Birds of a Feather

Birds near a Mountain Stream
by Herman Henstenburgh 
(c.1683-c.1726)

 
“A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”                                                                                                               - Maya Angelou

Here in the United States, we are winging our way towards springs. I offer you some stories about our feathered friends from around the world.

STORIES

The Bird Grip – Sweden
https://fairytalez.com/the-bird-grip/

The Bat the Birds and the Beasts - Aesop
https://www.bartleby.com/17/1/24.html

The Bird of Folklore - Denmark
https://andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheBirdOfFolklore_e.html

Crow Brings Daylight - Inuit
https://www.planetozkids.com/oban/crodayli.htm

The Enchanted Storks - Bagdad
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/019.html

Fenist the Bright Falcon - Russia
https://russian-crafts.com/russian-folk-tales/fenist-brave-falcon.html

The Fox and the Stork - Aesop
https://www.bartleby.com/17/1/19.html

The Golden Bird – Germany
https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/175/grimms-fairy-tales/3048/the-golden-bird/

The History of Caliph Stork - Arabia
https://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Arab_folktale_60.html#gsc.tab=0

How Hummingbird Got Fire – Ohlone/Native American
This link also includes a lesson plan.
https://goldengatebirdalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/Hummingbird-Story-Packet.pdf

How the Goldfinch Got Its Colors - Belgium
https://fairytalez.com/goldfinch-got-colours/

The Lucky Bird – Kashmir|
https://www.kidsgen.com/stories/folk_tales/the_lucky_bird.htm

The Turtle and the Birds – South Sudan
https://www.southsudanesefolktales.org/?project=the-turtle-and-the-birds

White Wings – The Tale of the Dove and the Hunter - India
https://storiestogrowby.org/story/white-wing-the-tale-of-the-doves-and-the-hunter-panchatantra-stories/

The Wings of the Butterfly - South America
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/030.html

Why the Wren Flies Close to the Earth - Britain
https://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/bnm/bnm23.htm

The Wonderful Bird – Romania
https://www.worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Romanian_folktale_2.html#gsc.tab=0

BOOKS

Discover Wildlife: Best Books on Birds for Children
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/reviews/books-birds-children

CRAFTS

Messy Little Monsters – Easy and fun bird crafts for children.
https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2022/01/bird-crafts.html

CURRICULUM

Cornell Lab – Lessons and Activities for grades K-12. Some are free to download, others you may purchase.
https://www.birds.cornell.edu/k12/get-started/ 

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 2025 ©

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.

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. 

Inviting Storytelling Into Your Homeschool or Classroom

Teaching Artist/Storyteller
Eileen DeLorenzo
Used with permission. Visit her site at
https://eileendelorenzo.com/

Every storyteller knows how effective stories are in the classroom, complementing every aspect of the core curriculum and learning style.

As a teaching artist and professional storyteller, I have taught over 700 children the art of Oral Tradition for the past eighteen years and witnessed firsthand how valuable it is for my students. It has augmented their learning in a variety of ways:

• improved writing skills
• enhanced vocabulary
• increased cultural knowledge
• sparked their imaginations
• strengthened self-confidence
• developed positive interaction with their peers

Many of my students continue to use story and storytelling in many areas of their classroom work, in elementary, high school, college and into the business arena. It is a lifelong skill that will always serve them well. 

Whether a child is learning remotely this year or has returned to the classroom, I hope you will consider merging storytelling into your activities, both to enlighten and entertain. To assist you I have compiled a variety of resources; while it is not an exhaustive list it is a useful starting point. You will find information and lesson plans on the following subjects, including articles, interviews, books and more. Here is an overview of the topics covered in this piece: 

• Aesop Fables
• American Folklore
• Animal Fables
• Art
• Drama
• English Language Arts
• Fairytales
• Folktales
• Fractured Fairytales
• Icebreakers
• Lapsit Resources
• Legends
• Lesson Plans
• Math
• Myths
• Science
• Social Studies
• STEAM
• Storytelling in the Core Curriculum
• Trickster Tales
• World Cultures
• Worksheets
• Writing Prompts
  
  

CURRICULUM RESOURCES

ABC Teach - Several ideas and links for story writing prompts on a variety of subjects and age levels.
https://tinyurl.com/y6f4qru4

Aesop and Ananse: Animal Fables and Trickster Tales – These lesson plans students will help students “become familiar with fables and trickster tales from different cultural traditions…”
https://tinyurl.com/yyegaq49

Dragons and Fairy Tales in Science Class – “Using stories as a hook to grab students’ attention leads them to deep engagement with scientific concepts.” 
https://tinyurl.com/y262a3dc

Education World.com - Lesson plans on Ten Characters from American Folklore, Pecos Bill, Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed, and more.
https://tinyurl.com/y2shvltg

Exploring World Cultures Through Folk Tales - Students will gain an appreciation of other cultures as they read and research folktales from around the world and present their story and research to the class.
https://tinyurl.com/2358m7y

Fables and Trickster Tales Around the World - Lesson plans, information and stories, everything you need to introduce your students to those globe-trotting tricksters, Anansi, Brer Rabbit, Fox, and Rabbit.
https://tinyurl.com/y42mfzmt

Fractured Fairytales – “This interactive tool gives students a choice of three fairy tales to read. They are then guided to choose a variety of changes, which they use to compose a fractured fairy tale to print off and illustrate. Useful for teaching point of view, setting, plot, as well as fairy tale conventions …this tool encourages students to use their imaginations and the writing process at the same time.”
https://tinyurl.com/ybohlo7

Learning Math by Seeing It as a Story –  An English teacher trigonometry asked students to explain an equation to a child and to turn discrete problems into a story.”
https://tinyurl.com/y5tquptx

MathsThroughstories.org – This site offers book, lesson plans, how-to books, research articles and more to combine math and story!
https://tinyurl.com/y22cm98p

Once Upon a Time - Lessons for teaching about fables, fairytales, folktales, legends, myths, and tall tales.
https://tinyurl.com/yy4qfjd2

Story Elements Alive! English Language Arts – “After working collaboratively, students engage in independent activities such as completing a character map; a setting illustration; a problem/solution chart; a beginning, middle, and ending activity; and a story map.”
https://tinyurl.com/y3p3fs24

Storytelling and the Common Core Standards - If you are seeking information on how storytelling connects with the Common Core, YES (Youth, Education and Storytellers) offers a comprehensive, downloadable document full of information to make your case.
https://tinyurl.com/yygn323w

Storytelling and Drama – Carol Read shares how to “incorporate story-based lessons and drama activities into the English-language classroom.”
https://tinyurl.com/y3a2etz4

Storytelling in the Social Studies Classroom – “Students tell their own stories and explore the stories of other Americans. Hearing and telling these stories helps students realize that social studies is not simply the study of history, but an exploration of real people and their lives.”
https://tinyurl.com/334lftt

ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS

Developing Student Storytelling Skills to Set Up Future Career Success – “Anthropologists have long understood that storytelling helps us engage with others, share emotions and find common ground through personal experiences. It’s a part of our makeup as humans.”
https://tinyurl.com/y39yty6v

National Council Teachers of English: Teaching Storytelling Position Statement - “Story is the best vehicle for passing on factual information. Historical figures and events linger in children’s minds when communicated by way of a narrative. The facts about how plants and animals develop, how numbers work, or how government policy influences history—any topic, for that matter—can be incorporated into story form…”
https://tinyurl.com/y69cl8z6

Storytelling in the First Three Years – An important article from The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.  In part it states, “The richer the repertoire of storytelling styles a child is exposed to, the more possibilities for that child to develop his or her own powerful narrative voice…” There are additional resources on literacy, play, brain development and more.
https://tinyurl.com/y2t8srpp

Storytelling, Story Acting and Literacy in the Boston Public Schools – Fascinating interview about the program, Boston Listens, “based on Vivian Paley’s innovative storytelling and story-acting approach.”
https://tinyurl.com/yyesquqj

Twelve Way to Integrate Storytelling in the Classroom – "Storytelling is a powerful method of communication… Following a character on a journey of exploration, empathizing with the character’s problem, yearning for a solution, and reveling in the outcome helps to shape our mental state.”
https://tinyurl.com/y5eqz8fq

BOOKS TO COMPLEMENT THE CLASSROOM CURRICULUM

Easy to Read Folktale Plays to Teach Conflict Resolution 
https://tinyurl.com/y3bdgqya

Science Through Storytelling: Strategies for the K-5 Classroom
https://tinyurl.com/y35o2xht 

The Storytelling Classroom- Applications Across the Curriculum
https://tinyurl.com/y2x3gmen

Raising Voices: Creating Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes
https://tinyurl.com/y5bdjn2v

Story by Story: Creating a School Storytelling Troupe & Making the Common Core Exciting
https://tinyurl.com/y36udemo

Super Simple Storytelling: A Can-Do Guide for Every Classroom, Every Day
https://tinyurl.com/y39tz7b3

Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling
https://tinyurl.com/y5wtr3np

Write Right: Creative Storytelling Techniques
https://tinyurl.com/y2bawbyd

STORIES

Looking for stories to share with your children? These three websites will lead the way.

Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts – By far one of the most comprehensive sites on folklore and mythology from around the world.  The tales are numerous and grouped alphabetically by genre.
https://tinyurl.com/3301

Storybee – A terrific website with a wide-variety of storytellers sharing tales from around the world to entertain and enlighten your students.
https://tinyurl.com/nwfu3k

Storybug Blog – This is my own blog where you will find thousands of stories on almost any culture, theme, subject, and holiday.
https://tinyurl.com/23c6dq3

SOMETHING EXTRA

Drama Source – This UK site was created for drama teachers but there are games, strategies and lesson plans for parents and teachers alike.
https://tinyurl.com/y6d4cchg

Education World.com - Fourteen icebreakers to make the first day of school run smooth as silk. They would be fun to use throughout the year as well. 
https://tinyurl.com/y6ezo7pz

Learning Together: Educational Resources – Art, Music, Math and More – This is a blog filled with resources I put together when we first moved into remote learning. Lots of terrific information here.
https://tinyurl.com/y2xzls74

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and web links 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.

 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.

 

Tweet Your Tale: An Interactive Storytelling Activity

A Perch of Birds

by
Hector Giacomelli, 1880

A few days ago I was reading a news item about the Super Bowl game. It pictured Derrick Nnadione of the Kansas City Chiefs laying down in the middle of the football field, creating a snow angel with the mounds of confetti strewn on the field. As I read further, I learned that there was something remarkable about the confetti, mixed in were tweets from the Chief’s fans, each one telling a tiny story of what the team and the season meant to them.

I began to think about the stories my students are telling. I am always searching for new worksheets and activities to help them break down their story, internalize it, and make it their own. Of course, I use the traditional storyboard and also different versions of my own invention. Now I began to think about tweeting. How could I use that in my storytelling class? Twitter has now increased the length of a tweet from 140 characters to 280 characters but could it be done? Even though my students are not old enough to have a Twitter account I was sure they were familiar with the social media tool and decided to give it a try.

I designed the worksheet below, Tweet Your Tale ©, to help them think about their story in a new way. I shared an example to illustrate how it can be done, and since they are familiar with Little Red Riding Hood, I read this before they tried tweeting their own tale.

Little girl in your scarlet cape, take care in the woods with your basket of goodies. Grandmother needs her food and the wolf is at the door. Ears. Eyes. Teeth. Don’t be fooled by the disguise. Danger! Screams fill the air. The hero comes, the ax falls.  Rescued at last. Joyful!
(279 characters) 

Did they know what story I tweeted? All of their hands went up. Success! I also included it on the worksheet so they could refer back to the example when they were writing.

Yesterday we tried it for the first time in class. Many of students were familiar with Twitter. We talked about it, I shared my example, offered additional directions on being succinct with their word choices, passed out the worksheet, and then asked them to tweet their tale. I set aside 10 minutes for the exercise but it actually took 20-25 minutes for most of them, along with some gentle guidance along the way. As they wrote I checked in with each student to ensure they understood the directions. Some students struggled with breaking things down from full, grammatically correct sentences, which I secretly applauded, but I encouraged them to edit it down further.

When they were finished, I instructed them to crumple up their ‘tweets’ into a ball and position themselves around the room. They immediately knew what they were about to do; on the count of three I shouted, “Ready! Set! Tweet!” and the (birds) tweets sailed into the air! Controlled chaos and laughter ensued! As each student picked up the tweet closest to them, they were instructed to unravel it, and read it to themselves. By now they have heard each other’s stories multiple times, so I called on volunteers, asked them to read it aloud and guess who wrote it. If they could match the story to the teller then it was clear the tweet gave enough information to identify it. Everyone was successful.

The activity also offered another opportunity to exercise their public speaking skills within the group. We did this three times, crumpling up the tweets, sailing them across the room. They asked to do it again and again. It was a fun exercise that employed the knowledge of their stories, writing and editing skills, and of course, movement and play! It will definitely find a home in my new storytelling toolbox. 

Some examples from the student’s work:

Now That’s A Story! (This is actually a very long story. I was amazed she was able to edit it down to 279 characters.)
Pretty princess loves stories but heard too many. Bored. A test! Best storyteller will be new prince. Princes. Merchants. Knights. No one. One poor lad came. Told a story about his special pig. The princess laughed. Now that’s a story! King is mad. And they got married happily.

(Character Count 279)

Fox and Mole

Fox and mole are friends. Fox likes adventure. Mole likes to stay home. Fox finds rope, ties it. Decides to go to moon, convinces mole. Asks condor to fly to moon, tie rope to moon. They climb. Mole slips, condor catches, back to earth. Fox stays on moon; look up and see!
(Character Count 273)

Tailypo

A man stirs his stew. Creature falls down chimney. Man chops of his tail, eats it. Creature runs, comes back. Dogs chasing. Creature haunts. Roof. Side of home. Inside. Foot of bed. Give it back. Shakes tail out of him.

(Character Count 219)

The Tail Trade

Beaver and muskrat trade tails. Beaver does tail tricks. Muskrat is envious, wants tail back. Beaver slaps tail on water at muskrat. Scared! Leaves. Now beaver has a beautiful, flat, wide tail. Muskrat has a short, thin tale.

(Character Count 225) 

You will find more of my original worksheets and interactive storytelling games in my book, Story by Story: Creating a School Storytelling Troupe. You can also join me in my Story Play workshop at the Sharing the Fire conference in April, 2020. This link will give you all of the conference information. https://www.nestorytelling.org/conference-details/          

You are welcome to use the above worksheet, Tweet Your Tale©, in your personal work. If you would like a copy of the worksheet email me at storybug@aol.com and I will send you the .doc file. However, I request that attribution and copyright be maintained, and there is no publication in any other published work without my permission. Your professional integrity is appreciated! If you do use it please let me know how it worked for you and your students. Tweet! Tweet!


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 2020 ©

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.

Stor e Telling Fall 2018: Storytelling and Empathy

Young Man with a Candle
Michel Gobin, 1685

Empathy is an important part of our humanity. Below are some links to complement this issues theme and explore how it relates to our storytelling work and life.

The first three links “… explore how stories serve important functions in our day-to-day life, a reality that social justice advocates can harness for awareness raising and motivating public action…this series will illuminate the “why” behind the human love of stories.”

Wired for Empathy: Why We Can’t Resist Good Narrative

Part One focuses “on the brain’s response to stories, and why stories are so prevalent in all human societies from an evolutionary perspective.”

https://tinyurl.com/y9h7bzpk

Wired for Empathy: How and Why Stories Cultivate Emotions

Part Two “takes this foundation and connects it to empathy development and what this means for crafting effective advocacy stories, with an emphasis on homelessness.”
https://tinyurl.com/yafbpjwr

Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc
Part Three discusses “how to use stories to reach challenging audiences, with an analysis of how affluence and power impacts empathy.
https://tinyurl.com/h34mjk2

How We Can Develop Empathy Through Storytelling – “When a personal story is being shared we unconsciously create an emotional connection with the storyteller and empathize with their experience… and therefore, helps us develop empathy towards people that were once strangers.” This article also includes a link to a powerful Tedx talk on the subject of Empathy to Combat Social Violence.

https://tinyurl.com/mlkfmp2

In the United States pumpkins dot the landscape in gardens and on front porches. Below are a few pumpkin tales to help you celebrate the lovely autumn season.

Grinding Stone to the Rescue - India

https://tinyurl.com/ybl49dvq

The Legend of Stingy Jack - Ireland
https://oldsoulartisan.com/blogs/library/the-legend-of-stingy-jack?srsltid=AfmBOooZJWYRCdIjOUnrpD1p6ggNea1St4R4CYRzrkCNmuqIaU60jnPH

The Magic Pumpkins – Ukraine
https://tinyurl.com/ybqo2lr4

The Pumpkin in the Jar – Philippines
https://tinyurl.com/y7a4cgw2

It’s Harvest Time! Apple and Pumpkin Fun for the Wee Ones – I’ve shared this before but thought it would  be worthwhile to share once more. Fingerplays, songs and more to make your lapsit program shine.
http://tinyurl.com/nrluwpj

December 7 is the Feast of Saint Ambrose, patron saint of candle makers. Here are some folktales to add some light to a dark winter night.

The Candles of Life: The Story of a Child for Whom Death Stood Godmother - Czechoslovakia
https://tinyurl.com/y7uk7j4s

Chanukah Candles in Chelm – Poland
The link leads to a pdf file chock full of Chelm tales. You will find this story on page 58.
https://tinyurl.com/yalfq5mg

The Iron Man - Germany

http://tinyurl.com/y7cfk3jf

I Know What I Know - Denmark

https://tinyurl.com/y73ocsqf

The Rose Tree - England

https://tinyurl.com/y89ccqb5

The Twist Mouth Family
https://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/displayitem.php?item=books/johnson/oak/family

SOMETHING EXTRA

Stor e Telling Spring 2018: Storytelling World

Seven public domain resources filled with stories from Holland, Breffny, South Africa, Scotland and more. Keep reading for stories to celebrate the national holiday in Turkmenistan known as A Drop of Water Is a Grain of Gold, to celebrate our precious resource, water.
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2019/01/stor-e-telling-spring-2018-storytelling.html

Stor e Telling Spring 2018: Storytelling World
The theme was Storytelling World so you will find tales from many cultures. There are also legends to savor on Tea for Two Tuesday on March 21, Noodlehead tales to tickle your funny for International Moment of Laughter Day on April 14, and folktales for Bat Appreciation Day on April 17.
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2019/01/stor-e-telling-spring-2018-storytelling.html

1001 Nights to 2001 Story Resources V: Stor e Telling 2017
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2018/12/1001-nights-to-2001-story-resources-v.html

1001 Nights to 2001 Story Resources IV: Stor e Telling 2016

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2017/09/1001-nights-to-2001-story-resources-iv.html

From 1001 Nights to 2001 Story Resources III: Stor e Telling 2015
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2017/01/from-1001-nights-to-2001-story.html

From 1001 Nights to 2001 Story Resources II: Stor e Telling 2014
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2016/01/from-1001-nights-to-2001-story.html

From 1001 Nights to 2001 Story Resources: Stor e Telling 2013
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/06/from-1001-nights-to-2001-story.html

Stor e Telling Columns: 2007 to 2012 with Synopses
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/stor-e-telling-columns-2007-to-2012.html

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and web links 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 2019 ©

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.