1. Story
Guiding Questions
- Is the story focused with a clear main idea? Is it tightly woven and skillfully crafted?
- Does it present a way of life to investigate?
- Does it have an inspiring and inviting opening?
- Does it unfold in an interesting way?
- Is it motivating and meaningful to students?
- Is it a story they care about?
- Are they able to easily grasp and bond with the story?
- Is it tailored to the conceptual development of students?
- Can students clearly summarize the story and relate their characterʼs feelings and experiences?
- Does it provide a structure and a logic to the developing topic-based work?
- Does the story allow for rich character development and provide opportunities for students to tackle relevant problems and issues?
- Does it present daily challenges for active and imaginative student involvement?
- Does it allow for an in-depth study dealing with feelings (affective domain) as well as facts (cognitive domain)?
- Does it allows for students to become actively involved, imaginatively and creatively?
- Is the story designed to afford a balance between teacher control (teacherʼs rope) and student input in collaborative story making?
- Does it provide meaningful structure for curriculum integration?
2. Episodes and Key Questions
Guiding Questions
Episodes
- Do coherent episodes frame the story structure? (setting, characters, daily rhythms/rules, incidents, and culmination)
- Do they provide a logical progression and narrative sequence that learners can understand and embrace?
- Do they keep the story moving and the learning rich?
- Are they are a natural part of the story?
Key Questions
- Are the key questions big and broad for a rich and wide array of student responses?
- Are the key questions used to determine what students know and what they need to know?
- Do they honor studentsʼ prior knowledge?
- Do they support students in constructing their own models first?
- Are the key questions motivating and meaningful?
- Do the key questions support the story, providing a narrative thread throughout?
- Do they allow students to effectively use their imaginations?
- Do they encourage students to speculate, hypothesize, reflect, and ask further questions, using their higher level thinking skills?
- Do they give students a sense of purpose?
- Do they reach to the key concepts that are being taught?
- Do the key questions fit the curriculum into the story in natural way?
3. Setting
Guiding Questions
- Does the teacher have a vision for the setting that incorporates the basic framework for story development, yet is open-ended enough for student input and ownership?
- Do students participate in research, setting criteria, and development of frieze?
- Is the frieze the studentsʼ own conceptual model?
- Is it kid-generated and kid-constructed?
- Is student ownership and pride evident?
- Have prototypes and a best parts list been created?
- Have teacher/students set criteria for quality work, with clear expectations for process and product? (structure before activity)
- Have students critiqued and revised the frieze to promote quality?
- Is the frieze is up and completed as soon as possible to keep the story moving and interest high?
- Is the frieze is alive and continually growing and changing with the story?
- Is it a working backdrop for incidents?
- Does it provide a site for character interaction and story development?
- Are writing, poetry, and vocabulary lessons included?
4. Characters
Guiding Questions
- Has the teacher selected one of the following types of characters to best fit the Storyline?
- fictitious characters that the students create and develop
- characters playing a defined role (students as themselves)
- multiple characters through which students view the story (book based study)
- Do the characters fit naturally into the story and have a vital purpose?
- Are they easy for students to identify with?
- Do the characters enhance the story and bring it to life through active daily roles and meaningful activities?
- Do the characters create a strong Storyline community?
- Have students developed and expanded the story through the eyes of their character?
- Do the characters explore the affective as well as the cognitive domain?
- Do they develop and change as the story moves along?
- Are characters developed and kept alive by students throughout the Storyline?
- Have students gathered information about charactersʼ physical characteristics, clothing, occupations, etc. through research and detailed study?
- Have teacher/students set criteria for quality work, with clear expectations for process and product? (structure !before activity)
- Have biographies been written and characters introduced?
- Have activities been included for characters to get to know each other?
- Has a routine been established for getting in character?
- Are opportunities provided for characters to develop as the story moves along?
5. Rhythms and Rules
Guiding Questions
Rhythms
- Have students built background about the daily lives of their characters through research, discussion and practical activities?
- Have students envisioned their characterʼs way of life and defined patterns? (seasonal, weekly, daily, etc.)
- Have the rhythms been designed to fit the unique narrative of the Storyline? (in a single episode, integrated within, or both)
- Have students developed their own conceptual model of their characterʼs actions, thoughts, feelings, interactions, experiences, etc. within the rhythm cycle?
- Do the rhythm activities allow for student speculation and anticipation?
- Have teacher/students set criteria for quality work, with clear expectations for process and product? (structure before activity)
- Does the Storyline offer choices for students to explore the daily rhythms of their characters using a variety of modalities? (art, drama, kinesthetic movement, etc.)
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Did students develop and enrich the story by sharing their rhythms piece with their fellow characters in the story?
Rules (for some Storylines)
- Has a question or problem led to a consideration of possible rules/laws or modes of behavior?
- Have students created a list of valuable rules for their community, effectively exploring reasons and desired outcomes?