I had been out sick for the past two Wednesdays, but asked Nan if I could come today. I arrived, still not quite feeling 100%. Nan told me that in my absence, they had chosen idioms to be the basis for creating stories. I requested that some of the students share them with me. They worked in teams of two where one started the story and the other finished. They told about “Rise and Shine” and “Raining cats & dogs”. They were wonderful, creative stories.

I wrote on the board that what they had created were like Pourquoi Stories. I decided to take a flyer, and not speak in class. Instead, I used sounds and pantomime to act out Goldilocks and The Three Bears (thanks Donna Washington for the inspiration). The kids caught on and loved it. Then I took “Raining Cats and Dogs” and told (in pantomime & sound) a story about a land that was ruled by many cats and dogs who where all kings and queens. I wrote on the board, “Reigning Cats and Dogs” (couldn’t resist).

Some of the kids wanted to try their hand at this story pantomime. Natasha told a great version of the Three Little Pigs, where the wolf was taken away by the police in the end. David borrowed a red hoodie and told…Little Red Riding hood. Both did a fantastic job of “showing” what was happening.

The kids ended up learning how important movement, gestures and facial expression are in storytelling, and we all laughed and had a great time!

©Mark Goldman 2013

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