North Carolina Traditions

North Carolina is rich in traditions. From crafts such as quilting and basketry to storytelling and Jack Tales, there is much to learn and enjoy. Traditions have been passed down through the generations and it is important that we preserve them for generations to come.

Face jugs at Seagrove, North Carolina (Image source. More about the photograph)

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Related pages

• Historic Oak View County Park: This nineteenth century farmstead has been made into a county park and is devoted to interpreting the area's agricultural and rural heritage for the citizens of Wake County.
• North Carolina American Indian stories: In this lesson students will select and read stories from some of the North Carolina American Indian tribes. They will compare and contrast two stories of their choice and complete a Venn diagram. Students will use the information on the Venn diagram to write three paragraphs. After reading several American Indian tales or legends, students will then create their own legend using the narrative writing process.
• The Craft Revival and economic change: In this lesson plan, originally published on the Craft Revival website, students will interpret photographs and artifacts as representations of western North Carolina’s economy at the turn of the century. They will also analyze historical census data and produce a visual web that will represent the changing nature of the economy of western North Carolina.

Related topics

• Learn more about North Carolina, crafts, culture, handicrafts, history, social studies, storytelling, and tradition.

Legal

This is a sampling of instructional resources that can be found on LEARN NC to help teach students about North Carolina’s rich heritage.

Lesson Plans

Storytellers in the Mountains of North Carolina

Students will study five famous North Carolina storytellers: Jackie Torrence, Ray Hicks, Donald Davis, David Holt and Sheila Kay Adams. They will research how their stories were collected and how they developed their storytelling styles that distinguish them from other tellers. (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Quilts

This lesson plan in designed to be one part of a fourth grade social studies unit on the Appalachian Mountains. It is based on the mountain custom of quilt making. This plan uses the book The Quiltmakers Gift by Jeff Brumbeau. It also uses the book internet site and other related sites. Enrichments of this lesson would be to display quilts, have a real quilt maker visit, have the class create their own paper quilt, etc.(4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Observing connections: North Carolina pottery and face jugs

This is the third lesson in a series of three in which students are creating art based on their observations. Students will develop their understanding of potters and their traditions. They will then apply their knowledge of clay and folk art as they create coil pots and add decorative facial features to create a face jug. (grades 4–5 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)

Connecting Folktales and Culture in North Carolina and Beyond

Students will explore connections to North Carolina culture as they engage in reading and analyzing three folktales of North Carolina Literary Festival author, William Hooks. After comparing these stories to other versions of the traditional tales, students will become authors and storytellers themselves as they rewrite a tale from a new cultural point of view. Opportunities are also included to extend this study to world cultures and folktales. (grades 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Folklife

Students will learn North Carolina folklore, traditions, war activities, local legends, superstitions, food preparation traditions, art, songs and dances which are unique to the area.(Grade 8 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, Information Skills, Music Education, and Social Studies)

Websites

Legends and Ghost Stories of North Carolina

Students will love this site. Stories included are: The Ship of Fire, The Devil’s Tramping Ground, A Speech for Buncombe, Specter at the Gold Mine, Brown Mountain Lights, Maco Light, Girl at the Underpass. The stories on this site all come from North Carolina Legends by Richard Walser.

How Do You Lose a Colony?

Early settlers from England came to colonize Roanoke Island in 1587. Ships returning in 1590 found the settlement deserted. This student-created site includes background information about the colony, plants and animals of NC, photographs of costumes worn in The Lost Colony outdoor drama, games and more.

Hands on Crafts

Students can learn about pottery, weaving, quilting, and basketry techniques and traditions by “playing around” in online studios.

North Carolina Local Legacies

This site features descriptions and images of many North Carolina festivals, celebrations, traditions, and uniquities. Categorized under senator and representative districts, find out about the history of North Carolina’s State Fair, the outdoor symphonic drama of Roanoke Island’s Lost Colony (which has been playing since 1937), the National Hollerin’ Contest, the City Park Carousel, and much more.

Quilts and Quiltmaking in America

This site has interviews with quilters that highlight quilting within the context of daily life. The online collection shows both highly traditional and innovative quilts, and demonstrates the artisans’ excellent design and technical skill.

Crafting North Carolina: A Hands-on Exploration of North Carolina’s Hand-made Heritage

Works of art have wonderful stories to tell. So what better way to learn about North Carolina’s geography, history, and resources than to study the crafts of the state? Crafting’s unique website combines images of objects plus video clips of artists at work, animation, audio, games, virtual tours, and lesson plans for teachers and parents.