Understanding the World Through Narrative : 160+ Classroom Activities in Fiction, Mythology, Science, History, and the Media: StoryWise for 9–15 Year-olds

While many educational books focus on creative and critical thinking skills, this ground-breaking work is the first to deal specifically with the ability to understand, question and evaluate information presented, broadly speaking, in story form. Story or narrative is central to our understanding of and interaction with the world around us. We only have to think of the ‘mini stories’ encapsulated in many advertisements; the way that topics in science – the story of human evolution for example, in history and other subjects present themselves; the power of myths and legends to act as guides to moral behaviour; and the pervasive way that gossip, rumour and superstition can spread – to recognise the benefits of heightening such awareness in young learners. Understanding the World Through Narrative explores the narrative structure of fiction, but uses this as a template to show how the story form appears in mythology and modern urban folklore, science, history, the media – including advertising; in our internal dialogues (stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and others), and how narrative structure can be used in curriculum planning to enhance children’s learning. The book contains over 160 thinking/discussing/researching activities for use in the classroom and as project work. Chapters can be used independently, although they are arranged with increasing degrees of sophistication and challenge. This fascinating work is an essential resource for any teacher of upper primary and lower secondary students, covering not only children’s evolving intellectual ability and promoting curiosity and critical engagement but also enhancing their mental and emotional wellbeing. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents List of figures Introduction Using the Book 1. Narrative Fiction Story Pyramid Narrative Elements Narrative Elements as Archetypes Sub-elements Story ‘Ingredients’ Genre The Narrative Template Characters Names of People and Places Nameplay Place Names Combi-town Drives and Motivations Emotions Characters as Guides Person Fictional Genres Tone, Atmosphere and the Spirit of Place Twenty Questions Story Checklist Writing Effectively 2. Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales and Folklore The Ladder to the Moon Gossip and Rumours Joseph Campbell Legends, Fairy Tales and Folk Tales A Controversy A Hierarchy of Understandings Wonderment and the Wisdom of Fairy Tales Working with Grids Folklore Local Folktales Urban Folk Tales Rumours Revisited and Superstitions Strength of Reasons Superstitions Thinking Critically 3. Scientific Narratives Overview Metaphors within Science Falsifiability and Mumbo Jumbo Fringe Science Hoaxes 4. Historical Narratives What Evidence? Who Tells the Poor Man’s Story? The Attitudes of the Time The Battle Narrative 5. Narratives in the Media Ways to Persuade The Issue of Truth Conspiracy Theories Clarity of Language In the News 6. Therapeutic Stories Stories We Tell Ourselves Visualising Reframing Inspiring Yourself 7. Stories and Learning Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Evaluation Synthesis Related Thinking Skills Reaching Conclusions Relevant and Irrelevant Information Crossing the Line The Double Darers Are More Thinking Skills Noticing the Properties of Things; Attributing Noticing Similarities and Differences Categorising Comparing Ordering in Terms of Size Thinking about Concepts Abstract Concepts Generalising Decision-making Creative Consequences Teaching as Storytelling Effective Learners Endwords Bibliography Index