Slider Puzzle: Lesson 1

Lesson 1: What is a Story?

1. Tell a favorite story to your class. You can also use a picture book if one is accessible.
2. Take time to illustrate/draw the story that has been told or read. Use whatever you have to draw with -- paper, sand and a stick, or the Paint program on the XO Laptop. Once you have completed your drawings, explain what you have drawn.
3. Every story contains these elements:

• Setting (the place where a story happens)
• Characters (the people or creatures in the story)
• Problem (the issue that the characters must face)
• Resolution (how the characters handle the problem, and what happens to them as a result.)

1. Identify each of these elements in the story that you just read/told.
2. Now Brainstorm a list of interesting settings (i.e. home, the beach, school, church)
3. Brainstorm a list of interesting characters (i.e. princess, monster, child, teacher)
4. Brainstorm ideas about problems and resolutions. Think of problems or resolutions that have come up in stories you know, or that have come up in your life or imagination.
5. Record all of these ideas to spark your imagination for new stories. Use the Write program on the XO laptop. Create a chart or on poster paper to hang in the classroom.
6. Act out a story based on selected story elements. Pick a setting, a few characters, a problem and a resolution from the lists you created. Allow volunteers from the class to act out a story from this. Just make it up as you go along.