Skip to content Skip to footer
TPSP logo

Stories and Telling through Time and Cultures

Grade 1, Interdisciplinary

Description of Unit

Storytelling is immersed in history. It has been used over millennia to relate important and significant events and to explain why or how things happen. In this task, first-grade students will explore storytelling as related to diverse cultures and the impact stories have had over time in the understanding of historical events. Students will also discover how stories have been utilized to explain how things came to be, as in Rudyard Kipling’s collection, Just So Stories. Kipling’s collection includes: “How the Whale Got His Throat,” “How the First Letter Was Written,” and “The Crab That Played with The Sea,” which explains the ebb and flow of tidal action. Students will also become storytellers by creating and telling stories and organizing a Storytelling Celebration to tell their stories.

This guide links the Stories and Telling through Time and Cultures unit to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for first graders. Stories and Telling through Time and Cultures is an interdisciplinary unit with connections to math, English language arts, social studies, and science disciplines. For example, students will make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural contexts, as outlined in the English Language Arts and Reading TEKS. Students will also explain the way folktales and legends reflect the beliefs, customs, language, and traditions of communities, as described in the History and Social Studies TEKS. The following document includes the applicable TEKS and the details of the Stories and Telling through Time and Cultures unit. The final section of this document presents the applicable Texas College and Career Readiness Standards adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) on January 24, 2008.

Phase I. Learning Experiences

  1. Read the book That’s Good! That’s Bad! by Margery Cuyler to the students. (You can also find several read-aloud versions of the book on YouTube.) Read the story rapidly or in a monotone voice with no inflection. Then, read the story with enthusiasm, using effective storytelling techniques. Discuss with the students the elements of the story that made it interesting and fun. Begin a class chart of effective story elements and storytelling techniques.
  2. Display the follow items or pictures, or choose your own suitable items for the learning experience:
    • Hat
    • Apple
    • Ball
    • Giraffe (picture or stuffed toy)
    • Book
    • Box of crayons
    • Small pillow
    • Paintbrush
    • Plastic bowl
    • Each item will be accompanied by a large piece of butcher paper divided in half to make a T-chart. Label the left half of the T-chart, Good, and the right half, Bad. Assign students to an object, and ask them to think about something that is good about the object and something that is bad about the object. Students can draw or write their answers in the appropriate column. This activity may span several days if students only spend a short amount of time each day on the T-charts. In this way, students will have more time to think about each of the objects and seek other perspectives from their families and friends. Once the charts have been completed, the class will begin work on a giant That’s Good! That’s Bad! book. Remind students of the elements of a good story and begin to create the class book. Use the ideas generated by the students and a white sheet of poster board for each page of the book. Further enhance the activity by assigning students different roles in the creation of the book (e.g., authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, printers, binders, marketers). The activity could also incorporate the profit margins and cost to produce the book.

  3. Introduce the origin of stories by reading A Story, A Story by Gail E. Haley to the students. Ask the following questions:
    • What is the purpose of a story?
    • Why do people tell stories?
    • What types of stories do you know?
    • How are stories communicated?
    • How has storytelling changed over time?
    • What similar patterns do you see in stories from various cultures?
    • What is your story?
    • Establish a storytelling routine in the classroom by adopting STORYtime! This strategy can be used whenever students need time to digest information or transition between learning activities. Students will Stop, Turn to the person nearest to them, Orate a story to one another, Relate their appreciation, and say You’re Welcome! Students are building the capacity to sequence ideas and communicate effectively. Encourage the students to use phrases like “Once upon a time” and “They lived happily ever after,” as used in traditional folktales and fairy tales.

  4. Show the students “Talking Twin Babies: Part 2” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JmA2ClUvUY). After viewing the video, allow time for students to discuss the elements of storytelling that they saw. The students will then recreate the conversation between the twins in a story format.
  5. Show the students “Two Frogs on a Log” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cc-7sEQydQ). The students will create their own versions of the video by substituting the frogs for other animal classifications (e.g., birds, mammals, fish). The students could utilize a stop-motion animation application that would allow them to use different mediums to create their own version of “Two Frogs on a Log.”
  6. Introduce the kinds of stories that people tell: legends, myths, fables, trickster tales, tall tales, fairy tales, and folktales. Plan a visit to the school library and visit section 398.2 (the folktale section). Have students look at the books in this section and consider some questions:
    • What types of books are located in this section?
    • What do they have in common?
    • Can the titles of the books be used to categorize the books?
      Students will arrange the books by genre, if appropriate. They will explore the different genres in groups and discuss the elements or characteristics of a fairy tale, a tall tale, a folktale, etc. To help students remember the library location, display Heather Forest’s song, “Ode to 398.2” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Wq6KW_1Fo&list=PLbpvOUQ2Ed5MPHWBbcI94dci8sPzYW7ZQ&index=69.
    As students become more familiar with the different types of stories, they can incorporate them into STORYtime!
  7. Once students become familiar with the kinds of stories that people tell, provide opportunities for them to watch and listen to professional storytellers. Story Bee has many stories from which to choose (www.storybee.org). “The Frog in the Milk Pail,” as told by Mike Lockett, is a short tale that could be used to introduce the students to storytelling (http://www.storybee.org/4through9/4through9.html).
  8. Invite a storyteller to the school to tell stories. The Texas Commission on the Arts provides grants to schools for touring artists. A 2018–20 touring roster of storytellers is available to select from (http://www.arts.texas.gov/artroster/roster/show/discipline?disc=storytelling).
  9. Read the stories from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling to students. A variety of animated versions of the stories can be found online to complement the readings (https://www.youtube.com/results?q=rudyard+kipling+stories). Printed versions of the stories are found in bookstores.
  10. Additionally, “The Crab That Played with the Sea” may be used for students to compare tidal actions as explained in the story versus how they are explained scientifically.

  11. After exploring Just So Stories, the students will create their own Just So Story and animal using the free online version of Build-a-Beast (https://www.agame.com/game/build-a-beast). The students will name their created animal using a portmanteau. Through the story, they will relate its specific characteristics, habitat, and basic needs.
  12. Allow students opportunities to explore different versions of the same story from various cultures and/or how the same story has changed over time. The students may also explore writing a Cinderella story related to their own generation or from the viewpoint of the prince or one of the stepsisters. Examples of multicultural Cinderella stories may be found through the American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/offices/resources/multicultural). This is an opportunity for students to explore the concepts of multiple perspectives, unanswered questions, and cross disciplines.

Phase II. Independent Research

A. Research process

  1. Selecting a topic. Students will select the type of story they would like to create after researching the different types and purposes of stories.
  2. Asking guiding questions. After selecting the type of story, students will think about questions and/or answers that the story will provide:
    • What is the purpose of my story?
    • What type of story is best suited to relate the purpose of the story effectively?
    • What elements of the writing process do I need to use in my story?
    • What information is needed to write my story?
  3. Creating a research proposal. Students will research the specific type of story chosen and the elements associated with that type. Is it a fable? A legend? A folktale? A fairy tale? A tall tale? The students will then reflect on the type of story chosen and research supporting relevant information, such as the beliefs, cultures, language, and traditions of communities.

B. The product

  1. Each student will learn a story in one of the traditional genres and retell the story after providing the plot as an introduction. The story could be told through the eyes of a different culture, character, etc. Additionally, storytelling applications such as Sock Puppets may be used to recreate the story. The students can also create costumes and props appropriate for the telling of the story.
  2. Students who have participated in the task will develop and organize a Storytelling Celebration. At the Storytelling Celebration, the students will share their stories with other classes or the entire school. Students will be expected to plan the event while considering the following elements:
    • Time
    • Place
    • Advertising
    • Scheduling
    • Expenditures
    • Preparation time
  3. In the organization of a Storytelling Celebration, the following should be considered:

    • Purpose of the Event: How will the students showcase their stories and the purpose of storytelling? To procure ideas, the students could visit storytelling festival websites. Some examples include the following:
    • Event Activities
      • Storytelling
      • Student storytellers as “workshop” presenters for attendees
      • Student musicians
      • Story art projects
      • Story swaps: Student storytellers will meet together in a roundtable and tell stories to one another in front of an audience. The audience is then encouraged to swap stories as well.
    • Planning the Event
      • Event organizers (students)
      • Student-generated advertisements
      • Materials for each of the selected events
      • Locations and times
      • Coordination with the school librarian, other classes, the community library, etc.
    • Preparing for the Event
      • This Storytelling Celebration could be an event that is part of the class culture for the whole year. It relates to multiple disciplines, various perspectives, the TEKS associated with learning and telling stories, and the conventions of writing. The Celebration could showcase the students’ learning throughout the year.
      • The following site provides questions that the students will ask as they organize their event: https://www.idahoconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/FullStorytellingGuide.pdf
    • Evaluating the Event
      • Attendee feedback

C. Communication

Students will communicate learning by telling their original story using storytelling techniques. Students will also effectively provide the basis of the story, the type of story, and the purpose of the story in a written and/or illustrated format.

D. A completed project consists of

  1. a completed story;
  2. a performance of the story at the Storytelling Celebration;
  3. participation in the planning of the Storytelling Celebration;
  4. a completed “Storytelling Celebration Evaluation”; and
  5. a video of the Storytelling Celebration that includes clips from the planning and developing stages. The videographer could be the teacher or a student who is part of the event.
Back to top.