The Storypath Strategy Students live, not read, historic stories

The Storypath Strategy Supporting Research “A clear and compelling narrative helps us find meaning, not just scattered facts and abstract ideas. Stories help us remember and make sense of our lives and the lives around us….A story is not a diversion; the best stories make our lives more understandable and focused.” Wiggins & McTighe, Understanding by Design. p.48

The Storypath Strategy Integrates Literacy and Content Storypath’s authentic and engaging real world context approach to social studies develops literacy skills.

The Storypath Strategy Reading Process Clear instructions: Connect to prior knowledge Focus on main ideas and supporting details Compare and contrast

The Storypath Strategy Reading Process Students develop skills to: Distinguish fact from opinion Recognize biased language Recognize and make inferences

The Storypath Strategy Vocabulary Is Used in context Accompanied by clear definitions Represented visually Practiced in role playing Reinforced repeatedly

The Storypath Strategy Questioning Process Key concepts and values are phrased as “problems” which students “solve”—adding depth to their understanding.

The Storypath Strategy Writing Process Explicit procedures guide writing Students write for a variety of purposes Students learn and practice how to evaluate writing

The Storypath Strategy Sample of Student Writing From Struggle for Independence unit

The Storypath Strategy Sequencing Engages Learners Creating the setting Creating the characters Building context Addressing critical incidents Designing a concluding event

The Storypath Strategy Example: The Wampanoags Setting: The Wampanoag families Characters: The village Context: The changing seasons Critical incidents: The arrival of the Pilgrims Not enough food for feast Concluding event: Thanksgiving feast

The Storypath Strategy Creating the Setting Students collaboratively create historical settings

The Storypath Strategy Creating the Characters Students write and speak in character.

The Storypath Strategy Building the Context Community background Community timeline Community celebrations

The Storypath Strategy Critical Incidents Heighten Student Engagement Characters confront problems common at the time: Wampanoag families do not have enough food for Thanksgiving feast.

The Storypath Strategy Concluding Events Reinforce Learning Students plan and participate in their own activity to close the story: Wampanoag families’ Thanksgiving feast

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