INSTRUCTIONAL ROLES
-The library media specialist and social studies teacher work cooperatively on this project. The social studies teacher presents the requirements for the unit. The library media specialist introduces the background and importance of stories and presents folklore through storytelling. Both assist with reports, maps, stories, props, and other activities.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES FOR COMPLETION

-Day One - Distribute the handout "Social Studies Project Plan." Explain the directions and answer questions.

 -Day Two - develop an awareness of the importance of stories. Explain that in most cultures, moods and actions have stories to go with them. Someone remembers a story and tells it, while everyone listens and remembers when he or she heard the story before or simply thinks about it in some way. This is how most people pass on knowledge. When you read or hear a story, you might stop to think about what in that story is important to you and what is interesting and important enough for people to have told it for hundreds of years. One purpose of this project is to make you aware that stories are storehouses about culture, people, and history waiting to be opened. You will open history, and perhaps a story will become a part of you.

-Tell the story of "The Five Chinese Brothers" by using homemade puppets so that the students can see an example of story enhancements. Then show the students the book "The Seven Chinese Brothers" by Margaret Mahy. Explain how one story can be a variant of another. Reveal the facts behind the story so that students understand the research purpose. Although the seven brothers are fictive characters, Emperor Ch\'in Shih Huang 259-210 B.C. figures prominently in this tale. He is generally credited with unifying China by establishing rule over rival states under one government. It was also Ch\'in Shih Huang who planned the consturction of the Great Wall - an arduous, dangerous task that took the lives of thousands of conscripted workers. It is the suffering of the heroes that sparked the seven brothers to use their powers to intervene on the people\'s behalf. However cruel, Emperor Ch\'in Shih Huang remains one of the most colorful people in Chinese history.

-Show students where materials are located in the library media center.

 -Day Three - Share with students the story about the Monkey King, Sun Wu King from "A Journey to the West" as told in "Faces: The Magazine about People." Inspired by a real monk\'s pilgrimage to India in A.D. 629, Monkey King and several other supernatural beings accompany the monk, Hsuan Tsang. On the way, they have to overcome many dangers and demons. Hsuan Tsang represents the average person struggling to find peace with himself. The Monkey King is the spirit of freedom. The White Dragon Horse represents faithfulness, the Pig Monk is greed and brute strength, and the Sand Monk is sincerity and loyalty.

-Present the story by using shadow theater. This can be done by using any transparent material with backlight shining on it in a darkened room. Cut the figures out of a dark, thin cardboard and use thin sticks to move them across the stage area. Short, sharp beats on a drum, accompanied by crashing cymbals and booming gongs, could signal the entrace of the shadow figures on the screen. Show the students the elaborate characters and theater presented by Jo Humphrey in "Shadows Tell a Chinese Tale" from the December 1991 edition of "Faces" and explain that shadow theater, with its beautifully embroidered proscenium and background music, was one of the earliest and most popular ways of telling stories in China. Acknowledge that the students\' versions will not be so elaborate.

-Answer questions. Discuss the ideas for story enhancements on the direction page. Brainstorm with students for other ideas.

-Day Four - Share with students the story of "The Five Clever Girls" from "The Family Storytelling Handbook." This will show how to use nesting dolls as props and provide them with an example of a story with riddles.

-Allow students time for research.

-Day Five - Tell the students the story of "The Hungry Stranger: A Buddhist Story from India," from the same book. This story shows that our culture often influences what we see.

-Before you begin the story, draw a circle on the paper with the pen. Dip the toothpick in lemon juice to make a profile of a rabbit inside the circle. When the juice dries, the drawing will be invisible. At the end of the story, show your paper with the circle. Then, hold the circle over the candle to heat the lemon juice and turn it brown. The rabbit will re-appear.

-Day Six - Present "Father Marquette and the Manitou" from "The Life Treasury of American Folklores." When finished, show them the book. The illustrations are wonderful and the text is full of brief history lessons.

-The rest of the days will be spent monitoring and adjusting according to the students\' needs as they work on their projects. Most of the time will be spent in the library media center. Review research and notetaking skills.

-During the last week of the project, students will present their stories.

FOLLOW-UP

-Projects in shop or art classes as well as writing projects in language arts or computer lab could be incorporated.

-This lesson could easily be adapted to a study of Native Americans.