Throughout the course of the semester, the butterflies have been exploring the art of storytelling: through the lens of drama, playwriting, and dramatic play.

Storytelling is the process of sharing a story, whether the story is make-believe, personal, or famous. Through sharing stories, children develop important literacy skills. 

These skills include: 

•  Recognizing that stories must have a beginning, a middle, and an end
•  Realizing that good stories incorporate a wide variety of details
•  Understanding the importance of setting a context for a story
•  Viewing word choice as a way to elicit tone and mood 

Through storytelling, children explore the various ways in which they can create a powerful story that will reach a wide variety of audiences.

Telling Personal Narratives 

To begin our study of Theatre and Storytelling, the teachers began by sharing a brief personal story with very few details. The students took turns acting out the story and being the audience. Through acting out stories with minimal details, the butterflies began to ask questions. 

They began to wonder: 

• What is missing from the story?
• How do we know where the story took place?
• What happened next?

These questions sparked our conversation and study about adding details to a story. Through acting out stories, the butterflies learned about the unique ways that they can make their stories come to life. Children explored the various ways in which they could convey a message through word choice, facial expressions, gestures, costumes, props, sets, and sound effects. They began to realize how they could transfer characteristics of drama into their writing and illustrations when sharing stories that they created.

Visit to the Department of Theatre and Dance and Creation of Plays

The next step in our Storytelling journey was a visit to The Department of Theatre and Dance. Here, we learned about what goes on “behind the scenes” of a production. We were able to see lots of hard work in action. We learned about costume design, set design, lighting, and more. This experience sparked curiosity and creativity in our butterflies! When we got back to ECDC, they sprung into action! Creating set pieces, picking out costumes, writing their own scripts, and retelling some of their favorite stories. In small groups, we practiced creating scripts, staging, and performing for an audience. The butterflies learned about the importance of practice, persistence, and hard-work. They learned that details are key to having a story that their audience would enjoy.

Dramatic Play and the Retelling of Familiar Stories

After our visit to the Department of Theatre and Dance, we incorporated theatre-based play into our daily work. Students wrote scripts, acted out familiar fairy tales, created their own stories for their peers to act out, and staged various plays with their peers. The Butterflies also worked with a small-scale stage. They explored the process of changing sets to elicit mood, staging their stories, and setting the stage.

Stone Soup

To end our Theatre Unit, the Butterflies performed their own version of the play Stone Soup for the Sunflowers class. Prior to the play, the students studied various retellings of the story. They learned that there are many different ways to tell a story. They learned about the ways in which culture and identity can influence the way that someone tells a story. The butterflies spent hours practicing for their roles in the play Stone Soup. They learned their lines and learned about projecting their voice and articulating their words.

As we inquired about the art of storytelling, theatre, and drama, the butterflies grew in their abilities to communicate with others. They explored various styles of writing and explored first-hand, the different ways that one can portray meaning in a literary work. We aim to continue to create an environment that fosters a life-long love of storytelling for the Butterflies. 

Special Thanks to the Department of Theatre of Dance for opening your doors and sharing your craft with the Butterfly students.

 The South Carolina Early Learning Standards and The South Carolina Kindergarten Standards are incorporated into the Butterfly class curriculum.  Throughout the Theatre Unit, we focused on the following standards: 

South Carolina Early Learning Standards 

• Goal LDC-4: Children speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
• Goal LDC-13: Children use writing and other symbols to record information and communicate for a variety of purposes.

South Carolina Kindergarten Standards

• Standard 1.1 Engage in daily opportunities for play and exploration to foster a sense of curiosity, develop the disposition of inquisitiveness, and begin to verbally articulate “I wonders” about ideas of interest.
• Standard 3.2 With guidance and support, children select information, revise ideas, and record and communicate findings.