A Whale of a Tale Lesson Plan - February 3, 2011
LESSON PLAN #1
A WHALE OF A TALE
TOM STAMP
SUBJECT: LANGUAGE ARTS
TOPIC: STORYTELLING
OBJECTIVES:
Students will use a story told by the teacher to identify story elements.
Students will use a story told by the teacher to practice sequencing.
Students will create images to illustrate a story told by the teacher.
Students will create a story mural and use it to retell a folk tale.
RESOURCES:
A folk tale that can be told, not read, by the teacher
Art supplies -- construction paper, drawing paper, scissors, pencils, markers, etc.
BACKGROUND:
One thing that language arts teachers want to develop in students is the ability to form mental images. We want students to draw pictures in their brains as they read and to create strong images in their own writing. Using storytelling in the classroom is a natural and fun way to help them. When students hear a story, they work together with the storyteller to make images, to see the story in their imaginations. I’m always amazed at the details students remember from a story I’ve told and by their own touches they add to the stories.
INSTRUCTIONS TO BE GIVEN STUDENTS:
I let the students know that I’m going to tell them a story. We talk about all the things a good story has to have: characters, setting (time and place), a problem or crisis, an attempt by the main character to solve the problem, a solution to the problem, and an ending. Then, I tell them the story. A simple folk tale with lots of repetition works best. Find a story you like and tell it in your own words. Don’t worry about being too polished. I’ve used A Whale of a Tale from Margaret Read McDonald’s book Twenty Tellable Tales, published by H.W. Wilson Company. 1986. It’s structure is so simple and it has plenty of repetition. You can listen to my telling here on my web site, or you can find a copy of Ms. McDonald's book at your local library. It’s filled with wonderful stories and helpful advice for new storytellers.
After you tell your story, ask the students to tell you about the main story elements: who is the main character, where does the story take place, what does the character want, what happens first, next, after that?
When you’re satisfied that the students have a good grasp of the story, let them work in pairs or small groups to create pictures from the story.
Tell them that they are going to make a mural that will tell the story they just heard. You might want to invite an art teacher or a parent volunteer if you feel your own art credentials aren’t what they need to be. At any rate, make the art fit your needs and time constraints.
Decide who is going to tell the beginning of the story, the first event, the next, and the one after that. When all the parts of the story are assigned to artists, let them go to work drawing, cutting, pasting, etc.
When the artwork is complete, let the students retell the part of the story that goes with the section of the mural they’ve created. When the whole story has been told, let all the students take a bow.
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES:
Ask students to retell the story without the mural.
Let them read the printed version of your story and see how it is the same or different from the version you told.
Ask beginning writers to choose their favorite words from the story to add to a personal dictionary and use them in their own writing.
EVALUATION:
If your students remembered the important elements of the story, could retell the story in sequence, created some nifty artwork and had a good time doing it, I’d say you were pretty successful. And if you are motivated to learn another story, I think that’s a great thing.
A WHALE OF A TALE
TOM STAMP
SUBJECT: LANGUAGE ARTS
TOPIC: STORYTELLING
OBJECTIVES:
Students will use a story told by the teacher to identify story elements.
Students will use a story told by the teacher to practice sequencing.
Students will create images to illustrate a story told by the teacher.
Students will create a story mural and use it to retell a folk tale.
RESOURCES:
A folk tale that can be told, not read, by the teacher
Art supplies -- construction paper, drawing paper, scissors, pencils, markers, etc.
BACKGROUND:
One thing that language arts teachers want to develop in students is the ability to form mental images. We want students to draw pictures in their brains as they read and to create strong images in their own writing. Using storytelling in the classroom is a natural and fun way to help them. When students hear a story, they work together with the storyteller to make images, to see the story in their imaginations. I’m always amazed at the details students remember from a story I’ve told and by their own touches they add to the stories.
INSTRUCTIONS TO BE GIVEN STUDENTS:
I let the students know that I’m going to tell them a story. We talk about all the things a good story has to have: characters, setting (time and place), a problem or crisis, an attempt by the main character to solve the problem, a solution to the problem, and an ending. Then, I tell them the story. A simple folk tale with lots of repetition works best. Find a story you like and tell it in your own words. Don’t worry about being too polished. I’ve used A Whale of a Tale from Margaret Read McDonald’s book Twenty Tellable Tales, published by H.W. Wilson Company. 1986. It’s structure is so simple and it has plenty of repetition. You can listen to my telling here on my web site, or you can find a copy of Ms. McDonald's book at your local library. It’s filled with wonderful stories and helpful advice for new storytellers.
After you tell your story, ask the students to tell you about the main story elements: who is the main character, where does the story take place, what does the character want, what happens first, next, after that?
When you’re satisfied that the students have a good grasp of the story, let them work in pairs or small groups to create pictures from the story.
Tell them that they are going to make a mural that will tell the story they just heard. You might want to invite an art teacher or a parent volunteer if you feel your own art credentials aren’t what they need to be. At any rate, make the art fit your needs and time constraints.
Decide who is going to tell the beginning of the story, the first event, the next, and the one after that. When all the parts of the story are assigned to artists, let them go to work drawing, cutting, pasting, etc.
When the artwork is complete, let the students retell the part of the story that goes with the section of the mural they’ve created. When the whole story has been told, let all the students take a bow.
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES:
Ask students to retell the story without the mural.
Let them read the printed version of your story and see how it is the same or different from the version you told.
Ask beginning writers to choose their favorite words from the story to add to a personal dictionary and use them in their own writing.
EVALUATION:
If your students remembered the important elements of the story, could retell the story in sequence, created some nifty artwork and had a good time doing it, I’d say you were pretty successful. And if you are motivated to learn another story, I think that’s a great thing.