Here comes the best part - storytelling time. I told each group the old folktale "The Dark, Dark, Woods," but I modified it and slipped in as many transitional words and phrases as I could, based on the words and phrases chosen earlier by the kids. I asked the kids to stay focused during the tale so they could flip their thumbs up when they heard me use the transitional words/phrased to bridge from idea to idea. What a blast! The story only took about 5 minutes but it certainly helped the kids understand the beauty of the placement of these words. I've included a simple text below. Just know, that I changed it around with each telling. Consequently, the kids kept me on my toes!
In conclusion, I highly recommend you trying this activity yourself or another, using storytelling as your hook to the concept being taught. It works!
sue's_version_of_dark_dark_woods.pdf |
list_of_transitions.pdf |