Tuesday, November 29, 2016

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.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

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



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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.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Teaching the Theme of Gratitude with Stories to Grow by



       
Three Stories with a Theme of Gratitude:
For Classroom Use at Thanksgiving and Year-Round

Thanksgiving is almost here! How will you be teaching the theme of Gratitude in your classroom this year?

We look for thought-provoking stories that encompass the virtues we hope our students showcase, not only around the holidays, but all throughout the year.  One free resource is  Stories to Grow by, an award-winning selection of kid-tested multicultural stories. The three tales featured below provide shining examples of Thanksgiving themes such as Gratitude, Friendship, and Kindness.  Dramatic versions of the first two stories are also freely available as Reader’s Theater and can offer entertaining read-aloud opportunities.  

Androcles and the Lion:  Androcles is an escaped slave who runs away from his cruel Roman master.  Wandering in the woods, he meets a lion in distress. This Fable comes from the collection of “Aesop’s Fables.”  Aesop is credited as author of hundreds of fables, many of which are still taught as morality lessons and used as subjects for various entertainments, especially for children's plays and cartoons.  Help yourself to Stories to Grow by’s Reader’s Theatre script for “Androcles and the Lion.

Baba Yaga:  Natasha is sent deep into the forest by her stepmother to face the witch Baba Yaga.  Baba Yaga has the frightening power to embody her hut, such that the hut stands on hen’s legs and hops about to chase its child-victims. In this classic Russian fairytale, Natasha befriends several enchanted creatures trapped by Baba Yaga, and they in turn help Natasha to escape.  Help yourself to Stories to Grow by’s Reader’s Theatre script for “Baba Yaga.

The Queen and the Mouse:  A Queen is captured and imprisoned, along with her infant daughter, in the tallest room of a tower.  She has but one friend – a charming dancing mouse. This French fairytale drives to a moment of reckoning when a magical old woman offers the Queen a chance to free her baby daughter – but only if the Queen hands over the mouse.

The content of the three tales can also prompt skill-building for “Making Predictions” as well as “Cause and Effect.” Additional stories and Reader’s Theatre scripts, as well as teaching materials and Common Core alignments, are available at storiestogrowby.org.