Recommended Story of the Week: Theme of Self-Reflection for the New Year

  

Haku's Power: Theme of Self-Reflection

This week's story comes to us from Japan; Haku's Power is a short story about a stone-cutter who magically becomes anything he wishes. From an Emperor to a mighty rain cloud, he realizes that he has more freedom and power as a stone-cutter than he originally envisioned. A story of Self-Reflection which teaches that perhaps, the best thing we can be is ourselves! Most importantly, the best version of ourselves. READ IT HERE 

One of our more popular short stories, it has been used by Florida, North Carolina and Utah State assessments. The read time for ages 8-14 is 3-5mins. This story is a great springboard to not only talk about our theme, but to teach plot sequence, main idea and character analysis to meet many Common Core Standards.

Question of the Week

Each Monday, we will be posting a question of the week related to our theme. This week's theme and focus of our blog will be Self-Reflection. We are looking to garner our reader's feedback on Storytelling and how it has been a part of your and your students' lives. We Want To Hear From You! This week's question:

Thinking of the New Year, what story from your childhood do you remember that inspires you to make (& keep) new resolutions? Or what story have you used in your classroom to introduce the concept of resolutions and/or Self-Reflection? Please share your response in the comment section below. Thank you!

This week we will share two of our wonderful stories on the Theme of Self-Reflection, Haku's Power and The Girl Who Changed Her Fate. Stay tuned!

Story of the Week: The Tiger's Whisker

Our recommended story of the week comes to us from Korea: The Tiger's Whisker. A story of patience and understanding for both children and adults alike; a woman wants to cure her husband after he comes home from war a changed man. She learns a valuable lesson after months of befriending a Tiger to garner his whisker..an item she is led to believe will help her husband. The value, however, comes in what she learns from him instead. https://www.storiestogrowby.org/story/tigers-whisker/

Teaching the Theme of Giving while Learning the Sequence of Events Part 2

Looking for a great story to reinforce a theme of Giving that aligns with the upcoming winter holidays, while also teaching a vital story analysis skill?  For Elementary students, we have two wonderful stories that explore the theme of Giving while also teaching plot sequence. Teaching both stories consecutively allows you to teach another important literary analysis tool: Compare/Contrast characters.

This week’s Giving story is Wali Dad from India:

A simple old man who has saved his earnings decides to share his wealth. He purchases a beautiful gold bracelet for his merchant friend to give to the most virtuous women in the land, Princess of Khaistan, who was renowned everywhere as much for her beauty as for her kind and generous disposition. Then, said Wali Dâd, “next time you go that way, give her this little bracelet, with the respectful compliments of one who admires virtue far more than he desires wealth.” From this gesture, a series of thoughtful gifts returns Wali Dad with more “wealth” then he’d ever imagined. Read it here to find out what Wali Dad receives from his selfless acts of giving.

A positive message while teaching an important literary skill: this is what you will find in all the Stories to Grow by Stories and accompanying Reader’s Theater scripts.

The content of this tale prompts skill-building for the Common Core Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3,3.2, 3.3, 4.2, 4.3, 4.9:

Objective: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges and explain how their actions contribute to the Sequence of Events.  Compare and Contrast the main characters from Apple Dumpling and Wali Dad to further explore the Theme of Giving.

Anticipatory Set: Draw a picture of a time when you gave a gift to someone else. Write two sentences about what you gave and how you felt. Pair and Share.

Activities: Students will read the story, Wali Dad 15mins. While reading, discuss each “gift”, what the old man is giving and why and what he receives in return. Once finished the story, have the class create a story map of the various events that took place and how they lead Wali Dad to give his next gift.

Questions to Explore:

How do the sequence of events lead us to the ending? What would have happened if Wali Dad wasn’t so giving and decided to keep the treasures he was awarded with? What challenges did Wali Dad face and how did he overcome them?

Closing: To measure your objective, have students fill out a Compare/Contrast diagram on the two main characters, the old woman from The Apple Dumpling and Wali Dad. While both characters support the theme of giving, one gives to get something in return, while the other gives freely without expectation, but reaps great returns for his unselfish ways. Have students choose the character they are more like and draw/write ways they are similar.

Additional stories and Reader’s Theater scripts, as well as teaching materials are available at storiestogrowby.org.

Teaching the Theme of Giving while Learning the Sequence of Events with Stories to Grow by Part 1

 

Looking for a great story to reinforce a theme of Giving that aligns with the upcoming winter holidays, while also teaching a vital story analysis skill?  For Elementary students, we have two wonderful stories that explore the theme of Giving while also teaching plot sequence.

This week’s Giving story is The Apple Dumpling from England: 

While seeming to be motivated to trade her basket of plums for some apples so she can bake an apple dumpling for dinner that night, the main character freely offers what she can to a sequence of characters she meets along the way.  In the end, her selflessness leads the main character to a grateful owner of an apple tree, an old man who is happy to provide our main character with all the apples she wants.  A positive message while teaching an important literary skill: this is what you will find in all the Stories to Grow by Stories and accompanying Reader’s Theater scripts.

The content of this tale prompts skill-building for the Common Core Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3,2.3,3.3:

Objective: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Anticipatory Set: Draw a picture of a time when you traded something with someone else. Write two sentences about what you gave for the trade and what you received in return. Pair and Share.

Activities: Students will read the story, The Apple Dumpling 10mins. While reading, discuss each “trade”, what the old woman is giving and what she receives in return. Once finished the story, have the class create a story map of the various events that took place and how they lead the women to her next trade/plot event. What challenges did she face and how did she overcome them? After the class activity, have students use the Sequence of Events and Beginning, Middle,Ending Sheets to reinforce objective.

Closing: Have students create and write their own trade/ending of what they would have wanted from the old woman if they had apples to give her. 

Stay tuned for next week’s story on Giving, Part 2:  Wali Dad. Additional stories and Reader’s Theater scripts, as well as teaching materials are available at storiestogrowby.org.

Celebrating Native American Culture at Thanksgiving with a Classic Tale: Cinderella

 

A young, mistreated girl who eventually, through trial and tribulations, finds her Prince Charming – this is the heart of a universal story told worldwide. The Native Americans of North America also had their Cinderella Tales, tales of brave warriors and the courageous women strong enough to win their affections. One such version comes from the Abenaki tribe of eastern Canada and New England, and is brought to you from Stories to Grow by: The Native American Cinderella. 

The Native American Cinderella: Strong Wing, a mighty Abenaki warrior, seeks a bride who is truly honest.  Only his true love, the one he is meant to marry, will pass a secret test that he and his sister have devised. News spreads through the tribe to three sisters, daughters of the chief, who all wished to be married to Strong Wind. The youngest daughter, whom was mistreated by the chief and two older sisters, was surely not believed to be good enough to be a suitor for Strong Wind. Or was she? Who could pass the honesty test and earn the loyal hand of the warrior? Stories to Grow by offers this tale in two formats- as a Story or as a Reader’s Theater script.  Find out the unique flavor of this special Cinderella tale.