Gullah Storybook
The goal for this project is to create an electronic storybook to teach younger students about Gullah. The storybook should be a multi-sensory, interactive experience for young readers so that they can learn from what they read, see, and hear.
Grade(s):
- 4
- 8
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
Computers/Tablets with internet access.
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
Lesson Progression
1. Determine what your story will be about:
- Identify key concepts
- List essential questions to be answered in my story
Key Concepts (terms)
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Essential Questions (What I want the learner to know)
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2. In what genre will I tell my story? (historical fiction, instructional fantasy, tall tales, folk tales, legends)
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3. Research Gullah:
• What are the definitions of the key terms?
• What are the answers to my essential questions?
• Identify sites on the internet that I can incorporate in my story that will allow my readers to experience Gullah.
• Are there activities I can put in my book (or have students complete) that will help students learn about Gullah?
4. Create your storybook using any program that allows the incorporation of pictures, video, audio, and text. Some common programs are PowerPoint, Photo Story, Movie Maker, or Voicethread.
5. Evaluate your story using the self-evaluation criteria
6. Evaluate another group using the same criteria (peer evaluation)
7. Turn in your project and your evaluations (self and peer) to your teacher.
Teacher Notes
PLEASE NOTE: The interactive stories and activities under Gullah Music and Gullah Tales require Flash.
Gullah Traditions | Gullah Net
Gullah traditions are the customs, beliefs and ways of life that have been passed down among Sea Island families. Making sweetgrass baskets, quilting, and knitting fishing nets are a few of the crafts...
View AssetMaking Fishnets | Gullah Net
In the video, St. Helena resident Frank Brown weaves a net while singing a song rich in the Gullah dialect. This clip was extracted from Palmetto Places - St. Helena Island. After the Civil War and...
View AssetStorytelling (Night Before Christmas in Gullah) | Gullah Net
Native Islanders share their folklore and history through storytelling and singing. Gullah storytellers often perform folktales that feature animals as the main characters. Much like tales heard in...
View AssetMaking Baskets | Gullah Net
The Gullah tradition of creating coiled grass baskets is a craft that has been handed down from generation to generation. Instead of weaving the baskets, a needle made from a spoon handle, bone or...
View AssetGullah People | Gullah Net
Gullah communities are located where enslaved Africans once lived and worked on Sea Island plantations that were owned by American colonists. Native Americans were also part of these communities. The...
View AssetListen to Gullah Language | Gullah Net
INSTRUCTIONS: Click on an English word to see and hear the Gullah word. About Gullah Language Gullah is also a language. It was developed among Africans as a way to communicate with people from other...
View AssetGullah History | Gullah Net
From West Africa During the late 1600s, English settlers in the new colonies needed more workers to farm thousands of acres of land on Sea Island plantations. Although some of the workers were Native...
View AssetSongs | Gullah Net
Music is another important part of life on the Sea Islands. Most of the Gullah music is found in religious practices. Although spirituals had a Christian message, they were heartfelt expressions of...
View AssetAfrican Americans in South Carolina: Gullah
Read maps, use charts, and go to various sites to discover facts about the Gullah culture.
View LessonGullah - Knowitall
Gullah Net along with its host, Aunt Pearlie Sue, was designed to introduce Gullah culture and language to children on the web.
Charleston's African-American Heritage
The Gullah are a distinctive group of African Americans whose origins lie along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia, as well as the adjacent sea islands. They live in small farming and fishing units, having formed a tightly knit community that has survived slavery, the Civil War, and the emergence of modern American culture.
View ResourceTechnology Resources
Accelerate learning by creating dynamic multimedia images, videos and 360° virtual lessons
View ResourceStoryMap - Maps that tell a story
StoryMapJS is a free tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events. It is a new tool, yet stable in our development environment, and it has a friendly authoring tool.
View ResourceCreate a storybook
Take a writing lesson - Follow along and learn how to craft your book step by step. Build your storybook, add characters, pictures, drawings, and writing. Keep your stories,
buy a high quality, printable eBook for $5 or share your story online for free.
Visual Design Link
These resources are for teachers looking to inspire their students to think and express themselves creatively through visual design.
View ResourceStandards
- 4.1.CO Compare the interactions among cultural groups as a result of European colonization.
- 4.1.CX Contextualize the experience of Africans, Europeans, and Native Americans in South Carolina.
- 4.1.CE Identify the effects of changing economic systems on the diverse populations in British North America.
- 4.1.E Analyze multiple perspectives on the economic, political, and social developments of British North America and South Carolina.
- 8.1.CO Compare the three British North American colonial regions economically, politically, socially, and in regard to labor development.
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into how the three British colonial regions developed in terms of their culture, economies, geography, and labor. The indicator was also developed to encourage inquiry into the unique story of the development of South Carolina.
- 8.1.CE Analyze the factors that contributed to the development of South Carolina’s economic system and the subsequent impacts on different populations within the colony.
- This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into the geographic and human factors that contributed to the development of South Carolina’s economic system. This indicator was also written to encourage inquiry into South Carolina’s distinct social and economic system as influenced by British Barbados.
- 8.1.E Utilize a variety of primary and secondary sources to examine multiple perspectives and influences of the economic, political, and social effects of South Carolina’s settlement and colonization on the development of various forms of government across the colonies.
Assessments
Self Evaluation
Scale: (1)not at all, (2)somewhat, (3)usually, (4)to a considerable extent, (5)consistently
_____There is a clear and interesting beginning and end to my story.
_____The story stays on topic and answers questions I have about
Gullah.
_____The story is well organized with attention to detail.
_____The story is told and allows the reader to experience Gullah
from what they read, see, and hear.
I understood and learned several things from this story, including:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____ 5 point bonus – My story includes an activity that students could
produce or work on, that helps them learn about Gullah.
Peer Evaluation
Scale: (1)not at all, (2)somewhat, (3)usually, (4)to a considerable extent, (5)consistently
_____There is a clear and interesting beginning and end to the
group’s story.
_____The story stays on topic and answers questions I had about
Gullah.
_____The story is well organized with attention to detail.
_____The story is told and allows the reader to experience Gullah
from what they read, see, and hear.
I understood and learned several things from this story, including:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____ 5 point bonus – Their story includes an activity that students could
produce or work on, that helps them learn about Gullah.
