LifeStories For Kids 3-5: Session Outlines
Watch the Story
First, watch the story. The DVD/Video contains nine stories that are ordered to flow from more simple social skills to more complex social dilemmas. Each video is followed by a short segment titled, "Kid Connections"that contains a filmed discussion of a group of kids after watching the story. This segment is intended to serve as a catalyst for your own class discussion.
1- Story Posters and FX-Discussion
Three full color story posters are provided with each story. Each poster contains an original illustration showing a significant point in the story. The back of each poster provides a set of FX questions and answers to stimulate a classroom discussion about each social skill or dilemma presented in the story. The FX questions are divided into two parts:
- "Story Time"provides guided questions to identify significant events in the story's progression and emphasizes comprehension.
- "Real Time" provides an opportunity for students to explore the facts about each social skill or dilemma and how these situations affect everyday life.
2- Creative Storytelling Activity
The Creative Storytelling Activity is a classroom assignment designed to encourage students to expand upon the meaning of the story in some fashion. Either in small groups or as a whole class, students will practice language skills through role-play or written and oral story development. By creatively engaging the characters and extending the plot of each tale, comprehension and application of the story and the skills it portrays is exercised in a fun way.
3- Story Mapping
Story Mapping is a useful tool to help students methodically organize the progression of a story and enhance reading comprehension. LifeStories for KidsTM 3-5 uses icons to represent six different building blocks of a story. Icons provide a familiar visual clue to help students internalize the common elements within a narrative text. The curriculum set also contains a classroom poster explaining the story map icons. This poster is intended to provide a reference for students as they are learning the meaning of each icon.
4- Write-On Worksheet
The Write-On Worksheet provides an grade level appropriate writing activity to engage the language of the story, enhance word recognition, analyze scenes from the story, dissect motives and feelings of the characters involved, and apply the lessons of the story to real life.
5- Explor-A-Story
The Explor-a-Story worksheet expands the readers' connections with and comprehension of the narrative. Explor-a-Story focuses on the understanding of the social situation and the ability to use language skills to identify and interpret the relevance of the story through connections to students' real lives.
6- Word Herd
The Word Herd worksheet focuses on applying word identification and vocabulary strategies. Identifying parts of speech, discerning meaning of unfamiliar words, and developing understanding of words related to various social situations has the dual benefit of enhancing both academic and social skill development.