1st+Week+Activities


 * 1st Week in the Classroom:**


 * Materials Needed:**
 * __Knots on a Counting Rope__ by Bill Martin
 * Three pieces of butcher paper to list elements for 3 types of books: Easy Cheezy, Just Right and Tough Stuff
 * Markers
 * 30 Printouts of downloadable stories from __Children Telling Stories__ dvd, each placed in protector sheets
 * Story Summary/Comprehension Sheet created by Geri McLeod (EL/Project Kids
 * "Stories I've Read" log sheet from __Children Telling Stories__ (p. 87).
 * cd of recorded staff members reading at least 26 of the stories, along with the printed stories in order of cd, to help those students struggling with reading. The librarian recorded these stories using GarageBand and iTunes. Having the cd helped tremendously! Students were excited to hear all the stories because they wanted to guess whose voice was telling each story.

1. //**Knots on a Counting Rope:**// Started the unit with the picture book, __Knots on a Counting Rope__, by Bill Martin to connect storytelling with personal stories, including family. Then throughout the week during Morning Circle, Class Meetings and other sharing times, the students:
 * Shared their fears, and something that they learned to do with a lot practice. Their homework assignment was to ask a family member to share a family story until the child could repeat it back. Then in class, students pair-shared their stories. Did this a couple of different times throughout the week. Students became more comfortable each time.
 * They also had to think of someone in their life who supports them (as connected to the Knots book)

2. **Just Right Books** lesson (Geri - IST support - related it to riding a bike) – brainstormed with class: //**Just Right**// //**Easy Cheezy**//
 * //Tough Stuff//**
 * Things you don’t know
 * Haven’t don’t it before
 * New to me
 * Not steady with it
 * Not easy to do
 * Feel wobbly – not stable
 * Scarey
 * Not used to it
 * Need people to help you
 * Too bigg
 * Not focued or balanced
 * Practice
 * Wobble only once in awhile
 * Not tough not about going really fast
 * Helps you get better and meet your goal
 * Comfortable
 * Make sense
 * You can answer questions about it!
 * You can pass the 5 finger test!
 * Did It before
 * Know how to do it
 * Ust right size for you
 * Easier them than other ones
 * Really easy
 * Quick
 * Where you start and then you grow

Students practiced reading Just Right stories using the down-loadable one-page stories from //Children Tell Stories//. Incorporated 5-finger rule and showed comprehension of the story by being interviewed (teacher or student). Practiced this with their own book before moving to storytelling stories. Goal is to read at least 15 of the down-loadable stories before choosing their Top 3 to be considered for telling.

Interview process: (didn’t have them interview for all 15 stories, maybe interview for 5)
 * Read the story aloud with a partner and then have an interviewer ask them comprehension questions from Geri’s sheet, which
 * If it was too hard, they still logged it on their log sheet, but instead checked “not at all” for telling and then gave reason – too hard.

Suggestion: Make sure that the interviewer gives the Story Summary sheet to the interviewee as a way to remember why or why not he or she liked the story.

Using the dvd from //Children Tell Stories,// Lorrie shared the 4 student storytellers giving students the task of sharing what and why they liked the storyteller. They also shared constructive feedback on how that storyteller might improve. Here is a brainstormed list:
 * 1st Week in the Library:**


 * Materials Needed:**
 * Children Telling Stories dvd
 * LCD projector
 * laptop
 * chart paper and markers to list student's "Likes" and "Constructive Feedback" for student storytelling on dvd


 * Liked:**
 * Facial Expressions
 * Details in the story help create images in your mind
 * Eye contact
 * Volume
 * Gestures with purpose
 * Inflection in their voice
 * Enunciation/Articulation
 * No "um's"
 * Story made sense - they remembered the important parts of the story


 * Constructive Feedback:**
 * Slow down so the audience can understand the punch line
 * Make your gestures specific, don't just move for the sake of moving
 * Remember to look at the entire audience, not just those in the center

The four stories from the dvd also highlight different types of tales: pourquoi, fool, silly and scary. This was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the folklore section in the library, as well as encourage students to think of their own pourquoi stories that fit Alaska (i.e. why does it rain so much in Juneau?" :-)