First Books:
stories in hands and strings
Grades K - 6
Books hold stories.
Storytellers held stories with finger plays, rhyme schemes, or string figures, long before writing was invented. Your students will...
have an expanded definition of Reading as a behavior that involves seeing and interpretation.
have an expanded definition of Books as devices for holding stories.
see a variety of involvement strategies to make oral presentation engaging and informative.
"First Books" includes an entertaining retelling of Itsy Bitsy Spider as an heroic epic, and original finger plays, paper, and string stories. David draws a distinction between the story and the text. "Storytellers," he explains, "always had words. What they wanted to preserve was the memory of the story and so could make books from hand gestures with finger plays, or weave a tale using string figures." His final story is his popular string figure retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, now available as a picture book.
Participation, physical and vocal histrionics, clever language, and creative use of objects engages all listeners.
Your students will...
