The American Folk
Tradition
Unit 10
Part 1
Objectives
 To read, comprehend, and interpret Folk Literature.
 To apply a variety of reading strategies particularly
strategies for reading folk literature.
 To recognize literary elements used in these selections.
 To increase vocabulary.
Strategies for Reading
Folk Literature
 Understand the Cultural Context- You will better
understand the action and the characters of a story if
you know the culture from which it comes.
 Recognize the storyteller’s purpose- Folk literature often
amuses the reader at the same time that it teaches a
lesson or conveys a message.
 Predict- Folk literature is predictable. Good characters
and deeds are rewarded. Bad characters are either
banished or reformed.
Oral Tradition
Johnny Appleseed
 The oral tradition is the passing of stories, beliefs, and
customs from generation to generation by word of
mouth. Many folk stories and tales were originally sung
as ballads. Only years of being heard, remembered, and
loved were they written down.
 Modern writers often return to the powerful and
engaging stories kept alive by the vibrant oral tradition.
Meet the Author
 Rosemary Carr Benet (1898-1962) Many of her poems
were inspired by historical events and legends. She often
wrote poems with her husband. Their close friends called
them “the last of the romantics” because of their close
bond and love of poetry.
Build Vocabulary
Johnny Appleseed
 Gnarled- knotty and twisted
 Ruddy- having a healthy red color
 Encumber- weigh down
 Tendril- thin shoot from a plant
 Stalking-secretly approaching
 Lair– den of a wild animal
Myths
Coyote Steals the Sun and Moon
The Spirit Chief Names the Animal People
 A myth is an ancient tale having its roots in the beliefs of
a particular group or nation. Just as science and history
teach and explain about the world, mythology develops
certain themes, such as creation, the origin of the
universe, the meaning of existence and death, and
natural occurrences. Myths often tell about the
adventures of great heroes who possess special powers.
Meet the Authors
 Richard Erdoes & Alfonso Ortiz collected many stories over
a period of twenty-five years. Some of the stories in the book,
American Indian Myths and Legends, were jotted down at
powwows, around campfires, even inside a moving car.
 Mourning Dove is the pen name of Christine Quintasket.
While earning her living as a migrant worker, Quintasket
became a writer and a political activist. Always interested in
the stories she heard all her life from relatives and visitors, she
collected and recorded the folklore of her people to preserve it
for posterity. This story is form her collection, Coyote Stories,
published in 1933.
Build Vocabulary
Coyote Steals the Sun and Moon and
The Spirit Chief Names the Animal People
 Shriveled- dried up
 Pursuit- following in order to overtake
 Arouse- awaken, as from sleep
 Purify- to rid of impurities
Folk Tales
Chicoria, Brer Possum’s Dilemma,
Why the Waves Have Whitecaps
 Folk tales were composed orally and passed by word of
mouth from generation to generation.
 Many folk tales have been collected and written down
for all to enjoy.
 These stories often express a belief or a custom of the
culture that creates them.
 Folk tales usually entertain, explain something in nature,
or teach a lesson.
Storyteller’s Purpose
 Recognizing the storyteller’s purpose is a reading
strategy.
 It is the storyteller who carries on the oral tradition.
 Storytellers want to entertain their audiences, but of
course, they have an additional purpose.
 They must communicate the message of the story they
are telling. For example, they may instruct listeners
about how to behave or about why things are as they are.
Meet the Authors
 Jose Griego and Rudolfo Anaya- Both live in New Mexico
and are interested in the Folk Tales of New Mexico. Rudolfo
translated the Folk Tales from Jose into English.
 Jackie Torrence-Widely known as the “Story Lady”, she has
written several collections of Folk Tales and stories for
children. A popular and entertaining reader, Torrence has
recorded many of her stories on compact disks.
 Zora Neale Hurston- Was the first American to collect and
publish African American folklore. She re-created and
interpreted the folk tales that she had heard when she was
growing up in Florida and used the local dialect in her tales.
She also wrote short stories, novels, and magazine articles.
Build Vocabulary
Chicoria, Brer Possum’s Dilemma & Why the Waves Have
Whitecaps
 Cordially- warm and friendly
 Haughty- proud of oneself and scornful of others
 Commenced- started, began
 Pitiful- deserving compassion or sympathy
American Heros
Part 2-Unit 10
Objectives
 To read, comprehend, and interpret four tall tales about
Folk Heroes.
 To relate these works to personal experience.
 To predict and analyze tall tales.
 To build vocabulary in context and use forms of skeptic.
Reading Strategies
 Predict
 Tall tales like other folk tales, develop in predictable
patterns. You can predict that the characters will perform
exaggerated or even impossible feats. Once you learn the
character’s traits, you can predict the kinds of events that
will occur. For example, John Henry is known for his
strength, so you can predict that he will perform some
amazing feats of strength.
Literary Elements
 Tall Tale
 A tall tale is a humorous story that recounts exaggerated
events in a matter-of-fact way, using the everyday speech
of the common people. Tall tales are often associated
with life on the American frontier. They are considered
to be part of the oral tradition because they have been
handed down from generation to generation by word of
mouth.
Vocabulary
 Hefted
 Granite
 Commotion
 Usurped
 Invincible
 Futile
 Inexplicable
 Skeptics
Meet the Authors

Adrien Stoutenburg- (1916-1982) was a poet, biographer, and writer and wrote
close to 40 books.In addition to writing, she worked as a librarian, and a
political reporter. “Hammerman” was taken from her book, American Tall Tales.

Carl Sandburg (1878-1976) was best known for his poetry, but he was also a
journalist, an author of children’s books, and historian. Sandburg received a
Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Abraham Lincoln and one for his Complete
Poems.

Harold W. Felton (1902- ) worked for the Internal Revenue Service and practiced
law, yet he was increasingly interested in the legends and folk tales of the United
States. He has published stories about folk heroes and the cowboys of the West.

Davy Crockett (1786- 1836) was a celebrated frontiersman, soldier in the United
States Army, and Tennessee congressman. His tall tales strongly influenced the
comic tradition and legendary history of the western frontier. He fought at the
Alamo for Texan independence and was killed there by Mexican troops.
Tall Tales
 Hammerman
 Paul Bunyan of the North Woods
 Pecos Bill: The Cyclone
 Davy Crockett’s Dream
Assignment