磚塊和傳奇

In each meeting, I will read a legend, myth, or tale while you use your building bricks collection (or similar bricks to build a creation inspired by the story.  At the end of each class meeting everyone will have the opportunity to share their build of the day. (Students are invited, not required, to share.)

The Story:
I will read a different legend, myth, or tale each time we meet.  
The story time part of this class functions like a traditional story time/read aloud in a classroom.  As I read the story I will ask questions and clarify unfamiliar terms to aid comprehension.  Students are welcome to ask questions and provide insights.  There will be time to build and socialize after I read.  Students who can build and pay attention to the story at the same time are welcome to build during story time.  Learners who prefers to listen first and build after the story are welcome to do so.

The Building Connection:
Building something that goes along with the story while listening helps with comprehension and retention.  This act is most meaningful if students choose what to build, so I will not be giving specific projects for students to build.  They might choose to build a character, setting, object, or scene that stands out to them or something they want to understand.  While I will not be giving directions on how or what to build, students are welcome to ask myself and classmates for building ideas and troubleshooting tips after the story.

Typical class schedule:
Chat while students arrive (3-5 minutes)
Listen to the story of the day and begin building (about 20 minutes)
Build and chat about the story or socialize (around 15 minutes)
Students share their build of the day (about 5 minutes) 

Week of February 27th: The Legend of Rip Van Winkle 
Week of March 6th: The Legend of Knockgrafton 
Week of March 13th: The Six Swans
Week of March 20th: Gillon and the Selkie 
Week of March 27th: The Forest Bride: The Story of a Little Mouse Who Was a Princess 
Week of April 3rd: Gigi and the Magic Ring
Week of April 10th: Nana Miriam
Week of April 17th: Masha and the Bear
Week of May 8th: The Legend of the Blue Bonnet
Week of May 15th: The Monster of Loch Ness
(This course is ongoing and will continue beyond the last listed date; I will regularly update this list to reflect upcoming stories.)


My teaching style is calm, encouraging, and supportive.  My classes are light-hearted and low pressure.  Students are expected to be kind, supportive, and understanding with each other.  They are also expected to be considerate of other learners by keeping comments and interruptions during the reading relevant to the story and necessary for comprehension.  I prefer students to be unmuted to foster natural conversations, but will ask students to mute themselves if background noises are present. (Digging through building brick collections for the piece you want can be loud, so I'll let students know that they should mute themselves before doing so.)