LOGICAL THINKING - Grade 1

Lesson 5 of 8

Activity 1

(Teacher read aloud.)

Today you will learn to how you can become a better story teller.

One sunny morning, Cindy the Spider was spinning a shiny web between two tall blades of grass. She worked carefully, placing each silky thread just right. Cindy loved weaving webs, but even more than that, she loved telling stories. She could take anything—like a walk in the woods or a tumble into a puddle—and turn it into an exciting tale. Cindy knew all kinds of special words: ones that rhymed, ones that made sounds like plop, zoom, or crunch, and words that helped listeners picture everything in their minds. 

Suddenly, Cindy heard fast footsteps thumping across the forest floor. It was Randy Raccoon, her wide-eyed, bushy-tailed friend, running up with a big grin. “Cindy!” he puffed. “You’ve got to help me tell my story! Something exciting just happened!” 

Cindy’s eyes lit up. “Ooooh, a brand-new story? I’d love to help! What happened?” she asked, twirling a thread from her web. 

Randy began his tale. “I was at Detective Daisy Duck’s house this morning,” he said, his voice filled with excitement. “I was looking through the window when I saw Ruby Robin fly in and take Detective Daisy’s badge!” Cindy gasped. “What did you do next?” “Well,” Randy continued, “I climbed out the window, ran through the backyard, and climbed over the  fence. I couldn’t believe my eyes!” Cindy nodded, already thinking of fun ways to describe the action. 

Together, they sat under a leafy tree while Cindy helped Randy turn his adventure into an amazing tale. "You could say that you were peeking out the window when you saw Ruby Robin flutter down and snatch Detective Daisy's badge. You could describe Daisy's badge as shiny."  Randy liked that idea.

“Let’s describe Daisy’s yard as leafy and bright, with flowers that smell like candy,” Cindy said. Randy smiled big. “Yes! That sounds just right!” Cindy added, "You could say that you scampered out the window, ran through the tall, tickly grass in the backyard, and scrambled over the wooden fence as fast as you could. 

When the story was finished, they shared it with their forest friends, who listened wide-eyed and full of wonder. “That was the best story yet!” someone cheered. Cindy winked and said, “When we mix your adventure with my storytelling words, it becomes a story that everyone will remember!” 

Good storytellers love to play with words and will use words in creative ways to make a picture in our minds.

Good storytellers enjoy searching for just the right word to make their words make pictures in our minds very vivid or clear.