I watched a video called Make it Tell it Write it DVD, hosted by storyteller Donald Davis. Here are some additional notes about a topic he covered on modeling a story. This information can be useful for primary teachers, young children Sunday school teachers and regular school teachers. Any inaccuracies are the fault of the note taker.

• A lot of children have risen up in school that they have not heard enough stories to know what a story is.
• A story needs to be absorbed by modeling. Stories take time to tell. It gives an opportunity for children to mentally repeat new vocabulary. It also gives them time to wonder what is going to happen next. Also, you can teach new vocabulary such as first use the word gallop and then later use the horse running to add understanding to the first word.
• Provide a simple story pattern.
• When a story opens, you meet some people find out about their ordinary life (places). You meet them when everything in their worlds is normal. In chapter two trouble is coming.  (Another word for trouble is problem) then the questions come.
• How are we going to get out of it?
• in trying to fix the problem two questions are answered:
• Is helps coming?
• Is someone learning something?

• At the end of the story we learn of people, place, and a new normal world is created.
• Show this pattern to the kids. Have them come up with problems, please and people and they are creating their own stories.
• A teacher could start the first day of a new year in class. Instead of asking children what did you do for the summer? The teacher can start with, this is what I did for the summer. At the end, you ask the students what did you do?
• You can ask questions and their answers can be the source of answers. Ways to brainstorm a new story ask questions like the following: Have you every cut your own hair?
• Have you ever cut someone else hair?
• Have you ever cut a pet’s hair?
• You could change the question. Have you ever drawn on a wall?
• You share a memory. Tell your students a story of something from your past. After you tell the story you ask students questions.
• Who was in my story?
• What places were in my story?
• You ask did anyone in my story that didn’t learn something. When you have a big class and you want to give kids a chance to tell their stories. They can go into groups of four. You might be able to get volunteers of adults (from the community) to come in and just listen to their stories in. If kids need help with as story, you can ask about the story such as. The volunteers can also be taught to ask these questions.
• What kind of dog was it?
• Where were you when this happened?

• When you have kids first writing of the story, only give them 5 min to write the story. Then they write 5 min for a second story. Then another 5 min for a 3rd story. Ask them to select which of the 3 is the best story.
• Storyteller’s book: writing as a second language.

Do you have something to add? Is yes, please do so in the comment section of this blog.