SESSION 1:
STORYTELLING
Telling stories is ingrained in our DNA, it has wired our brains through the years. We can synchronize with people by sharing stories. This happens when our frontal cortex lit up at the same time.
Watch this scene from "Out of Africa" (1985) when somebody is asked to tell story out of the blue. Then, answer the questions below:
1. What does the storyteller need to start telling a story? What does Karen ask for?
2. Had she actually been in the places where she set the story?
3. What aspects of her story do you think engaged the listeners?
But apart form synchronization, stories have become so important for us that we actually think in stories. We tell stories to explain how things work, to help us make decisions, to justify the decisions we make and even to create our own identities.
1. Listen to these well-known experienced writers, Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood about the art of storytelling. What advice do they give?
2. Having said this, you need to get down to write. And it is time for...
Assignment: Telling an Anecdote!
(length??...as long as it needs but not shorter than 150 words)
Watch this video to find inspiration:
An important feature:
3. Choose one topic:
SESSION 2:
A COINCIDENCE
Simply Creepy!
1. Many people believe that there are no coincidences in life and that something happens for a reason or is somehow pre-destined to happen. What do you think?
2. Watch this video where five people talk about coincidences. Write down who was involved in each coincidence and what happened.
3. Analyze the vocabulary and expressions they use and write them down in your notebooks. How did they create excitement?
SESSION 3:
RETELLING A NARRATIVE
Retelling is a short, consistent routine you can use to recall, order, and summarize a text basically to monitor your comprehension skills, including:
Determining key details
Understanding text structure
Making inferences
Synthesizing the main idea
Tips for synthesizing:
a. Read or listen to the text.
b. Say or write down the name of the who or what (the main person, animal, or thing) of the text.
c. Tell or write the most important information about the who or what, such as an action or a feeling.
d. Say or write the main idea of the text in 10 words or fewer.
e. Receive feedback from a partner along the way.
Activities
Something that may influence how you retell a story is point of view, not only because perception is different from person to person but also because you can choose other character's point of view to retell the story.
I'm sure you have heard of Ophelia, one of the characters in Hamlet by Shakespeare. In the original version, Ophelia is portrayed as a tragic figure in a tragic play. First loved, then spurned by Hamlet, goes mad and drowns in the river...we don't know if accidentally or not.
In Ophelia (2019) we have an example of retelling a story from the point of view of a secondary character. Now, it is her story, and it is Hamlet who is the supporting character.
2. Watch the trailer and see how it differs from the original story:
3. Retell Hamlet from Ophelia's point of view. Remember to synthesize following the tips above.
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