Dancing Panda Pilot - Activity 3 - “Let’s Tell a Story” (September 2020)

Salut Panda Pal! Today we’ll be doing an ELA activity called “Let’s Tell a Story.”

Let’s tell a story, based on the following picture.

Now, let’s answer these questions: Who are they? What is happening? What are they going to do next? Why are they doing what they are doing?

Can you tell a story based on this picture? Be sure to have a beginning, middle, and end to your story.

Need some help doing this activity?

Tips:

The grownup can come up with some ideas on what is happening in the story. Point out something that you see in the picture. For example, ask a question, “Hey what are the girls standing on?”
Not sure how to describe what a Beginning, Middle, or End is? Here are the definitions:
- A beginning includes the setting and who the characters are where they are?
- A middle tells what is happening and describes the action and the problem.
- An end shares how everything gets solved.
Sometimes kids can benefit from a visual to help them tell a story. Use a prop - like your hand! Have your child tell the story “across their hand” - starting at their thumb. Point to your child’s thumb, and say, “OK let’s start from the beginning. Who is in the picture and where are they?” Then, point to your child’s pointer finger. Then, for the ending, point to your middle finger.

Here is an example:

Caroline from Ridgewood, NJ made up a story that the girls found a treasure in the cabinet and then donated it to poor people, who then bought clothes and food with it. But they kept a little for themselves and bought toys with the money.

Want more fun?

Here is another activity:

Change the story. Maybe the girls in the picture are not looking for snacks, but they’re doing a scavenger hunt instead. Change the characters - maybe they are cousins or best friends, and not sisters.

If you have extra time:

Draw pictures of each part, take pictures of them, and upload them into the Storykit app. With each picture that is uploaded, record your child telling you what is happening in the story.

Was the activity too hard?

Grownups can be the ones asking questions about the subject.
Grownups can also come up with ideas and shows the child how to answer the questions in a creative way.
Your child can answer the questions, and the grownup creates a story based on their child’s answers.

Was the activity too easy?

Have your child retell the story with more complex adjectives and words. Instead of “The girls had a fun time,” it could be “The girls had an amazing fun-filled adventure looking for their magical treasure.”

Learning Connections

In “Let’s Tell a Story,” children are developing three skills and concepts: oral language, vocabulary, and elements of a story. By asking children to use their words to tell a story, they are developing their oral language skills. Children can develop a rich vocabulary with the introduction of exciting adjectives and verbs. Share with them your favorite words, or encourage them to use better-describing words. Finally, by encouraging students to share a beginning, middle, and end, as well as the character, setting, problem, and solution, your child is learning elements of a story. They are learning how to effectively tell a story, and share the key elements of a story.

Additional Resources

Articles for Grownups:

Kid-Friendly Resources:

Elements of a Story by Jack Hartmann
Today's greeting is in French. It differs from the more commonly known Bonjour in that it is only used with close friends and thus is often accompanied by four kisses on the cheek. Here's a video on how to say hello.