Acting Out Our Own Stories

In drama with Ms. Knoester, the children have been working on telling their own stories and then acting them out.  The teacher records the stories the children tell and then some of them are enacted in the drama area as Ms. Knoester narrates using the children's words.

The first stories the children told were a little disorganized.  So we have discussed staying on one topic or theme and having a beginning, middle, and ending.  The stories are getting stronger.  

Sometimes when a story goes well, a group performs it as a play at the end of the day. Here is a short clip of a story that was told by one student and acted out by four others.  

Press play!

In drawing, the children have worked on illustrating parts of these stories as well.  Again, this work helps us focus on the beginning, middle and end of a story as the children choose chunks of the story to illustrate. Olivia asked, "Are we going to tape these together to make a book?" Maybe!

Drawing the stories also helps the children make the story in a new language, developing a deeper understanding.  As we explore these stories, children have heard them (auditory), acted them out with their bodies (kinesthetic), and created a visual representation.  

"Then he found his parents in the new land and they were sharks! "

Staying with these stories for a few days honors the work of the storyteller and also increases the children's understanding of what makes a story exciting and satisfying.