Kentucky-based storyteller Mary Hamilton tells a haunting tale set in Victorian times, about a man who gives a young lady a ride across the Ohio River to her home in Louisville. When she disappears, he learns that he has become part of a sad and ghostly tradition.
North Carolina-based storyteller Donna Washington tells a scary tale from the Gullah culture about a man and his beautiful wife-who is not what she seems to be. The story explains the Gullah tradition of painting doors and windows blue to keep witches away
Storyteller Carrie Sue Ayvar tells a Mexican folktale about a boy whose ability to read enables him to outwit the devil. The story is told in a combination of English and Spanish.
This Mexican folktale that explains why butterflies do not live in houses and why they migrate. Story told in Spanish and English.
Storyteller Dan Keding sings a ballad about the famous folk hero. In the song, efforts to save the hero's life through the practice of "bleeding"-a common medical procedure in medieval times-are unsuccessful.
Storyteller Priscilla Howe tells a funny/scary campfire tale about a baby who wants her apple juice. One at a time, the family goes down to the cellar to get the juice, only to be confronted by a ghost. The story is available in English and French.
In this nursery rhyme about a mother hen and her chicks, the chicks say "peep, peep" in English and "pio, pio" in Spanish. Nursery rhyme told in English and Spanish.
In this Mexican version of a familiar folktale, the hen makes corn tortillas instead of wheat bread.
Storyteller Priscilla Howe tells a story about how a mitten dropped in the snow becomes a temporary home to several animals. The story is available in English and French.
Donna Washington tells the story of a clever monkey who outwits a crocodile.
Pennsylvania-based storyteller Megan Hicks tells a traditional Scottish tale about a piper who steal's a dead man boots, but comes to regret it.
Storyteller Dan Keding tells the tale of the last two warriors on the battlefield who make a connection through sharing their life stories that changes the course of their fighting.
Storyteller Carrie Sue Ayvar tells a traditional Latino story that explains why roosters crow in the morning. The story is told in a combination of English and Spanish.
Collaborate with classmates to create an interactive story using Google Slides. Time to complete: 2-3 hours
This site is a drama unit for fifth graders created by the Yale New Haven Teachers Institute. The site provides plenty of background information, a bibliography, and much more.