The Nuts and Bolts of Storytelling

1. The Nuts and Bolts of Storytelling

2. Today’s Agenda • Background Information- The PJ Library® • The Art of Storytelling: -General Storytelling Techniques -Techniques for Reading Five Little Gefiltes • Text Study: Honoring Parents • Suggestions for Activities and Follow-Up Activities

3. What is a PJ Book Based Program? A program designed for parents and children to attend together Features the reading of a specific PJ Library book, combined with one or more developmentally appropriate art, music, cooking ,movement, or social action activities

4. Goals of Book Based Programs For families to meet other PJ Library families For children and parents to enjoy quality time with one another, while extracting the maximum amount of meaning from a specific PJ Library Book To help families acquire a new or deeper understanding of the Jewish value(s), tradition(s), holiday celebrations, or historic period depicted in a specific PJ Library Book. For families to learn new ways of integrating Jewish practice into their everyday lives. To enroll new families in the PJ Library

5. Ways of Telling Stories • Traditional Telling (reading the text and showing the illustrations) • Using Flannel Boards

6. More Ways of Telling Stories Using Puppets: stick puppets, hand puppets, glove puppets Music/Song (singing the story)

7. More Ways of Telling Stories • Using costumed actors and actresses to reenact the story • Chalkboards

8. More Ways of Telling Stories Using realistic objects props Power Point Presentations

9. Telling Stories with Child -Made Props Asking children to create props and then using these props in the telling of the story

10. Selecting a Storytelling Method-Factors to Consider: The size and age(s) of the group to which you will be presenting Story Length and Plot The Book’s Illustrations With what types of modalities is the storyteller most comfortable?

11. The Plot of Five Little Gefiltes Story of five little gefilte fish balls who continually sneak out of their jar in order to explore select locations in New York City. “Five Little Gefiltes went out one day, out of the jar and far away”

12. Gefiltes Visit “Hot Spots” in New York City “Great New York Bay” “They went for a swim in the Great New York Bay” A Deli “They went to a deli and crashed the buffet” A theater “They went to the theater and took in a play.”

13. “Oy Vey” Each time, Mama discovers that the gefiltes have gone, she cries out “Oy Vey” At Mama’s cry, the majority of the gefiltes return. One, however, remains in the newly discovered location.

14. Story’s Conclusion Mama is all alone “Sad Mama Gefilte went out one day. She went to the park and kvetched the whole way.”

15. The Gefiltes Return The gefiltes love and honor their mother. “And the gefiltes came back ‘cause each was a mensch!”

16. Why This Book? • Simple text • Developmentally appropriate topic (separation) • Text is filled with fun and vibrant Yiddish expressions • Familiarity of Music- (“ Five Little Ducks Went Out One Day”) • Teaches the values of honoring one’s parents-kibud horim- and acting like a mensch(a good, kind moral person)

17. Storytelling Challenges ofFive Little Gefiltes Size of Illustrations Large number of textual asides , cartoons, and extra sentences, and phrases Unfamiliar setting (New York City) Unfamiliar language (Yiddish) Better suited for a one-on-one home reading than a group reading

18. Using a Flannel Board to Tell Five Little Gefiltes How to Use: • Purchase or make a flannel board • Draw or copy the figures that will be used to illustrate the story • Attach pieces of Velcro (use the rough side) or small pieces of felt to the back of each image • Keep images out of sight until they are being placed on the board

19. Rationale for Using a Flannel Board Can improve the visibility of the book’s illustrations May increase children’s understanding of the plot and setting of the book May create additional drama, suspense

20. Using Stick Puppets Rationale for Using Puppets • Puppets can move more dramatically and more theatrically than flannel board figures • The book’s setting and location can be even more clearly represented and depicted with puppets • Vibrant and almost alive themselves, puppets tend to breathe “new life” into most texts.

21. Glove Puppets-Another form of Puppetry Rationale for using: • They are smaller, more unusual and require less materials and props than other forms of puppetry • Often serve as a good way of quickly reviewing a story Instructions for Making: 1. Purchase a pair of solid colored gardening gloves 2. Attach Velcro circles (the rough side only) to each finger tip. 3. For best results , create props and characters from felt .

22. Chalkboards Rationale for Using: Children adore watching grown-ups draw Can help children focus on the main elements of the plot May help clarify the plot and action of the story

23. Props and Realistic Items How to use: Use prior to the start of the story, to help children better understand some of the items and concepts which will be introduced in the story Use as you tell the story-Holding the prop up and moving it around during the appropriate parts of the story You may need to set limits, explaining that the story props are only for the storyteller to use

24. Asking Children To Create Props Rationale for Using: Prop making can serve as an introductory, warm-up activity Children can use props during the telling of the story Props can be taken home as a concrete reminder of the book and its underlying themes. Props can be further worked on after the telling of the story

25. Points to Keep in Mind When Telling a Story Make eye contact with your audience Strive for a straight-forward telling. Speak clearly and loudly. Choose a story that you love and let your enthusiasm shine through.

26. Ways of Encouraging Active Participation During the Telling of Five Little Gefiltes • Verbal participation (joining the storyteller in the refrains of “oy vey” and kvetch) • Movement and Pantomime participation ( going out, swimming ,eating, driving a taxi, crying) • Counting activities (ask children to keep Track of the number of gefiltes that they see)

27. Sources on Honoring Parents 1. Honor your father and mother that you may long endure on the land that the Lord your God is giving you (Exodus 20:12) כבד את אביך ואת אמך למען יארכון ימך על האדמה אשר הי אלוהיך נתן לך (Shemot 20:12) 2. A person shall fear (revere/respect) his mother and father. (Leviticus 19:3) איש אמו ואביו תיראו (VaYikra 19:3)

28. Honoring and Fearing Parents: How does one fear and how does one honor parents? Fear: Do not stand in his place, do not sit in his place, do not contradict his words, and do not determine his words, and do not call him by his name, neither while he is alive nor when he is dead. Honor: To feed and provide drink, to dress and to cover, [all by ] using their funds. If the father is penniless and the son has money we force him and he feeds his father and mother according to his means. He takes him out and brings him home and serves him in all other matters as servants serve their master. He stands up before him as he would before his teacher. (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Rebellious Behavior 6: 1,3))

29. Five Little Gefiltes –Questions to ask Children • How do you think the mother may have felt when her children left her? • Why do you think the children decided to come back? • How do you think the mother felt when her children came back? • What is a mensch? ( A mensch is a Yiddish word that means a very good person. A mensch is a person who is kind and nice and helps others) When did the gefiltes act like menschen? Can you tell us about a time when you acted like a mensch? • In the Torah , we are told that we must honor our mothers and fathers. In Hebrew we say kabed et avicha v’et imecha What does the word honor mean? (To treat someone with respect-To speak nicely to the person, to do what the person asks, to try to please the person.) How do you honor your parents? What are some of the ways in which you can help and be kind to your parents?

30. Activities for Honoring Parents Ask each child to create and decorate a list of ways that he/she can honor and help his/her parents. Ask the children to create special gift for a parent- a bracelet, a key chain, a picture frame, a card/promissory note Have the children prepare a special snack to feed to the parents. Play a game in which the toy gefiltes run away from the mother. Upon hearing the words “Oy vey” all of the gefiltes must return to the mother and give her a kiss.

31. Nurturing the Family: Suggestions for “Take Home” Materials Supplies for children to construct a mensch bracelet at home A list of ways that family members can behave like menschen/or a list that describes ways that children can honor their parents. Provide families with a magnet so that they can hang their list on their home refrigerator . A large cut-out of a gefilte fish (complete with a hat). Ask families to jot down a note on the gefilte each time a family member acts like a mensch and/or honors parents.

32. Additional Questions, Thoughts on Today’s Program • Contact Vivian Newman vivian@hgf.org phone: 413-731-1359 (home) 413-204-1539 (cell)