CHAPTER SIXTEEN PICTURE STORIES I (209). Making Stories from a Picture THIS is entirely an oral exercise. Work out with the children complete stories based on the suggestions given in their book. Under the guidance of your questions, with occasional suggestion of ideas, the children will furnish the content of these stories. Remember that the story, as a finished product, is not the primary object of such exercises as these; their chief object is the stimulation, the loosing of the children's imaginations. These exercises teach to think in a wholly different way, to be sure, but just as truly as does the solution of arithmetical problems. In working out stories based on suggestions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, your questions in each case might take form somewhat as follows, though the answers, of course, would be quite different: Who hired the animal charmer to get the animals? What did his employer say to him? Where did the animal charmer go? Did he meet all the animals at once or one at a time? What did they do when they heard his strange music? Where did he lead them? What happened to them? The first story might begin somewhat as follows: The people in a little village near a great jungle in India were in deep distress. A great man-eating tiger had been prowling around the village for many nights. Several people had disappeared, and the villagers felt sure the tiger had carried them off. Traps were set for the savage creature and the most skillful hunters in the village sought him far and near, but the wily beast always managed to escape. At last the chief men of the village said, "We will give two thousand rupees to the man who brings the tiger's skin to us." (Who heard of the offer? What did he say? What did he do? Finish the story.) In working out a story from suggestion 5, your questions might take this form: What was the man doing in the jungle? How did he happen to lose his way? What animal did he meet first? How did the animal act? When the man blew his flute, what other animals gathered? Now the man was in the greatest danger, surrounded by so many savage animals. How did he get away from them? A few suggestions for the seventh story: Where did the man get the animals in the first place? Why is he training them? Perhaps to lead them from place to place performing for the money people will give him? Perhaps he is training them for one of the animal gardens so commonly kept by Indian princes? Supplementary Tell the story as the moon, or one of the animals, or the animal charmer himself might have told it. PICTURE STORIES II (212). More Picture Stories 133 The folklore of the Indians of the southwestern part of the United States and Mexico abounds with stories of the coyote. He is to these tales what "Br'er Rabbit" is to the southern stories. Coyote is represented as the most cunning of all the animals, and the wisest. One story tells how Coyote made the world. So the coyote and the Indian boy together give opportunity for a variety of original and interesting stories. Suggestions and outlines for stories are given in the pupils' book. Help the children first to tell orally each of the suggested stories. In addition, have them tell as many original tales as possible. Have some of them modeled after the "Br'er Rabbit" stories, if these are familiar to the pupils. A good book of Coyote stories is In the Reign of Coyote, by Katherine Chandler. Following are some titles suggested by the picture; place them on the board and have the pupils add to them: How Coyote Brought Fire. (Did the rising sun help?) How Coyote Taught the Indian to Hunt. (To stalk deer? To imitate the calls of animals? To make snares?) The Coyote's Warning. (Of approach of enemy, other Indians, wild animals, a deadly snake?) The Race between Coyote and Bird. (Who acts as judge? The object of the race to settle a dispute between them, to bring something to their friend the Indian boy?) III (214). Still More Picture Stories Guided by the questions in his book, let each child think out a story for himself. Have as many stories as possible told to the class. Give encouraging criticism, particularly respecting clearness of statement, choice of words, conciseness, point, and interest. IV (216). Writing a Picture Story This exercise may well be extended to the writing of several stories by some children; a single story representing the pupil's best-corrected, improved, and rewritten, if necessary, should be considered the minimum requirement. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ABOUT PREPOSITIONS, CONJUNCTIONS, INTERJECTIONS: WHAT THEY ARE AND HOW TO USE THEM FOR the sake of making the significance of the preposition concrete and impressive, dictate to the pupils commands which they carry out, such as the following: Place your pencil on your book. In the exercise of changing the sentences of A Disaster by substituting other prepositions for those used, try to get as large a variety of prepositions as |