To Parents and Educators
Dear parents and fellow educators (primary school teachers, SLteachers and FL teachers),
Would you like to help children learn to write stories and fairytales which hold the reader’s interest up to the end? If yes, you’ll have to teach them how to write a short and simple adventure story - because what makes even the simplest tales unforgettable, and what makes children desire to read a book again and again, are mainly three things:
A) the tension created by the obstacles, difficulties and dangers the hero is confronted with during his “journey”,
B) the chance the young reader has to identify with the story’s hero- the bigger, the better,
C) the hero’s quest for successful ways of solving his problems andhis achievements.
On the hero’s journey, some of the problems are solved by themselves (as if taken care of by a mechanical God or compassionate Lady Fortune), while for other problems it is entirely the hero’s responsibility to solve them, through the choices he makes. But let us not forget that the hero himself, as well as the obstacles, difficulties and dangers he has to overcome on his “journey” are all created by the writer.
What is the best way to start a story or fairytale, what makes a good beginning, such that would capture the reader’s attention and create curiosity, so that the reader proceeds to reading the whole story? How does a writer decide when is the best moment for an obstacle or danger to show up in the hero’s life? How does the writer know it’s the right time in the story-line for the hero to overcome the obstacle or danger? How is the writer to judge if one problem for his hero is enough, or if more need to be added, so that the interest of the story or fairytale rises? If the writer puts too many problems on the hero’s shoulders, without allowing him to find solutions, what would happen to the story? How does the writer decide or know his story is coming to an end? All these are justified questions that any child would have.
Finally, how would we, teachers and parents, be able to help a primary-school-age child understand all the above and use this knowledge to write an interesting adventure story or a beautiful fairytale?
This mini ebook gives the answers to the above questions in a simple, fun and direct way (as is appropriate for children of this particular age), that is with the help of the magical Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet.
The answer to the last question, which refers to us, adults, is also Simple:
a) It is a basic prerequisite that we accept that any child is capable of writing a good story. It goes without saying that our demands would be respective to the age-specific skills that have been developed (through various learning experiences at home and at school).
b) It is our job and duty to offer the child the means, the required knowledge, the exercises and, of course, and any type of tools (props included) that would help the child with this deed – because every attempt the child makes at this delicate age is a deed. Whatever gained from this achievement, the outcome of the effort, may support him/her and lead to greatness later in life or drown his/her self-esteem.
Of course, I take A, mentioned above, for granted - we will not be too demanding of a child of this age. So we are left with B, the need to make sure the child is offered the knowledge (methods and techniques), as well as the tools to learn creative writing and to hone his/her newly acquired skills. Such a teaching prop (an alternative puppet) but also a helpful tool in the hands of the child itself, is Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet, presented in this ebook.
I conceived and crafted Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet for the needs of a creative writing workshop (on November 9, 2012) which I named “Adventure Tumbles and Flips” and which I undertook to teach, as part of my voluntary work at a local library, to children 8-9 years old. My main goal was to teach children an easy technique to create plot twists and build tension when writing an adventure story. My intention was to help them understand how they could guide the hero to experience a transition from his peace and quiet to trouble, from safety to danger, from being happy to being desperate, from a pleasant encounter in his journey to an unpleasant one. Of course, I was aware that if the children had understood the lesson well , when writing their story, they would be able to create the opposite transition as well, from the “misfortunate” to the “fortunate”, leading their hero to the solution of his problems and, eventually, crafting a happy ending for the story.
In other words, the magical Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet is a theatrical figure, outside the context of the story, whose role is to structure the adventure story or fairytale. This is the role we desire the child to assume for himself, the role of the “story writer” – it is where the child identifies completely with Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet. At the same time, Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet is not only the writer but also the child’s guide, his counselor, his partner, his friend. The child-writer goes to him for advice on the writing craft. The fact that he has a double role to play in teaching creative story writing is what makes him especially effective.
His double role became obvious to all in my creative writing workshop, and accepted, from the very first time the magical Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet showed up. He proved to be an exceptionally powerful interactive teaching prop, when used as intended.
On pages 25-27 you will find a craft project, with instructions to make your own magical Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet (of a smaller size). I’ve created and I use two different designs for my creative writing workshops - one was designed for the teacher to use, and an alternative one was designed for the children to use. It is possible to use only one design instead, to simplify things, but in that case you need to craft it in two different sizes (the teacher’s prop has to be bigger, so everyone in the classroom can see it acting out the story plan, as it tumbles and flips).
After you understand the role Mr. Tumblebuddy plays in structuring a story, you will realize how useful this tool is in aiding your teaching other concepts to children, and the relationships existing between such concepts as well, e.g. relationship between cause and effect, opposites etc.
And, now…
Ladies and gentlemen,
I present you … The magical Mr. Tumblebuddy Flipet!