$750.00

LifeStories for Kids K-2

What is so special about LifeStories for Kids

LifeStories for Kids K-2 brings story characters and real life character together. This captivating, school-based curriculum is presented in a multimedia package that uniquely combines evidence-based practices for skill building with the engaging and ancient art of storytelling. The result is an easy-to-use teaching tool that guides K-2 classrooms to explore, enhance, and reinforce understanding of character, prosocial and emotional skills by combining intentionally crafted tales with developmentally tailored activities. Brought to life by nationally acclaimed storyteller Willy Claflin (recipient of the Parents' Choice Gold Award and two-time winner of the American Library Association Notable Children's Recording Award) and his cast of puppet friends -- Maynard Moose, Rocky Raccoon, and Gorf the Frog -- LifeStories for Kids K-2 is an adventure in character education for the classroom.

How does character education through storytelling help a classroom whose schedule is already overwhelmed?

Character education is the deliberate, proactive effort to promote core values or traits that influence long-term prosocial attitudes and skills within growing children. Character education helps create a positive peer environment in which anti-social behaviors are less accepted, helping to decrease negative distractions in the classroom. When character traits that help to enhance confidence, communication, and cooperation are normalized, positive peer pressure does more than simply change the classroom atmosphere, it helps create peaceful schools. The use of stories as an educational method has transcended time. Centuries of anthropological, scientific, and simple anecdotal evidence reveals people will listen to a story when they will not or can not listen to didactic teaching. Stories are a primary way to communicate and clarify values, particularly with young children.

Components

Click here for more information about the stories!

Each LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 Kit includes:

DVDS/Videos of 9 stories as told by nationally acclaimed storyteller, Willy Claflin.
1 Professional Manual (View Table of Contents)
- Administrative Guidelines
- 9 session outlines complete with:
  - Group Discussion Topics
  - Art Pages
  - Role Plays
  - Worksheets
  - Creative Storytelling and Interactive Games
- Supplemental reading and web lists for parents, children, and professionals
- Tips and resources to increase parent involvement
Two Classroom Flipbooks with complete story text, fully illustrated, and filled with supplemental activities for classroom use.

Benefits of LifeStories for Kids K-2

Stories, read or told, have always been a primary teaching tool of educators, particularly for early elementary children. Storytelling is one of children’s favorite modes of communication and stories are a natural way to engage children in the educational process. Storytelling is particularly applicable to the complex and abstract traits taught through character education.

Who Benefits from LifeStories for Kids K-2?

Any K-2 classroom would benefit from a program that promotes the development of positive peer pressure and individual character traits.

The Benefits of Multiple Application Methods

One of the obvious benefits of The LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 curriculum kit is the wealth of options contained within the package. The curriculum, flip-books and coloring pages complement the tales spun by professional storyteller Willy Claflin in the DVD/video. Each individual activity is designed to enhance the story and provide an opportunity to practice specific character traits. Teachers or group leaders are invited to use as much or as little as is appropriate in their setting. Finely crafted activities guide children to experience the relevance of each character trait and the benefit of being a person of character in everyday life. Children delight in exploring how the actions of the puppets or the choices of story characters relate to the choices they face every day, both in the classroom and in the community. Research reveals that the more character education is integrated into all aspects of daily curriculum, the more effective it will be in creating a positive peer pressure within the classroom and decreasing negative disruptions. LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 contains nine simple stories backed with enough action to benefit your classroom throughout the entire year.

Research

The first step in the LifeStories for Kids^TM research process was to determine whether children are able to identify the character trait that corresponds to the LifeStories for Kids^TM stories. In order to accomplish this, a study was conducted with 75 K-5th grade students (ages 5 through 11). The students watched three different stories from the curriculum. All of the students were able to correctly identify at least one of the target character traits for each story, and 85% of the children were able to identify the primary character trait for each story.

A research study is currently in progress to assess the effectiveness of the complete LifeStories for Kids^TM (K-5) curriculum. All K-5 teachers (N = 102) in four elementary schools are teaching the LifeStories for Kids curriculum to their students (N = 2,309). Data will be collected from students, teachers, and administrators at three time points during the academic year in order to determine whether LifeStories for Kids^TM will improve social, emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning for the students receiving the curriculum.

Training

Training and on-going support are integral components to successful implementation of LifeStories for Kids^TM. SELmedia provides customized on-site training to meet your system’s needs. Initial training as well as booster sessions are available. Contact training@SELmediainc.com to learn more about our training and support packages. On-line training and support courses will be available at www.selmediainc.com beginning July 2007.

OBJECTIVES

There are three main objectives for using storytelling as a way to teach character education:

To use a fun and imaginative approach to capture children’s attention.
To use this attentive state as an opportunity to teach prosocial and emotional skills and character through identification with the animals and people in each tale.
To provide an opportunity for children to actively practice the new skills they are learning through evidence-based exercises.

The following character traits are taught in LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 with their corresponding stories.

Perseverance -- Dancing Moose
Self-Discipline -- I’m a Frog
Responsibility -- Ka-Ulu the Strong
Courage -- King’s New Suit
Respect -- Lion and Mousie
Kindness -- Little Freddie & His Whistle
Good Judgment -- Look What You’ve Done
Togetherness --Wolf Under the Bed
Integrity -- Woodsman & His Ax

Who is LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 for?

LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 is specifically designed to provide opportunities for K-2 classrooms to explore and reinforce together, the values listed above. Although designed as a classroom intervention, LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 is easily adapted for mental health professionals such as school counselors, social workers, and psychologists to use in other school or clinic settings.

How is LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 implemented?

Each of the nine primary character traits is tied to a specific story told by professional storyteller Willy Claflin on the LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 DVD, and coordinated with a wide variety of activities. Children learn by repetition, as well as enjoy hearing a good story multiple times. However, completing all the activities each time a story is heard is not expected.

LifeStories for Kids^TM K-2 emphasizes sensory learning as a crucial strategy to help children integrate the knowledge they acquire. The variety of sensory stimulating activities that accompany each story provide teachers with a wealth of options from which to choose. The intention is not to overwhelm an already busy teaching schedule, but rather to supply multiple approaches to enhance learning. For ease of use, activities are marked with an estimated time, and directions ae written in clear, easy to understand outlines.

There are five main activities included in each chapter: Guided Discussion Topics, Art Pages, Role Plays, Worksheets, and Creative Storytelling or Interactive Games. The main curriculum activities are supplemented with a full transcription of the story within a “Classroom Flipbook” and an abbreviated version of the story in a coloring book format. These components are explained in detail under the components tab.

What Others Are Saying About LIFESTORIES FOR KIDS^TM K-2

"The lesson, it teaches you is that you should think about what happens if you do that, BEFORE you do it."
- Allison, a 2nd grader, about “Rocky”

"All these stories have in mind to give a lesson to help kids navigate the whole world of emotional and ethical decisions; but to do so in a way that kids can think, 'Oh, that is behaving like the frog." Or, "That is the way the raccoon would do it."Or, "Thats the kind of thing the moose would do."
-Willy Claflin, on the benifits of using stories to teach lessons.