Rachel

Dow

Three Word Story

When to use? Before, during, or after.

Description of strategy: What is it?
The three word story strategy can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. This
strategy is best for whole-group instruction, and can be used for any age level.
Students will stand up together in a circle, and add three words to the story per
person. This will allow the class to create a whole story together. While generally
used as a warm up or a reward, this could be used with a more academic approach
by creating a story based on a topic you are teaching in your individual content area.
For example: if you teach history, you could supply a prompt about the American
Revolution. If you teach theatre, you could ask students to come up with a story
about the play or a specific character you are working on. For English, you could
take on a character or situation in a book you are reading. For math, you could ask
students to take a word problem and create a story; or, each student could share
three words about how they would solve the problem.

Debriefing the strategy: Why use it?
For ELL Learners, listening is especially important for understanding the English
language. We, as a culture, hear sound all the time. However, we often miss the
importance of truly engaging with our peers through listening. Hearing is not the
same as listening. Jason Wrench, in Public Speaking and Ethics, described the
different between listening and hearing. Hearing is an accidental and automatic
brain response to sound that requires no effort. We are surrounded by sounds most
of the time. Listening, at its best, is active, focused, concentrated attention for the
purpose of understanding the meanings expressed by a speaker (pg 75). Humor
and laughter are also important in the classroom; they create a safe space for
students by eliminating tension (Davis 2015). Working on communication in the
classroom will help students learn how to respect each other (McNeely 2015).
Classroom Management and Culture states, As we all know from personal
experience, social acceptance is a basic human need, and during childhood and
adolescence, the need for peer approval is particularly strong (pg 1). Especially if
used at the beginning of the year, this strategy could help you to create a culture of
respect through listening in the classroom.

Directions for the strategy: How does the strategy work in practice?
1. Review with students the importance of listening.
2. Ask students to stand in a circle.
3. Decide on a prompt. Or, allow the students to agree on a character or plot
point to get the story going. If students can handle it, you may not have to
pick a prompt at all; this could simply be an exercise in creativity.
4. Offer the first three words to begin, or allow a student to do so.
5. Then, go around the circle, allowing each student to speak.

Rachel Dow
6. Encourage students to stay engaged and aware of body language, eye contact,
etc.
7. Let the last student finish the story.
8. When the story is finished, allow time for student reflection. Have students
return to their seats and find an elbow partner to share one thing they
learned from the experience.

Differentiation: How might the strategy be modified to meet the needs of
individual and exceptional learners?
For students that are too uncomfortable or cannot participate, you could supply
word magnets for them to create their own three word stories. You could supply a
similar a prompt so they still have roughly the same experience as their classmates.
If the students are having a difficult time with the prompt you provide, allow them
to choose their own. If they are having a difficult time piecing the story back
together, allow the students to help each other remember what the story was about
as they share with partners during reflection. If you have a rather small classroom
and want to make this last a bit longer, you could ask each student to supply a
sentence to the story.

Disclaimers & Cautions
This is designed to be fun. In order for students to learn from this strategy, reassure
them that your classroom is a safe place; it is okay to have fun at school. Remind
them to listen to each other and be respectful. Students need to know that they are
cared for, and they will be listened to as they share during the experience, and
during their reflections. It is also important that students remember to keep the
story school appropriate. This could be handled by allowing the teacher to choose
the prompt.

References and Related Resources:
Davis, L. (2015). Creating a classroom culture of laughter. Retrieved from
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/creating-classroom-culture-of-laughter-laura-davis
McNeely, R. (2002). Using humor in the classroom. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/tools/52165.htm
Teach for America. (2011). Classroom management and culture. Retrieved from
http://www.teachingasleadership.org/sites/default/files/Related-Readings/CMC_2011.pdf
Wrench, J. (2012). Public speaking: practice and ethics. Retrieved from
http://2012books.lardbucket.org/pdfs/public-speaking-practice-and-ethics/s07-theimportance-of-listening.pdf