Teacher: Angela Court and Ashley Hoisington Date: ?

Class: Grade 2 (22 students- 55-minute blocks)

Unit: Oral Storytelling

Lesson 1: Oral Storytelling and Traditions about Ourselves

Description:
Student Information:
Previous Knowledge:
Students will have previous knowledge of storytelling from in-
class and home experiences. Leading up to the oral storytelling
unit, students will have had experiences with other forms of story
in the ELA class.
Students will also have background knowledge of what traditions
are from Social Studies, as well as experience with their own
traditions at home.
It is also important to note that students have been participating in
smaller scale show-and-share activities where the tell the class
about something that happened that week or brought in something
to share with the class. Students have touched on basic parts of a
story in past lessons, so this would be more of an application and
review of their learning.
Summary Overview:
We have explored other forms of story in previous units, so this will
present students with a challenge to understand the value of oral tradition.
We will begin the lesson by having students present their own oral stories
about a family artifact or object, then move to a more complex look at
what oral tradition involves and why it is so important. We will begin by
focusing on the students as individuals with their own stories, and then
move into some instruction and a reminder about the various parts of a
story. This will lead in to our Summative Performance task at the end of
the unit; we will begin creating a sort of checklist with students through
discussion.

Objectives:
Curriculum Objectives:
General Outcomes:
● Social Studies
o 2.2 - A Community in the Past: Students will demonstrate an
understanding and appreciation of how a community emerged, and
of how the various interactions and cooperation among peoples
ensure the continued growth and vitality of the community.
● Language Arts
o GLO 1- Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent
to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences.
 o GLO 2- Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to
comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and other
media texts.
o GLO 5- Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to
respect, support and collaborate with others.
Specific Outcomes:
● Social Studies:
o 2.2.1- appreciate how stories of the past connect individuals and
communities to the present
o 2.2.4- appreciate how connections to a community contribute to
one s identit
● Language Arts
o 1.1- Discover and Explore: express ideas and understanding;
experiments with language and forms
o 1.2- Clarify and Extend: consider the ideas of others
o 2.3- Understand forms, elements and techniques: understand forms
and genres; understand techniques and elements; experiment with
language
o 5.1- Respect others and strengthen community: appreciate
diversity; relate text to culture; use language to show respect

Lesson Objectives: A he end f he le n, den ill be able

1) Express stories relating to their own family and identity, by presenting an
artifact to the class. (Remembering)

2) Identify important components of a story, by analyzing a text and collaborating

with peers to compile a list of necessary parts of a story; for use later in the unit.
(Analyze)

3) Compose a journal entry in which they reflect on oral tradition and storytelling
by connecting their own family stories with the identified aspects of a good story,
as discussed in class. (Creating)

Inclusion:

Whole Class LEARNING STYLES

Groups Visual
Pairs Auditory
Individuals Kinaesthetic

Adaptations:
We have 2 students in our class that we should be differentiating for: Hans and
Julia
 Hans: The talking circle will be a wonderful way for him to connect with
his culture and bring it into the classroom, we would also invite him to
share some of his language with the class if he chooses. He may struggle
with articulating his thoughts orally, so give the opportunity to write ideas,
or continuously check-in and make sure you are giving ample support
where needed. Relate parts of a story to parts/steps in a science
experiment- you need each thing in order for it to work properly!
Julia: She tends to finish work early, so have some extra reading (maybe
previews of the books for next class) available for her to pick up when she
finishes. Within the group activity make sure each student has a role, this
way she feels like she has something to do, without taking away from
other students just because she works faster. Since she is more advanced
suggest she try some other formats for things (like journaling- maybe she
types it? Or maybe give more complex journal options for discussing parts
of a story, such as: giving more examples of parts of the story, describing
all parts of the story, etc. - this wa if an students find this eas the
have more of a challenge).

Materials/Resources:

● Flip Chart and Markers (or something along those lines to record students discussion and
points)
● Talking Stick; if you have been gifted one of these then use it, or find another object to
represent it
● Parts of a stor posters
● Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins (Curriculum Lab, ULCUR F HIG)
● The day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, and Oliver Jeffers (Curriculum Lab,
ULCUR F DAY C2)
● The Love of Two Stars: A Korean Legend by Janie Jaehyun Park (Curriculum Lab,
CURLB 398.209519 Par)
● Teacher Resources (for us to look at in preparation of the lesson):
o Learn Alberta, Walking Together Oral Tradition Document:
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/oral_tradition/documents/oral_tradition.p
df
o Learn Alberta, Talking Circle:Fact Sheet:
https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/talkingtogether/facilitated_talking_circle
_fact_sheet.html

Instructions/Procedures:

Introduction Time
● Welcome students into the class; configure students to sit in a
talking circle (this can be done wherever you have space- students
10 min
can sit on the carpet in a circle if this is available in the classroom
space; otherwise you can configure chairs
 ● This will be used when students share their artifact- set up
your talking circle in a way that you have access to a flip
chart and markers
● Explain to students why we are sitting in a circle today
● Relate back to Indigenous cultures- environment of respect
and equal opportunity for all to be heard
● Introduce students to what we are doing today: Begin with a
conversation with students about the historical contexts of
storytelling and tradition; think about storytelling throughout
cultures that have been used to tell family stories
● Prompt questions:
● What do we think a story is? What does a story do?
● Does anyone know what a tradition is? What sorts
of traditions do you have?
● How can we tell stories? (prompt about books,
media, but also mention how oral stories are just as
important- some stories are best told in the oral
tradition!)
Body Time
Oral tradition- ● Oral tradition- introduce the importance.
introduce the o Why do we tell stories orally?
importance. Why o Oral stories help to share and pass
do we tell stories down culture to new generations
orally? o Allows for connection to one's
identity and family
o Often help us understand why things 5 min
are the way they are
● There is no right or wrong way to tell a story,
each story is different but we will talk about
what is best to have in a story (beginning,
middle, end, action, etc.)

Show and Share ● Introduce students to what this activity will

be
o We will be sharing our family story
and artifact.
o Please remember to be respectful
when someone else is speaking, and
wait your turn; if you have a question 40 min (MAX)
or comment relating to someone s
story please put your hand up and
wait until they are finished.
o You will be given the talking stick
when it is your turn (show the talking
stick)
 ● Teacher begins with the talking stick and
shares his/her own artifact and tells a story
about it. Then passes the talking stick in a
clockwise direction (to the left)
● Each student gets 2 minutes, in which they
will share their story and artifact (this likely
n ake den hi l ng, b j in ca e,
we have some flex-room if a student talks
longer)
● Halfway through, students can stand up and
do a Go Noodle activit
(www.gonoodle.com)
https://family.gonoodle.com/activities/milksh
ake

Recess Break ● While students are out at recess, reconfigure

the classroom, so students can gather at the
15 min for
carpet when they are back
recess/ 2 minute
● Take a minute when students are back and
recap
settled in class to recap the important things
we talked about before recess
What are the parts ● Make sure you have access to the flip
of Storytelling? chart/markers or the white board to take
notes
● Brainstorm with students about important
parts of the story
o Ask prompting questions:
▪ What is your favorite part of a
story?
▪ What are the main parts of a
story?
▪ Who should be in a story?
▪ What makes a good story?
25 min
▪ What makes a story exciting?
o Begin recording their answers onto
the chart. Make sure to connect ideas
under specific themes (structure, plot,
characters, etc.) This will later be
revised, and used as their checklist
for performance task.
● Read a story, Mother Bruce by Ryan T.
Higgins
o Prompt students to listen for parts of
the story, and watch for things they
did not think of. Instruct students to
 pay attention to what they like in the
story.
o Record any other answers, and add
them to the list

● Instruction on Parts of a Story- Now we will

talk about what every good story should
include!
o Characters
▪ Who the story is about; can be
people, animals, made-up
creatures, etc.
o Setting
▪ Location of action; this should
be described to help the reader
visualize where things are
happening
o Plot
▪ The order of the story. Every
story should have a beginning,
middle and end.
o Conflict
▪ A problem that the characters
are trying to solve- the action
revolves around characters
trying to solve this
o Resolution
▪ When the conflict is resolved
o Theme
▪ What the story is about, what
the story is trying to tell the
readers

Identifying parts ● Read The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew

of a story Daywalt- have students listen for the parts of
the story. Note: students have read this story
before, it is one of our class favorites!
o After reading the story, allocate each
table group one part of the story to
discuss. (Table group [TG] 1= 10 min
Characters, TG 2=Setting, TG 3=
plot, TG 4= Conflict, TG 5=
Resolution, TG 6= theme)
o Think-pair-share style discussion.
Allow a moment for each student to
think about their answer; students
 will then come together in their table
groups and generate a solid answer
that will be shared with the class.
o An adaptation for older grades, or
depending on your students' abilities,
you could do this activity jigsaw-style
as well.
● Revisit the original list that students helped
create- Add to the list any new ideas that
come up.
o Use the story we read as an example
for these things.
o This list will be used (in altered
format) as a checklist for their
performance task at the end of the
unit.

Conclusion Time
● Concluding thoughts
● Readdress the importance of oral storytelling and talking
circles; these help share culture, identity. Talking circles
give everyone a voice
● Artifacts (show-and-share) was a way that we told oral
stories, and shared parts of our own identity.
● Important parts of a good story recap, mention that we will
have a poster on the wall: characters, setting, plot, conflict,
resolution, theme
● Journal entry (formative assessment)
● Have prompts written on the whiteboard:
5 min for
● Tell me at least 4 parts of a story
concluding
● Think of a story you would create, and give at least
thought/ 14
1 example of each part (i.e- Characters are Mom,
minutes for
Dad, Brother, etc.)
journal/ 1 minute
● What was your favourite part of the story that was
cliffhanger
read?
● Write an wonders in our journal as well about
class today
● Cliffhanger
● Get students excited about next class- learning about
stories from other cultures and the community. Show them
the cover of one of the books we will read next class.
● Show students The Love of Two Stars
● Show them the cover, illustrations, tell them it is a
Korean story
Assessment:

This lesson will use formative assessment as the key mode for assessing understanding.
We will have formative assessment through brainstorming where students will express ideas and
consider the ideas of others, as well as understand connections to the community. The think-pair-
share will assess students' ability to work with peers and identify parts of the stories. The journal
entry will pull together everything we have done in the lesson and assess their ability to draw
connections at the end.

As long as students participate in discussions and the think-pair-share, and satisfy the criteria for
journal entries, we will be able to get a good snapshot of student understanding. This can be
recorded as formative assessment within our document (don t take for final grade)

Teacher Notes:

● Remember: Your ELA block is right before recess, and Social Studies is right after.
Allows for students to take a break and refresh their minds.
● You will need to send home a notice a week in advance, as well as write in agendas each
day, requesting that parents talk with their kids about a family story. Get them to find an
artifact or something to share (show and tell style).
● The next class will feature books that reflect the cultures within our classroom to show
diversity; maybe talk with families to see if they have a favourite.

Reflection: : How did the lesson go? Is there anything you would do differently next time? What
worked well/ not so well?

Rationale:
This is our first lesson in the series, so as a tool for scaffolding we are focusing the oral tradition
on students as individuals with their own stories. We chose to strategically place our ELA and
SS blocks to have one longer session for this lesson, but have them stacked around recess, so
students are able to take a brain break and refresh their minds before moving on to more complex
things. We chose to do the intro to oral storytelling before the show-and-share so students can
identify and connect more meaning to what they are doing. We then move from the show-and-
share to recess because this will take the largest block of time to get through, and as we know it
is tough for students to sit still and quiet listening for that long. We then decided to begin a
discussion about what should definitely be in a story; this will be used to develop a checklist for
use in their performance task later on in the unit. Within this lesson we chose to use simple, yet
thought provoking questions, in order to engage more of the class and create a safe space where
all students can feel comfortable participating. We also use questions to pull on student s
background knowledge to increase student confidence, and we also used questions as formative
assessment for the lesson as well as allowing students to start thinking about and developing
ideas for their own stories.