Page STILL in progress... sigh.
First I read several (8) traditional versions. We discuss them and compare and contrast differences that we notice.
After the class has the traditional story memorized, we move on to “take offs” or other versions of the folk tale. These are the ones I read this year.
During the 2 weeks while I was reading, and we were discussing the various versions, we started our bear art.
Our math curriculum starts with shapes, so I had already done some drawing instruction with shapes, but this was their very first drawing this year.
The first day we went back and compared how various illustrators had portrayed the 3 bears in their books. We sorted the books into “somewhat realistic” and “pretend/fantasy bears.”
We used white paper, pencils, and white boards (as desks) to “sketch” our bears on day 1. In our science journals, we write facts about bears.
Day 2 I taught the class the rules about Permanent Markers. Real artists use real artist “tools” so I teach my students how to use adult tools.
They choose the lines from their sketches that they want to keep and go over them in permanent marker. We practice speech bubbles in Writing Workshop.
Then, they erase any extra pencil lines.
The next day I teach them how to use watercolor paints. Each child brings their own set of watercolors to school for the year. (Prang or Crayola - the others don’t work well.)
I have class sets of several different sizes of good watercolor brushes available for them to use. I teach them how to get vibrant colors, and how to choose the correct brush for each space.
I teach the students to do all of their own clean up. We paint and do special art projects all year long, so my students need to know how to clean up after themselves.
After they paint (this year we used a short period of time on two different days) then I have an adult volunteer cut the bears out.
We have been practicing our voices for each character,...
...they have done“speech bubbles” in writing workshop, so the next task is for each child to think about their bear and decide what their bear would be saying.
I write out the speech bubbles for them as they dictate. A lot of the quotes come from favorite versions of the story, but others are totally unique.
While I am mounting the pictures and getting them ready to display, we begin to do our retelling with puppets.
I have three bear puppets, a polar bear, a brown bear, and a black bear. I use a Muffy bear as Goldilocks. The Narrator (the most difficult job!) sits in my chair.
Each student has to do the speaking for their part using a proper voice.
We do it once or twice a day until every child has had one turn. They do not get to do more than one part... but we will do many more puppet retellings throughout the year.
The narrator gets to choose which one of the “traditional” versions s/he wants to tell.
Some students have Goldilocks go down the stairs and out the front door after baby bear wakes her up... others have Goldilocks go out the window.
We practice what a good audience looks like, and what a bad audience looks like, Then, we always practice good audience behavior during these retellings.
We practice appropriate clapping at the end.
We learn how to use a puppet in an appropriate manner and how to be humorous without being disruptive or inappropriately silly.
The kids learn to listen to each other and take cues from what the others are doing.
As we are finishing our puppet retellings, we begin making our own copy of a puppet book.
They draw the Three Bears Cottage on the cover (using shapes again!) The puppets get taped on craft sticks and put into a pocket at the front of the book.
On the next page, students draw a table and the 3 porridge bowls. I love the unique perspective in this drawing! The chair and bed pages involve coloring, cutting, using a glue stick,and sequencing sizes.
Students know that when they take this book home, they will be required to retell the story to a variety of people.
They will have to do all of the parts and all of the voices. They can tell a different version each time if they like,
We end our study by sampling porridge. We always let our class bunny try a sample (he didn’t like it!) as well as any adults that we have available that day.
Finally, we get our own copies of the book and do a couple of “group retellings” using our puppets to practice before the books are sent home. We make a similar book for at least one other folk tale each year.
