
- Moccasins Guessing Game
- Feathered Darts
- Hoop and Lances
- Hoop and Darts
- Buzz
- Pin and Target
- Racket Ball
- Shinny
- Ball Race
- Juggling
- Pokean
- Standing Cob Game
- Cat’s Cradle
- Ring Toss
- Foot Races
Food
- Fry Bread
- Kneel-Down Bread
- Baked Pumpkin
- Corn and Pumpkin Stew
- Wild Rice
- Corn Soup
- Hominy
- Steamed Clover
- Baked Squash
- Fried Squash Blossoms
- Fish Soup
- Boiled Eggs
- Popped Corn
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Beef Jerky
- Fruit Leather
- Raisins
- Peanut Butter
- Maple Sugar Candy
- Drinks
Communication
- Puzzling Petroglyphs
- Pictographs
- Sign Language
- Totem Poles
- Sandpainting
- Winter Count
- Smoke Signals
- Story Stick
- Owner Sticks
- Birch Bark Transparencies
- Talking Feather
- Storytelling
- Cherokee Alphabet
- Navajo Code Talkers
African-American Music and Culture
TEXT: Virginia Hamilton, The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales
- Animal Tales
- The Real, Extravagant, and Beautiful
- Tales of the Supernatural
- Slave Tales of Freedom
TEXT: Velma Maia Thomas, No Man Can Hinder Me: The Journey from Slavery to Emancipation through Song
- Remember Me: Songs of Africa (Audio: Drumming)
- The Middle Passages: Songs that Carried Us Over (Audio: Kum Ba Ya)
- Lord, How Come Me Here: Holding on to Songs of Our African Past (Audio: Lord, How Come We Here?)
- When the Hammer Rings: Songs of Work (Audio: John Henry)
- There Must Be a God Somewhere: The Birth of Spirituals (Audio: Balm in Gilead; Ride On, King Jesus)
- Have You Got Good Religion: Songs of Biblical Stories (Audio: Were You There?)
- Love Songs: Songs that Made Our Hearts Sing (Audio: Baby in a Guinea-Blue Gown)
- Everybody Sing: Songs of Community (Audio: Trampin’)
- Little Sally Walker: Lullabies and Songs of Play (Audio: Little Sally Walker; Mr. Rabbit)
- And Before I’ll Be a Slave: Songs of Rebellion and Freedom (Audio: Sing Low, Sweet Chariot)
- Activity: Coded Messages in Spirituals
- John Brown’s Body: Songs of Our Soldiers (Audio: John Brown’s Body)
- The Day of Jubilee: Songs of Emancipation (Audio: Down by the Riverside)
- From Plantation to Palace: Preserving Our Songs (Audio: Fare Ye Well)
TEXT: Doreen Rappaport, No More! Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance
- Harriet Wheatley, “My Pa Was Never Slave”; Overview of Slavery; The Story of Olaudah; The Story of Peppel
- In this unfamiliar land…; The Story of Vina; The Story of Adeline; “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?”
- The Story of Frederick; The Story of Suzie King Taylor; “Steal Away to Jesus”
- The Story of Caroline; “Gospel Train”; “Go Down Moses”; The Story of John Scobell; “Many Thousand Gone”; The Story of Booker T. Washington
TEXT, Doreen Rappaport, Free at Last! Stories and Songs of Emancipation
- “Listen Children”; The Story of Jane Kemper; The Story of Booker T. Washington (continued); “Free at Last”
- The Story of Harriet Postle; Black activists campaigned…; The Story of John Solomon Lewis; The Story of Ida B. Wells
- “Incident”; “John Henry”
- The Story of Booker T. Washington (continued) ; “We Wear the Mask”; “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”; “I, Too, Sing America”
- The Story of Kenneth Clark; The Story of Thurgood Marshall; “Ain’t I Glad We Got Out of the Wilderness”
TEXT: Doreen Rappaport, Nobody Gonna Turn Me ‘Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement
- Margaret Walker, “For My People”; historical discussion
- The Story of Mose Wright; The Story of Rosa Parks; The Story of Jo Ann Robinson
- The Story of Elizabeth Eckford; The Story of John Lewis; The Story of Diane Nash
- “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”; historical discussion; “Oh, Freedom”; “We Shall Overcome”
- The Story of Fannie Lou Hammer; historical discussion; The Story of Sheyann Webb; “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Tun Me ‘Round”
American Folk Art
TEXTS: Richard Panchyk, American Folk Art for Kids with 21 Activities
William Ketchum, Jr., Grandma Moses: An American Original
Tovah Martin, Tasha Tudor’s Heirloom Crafts
- The Origins of Folk Art – Art and Civilization; The Emergence of Folk Art; Geography; American Folk Art
- Folk Painting and Drawing – Academic Painting and Folk Painting; Folk Portraits
- Activity: Paint a Folk Portrait
- Folk Painting and Drawing (Continued) – Landscape Paintings; What Makes It a Good Painting; Watercolor, Pastel, and Tempura Paintings
- Read William Ketchum Jr, Grandma Moses: An American Original
- Folk Painting and Drawing (Continued) – Maritime Folk Art, Religious Painting; Sketches, Doodles, and Odds and Ends; Calligraphy; Tokens of Love; Silhouettes; Memorial Pictures
- Activity: Calligraphy Picture Activity: Silhouettes
- Activity: Reverse Painting on Glass
- Activity: Make a Shadow Painting
- Howard Finster
- The Decorative Arts – Fraktur; Painted Furniture; Rewards of Merit; The Hex Sign; Stencils; Theorem Painting; Stoneware; Other Pottery; Toleware
- Activity: Make a Hex Sign
- Activity: Make a Stencil; Folk or Fake?
- Activity: Create a Paper Cutout
- Fabric Sewn and Stitched – From Plant to Blanket; Weaving; Basket Weaving; Knitting and Crocheting; Folk Costumes; Lace; Embroidery and Needlepoint; Hooked Rugs; Samplers; Quilts; Rag Dolls
- The Mennonites and Amish
- Activity: Design a Quilt
- Chiseled, Carved, and Hammered – Carved Furniture; Inlaid Wood; Canes and Walking Sticks; Gravestone Folk Art; Decoys; Tramp Art; Whittling, Carving, and Cutting; Models and Miniatures; Pyrography; Scrimshaw; The Little Town that Carved; Weathervanes and Whirligigs; Games and Toys
- Read Tovah Martin, Tasha Tudor’s Heirloom Crafts
- Elijah Pierce
- Activity: Make a Scrimshaw
- The Shakers of Sabbathday Lake
- Found Objects and Scraps – Trench Art
- Activity: Make a Memory Box
- Activity: Recycled Fun
- Mr. Imagination
- Activity: Decoupage a Box
- Public Folk Art – Product Design; Trade Cards and Advertising; Cigar Store Indians (Cigar Store in St Augustine); Trade Signs; Building Signs; Tavern and Inn Signs; Roadside America; Murals, Frescoes, and Building Decorations (Note the murals in Flagler Beach, Cocoa Beach, Ft. Lauderdale)
What?! No Superfly!?
LikeLiked by 1 person