Day Two Presentation Plan

Day Two

Day Two is the day to present two tales that model good behavior. The first story is one that models all good reactions, The Bear’s Breakfast. The second one contains a cautionary element in the rattlesnake tale that perhaps the seemingly weak victim may strike back some day.

The students will make puppets for the Bear’s breakfast and act it out with me as I tell it. The Rattlesnake story calls for participation with call and response. If there is time they can do some writing about the story. I will have handout sheets for the teachers to use to get student reaction to this story which is a good one for discussion


Rattlesnake Handout

Draw a picture of what you think happened in the last moment of the Rattle snake story.


What do you think about the rattlesnake’s solution? If the coyote had gone away after the rattlesnake warned him do you think that the rattlesnake would have done anything else?


Have you ever heard anyone say that if you have great power or strength you have a great responsibility? The coyote had great power all along. Did he act with responsibility?
Why do you think he did nor did not?

Do you think that the rattlesnake will be a responsible user of his new power?


Bear’s Breakfast
I have adapted this tale from Margaret McDonald’s Twenty Tellable Tales and versions that I found (similar) in Russian and Native American folklore. In my version the bear is a very humorous character.

I like to see the students act this out. If the students react well, they can also present it to the parents. More than one student can play a role at the same time. Storyteller always acts as director. Sometimes I also play the bear throughout—depend on the way the group responds.

There will be material for the group to make puppets to act out this story as well.
Part of the “magic” of this story is to show them how items in theatre can represent something without fully presenting it. For instance, a scrap of material is the stream, a stick with one green leaf is the bush, and another stick, plain is the tree in winter.
Small “ears” on a headband make the chipmunk. During the telling, when I represent the bear, my voice makes him stand out. I have a mask design for the students to use for the bear for those times that they portray him. When they make their own puppets and props they will be encouraged to find their own solutions to the prop/puppet situation.