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.

 

Stories Work!

A Tale from Decameron

by John William Waterhouse, 1916

Stories Work!
by Amy Eller  © 2012

Sitting in the presence of a Storyteller, we are given permission to travel deep within ourselves, to a place a the center of our cellular being, that remembers the old ways. Our ancestors, all the way back to the beginning of human time were storytellers. Sitting by fires. Working in fields. Smoking a pipe or sharing teas made from the plants of the Earth. Our ancestors were always telling their stories to each other. They communicated through story. They learned lessons through story. They coped with problems by telling stories. They healed their hearts when they heard stories. They built communities based on stories.

Without story, where would our human race be today? Would we know who we are? Would we have a concept of right and wrong? What would our daily lives be based upon, if it weren’t for the stories of those who came before us?

These were the questions Lenora Ucko asked when she began fine tuning her InteractiveStorytelling technique many years ago. She had a vision of keeping the stories of our past alive. She had a database of folk stories from all over the world with wisdom that ran deep and crossed all cultural lines, and she was on a mission to bring them to the people. It was her vision that these stories could bring people together and create safe spaces for healing in people’s lives. And thus, StoriesWork was finally born in 2000.

Today, with a tiny staff of one, in addition to herself, Lenora continues to bring these stories to the people, in a safe, non-threatening way. She asks easy, open ended questions that get people talking comfortably about issues that they may never have spoken comfortably about before. She opens doors, hearts, and minds in ways that offer gifts to the participants, whether they recognize it in that moment or not. She refrains from judgment and teaches other storytellers this hard to master skill. She does this wonderful work selflessly, with her heart wide open.

We want to keep this vision of Lenora’s alive and keep StoriesWork’s doors open, and thus we continue to tell the stories to the people. Please consider visiting us on the web (www.storieswork.org) and contact us if we can work with you in any way to bring this work to more people.

Please enjoy this sample story and check out the questions at the end. These are questions Lenora would ask you herself if she told you this story today. Please answer them in the comments. We’d love to see the discussion begin here.

A Blind Man Catches a Bird 

African Folk Story, Author Unknown

Two friends went hunting together.  One was blind and one could see.  The one who could see promised to help the blind man hunt.  They each put down their own trap in the forest.  The man who could see was surprised at how much the blind man could tell just by listening to the leaves rustle or the animals scurrying about or the waterfall in the distance.  He asked his friend how he knew so much.  The blind man replied, “When you cannot see, you must rely on other senses to know what is going on.”

The next day the two men went back to the forest and found two birds,  one in each of their traps.  The bird in the blind man’s trap was large and colorful. The bird in the other trap was small and plain.  The man who could see quickly switched the birds so that he now had the big, colorful bird in his own trap and the blind man had the small plain one. 

Then they sat down and rested. “Since you know so much,” said the man who could see, “tell me, why do men fight one another? I’ve often wondered about that.”

The blind man replied, “Because they do what you have just done to me.” 

The other man was ashamed and quickly took the small plain bird out of his friend’s trap and replaced it with the colorful bird he had stolen for himself. 

Then wanting to make amends, he asked the blind man, “How do men make up after fighting?” 

The blind man answered, “They do what you have just done!”

Questions:

 

 

1. Will the blind man go hunting with this man again? Why or why not?
2. Why didn’t the man who could see ask the blind man for the colorful bird instead of just taking it?
3. If he had, what would the blind man have replied?

 

 

  

Amy Eller is a Marketing Consultant in Durham, NC with a focus on sustainable agriculture, local food movements, natural and alternative healing, local culture and art.

 

She has been an active Board Member for Storieswork since 2011 and an active volunteer at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center in Chapel Hill, NC where she co-facilitates support groups that use Horticulture Therapy as a method of healing from trauma. She can be reached at amymeller@gmail.com .

PREVIOUS GUEST BLOGGER ARTICLES

If you missed any of the other terrific Guest Blogger articles this link will take you to a separate blog post where all of the links are listed.

http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-rising-tideguest-bloggers-share-their.html

 

Amy Eller s a guest blogger for Karen Chace and Catch the Storybug blog. All rights to this article belong to Amy. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without her expressed, written permission. Of course, if you wish to link to the article via Facebook or Twitter, please feel free to do so. I you would like to be a Guest Blogger contact Karen at Storybug@aol.com for the details.

 

 

Send Your Senses Soaring!

Allegory of the Five Senses

by Gérard de Lairesse, 1668

Five Minute
Creativity Boost
by Monica Davis
© 2012

What is creativity? By definition it is: “the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns...and create [bring into being] meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations.”  We humans love to create...and recreate; to bring forth and nurture originality as if it were our precious child; to push the boundaries of “Why?” and ask, “Why not?”

Have you tasted the stroke of midnight? Heard fruit ripening on the vine? Ever held a shooting star in the palm of your hand? Smelled tomorrow? Seen the fragrance of a rose? 

The logical part of our brain says: “Not possible”; “Doesn't exist”; “Can't do it”; “Human senses don't work that way.”. But the creative part of our brain rises to the challenge and attempts the seemingly impossible: “Stroke of midnight? Hmm, rich, decadent, tangy...delicious!”

Five Minutes, Five Senses!

A simple 5-minute exercise may boost your creativity, bring clarity to your thoughts, open your imagination, and yes, aid memory. The exercise is done in 4 steps. Focus your attention on each individual sense (taste, sight, touch, smell, hearing) one at a time, and fully engage in that particular sense before moving on to the next. (Eyes may be open or closed.)

Step 1: Experience familiar sensations.  

Taste

• Taste cold, juicy watermelon
• Chocolate melting in your mouth
• Bite into a sour lemon

Sight

• Watch a beautiful sunset
• See the smiling face of a happy child
• Watch a bird fly across the sky

Touch

• Pet the soft fur of a kitten
• Walk barefoot along a sandy beach
• Make a snowball with your bare hands

Smell

• Inhale the aroma of freshly brewed coffee
• Smell a pine forest
• Smell an ocean breeze

Hear

• Listen as a distant train whistle grows louder, then fades away
• Hear a clock strike five o'clock
• Hear the sound of raindrops on a tin roof

Step 2: Apply all five senses to a single experience; such as baking bread.

• Knead the dough with your hands
• Smell the bread baking in the oven
• See the golden color of the freshly baked loaf
• Hear the crunch of the crust as you bite into it
• Taste the flavors as you savor a slice spread with melting butter

Step 3: Experience each sense through obscure and unusual combinations. This allows the creative side of the brain to join in, trying to answer a riddle. (Don't get hung up or struggle; just go with whatever comes and move on. With practice, your creative brain will know what to do.) For example:

• Taste the air inside a bubble
• Walk along the red stripe of a rainbow
• Hear wax shine
• Smell square
• See an echo in a canyon
  
  

Step 4: Mix up your bread baking senses. For example:

• See the crunch of the crust
• Smell the ingredients into forming a dough
• Taste the color of the finished loaf
• Hear the flavor of melting butter spread on a warm slice
• Touch the aroma of the baking loaf
  
  

A gifted storyteller moves an audience through all senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste to create a truly satisfying and magical experience. Heightening the senses gives the brain more avenues for memory recall; no longer relying solely on rote data filing, but recalling feelings, sensations and associations.

From once upon a time, to happily ever after is just five senses away.

© 2012 Monica Davis
About the author: Monica Davis is an accomplished writer, editor, speaker and creative consultant. She is the author of the soon to be released non-fiction book, “Wisdom of the Toga: Mythic Patterns That Shape Our Lives”. For more information, please visit her website at: www.wisdomofthetoga.com

 

Monica Davis is a guest blogger for Karen Chace and Catch the Storybug blog. All rights to this article belong to Monica. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without her expressed, written  permission. If you would like to be a Guest Blogger contact Karen at Storybug@aol.com for the details.

Remembering Leanne

Today is the one year anniversary of the passing on my dear friend Leanne Johnson, age 47...gone far, far too soon.

As I was just typing her last name I realized it should have been Leanne Joy because she brought so much love, warmth and spirit to the world. Leanne loved people, penguins, stories, music, puns and laughter. We are the poorer for her passing but the richer for her having graced our world.

Leanne was one of the first people to reach out and offer words of wisdom when I began my own storytelling journey. Whenever I needed resources, advice, help or encouragement she was there. In fact, I still have her voice on my answering machine, singing the words to a song I needed for a storytelling performance, her exuberance palpable across the wires as she laughing sang "Baby shark do do do do..." That is the the kind of person she was, going the extra mile, across the miles. Whenever I need a lift she is there, her voice rings out loud and strong, and I smile.

Thankfully, her voice and stories live on in cyber space; her myspace page is still online. If you would like to enter into her wonderful world of folktales through words and music stop in for a visit. You can even see Leanne "in action" at her last Northlands Storytelling Conference performance in all her glory on my friend Gwyn Calvetti's blog. My thanks to Gwyn for making sure that Leanne's light shines on. I was blessed to be in that audience and I can tell you that Leanne absolutely glowed that night!

Leanne was a skilled wordsmith as well and when the question was asked on the Storytell listserv, "How did you know when it was time to call yourself a "storyteller?" Leanne penned this wonderful poem:


When everything you hear,
tells you a story,
When everything you see,
reminds you of a story,
When everything you taste
conjures up a story,
When everything you smell,
evokes for you a story,
When everything you touch,
summons up a story,

You might indeed be a storyteller.

But it is not until
you release those stories,
Allow the images to free form into the
imaginations of others,
Spilling their seeds
into the creation of more stories,
Funneled through the love and cares of family and friends,
who will love you
regardless
Enriched, enhanced,
amplified with the hopes and dreams of strangers
who have no other reason to love
or care for you,
Nestled into the unconscious mind of a growing child
where they will grow with goodness and strength.

Ahh, then, call yourself a storyteller.

And when they offer you praise,
compliments,
bravos,
endorsements,
money...

Remember,
the sounds,
the sights,
the tastes,
the smells,
the touch,

Of the Love of Story.

And today, as I do each day, I remember my friend Leanne with love.

Go West Young Man...or in this case "girl".

A few weeks ago I traveled to Washington State and Vancouver, British Columbia. One stop at the end of my vacation was a delightful Art Fair in Edmonds, WA. There were lots of kiosks with all types of wares: flowers, pottery, fresh honey, jewelry, gorgeous handmade quilts and art work of every shape in size.

One particularly creative artist I met was Judy Meddaugh, a botanical collage artist who fashions jewelry, cards, ceramics and pictures out of plants and flowers. You can view some of her amazing work by clicking on her name above I purchased two of her jewelry items for gifts and coveted much of her art work. Many pieces were reasonably priced, while some were out of my reach. However, since I was traveling, the thought of carrying a framed piece of work onto a plane didn't appeal to me. The next best thing was to buy some of her cards, which I will frame and display.

Of course, the storyteller in me had to buy one card that shared a story on the back. Here is the Native American legend from the Samish Tribe.


The Maiden of Deception Pass

Ko-kwal-alwoot was a beautiful Samish Indian girl living in a village in Deception Pass. She was gathering seafood one day when a young man from beneath the sea saw her and fell in love. But when the man of the sea asked her father for her hand in marriage, he refused, for fear she would drown.

The young man warned her father that the seafood would disappear unless she married him. When his warning proved to be true, her father granted permission for the marriage. The beautiful woman waded in to the sea to join her new husband. Once again the seafood returned and was plentiful.

Ko-kwal-awoot returned to her people once a year for four years. Barnacles had grown upon her hands and arms, and her long raven hair turned to kelp. Chill winds followed wherever she walked, and she seemed to be unhappy out of the sea. Seeing this, her people told her she did not need to return to them. Since that day, she has been the Samish Tribe's guiding spirit, and through her protection there has always been plenty of seafood and pure, sweet spring water.

I discovered a bit longer version of the tale on the Internet, which explains a little more about the statue itself. Carved out of red cedar it has two sides, one side depicts a beautiful maiden, the other tells the tale of her fate.

There are many more stories to share about my trip but that will have to wait for another day. The sunshine is calling!

The Gentle Nudge of a Friend

Welcome all and Happy February!

Here in New England the night is unseasonable warm and thunder shakes the night after a cold start and a day of rain. The day has also been filled with some discussion about blogging, so thanks to the gentle nudge of my friend and colleague, Granny Sue Holstein http://www.grannysu.blogspot.com/ I have decided to add blogger to my resume.

I am sure days and even weeks may go by when I will be hard pressed to share anything of consequence. However, Granny Sue assures me that there are those who will be interested to know about our world, my work, and the ancient art of Oral Tradition.

So here I go, jumping in with both feet, as I have done most of my life, sometimes without even looking. I hope there will be moments when you find my comments useful, thoughtful or amusing, and maybe, if the stars are aligned just right, a combination of all three.

Karen Chace
Professional Storyteller
www.storybug.net