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The Moonlit Road: Southern Ghost Stories, Folk Tales, Storytelling
Details
Activity Description
Although there are many stories on the main website, this lesson focuses on the one titled, The Black Dog.
Preparation
- Make sure that the site it not blocked at your school before using it with students.
- Select a text that fits with your teaching objectives and is appropriate for your students’ level of English.
- Browse stories by selecting Audio Stories on the right panel. Select a story title to see the complete story.
- Set the volume on the computer to an adequate level.
- Copy and paste the story into a word-processing program if you would like to distribute a printed photocopy of the story to students.
Teacher Tips
- You will find lesson plans for some stories by following the Schoolhouse link in the left panel.
- Stories in other categories (not necessarily with audio):
- Civil War Historic Stories
- Creature Stories
- Ghost Stories
- Kids Stories
- Myths, Legends & Folktales
- Oldies but Goodies
- Southern U.S.A Culture, History & Travel
- Story Credits
- Weird True Stories
- Your Short Stories
- The audio player is within the browser, so there are no downloads needed. You can turn off the chirping cricket background sound on the site by selecting Sound Off in the top right corner of the site.
- If projecting a story from the computer, you can change the font/letter size by selecting one of the "A"s to the top-right of the story.
- Choose Share/Save for e-mailing and posting on a social network.
- The Web site has some advertising, mostly not distracting, however.
More Ways
Follow up with the student activity and/or comprehension and/or vocabulary activities, oral or written summary or personal response questions, or extension activities you prepare ahead of time, based on the text you select.
Program Areas
- ESL: English as a Second Language
Levels
- Intermediate High
- Advanced
Lesson Plan
Discuss with the class.
What is a superstition?
Can you think of any superstitions from your culture?
Have you heard stories about animals or ghosts that bring good or bad luck?
Ask students if they are afraid of dogs. Why?
For an extension of this activity, students can discuss the pictures here. Ask the students what they gleaned from the pictures. Time period, what can they glean about the town, where do they think the story takes place? What type of people live in the city, are they rich or poor? What do you think they are mining? Does your country do any mining?
Introduce the topic of the story and share the legend of The Black Dog.Briefly explain that the story is about a mysterious dog that people believe brings bad luck or death.
- Introduce the vocabulary from the story:Words: ominous, superstition, apparition, foreboding, lurking.
- Write each word on the board and ask students to guess the meaning before providing definitions.
- Discuss the words briefly and give examples of how they are used in sentences.
Students read The Black Dog individually or in pairs.Optionally, play an audio version if available for listening practice.
As they read, ask students to underline any sentences or parts they find interesting or confusing.
Give students the handout. Remove the answers from the word document before handing out to the students. Have the students complete in pairs or small groups.
Check answers from the handout. Engage in a class discussion using the following questions:Why do people believe in superstitions like the Black Dog?
Do you think fear of the unknown affects people’s behavior? How?
How might this story be different if it happened in a different culture?
Have students complete the writing prompt: \
Write a short paragraph about a superstition from your country. Explain what people believe and if you think it affects their behavior.
Documents
Standards
- Reading Foundational Skills
- RF.2 - Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). (Phonological Awareness)
- RF.3 - Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. (Phonics and Word Recognition)
- RF.4 - Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. (Fluency)
- Reading
- CCR Anchor 1 - Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
- CCR Anchor 2 - Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
- CCR Anchor 3 - Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
- CCR Anchor 4 - Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
- CCR Anchor 5 - Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
- CCR Anchor 6 - Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
- CCR Anchor 7 - Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
- CCR Anchor 8 - Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
- CCR Anchor 9 - Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
- CCR Anchor 10 - Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
- Writing
- CCR Anchor 2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- CCR Anchor 3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.
- CCR Anchor 4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- CCR Anchor 5 - Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
- Speaking and Listening
- CCR Anchor 2 - Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.