Walking Through the Storm By Nick Wonham

What are you going to learn? 1.To look at and listen to the story. 2.To join in with the storytelling. 3.To dress up as a monster. 4.To scare your friends as a monster. 5.To talk about the story. Click here for teacher notes

Walking Through the Storm Teacher notes If you have used the previous version of this PowerPoint, I hope you enjoy the new illustrations. I had to update the Powerpoint because some of the sound effects stopped working on newer versions of Windows. I thought I’d add some teacher notes with ideas that I’ve used over the years for using this resource with students ranging from PMLD to approximately P6. Props and stuff you will need: don’t forget to download and print the script, it’s you, your TA’s, and hopefully your students who will provide the soundtrack. If you can, try to memorize the script (it’s very repetitive) as it is easier to teach without holding a load of paper. You’ll need a water spray for the rain, a monster mask and a witches hat (lots around at Halloween time), an old glove with eyes stuck on or a spider hand puppet if you’re posh, a wooden ‘clatterpillar’ toy for the skeleton (see photo), and an old white sheet with eyes cut out of it. Firstly, it’s an interactive story, told in call and response, so you chant a line then everyone repeats it. Make sure your TA’s know they need to participate enthusiastically in order to encourage your students to join in. If you leave gaps at the end of the response lines some students may fill these. I’ve had a few more able students who have been able to lead the session as the main storyteller once they have become familiar enough with the story. This is brilliant to see! As you go through the story the teacher, or main storyteller, dresses up as each monster and treats each student in turn to a sensory experience: monster - a roar and a tickle wearing a monster mask; spider – walk your hand up and down the students legs, arms and head with the spider glove puppet on; skeleton – walk among the students playing the clatterpillar instrument; witch - wear a witches hat and laugh manically near the students ears while rubbing your hands together; ghost – moan while wearing a sheet, shudder the sheet and engulf each student in the material like a tent. Remember to make it scary to increase their sense of anticipation, but gauge it according to the student. After the main storyteller has had a turn at being a monster, take your disguise off and ask who else wants a turn. Encourage as much participation and dressing up as possible as this part of the lesson can enable students to engage in positive peer interaction. You can encourage further participation by encouraging your students to point at the arrows on screen to move the story on, and, if they are at the stage of using PECS for commenting you could provide them with a set of ‘monster PECS’ so they can comment as they appear. I have used a TA with their own set of PECS as a demonstration model to help with this. Students should be encouraged to comment on what they are experiencing anyway whether they are using PECS or not. If your having fun you’re probably doing the lesson right! Thanks to Sally Paveley for the Witches laugh. Nick Wonham