Hello 7/8s and 5/6s

I visited two classrooms today, and the Grade 7/8 students wanted me to share something about their stories.

They came up with the character of “Funny Face” Billy from down the road and how he just wants to be accepted.

Once we had that, they told me multiple ways for him to find acceptance, whether by changing his looks or outlook.

But for Billy to earn money to change his looks, the students came up with many illegal solutions and a few legal ways, like starting a zoo or working for the circus.

The Grade 5/6 class was also creative. They built a story about a store owner who wants to eat cereal, which leads him to a mountain to find some goats and is threatened by a cereal killer in a giant bowl full of—you guessed it—cereal.

A few points I took from them:

1. The imagination of both classes is alive and well. Sometimes, a little too much!
2. The variations in their stories reminded me how much the same premise can lead to many different stories in tone, genre, and outcome, even though we started with the same character and want.

I often teach storytelling and WOARO, and I am pleasantly surprised by what students bring to the table. Today was no exception.

PS - There was some talk that I write my own version of Funny Face Billy, but I'm going to leave that to the professionals in today's classes.😉

I may also do a follow-up post to this visit tomorrow.