Second Grade Kamishibai Night
- Details
- Category: Second
- Published on Tuesday, 27 December 2011 21:25
- Written by Dianne_Clouet
- Hits: 184
This fall the second grade classes at Green Street School met with BEEP enrichment teacher Dianne Clouet once a week as they explored the process of creating their own stories in pictures and words. The story telling technique is called kamishibai (pronounced ka- mee- she- by) and originated in Japan. Dianne Clouet has taught kamishibai-making to students across the grade levels in Brattleboro and in surrounding communities.
The second graders here at Green Street were introduced to kamishibai by seeing and hearing kamishibai stories from Japan at the start of each week’s work session. Favorite stories included traditional Japanese tales such as Momotaro and Issun-boshi the One Inch Boy. As familiarity with the form grew, the children began planning their stories. For second graders, a key part of the project is increasing their familiarity with the literary elements of characters, setting, problem, and solution. They planned the inclusion of these elements by using tree maps, and then wrote their stories using storyboards. The storyboards helped the second graders with sequencing their story text, and also assisted them as they planned their illustrations.
The illustrations moved from a planning stage to the finished form as the students transferred their images onto story cards. Meanwhile story conferencing between teachers and students allowed for final editing.
Kamishibai are stored in special envelopes because the illustrated story cards are not bound together as a book is. Preparing the covers is always a festive part of the kamishibai making process.
Once text and pictures have been assembled together, children practice reading and re-reading their stories to each other as they get ready to perform their stories. The second graders were very proud of and pleased with their own stories, and very interested in the stories of their peers. Many supportive comments from classmates were offered as each child shared their kamishibai with their class.
On December 14th the second graders hosted their evening storytelling event, Kamishibai Night. The school library was filled with the family and friends of these young storytellers! After an introduction to a Japanese kamishibai by Dianne, the audience spread out into small groups to hear the many original kamishibai tales, formally presented for the first time. Stories presented that night included Into Space by Amar Vargas, The Chicken Sandwich by Jevon Patterson, Cotton Candy Land by Mya Torres, and The Fish and the Princess by Hanah Lepisto. This is, of course, a very incomplete list of the kamishibai presented on December 14.
All second graders have been invited to return with their kamishibai for another story telling event on Arts Night April 4, 2012. So stay tuned!