Heads or Tales

The Mitten

The theme for the state summer reading program is “Going Buggy for Reading." I’m excited to be participating in two showcases this coming month, and I’m thinking of insect stories. I’m rolling over the idea of using the Ukrainian folktale called The Mitten. I’d like to try a Honduran setting. Our daughter, Jessica, spent two years with the Peace Corps in Honduras and we were fortunate enough to visit her at her site for a week. She lived next door to a grandma, her daughter, Olga, Olga’s daughter, and Alex. Alex was four. His mom, Olga’s sister, worked in the city. Alex lived with his grandma and aunt in the country. The town had a river on one side and further down the road was a cave and an area of hot springs. I had to be practically dragged through the cave because the steam from the springs filled the space, and I couldn’t see anything. It was Olga who took my hand and led me through.

In the story I’m planning, the abuela , or grandma, makes a pocket, the kind that you can tie around your waist, for Alex. She puts a cut up apple inside, a fresh tortilla with honey and lettuce in as well. Alex walks to the hot springs, unties his pocket and eats some of his grandma’s snack, but falls asleep before all is gone. A big green grasshopper comes to eat the apple, a red and black millipede comes for a little more lettuce, a big blue luna moth comes for the honey, a tarantula comes and suck up the juices , and, when the pocket can’t hold another animal. When it is ready to burst, an ant comes for a little tortilla crumb….maybe a bunch of ants come….ants rarely travel alone…. and the pocket bursts. Alex wakes up and is puzzled by the change in his pocket. He takes it home to his grandma, who is puzzled as well. She sews it back up…with double stitches this time.

This story might be a great chance for repetition and playing with new Spanish words. Each animal says, as it shows up at the pocket “Moverse, doblarse. Permiteme a entrar” (Move over, double over. Let me in) Even Alex, who is nervous about showing the pocket to his grandma, asks his abuela if he can come in… “Abuela..Permiteme a entrar?”

I once heard Heather Forest tell a version of this story. I don’t remember it well except that she used music and really emphasized the idea of shelter for all. I would like to work towards a similar feeling about food with this story, but that tarantula. I don’t know about him. He’d like to eat everybody in that pocket.

More Cow Tail Switch

Yesterday, I started a weeklong storytelling visit with twelve St. Joseph Montessori primary students. I’m volunteering and the teachers were kind enough to set aside the time for me. Yesterday, for our first session, I knew that I wanted them to hear and begin to learn the Liberian story of the Cow Tail Switch, they are spending the year studying Africa, so we are learning an African tale. I also wanted them to explore the relationship through drama that Ogalusa, the dad, had with his children.

Even though I had been thinking about the activities we would do and what I wanted to happen for quite awhile, I didn’t sit down and write out the goals and objectives for my plans. I’m not sure if I didn’t do it because I was volunteering, but I didn’t do it. Things went well enough…we did do all the things I planned, but something was missing. We as a group weren’t creating the feeling of purpose and meaning that will lead to creative decisions. This morning, thanks to a snow day, I reread the Fine Arts Standards and the English Language Standards. I’m always impressed by all the little pieces that make up a skill. I especially value reading all the parts that are required to encourage participation and appreciation of the arts.

I sat down and wrote out my goals, objectives and procedures for the week, remembering that the tools of storytelling must be named and valued, but, I must say, something still is missing. I think it might be that the story and storytelling has no larger framework within the class culture. I feel like I am just showing up, and, for me, I need more of a connection to get my engines running. That’s where good teacher and artist planning come in. As a volunteer, I didn’t press to meet with the teachers, and, now, I regret it. I hope that in the little time that I am there that I can impart the role of an African storyteller to the children, so they feel the joy and importance of their story contribution.

The Cow Tail Switch

Next week I’ll be working with a group of first through third grade primary students on learning to tell this old Liberian story of family and memory, in which a father is killed while hunting and, after being remembered by his youngest son, is brought back to life by his children. The more I think about it, I think the entire class could jump in and explore the story for an unforgettable morning or full day. It may be too late to schedule such an event this year with the class I’ll meet next week, but here are a few ideas that will make for great involvement.

Divide the class into working groups of no more than six and have a teacher or adult volunteer to help with each group. I think small working groups with a supervising adult is essential to keep things on track.

My resource for this story is A Treasury of African Folklore by Harold Courlander. I think, with a whole, class participating, it would be fun to tell the story as you explore the pieces. The ending is a surprise. Also if you want to know what a cow tail switch looks like, get a copy of The Story of Kwanzaa by Donna Washington.

Ogaloussa Is The Father
Brainstorm what kinds of things Ogaloussa, the father, might do with his children. In core groups, have one child create a sculpture using his partner showing what Ogaloussa did with or for him or her. Combine two groups to share sculptures and switch. Before doing this activity, you will need to talk about what a sculptor does and to spend time getting accustomed to the concept that one child is in charge.

Traveling Through The Jungle
In core groups, write phrases or single word descriptions of the jungle using the senses. Children pick two from each group and create a class poem. Let each group place their words. I use long strips of paper that can be moved until it sounds just right. Another option would be to create poems in the core groups where each child makes a list of descriptions and contributes their best.

Who Receives the Prize?
In core groups, Ogaloussa’s children brainstorm the reasons that Ogaloussa should give them his cow tail switch. As family groups, they must come forward and tell or show the chief why their family deserves the gift of this prized object.