Telling Stories Through Objects - Brooklyn Children's Museum

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ACTIVITY 5 Grades 3–5 Related <strong>Objects</strong>: Blue Willow plate Reassemble a Story There are many ways to tell the same story, and the same words can be used to tell a dozen different stories. This activity will allow your students to take a story and reconstruct it in their own way. Materials: • Copies of the “Fragmented Story” form (see following page), one per group • Scissors • Small bags or envelopes • Paper • Glue or tape What To Do: 1 Preparation: Make several copies of the “Fragmented Story” form. Cut each one into pieces with one sentence on each piece, keeping the pieces of each copy together (perhaps in an envelope). 2 Show the class the Blue Willow plate, and ask them to identify the image’s main characters and features. 3 Explain to the class that each group will reconstruct the story shown in the plate by rearranging fragments of the story as it sees fit, and provide it with an ending. 4 Divide the class into groups of three or four students. Give each group one cut-up copy of the story. 5 Have members of the class each read aloud one of the story fragments (in no particular order). 6 Have students arrange the cut-up sentences in their preferred order. Then they should glue or tape their arrangement on a piece of paper. 7 At the bottom of the paper, have them write a few sentences to wrap up the story. 8 Have a representative from each group read their reconstructed tale and added conclusion. TELLING STORIES THROUGH OBJECTS 18 9 Share with your students the usual ending to the Blue Willow story: The Official’s guards put Chang to the sword, and Koong-se set fire to their house while she is still inside. Thus the two lovers perish. The gods, touched by their love, immortalized them as two doves, eternally flying together in the sky. (Note that this story is not a traditional Chinese story, but was made up by the European ceramicist who invented the image during the fashion for things Chinese during the 18th and 19th century. This fashion is called Chinoiserie.) 10 Show the class the Blue Willow plate again, and ask students what parts of the story are represented. Does the plate show the story as a sequence? 11 Have students write about the Blue Willow story in their Story Journals. Discussion Questions: • How did you decide to rearrange the fragments of the story? Do you think they could have been arranged another way that would have worked just as well? • What do you think happens to Koong-se and Chang at the end of the story? Is the ending you wrote happy or sad? • Look closely at the Blue Willow plate from the case. Can you name some of the different elements of the story that are represented on the plate? • Do you think someone who looked at the plate would know what it is about? See page 23 for details on how this activity meets New York State Learning Standards.
A Fragmented Story: The Blue Willow Story There was once a rich and powerful court Official who had a beautiful daughter, Koong-se. The Official employed a secretary, Chang, who fell in love with Koong-se. This angered the Official, who regarded the secretary as unworthy of his daughter. Chang was banished, and the Official had a fence constructed around his estate so that the lowly secretary could never see Koong-se. Koong-se was lonely, and spent many days walking in the gardens and along the water's edge. One day as she walked by the water’s edge, a small shell made into a boat floated by her. It contained a poem and a bead which Koong-se had given to Chang. Koong-se knew that her lover was not far away. Soon after this, Koong-se was dismayed to learn that she had been betrothed to Ta-jin, a noble warrior and duke. When her father announced that her future husband would soon arrive, bearing a gift of jewels to celebrate his betrothal, she was full of despair. The night of the betrothal banquet, Chang borrowed the robes of a servant and slipped into Koong-se’s room. The two lovers embraced and vowed to run away together. TELLING STORIES THROUGH OBJECTS 19 The Official, Ta-jin, the guests, and all the servants had drunk so much wine that the couple almost got away without detection. Koong-se's father saw her at the last minute and ordered his soldiers to chase the lovers across the bridge. The couple escaped, but Koong-se’s father had a plan. Koong-se had given Ta-jin’s jewels to Chang, and her father swore that when he caught Chang, he would use the jewels as an excuse to execute him. One night the Official’s spies reported that a man was hiding in a house by the river. When the Official’s guards raided the house, they found that Chang had jumped into the river to escape them. Koong-se thought that he had drowned. Chang had managed to swim away through the raging torrent. That night he brought a boat to the window and took Koong-se away to safety. The couple settled on a distant island, and over the years Chang became famous for his writings. The Official heard about Chang’s success and sent his guards to find the missing couple.
Page 1 and 2: Portable Collections Program Tellin
Page 3 and 4: ■ CHECKLIST: WHAT’S IN THE CASE
Page 5 and 6: ■ INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER ■
Page 13 and 14: Hold Emerge Hope Fix Listen Enter I
Page 15 and 16: PREDATORS AND PREY 13 What color or
Page 17 and 18: MASKS 15 What color or colors is th
Page 19: ACTIVITY 4 All Grades Related Objec
Page 23 and 24: ACTIVITY 7 Additional Activities an
Page 25 and 26: ■ RESOURCES AND REFERENCE MATERIA
Page 27 and 28: ■ RESOURCES AND REFERENCE MATERIA
Page 29 and 30: The Myth of Osiris An Ancient Egypt
Page 31 and 32: Cupid and Psyche (continued) By thi
Page 33 and 34: The Necessity of Salt An Austrian f
Page 35 and 36: The Dreaming Prince (continued) sev
Page 37 and 38: The Game Board (continued) "Here,"
Page 39 and 40: How the Kiwi Lost Its Wings (contin
Page 41 and 42: How the Hopi Indians Reached Their
Page 43: Acknowledgments Beth Alberty Chrisy

Telling Stories Through Objects - Brooklyn Children's Museum

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?