Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Explore: The power of storytelling

50 minutes

Discover: Story writing

5 minutes

Thrive: Personal reflection

Explore: The power of storytelling

Step 1

Ask students what their favourite children’s story was growing up and discuss the answers as a class.

Use the following questions to prompt discussion:

Why was this your favourite story?
Did it include a moral?
Has the moral influenced your life in any way?

Step 2

Next, pose the question, ‘Which TV or film characters do you admire and why?’ Allow them to discuss their answers in small groups before facilitating a class discussion.

Examples:

Ant-Man uses his sense of humour and dedication to his family to help him overcome challenges faced in the Quantum Realm.
Ron uses his bravery and courage to help Harry defeat Voldemort.

Use the following questions to prompt discussion:

What admirable qualities or skills do these characters have?
Did they have to overcome challenges?
How did they use their strengths to help them?

Step 3

Invite students to consider what makes a good story. To encourage all students to contribute their ideas, ask them to stand and put a hand up when they are ready to share a response. Students can take a seat after they have been called on to respond.

Once everyone has shared, provide the following explanation to assist their thinking:

A good story should captivate an audience with an interesting narrative that engages their emotions and imagination. A strong story takes the reader on a journey with memorable characters and thought-provoking themes which offer a fresh perspective on the world.

Discover: Story writing

Teacher note: Prior to the lesson, trim the lists (strengths, skills, challenges) and put them into 3 separate containers or plastic sleeves ready for students to draw from.

Step 1

Explain that students will work in pairs to plan and create a children’s book based on a character that faces a challenge. However, instead of selecting their own challenge, they will be provided one at random (drawn from a hat/pile/plastic sleeve). They will also draw out 2 character strengths and 1 skill to incorporate into the story.

Remind students that strengths tend to be innate character traits and abilities that people naturally develop, whereas skills usually require more targeted practice and can be developed over time.

Step 2

Before asking students to pair off and get started, model how brainstorming can be used to generate ideas.

Example:

Character strength: Bravery and Perseverance
Skill: Communication
Challenge: Overcoming fear
Ideas: A young girl dreams of travelling but is scared of getting lost. She uses her communication skills to help her overcome this challenge and shows bravery and perseverance by facing her fear and travelling.

Display the Children’s Book example to provide a digital model.

Step 3

Once each pair has collected their prompts, provide them with a Storybook template to begin planning. Provide groups 10 minutes to plan and 35+ minutes to create their children’s book.

Teacher note: If possible, arrange for students to present and read their completed books to younger year levels. This will work well in P-12 schools. Additionally, this activity could be completed over several lessons to allow for more polished products if time permits.

Thrive: Personal reflections

Step 1

In small groups, encourage pairs to present their book and ask the listeners to guess the challenge, skill and strengths they were required to include.

Step 2

Once all groups have shared, ask students to identify and discuss which story was most relatable to them and why. They should consider their own strengths, skills and challenges. Once they have had an opportunity to share in small groups, facilitate a class debrief focusing on common themes among the stories.

Provide the following explanation to assist their thinking:

We are surrounded by stories every day. Rather than just passively watching or reading along, consider how the stories you engage with relate to your own experiences. This level of conscious thinking will help bring awareness to your own strengths, skills and ability to overcome challenges. Remember, you are writing your own life story every day.

Purpose: Using Storytelling to Overcome Challenges

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Summary

Learning intentions:

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Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

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