My Documents\The Family Room StoryQuilt

The Story Quilt Project:
A Classroom Curriculum

Objectives:

                                     1. To develop oral communication skills through
                                         storytelling activities
                                     2. To develop writing skills through personal narrative
                                          writing
                                     3. To increase knowledge of family backgrounds and history
                                          through intergenerational storytelling and writing, thereby
                                          promoting an appreciation of cultural diversity of class
                                          members
                                     4. To produce a class quilt that portrays a personal story
                                          from each class member
                                     5. To present a “storytelling festival” for parents as a
                                          culmination of the project
                                     6. To compile and publish a storytelling journal for each
                                         class member that includes intergenerational stories

(Note: There are many areas of the curriculum into which a unit on quilting can be integrated, including math, social studies, reading, art, computers, and so on. The focus of this project, however, was limited to language arts.)

Process:

There are three distinct activities involved in this project: storytelling, writing, and quilting. It is important that they occur in that order. We will begin with an introduction to storytelling, during which we will invite students to share their own and their parents’ stories with the class. At the same time, we will view and listen to stories told by professional storytellers in order to analyze the tools and techniques that storytellers use to make their stories more effective:

1. Word choice
2. Description and sensory details
3. Tone of voice
4. Loudness
5. Rhythm
6. Facial expression and eye contact
7. Body language--gestures and movements
8. Props and costumes

At the same time, we will be asking parents to write (or at least to tell) basic stories from their own childhood and family history to their children. These stories will be part of the weekly homework assignments, and they will be collected and filed to be published in a journal for students to keep at the end of the project. Children will also be asked to write and share their stories in weekly journaling activities in class. These stories, too, will be filed for inclusion in the published journal. Perhaps we can aim for 5 or 6 stories from parents and 5 or 6 stories from children.

The story journals will be spiral bound, and each will have a card stock cover decorated by the child. The covers could be illustrated with images of the child's family, one of the child's favorite personal stories, and so on. The covers will be laminated so that the journal will last for a long time.

If possible, I would love to survey parents to see how they felt about being asked to share (and particularly) to write stories for their children; I could write a brief survey to be sent home at the end of the project or given out on the evening of the storytelling festival. This would also be a good time to provide students with a handout detailing more family literacy activities in order to help them keep up the habits this project promotes. (See summer family writing activity sheet.)

As the children build a collection of personal stories, we will ask them to select one to perform for the storytelling festival. Children will be given time for rehearsal and critique of their stories. The stories selected by the children will then be illustrated in coloring quilt blocks made with fabric crayons and bordered with special fabrics that are meaningful to the children. (They could work on design sketches of the blocks before that time so the illustrations are well thought out.)

The project will culminate with a storytelling festival during an evening with parents invited to share:

1. The presentation of the story journals that include parents’
and children’s stories
2. The presentation of the class quilt
3. The telling of stories represented by blocks of the class quilt

(Note: we might want to videotape this presentation. We might also want to take small groups to other classrooms to share their stories.)

Parental Involvement:

It is crucial to engage parents in this project from the very beginning since they will be asked to contribute to it in various forms: sharing stories, helping children find meaningful fabrics to be used in the quilt, and so on. We will introduce the project to the parents in an informational letter and then include the story ideas and project updates on the weekly homework sheet.

To prepare for the introduction of the project, ask the parents to do two things:

Bring or send in any handmade quilts that they have and be sure to include the story of the quilt (who made it? when? why? what is the pattern called? where did the fabric come from? etc.)
In a paragraph or two, write the story of how they chose names for their child (see parent stories ideas)

Tentative Schedule of Activities:

Week #1

1. Sharing of quilts (please remind students in the homework
    sheet, if possible)
2. Sharing of how-I-got-my-name stories (encourage students to
    read their parents' stories to the class)
3. Reading aloud The Josefina Story Quilt or Sweet Clara and
   the Freedom Quilt (see list of quilt-related books)
4. Journaling activity: I felt really proud of myself when I . . .
5. Reading of journal entries in small groups

Week #2

1. Sharing of quilts (for those who forgot last week)
2. Sharing of parent stories
3. Viewing videotape of stories (I recommend the first tape of
    the Tell Me a Story series (1995) available from Hometown
    Entertainment)
4. Analysis of what makes storytelling work (we’ll need a flip
    chart and perhaps we should do this a little at a time)
5. Journaling activity: The most amazing place I have ever been is . . .
6. Reading of journal entries in small groups

Week #3

1. Sharing of parent stories
2. Listening to audiotape of stories and identifying storytelling skills (I recommend tapes by Donald Davis, Bill Harley, or JackieTorrance)
3. Journaling activity: I was so embarrassed when . . .
4. Reading of journal entries in small groups

Week #4 (Spring Break)

1. Ask students and parents to write about a time when they were really lucky (or unlucky).
2. Have students look for or purchase fabric for the borders of their quilt blocks.

Week #5

1. Sharing of parents’ and children’s spring break stories
2. Storytelling activity: story web (see storytelling activities)
3. Journaling activity: My favorite family celebration or holiday is . . .
4. Reading of journal entries in small group

Week #6

1. Storytelling activity: Under the Apple Tree (see storytelling activities)
2. Sharing of parents’ stories
3. Journaling activity: The best time I ever had with my family was . . .
4. Reading of journal entries in small groups
5. Selection of one story from journal entries to develop for the storytelling festival

Week #7

1. Sharing of parents’ stories
2. Storytelling activity: gibberish stories (see storytelling activities)
3. Storyboarding of selected stories for festival (sketching significant events that make up the story—will help us design quilt blocks as well as helping to envision the story)
4. Narration of storyboards to the group (or in small groups, depending on time)

Week #8

1. Storytelling activity: Whose story is it? (see storytelling activities)
2. Final sketch for quilt block
3. Telling of selected stories in small groups

Week #9

1. Telling selected stories to the whole group; feedback from group (Would also give us a chance to time the program)
2. Decoration of journal covers
3. Drawing of coloring quilt blocks (requires an adult volunteer
to heat-set the blocks and another to sew border strips--see
quilt specifications)

Week #10

1. Tying the quilt
2. Rehearse story for storytelling festival; feedback from listeners(ask each listener to tell one thing s/he likes about the story as it is and one thing s/he would like to hear more about)

These activities would be more manageable if done in a small group, center-style approach.

Week #11

Dress rehearsal for storytelling festival (might want to invite another class to watch?)

Questions to Consider When Planning the Storytelling Festival:

1. How will we determine the order of performance?
2. What type of printed program do we want to prepare as a keepsake?
3. Shall we ask parents to volunteer to bring cookies and punch?
4. Shall we ask parents to volunteer to videotape and/or photograph our festival?

This site is part of a sabbatical project created by Linda Evans, English Department, Mesa Community College, and funded by the Maricopa County Community College District. Please send comments, suggestions, and ideas to Linda Evans, English Department, Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa, AZ, 85202 or email levans@mail.mc.maricopa.edu.