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.