“The truth about stories is, that’s all we are.

”
Thomas King, Cherokee Nation

The Task
Stories teach us how to be human. You will craft, revise, edit and produce a story that helps the audience
understand a specific message. This story will be a narrative account of your own experiences or stories that
have shaped who you are today.

The Process
1. Brainstorm options for the story that you will tell. This can be a personal story or a fictional story, but it
should not be a retelling of a story from another culture.
2. Identify the purpose, determine an audience (e.g., peers, children, a particular group) and map out the
details of your story
3. Identify oral storytelling techniques that you will use in order to convey the purpose of your story to your
intended audience.
4. Take time to draft, revise, edit and practice your story.
5. Record your story. Your story should be 2-4 minutes in length. Please submit a video file in order to show
your non-verbal communication strategies (ie. gestures, facial expressions, etc.).

Assessment
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

B1. The Oral Uses different techniques to Uses different techniques to Applies knowledge of Intentionally plans culturally
Tradition tell story enhance story storytelling techniques appropriate use of
without cultural storytelling techniques to
appropriation convey meaning

B3. Speaking to Verbal: Verbal: Verbal: Intentionally plans and uses

Communicate Uses a tone that is Uses pace and pauses Adapts tone, volume, and all verbal, non-verbal and
appropriate for the appropriate for the pace to emphasize audio-visual speaking
audience and purpose audience meaning strategies to enhance
meaning for their purpose
Uses volume for clarity Non Verbal: Non Verbal: and audience
Uses gestures (emphatic, Uses gestures intentionally
Non Verbal: descriptive) (emphatic and descriptive)
Uses open body language
Audio Visual (when Audio-Visual (when
appropriate): appropriate):
Uses audio-visual tools Uses audio-visual tools to
emphasize main idea

D1. Developing Organizes main ideas Organizes supporting Organizes ideas logically to Relevant and significant
and Organizing details support a particular main ideas and supporting
Conducts research from a purpose details are intentionally
Content variety of sources Uses research to support organized to enhance the
ideas Applies and cites research message
from credible sources
Evaluates and properly cites
research from credible
sources

D2. Using Selects an appropriate form Uses elements of the form Appropriately uses all Intentionally uses all
 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Knowledge of for purpose and audience appropriately for the elements of the form for elements of the form to
Form and Style selected purpose and purpose and audience enhance meaning for
audience purpose and audience
Appropriately uses style
Attempts stylistic elements consistent with the form, Intentionally uses stylistic
purpose, and audience elements to enhance
meaning

D3. Applying Uses simple grammar Attempts complex sentence Uses complex sentence Uses writing conventions
Knowledge of accurately (sentence structure, without errors in structure. intentionally to emphasize
structure, capitalization, simple grammar meaning through syntax
Conventions punctuation) conventions (capitalization, No errors in grammar or
end-punctuation) spelling

Ideas for Story:

Record your story ideas here:
- A poor old man wanting to become rich stumbles across a tunnel of gold, he quickly
becomes greedy and ends up with no gold - childrens story
- A happy guy was offered lots of money to do a job. Blinded by the amount of money he was
getting paid he wasn’t aware of his responsibilities at his new job. His responsibilities
soon became too much but he couldn't quit as he already signed a contract. He soon
realizes his new job is preventing him from doing all the things he used to (his hobbies,
hanging out with friends, etc.).

Brainstorming:
Target Audience: Children 5 - 12 (children's story)
- Avoid naming the characters because most children have trouble remembering the
characters' names.
- Instead use an animal best suited to the character's personality. (eg. foxes are
known to be sly, tricky, and manipulative, and while they are smart creatures, they
are also known to rush into big ideas
- Incorporate literary devices like onomatopoeia to emphasize the sound of certain actions
like when the fox was blowing up this hole
Moral: Don’t get too greedy and learn to appreciate what you already have
- Have a clear moral but also leave space for personal interpretation
- “Look before you leap” - still allows readers to expand on and doesn’t box in a specific
idea
- Don’t clearly state the moral instead showcase it
- showcase greediness by having the fox always wanting more and losing his sense
of compassion (insulting the raven and his hometown)
Story line
- Background: Poor fox wanting to be rich
- Plot: Fox wants more gold but can’t seem to get it fast enough
- Solution: Blows up the hole in hope too bring all the gold to the top as fast as possible
 Oral Storytelling technique:
- Inspiration: Coyote's eyes story
- When telling her story she uses a very calm voice but still uses different tones to
emphasize different scenes
- consistently uses Onomatopoeia
- Uses a THUMP sound when to describe the sound the coyote made when
putting his eyes and other objects in his socket
- I will use BOOM to describe the explosion
- Use my eyes to dramatize and emphasize certain events like when the fox
goes crying to the raven
-
- Moves her body (arms mostly) to describe scenes like what the coyote saw through
the mouse's eye
- I will use my arms to show the fox putting the gold up tk everybody’s face
- She uses a different voice for each character
- Fox (talks a little fast,loud) rabbit (talks slow, calm and takes pauses between her
words) Narration ( Varys in pace, tone and volume depending on scene)
- Doesn’t memorize the story line to line instead says it like describing she's
describing a experience
- Tone and volume change throughout the story

Draft of Story:
Record your story draft here:
A cunning fox lived his whole life counting pennies, he was very poor and every day desperately
wished to be rich. One day on his walk to find loose change, he decided to take a new path
in hopes to find more change.
He soon came across a deep dark hole …,curiously he looked at it
from all angles, that's when he discovered that the inside of the holetunnel was covered in
something shiny, something so shiny and yellow that it could only be one thing …GOLD! The
curious little fox filled with excitement rushed quickly started climbing down the hole to seize all
the gold his tiny hands could carry. He soon discovered that the journey down the tunnel was
tiring and filled many loose rocks that came tumbling down with each wrong step. W
long, dangerous and tiring, w
hen he finally reached the near end of the hole did reach , he was amazed
by how many gold bars were really there, the walls were plastered with gold and there seemed to
be enough gold to fill a village with. The fox tried stuffing his pockets deep with gold, but the gold
was too heavy to carry up, at the end his small hands would only allow him to carry one bar of
gold. was only able to carry one bar of gold his tiny hands would only allow him to carry one bar
the gold his small hands would allow him to
The next day he made sure to show his new gold to everyone ;,boasting about how he was going
to be the richest fox in the country. With his bar of gold in his hand, he came across a wise old
 Raven, the fox made sure to put the gold right up t o the Raven's face and say “look at my gold, I'm
going to be the richest fox in the country.” The Raven congratulated the fox and said “my dear fox
why you are already are rich.”

to the holetunnel and bring one bar piece of gold

up and everyday he became more and more tired
. Soon he became impatient and the journey down the holetunnel became too much to bear.
He came up with a brilliant idea to blow up the holetunne upl, his thought was that if he blew up
the hole,tunnel all the gold would come exploding out the toptunnel and land straight at his feet to
collect. Excited about his new idea, he walked by the wise Raven again and told her his idea. t
He told his idea to the wise old rabbit, th
The Raven said “my dead fox, that is a foolish thing to do,
you are already the richest fox in the village.” The fox was offended that such an old Raven would
call his idea foolish. He stated “you old fool !, Ii must be the richest fox in the country ,not this poor
old village.” The next morning, the fox bought a large bag and purchased the most expensive
bombs in the country. and TNT
Filled with excitement and hope and an angry greed to prove the old Raven wrong,
and blew up his tunnel. BOOM !. Just as he thought the
hole blew up but to his surprise no gold came exploding out. In a rush, hundreds of large heavy
rocks came rushing down the hole, ,covered his hole, where once a luster of gold could be seen
now was covered to the brim with large rocks and pounds of dirt. In tears he walked went back to
the wise old Raven, there he showed his empty bag and explained what had happened. The wise
Raven simply said “you my dear fox must learn to look before you leap.”

Revising and Practicing Story:

After you have drafted your story, use “Suggesting” mode and make revisions. Practice telling your
story.
Final Copy including suggestions:
A cunning Fox lived his whole life counting pennies, he was very poor and every day
desperately wished to be rich. One day on his walk to find loose change, he decided to take a new
path. He soon came across a deep dark hole…curiously he looked at it from all angles, and that's
when he discovered that the inside of the hole was covered in something shiny, something so shiny
and yellow that it could only be one thing…GOLD! The curious little Fox filled with excitement rushed
down the hole to seize all the gold his tiny hands could carry. He soon discovered that the journey
down the tunnel was tiring and filled with many loose rocks that came tumbling down with each
wrong step. When he finally reached the near end of the hole, he was amazed by how many gold
bars were really there, the walls were plastered with gold, and there seemed to be enough gold to
fill an entire village with. The Fox tried stuffing his pockets deep with gold, but the gold was too
heavy to carry up. In the end, his small hands would only allow him to carry one bar of gold.
The next day he made sure to show his gold off to everyone, bragging about how he was
going to be the richest Fox in the country. With his bar of gold in his hand, he came across a wise
old Raven. The fox made sure to put the gold right up to the Raven's face and say, “Look at my gold,
I'm going to be the richest Fox in the country.” The Raven congratulated the Fox and said, “My dear
Fox, you already are rich.”

Every day the Fox would go down the hole and bring one bar of gold up, and every day he
became more and more tired. Soon he became impatient, and the journey down the hole became
too much to bear. He came up with a brilliant idea to blow the hole up; his thought was that if he
blew up the hole, all the gold would come exploding out the top and land straight at his feet to
collect. Excited about his new idea, he walked by the wise Raven again and told her his idea. The
Raven said, “My dear Fox, that is a foolish thing to do, you are already the richest fox in the village.”
The Fox was offended that such an old Raven would call his idea foolish. He stated, “You old fool! I
must be the richest Fox in the country, not this nasty old village.” The next morning, the Fox bought a
large bag and purchased the most expensive bombs in the country. Filled with hope and an angry
greed to prove the old Raven wrong, the Fox blew up the hole. BOOM! Just as he thought the hole
blew up, but to his surprise no gold came exploding out. In a rush, hundreds of large heavy rocks
came rushing down the hole, where once a luster of gold could be seen now was covered to the
brim with large rocks and pounds of dirt. In tears he walked back to the wise old Raven, there he
showed his empty bag and explained what had happened. The wise Raven simply said, “My dear
Fox, you must learn to look before you leap.”

Work Cited

Gordon, Linda Piché, director. Coyote’s Eyes. YouTube, YouTube, 25 May 2023,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ4Flw14RxU&t=397s. Accessed 12 July 2023.

Pusey, Marcy. “How to Write a Children’s Book: Steps, Structure + Tips.” Self Publishing School,
23 June 2021, self-publishingschool.com/how-to-write-a-childrens-book/. Accessed 12 July
2023.

Recorded Story:
Paste a link to your story here:

I can’t seem to paste a link but I’ve attached the Vedio belowm