Category Archives: Christmas Truce

Teach Storytelling to Middle School Students- YES!

Teach Storytelling to Middle School Students- YES!

Saying yes to teaching a spring vacation storytelling class was a “no brainer”, as the kids say. I love helping kids discover their voice and the power of story…..

Day One

 Four rotations will come to me over the course of the day. Each group will have a high school aged guide. They will stay with me for one hour, then move on to the next art offered in this Vacation Arts Experience sponsored by EastConn  an educational service.  www.eastconn.org  I must introduce the stories and engage them in activities that bring them back wanting more. We need  to get a story framework in their head in under an hour.

A group arrives all the desks have stories on them in print, they all look alike from the door.  We introduce ourselves around and mention a favorite story we have seen, heard, or read.  They have  3 minutes to read the intro to the story.” GET UP AND MOVE TO A NEW DESK AND STORY” We take several rotations and already a couple students are hugging a story not wanting to leave it. I allow them to keep what they have been attracted to. 4th  desk, if they haven’t found one I make some suggestions and share some books that might entice a student.  Everyone has a story, now we can read through to the end.

Project Time – Getting our Hands on the Stories
This Play-Doh creation blew me away!
This is the story of the Christmas Truce during WWI near Ypres, France. Note the German’s Christmas tree, wounded soldier in “no mans land” and soldiers in trenches. 30 minutes, start to finish and he understood the story! Try this link to read a version of event:  http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm
While some students worked in Play-Doh others were making cut and paste murals from magazine pictures. On the second day they will switch and make the other project.

            Here a student with a finished mural tells a friend his story, this one tells of El Coqui the little frogs of Puerto Rico  and the race where they earned their singing voice. Here is a link to the legend:
http://voices.yahoo.com/el-coqui-native-frog-puerto-rico-5306039.html 

                                                   
Here a student laid out her version of events from Chris Allsburg’s ” The Widow’s Broom”.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Widows-Broom-Chris-Allsburg/dp/0395640512

Felt boards were used for other students who again tried a different hands on the story project on day 2.

Come back soon or follow to find out about day 2 and day 3 of the Vacation Arts Experience/ Storytelling with Carolyn Stearns Storyteller.
www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com

another post about story and education:

http://www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/01/school-day-and-story-night.html