Character Creation: A Storytelling Worksheet

 

Hubert 
from Character Hub
Public Domain

My storytelling students completed my Character Creation sheet yesterday and these were some of the wonderfully expressive faces they completed for their story character.

Afterwards, we played Walk the Talk, and the results were amazing; fabulous facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, and body language to further complement their story character. It was so wonderful to watch them all shine!

Each facial emotion the students drew is listed below to the picture. I think they are all spot on!

If you are interested in this worksheet, the Walk the Talk game, and other storytelling tools I created, they are all found in my book, Story by Story.

ANGRY

SURPRISED

                                                                                      

                                                                                                    CONFUSED

                                                                           

                                                                         SURPRISED

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2024 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I appreciate your support and personal integrity.

CharacterHub’s mascot, Hubert, is a character who has many qualities associated with public domain characters. They are provided through a Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license. 

Celebrate the Chinese New Year: 2024 the Year of the (Wood) Dragon

 

"A fisherboy dived into the water
and brought up a pearl from beneath
the chin of a black dragon."
The Dragon Princess
from The Chinese Fairy Book
by Richard Wilhelm
Artist George W. Hood, 1921

"I do not care what comes after; I have seen the dragons on the wind of morning."
- Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore

The Chinese New Year begins on Saturday, February 10, 2024, marking the start of a new lunar year and 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon.

The Wood Dragon is a symbol of power, nobility, and success, representing honor, courage, and tenacity. People born in the Year of the Dragon are said to be ambitious, energetic, and charismatic, inspiring others with their passion and enthusiasm. They are considered to be natural leaders, confident and unafraid to take risks, making them magnetic personalities in social and professional circles.
https://www.almanac.com/content/chinese-new-year-chinese-zodiac

 

STORIES

 

The Dragon - Italy
http://www.worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Italian_folktale_22.html

The Dragon and the Prince - Serbia

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/sfs/sfs57.htm

The Devil and His Grandmother – Brothers Grimm

https://fairytalez.com/the-devil-and-his-grandmother/   

 

The Dragon of Ghent - Belgium

http://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/tl/tl08.htm

 

The Dragon of the North – Estonia http://www.mythfolklore.net/3043mythfolklore/reading/estonia/pages/06.htm

 

The Dragon Princess - China
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/29939/29939-h/29939-h.htm#XLV

 

The Dragon’s Tail – Germany
https://fairytalez.com/the-dragons-tail/

 

The Four Dragons - Asia

http://worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Asian_Folktale_6.html

How the Dragon Came to Be - China

http://www.pitara.com/talespin/folktales/online.asp?story=47

How the Dragon Was Tricked - Greece
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5615/pg565-images.html#link2H_4_0003

The Four Dragons - Asia
https://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Asian_Folktale_6.html#gsc.tab=0

The Lambton Worm - England
http://tinyurl.com/3krfcz7

The Princess and the Dragon - Serbia
https://www.pookpress.co.uk/the-prince-and-the-dragon/


STORY COLLECTIONS

 

Chinese Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis, 1919 - The Golden Dragon ofthe Boringue on page 188 and Turk, Turban, Tulip and Dragon, page 166  To read these tales and download the  book for free go to
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/67256/67256-h/67256-h.htm 

The Serene Dragon - This incredible site is sure to slay you! Over 544 dragon tales listed by country and region, with origins, and articles; you will be breathing fire in no time at all. Unfortunately, the site is no longer online but you may still access the pages via the Wayback Machine at this link:
https://web.archive.org/web/20050205214117/http://www.theserenedragon.net/home.html

 

Story-Lovers.com –Books, stories and more, all related to those amazing mythical creatures.
Jackie crossed over a few years ago but her incredible work lives on, accessible via the Wayback Machine here:
http://web.archive.org/web/20100120170730/http://www.story-lovers.com/listsdragonstories.html

 

BOOKS

Bookroo – Dragon books for a variety of ages.
https://bookroo.com/explore/books/topics/dragons

CRAFTS AND ACTIVITIES

 

15 Chinese Dragon Crafts for Kids to Celebrate Chinese or Lunar New Year

https://happytoddlerplaytime.com/15-chinese-dragon-crafts-for-kids-to-celebrate-chinese-or-lunar-new-year/

Dragon Coloring Pages

http://www.coloring.ws/dragons1.htm

Handprint Dragon Puppet
https://www.craftsbyria.com/handprint-dragon-puppet-chinese-new-year-craft/

 

CURRICULUM

 

Adventures with Dragons, Gods and Giants – A grade three unit connected to the Core Curriculum Standards.
https://studylib.net/doc/18517051/fantastic-adventures-with-dragons--gods--and 

Edsitment.neh.gov – Lions, Dragons and Nian: Animals of the Chinese New Year – Curriculum grades K-5.
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/lions-dragons-and-nian-animals-chinese-new-year

 

Education.theiet.org – This is curriculum from the United Kingdom for ages 7 to 11 with downloadable activity sheets.

https://education.theiet.org/primary/teaching-resources/chinese-dragon/

We Are Teachers – Curriculum to complement the 2024 Chinese Lunar New Year.

https://www.weareteachers.com/lunar-new-year-for-kids/

 

SOMETHING EXTRA

 

British Folklore – Ten Dragons

https://norfolktalesmyths.wordpress.com/2018/03/28/british-folklore-ten-dragons/

Draconian.com - The history of dragons in various cultures, short legends about dragons and more.

http://www.draconian.com/whatis/whatis.htm

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2024 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

Story Spoons: An Interactive Storytelling Game

You never know when inspiration will strike! I am always trying to think of new, interactive games to get my storytelling students up and moving, while advancing their storytelling skills.

Last year I found an Egg Relay Game at our local Christmas Tree Shop. I bought it thinking I would find a use for it in my storytelling program and tucked it away. Finally, last week I dusted it off, brought it in to class and Story Spoons © was born!

Setting Up the Game

This is an easy one, requiring little effort. I split my class of eighteen (one was absent that day) into three lines, six students each. I placed three chairs at the front of the class, spaced equally apart, a distance away from the students.

Playing the Game

• The first person in each line was given a spoon and egg.
• I instructed them that they had to tell their story aloud as they navigated the space.
• When I said, “Go” the student at the head of each line walked as fast as they could, holding out the spoon and egg in front of them (they couldn’t touch it with their other hand) to the chair in front of them.
• If they dropped the egg they had to return to the line and start again.
• They rounded the chair, back to their relay line, passed off the spoon and egg, and the next person repeated the journey until everyone had a turn.
• The first relay line to complete the task won!

We played this game four times and they were hooting and hollering, cheering each other on every time.

Object of the Game

At the end I asked the students, “What does this game have to do with storytelling?”

Jaelyn replied, “It helps us with our pacing.” Not exactly what I was thinking of, but she was right!
Keira replied, “It taught us how to concentrate on our story.”  Yes!

Next time I will add more obstacles they have to go around to make it a bit more challenging. The game was deemed a keeper by all of the students! Please feel free to use this idea in your work. I only ask for the courtesy of attribution.

If you are looking for more fun, interactive games, and classroom worksheets to complement your storytelling work, please consider my award-winning book, Story by Story .

 

 

 

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2024 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

 

 

Emoji Emotion II: Interactive Storytelling Game

L'effroi
Jean-Baptise Greuze
1725-1805

I’ve been teaching storytelling for 20 years, so I am always looking for new games and activities to keep it fresh, both for me and my students. A few years ago, I purchased some emoji stress balls at my local dollar store, thinking I might be able to use them in my class one day. Finally, last week inspiration struck.

Initially, I only had six of the emoji balls. I immediately knew this game was a success and I would need more for a larger group. I found them on Amazon. 

I tried the game three times with smaller groups until all nineteen of my students came together. They were eager to play the game again. It was controlled chaos, lots of laughter and the students loved playing with their stories, changing up the emotions, adding facial expressions, and gestures.

Below are the instructions for Emoji Emotion II.

• Students stand in a circle.
• Each one is given an emoji ball. 
  
• Teacher assigns a number to each student one through six since there are six numbers on the die.
• If there are more than six students the count begins at one again with the seventh student. Example: If you have a class of eighteen you would assign the numbers one through six three times.
• Teacher plays music as the students pass the balls. Note: I queued up music via YouTube on my phone.
• Teacher stops the music at their discretion. When the music stops the students keep whatever emoji ball is in their hand.
• Teacher throws the die. Whatever number is rolled, the student who has that number chooses a line of dialogue from their story and tells it with the emotion on the emoji ball, even if it is not the correct tone for the story.
• If you have more than six students then each student with the rolled number takes a turn.
• Repeat the process as time allows, playing the music each time as the students pass the emoji balls.
  
  

This is a terrific game to use after the students are comfortable with their stories but I can easily envision using it as an ice breaker game. For example, the teacher assignes one sentence to be used by all but with a different emotion, to teach them how vocal intonation/expression will change the meaning of a sentence. Another way would be to have the students share one sentence about something from their lives using the emotion on the emoji ball. For example:

• My favorite sport is baseball.
• I have a big, brown dog. 
• I went to the beach last summer.

Last year I created a different emoji-based game that also worked well. It was very successful but this new game is definitely more interactive. That game may be viewed at the link below.

Emoji Emotions: Interactive Storytelling Game
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2022/04/emoji-emotions-interactive-storytelling.html.

This game is definitely a keeper! If you decide to try this out with your students, please let me know how it turned out for you and for your students. I would love to hear what you think about it. Please leave a blog comment if you have time.

Permission for private use is granted but I do ask that you maintain the copyright information and offer proper attribution. Publication is prohibited without my expressed written permission. 

There are many more original games I have created in my book, Story by Story, along with worksheets to help your students step into their story. 

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2023 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Story Wok - A Peer Coaching Worksheet

Listening Boy
Robert Henri, 1924

I am in my 20^th year teaching and directing a student storytelling program. Every year I try to develop new tools, either written or interactive, to help my students work with their stories, and their peers.

I always make time for the students to independently practice their stories during class time, but another component is a turn and tell, where students share their stories with a partner. 

This year I designed a new tool, the Story Wok. The name is an acronym, with each letter corresponding to a specific story or performance element, to be used during the turn and tell. 

Since the worksheet is fairly extensive I instruct the students to choose three things they want to focus on. As the student tells their story the partner listens deeply. When the teller is finished the listener/peer coach writes down some suggestions, then shares it with the teller. The process is then repeated with the partners switching rolls.

I only use this tool after we have met for many weeks, when trust is established within the group, and after the students have participated in one round of story coaching. Before we begin, part of the instruction process is to remind them that their role as listeners is to be supportive and encouraging. 

Below are some of the specific notes the listeners took on the various stories they heard and then shared with the tellers.

Setting: Perhaps you could describe where the alligator lives.
Talking: You could add dialogue when the king finds the fairy.
Omission: You might want to leave out the royal chair.
Reactions:  When you're climbing maybe you could use a scary expression.
Yawn! You could add more action when the horse gets its tail stuck in the fence.

Word(s): Maybe you could add some similes.
Observation: You were very calm when you told the story.
Kindness: I loved your different character voices. 

After I collected the papers I noticed some of the students wrote on their worksheets: “Thank you for the advice.” One even drew a smiley face.

I think it worked!

Permission to use the Story Wok in your personal work is granted with the following restrictions. Do not remove the copyright information and please credit the source. Do not reproduce in any publication in any form or format without my expressed written permission. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I appreciate your support. 

If you would like me to send the Story Wok worksheet to you in a Word .doc email me at storybug@aol.com . If you do use it I would be grateful if you shared how it worked for your students.

If you are interested in more original, interactive games, as well as story worksheets, please consider my award-winning book, Story by Story: Creating a Student Storytelling Troupe.

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2023 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com.

 

Celebrate the Chinese New Year - 2023 The Year of the Rabbit

 

Three Rabbits
China, Qing Dynasty
Unidentified Artist

I originally offered this blog in 2011 but since 2023 is also the Year of the Rabbit I am sharing it again, along with additional stories and resources.

The Chinese New Year begins on January 22, 2023 until February 9, 2024. The Rabbit is the fourth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs. 










These are some of the traits of those born in the Year of the Rabbit:

• Reasonable
• Friendly
• Wise, fragile, tranquil, and serene,
• Considerate
• Diplomatic
• Organized
• Affectionate, co-operative, and pleasant.
• They can also make great painters or musicians due to their sense of beauty and their love of creativity.
• They possess good communication skills and make great teachers and counselors.

STORIES

A Rabbit Story - Tibet
https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/tibetan-folk-tales-rabbit-story.html

Cottontail Shoots the Sun – Native American
https://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/ca/wsm/wsm22.htm

The Dance for Water or Rabbit’s Triumph – South Africa
https://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/saft/sft20.htm

The Foolish Lion and the Clever Rabbit
http://tinyurl.com/2vv9nkt

How Rabbit Deceived Fox – Canada/Native American
https://fairytalez.com/rabbit-deceived-fox/

How the Rabbit Lost His Tail - Brazil
https://www.worldoftales.com/South_American_folktales/South_American_Folktale_6.html#gsc.tab=0

How the Terrapin beat the Rabbit – Native American
https://www.worldoftales.com/Native_American_folktales/Native_American_Folktale_5.html#gsc.tab=0

How the Wolf, the Fox, and Rabbit Committed a Crime - Tibet
https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/tibetan-folk-tales-wolf-fox-and-rabbit.html

The Moon Rabbit - Jakata
https://www.tell-a-tale.com/jataka-tale-the-moon-rabbit/

Rabbit and Fox– Native American 
https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/RabbitandFox-Ojibwa.html

The Rabbit and the Coyote – South America
https://www.worldoftales.com/South_American_folktales/South_American_Folktale_2.html#gsc.tab=0

Rabbit and the Moon Man – Native American
https://www.worldoftales.com/Native_American_folktales/Native_American_Folktale_67.html#gsc.tab=0

The Rabbits Liver – Korea
http://www.sejongsociety.org/korean_theme/korean_folk_tales/rabbits_liver.html

Rabbit Plays Tug-O-War – Native American
http://tinyurl.com/btxxdzm

The Rabbit Throws Out His Sandal – South America
https://www.worldoftales.com/South_American_folktales/South_American_Folktale_3.html#gsc.tab=0

Rabbits Wish for Snow – Native American
https://www.pbs.org/circleofstories/storytellers/tchin.html

The Smiling Rabbit - Mexico
https://www.post-journal.com/life/focus-on-schools/2016/12/the-smiling-rabbit-in-the-moon-a-mexican-folktale/

BOOKS

Apples4theTeacher - Recommended reading. Children's books for the Chinese New Year.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/kids-books/

Best Picture Books About Rabbits
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/33344.Best_Picture_Books_about_Rabbits


CRAFTS

DLTK Crafts – So many rabbit crafts here you will be hopping for hours!
http://tinyurl.com/286ze43

China themed coloring pages 
http://tinyurl.com/2en37sa

Chinese Dragon Puppet – Makes a great bookmark as well. 
http://tinyurl.com/3ysk9ce

Chinese New Year Zodiac Wreath
http://tinyurl.com/2a2h5ul

Easy Origami Rabbit – An easy-to-follow YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SaGXAihImg

Enchanted Learning - Crafts and activities for the Chinese New Year. 
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/


CURRICULUM

China Word Search 
http://tinyurl.com/35cspxe

Education World - Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit.
http://tinyurl.com/32xxno3

Chinese New Year Printables and Worksheets
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/printables/


GAMES

Chinese New Year’s Games 
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/kids-games/

Computer Games
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/games/

Traditional Chinese Games
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/traditional-chinese-games

SOMETHING EXTRA

Chinese Folklore - Short Stories for Children to share during the Chinese New Year.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/short-stories/

Chinese Proverbs 
http://tinyurl.com/4francl

Myth and Moor – Folktales of rabbits and hares by Terri Windling.
https://www.terriwindling.com/blog/2020/04/folklore-rabbits-hares.html

Rabbits in Art and Storytelling
https://www.slaphappylarry.com/rabbits/

Storybug.net – Two previous posts on my blog about the Chinese New Year in 2008 and 2009. While the stories are not about rabbit you will find information about the celebration that may be useful.
http://tinyurl.com/yfqejbk  and  http://tinyurl.com/ylxdd5l

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2011 Updated 2023 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

Emoji Emotions: Interactive Storytelling Game

The Girl with the Pearl Earring
by
Johannes Vermeer, 1665

Earlier this year I was struggling to help some of my storytelling students succeed using appropriate vocal intonations for the characters and situations in their stories. Even though I used a number of storytelling activities to demonstrate vocal expression, discussed character voices matching story events, characterization, and coached them on their delivery, nothing was working.

Then one night it suddenly became clear, they were struggling because for the past two years they have been wearing masks in school and in public. They were interacting with others seeing only their eyes, not their entire faces, and sometimes voices were muffled. The masks had affected their social interactions and ability to convey their feelings through facial expression and vocal tone.

What could I do differently? What could I use that they already understand? Emojis! Using emojis I designed a new activity. I found a variety of public domain emojis, copied each into a blank document and typed the corresponding emotion. I printed and laminated each one and the Emoji Emotions game was born. We played it the next day with remarkable success! Here are the instructions for you to try with your students.

EMOJI EMOTIONS GAME © 2022

Instructions

• Explain that you will be working on vocal intonations; share/display the emoji cards.
• Direct each student to choose a line of dialogue from their story to use for the game.
• Invite two students to come to the front of the class. 
• Fan the emoji cards face down and have each student chose a card at random. * You can also do this activity with a solo student.
• Holding the card in front of them have them hold a ‘conversation’ with the dialogue from their separate stories, using the chosen emotion. Of course, the conversation won’t make any sense, but it will be funny!

The following week I expanded the game. I passed out individual kazoos to each student. (Individual kazoos may be purchased through Oriental Trading.)  The directions were the same but this time they the conversation using a kazoo to speak the dialogue. *Many thanks to Andrea Lovett for this idea i.e., using kazoos to tell a story. It was hilarious!

* Note: When I did this for the first time, I noticed each student naturally added a facial gesture and changed their body language to correspond with the emotion.

The students couldn’t wait for their turn and asked to play the different variations of this game again and again. Not only was the game fun, but it also made a huge difference in how the student’s connected with their characters and emotions in their story. It loosened them up and gave them permission to play with their story. The next time they practiced their story it was obvious how much this simple activity helped their performance. Some of the emoji cards I created are below.

This is the list of emotions I used; there are many more you can add but I kept it as simple as possible due to the age of the participants, fourth and fifth grade students. You could add more subtle emotions for an older group.

• Angry
• Bored
• Confused
• Embarrassed
• Happy
• Nervous
• Sad
• Scared
• Silly
• Surprised
• Worried

A few examples I created for this game.

This game is a keeper! If you decide to try this out with your students, please let me know how it turned out for you and for them. 

Permission for private use is granted but I do ask that you maintain the copyright information and offer proper attribution. Publication is prohibited without my expressed written permission. 

There are many more original games I have created in my book, Story by Story, along with worksheets to help your students step into their story. 

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2022 ©
This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I appreciate your support and personal integrity.