Most groups made multiple stories because they would think about something else they wanted to try once they finished one story. They quickly got to work figuring out how puppet pals worked. Then, students split into groups of 2 or 3 with an iPad and spread out throughout the library. We did a quick demo on the board by having 2 students come up and make a quick story in the moment. Puppet Pals lets you record up to 2 minutes of audio which sets it apart from some other apps that only let you record for 30 seconds. With a record button, every movement and voice is recorded as long as it takes place in front of the backdrop. Users can move their scenes and characters off stage when they are not in use. You can upload your own images for the characters and scenes or choose from the library of options. This app allows you to select up to 8 characters and 5 scenes. During the story, we had great discussions about how technology has impacted our lives in positive and negative ways because in the story the kamishibai man has to quit his job because people would rather watch tv.įollowing the story, we practiced our own way of oral storytelling using puppet stages, characters, and backdrops in an iPad app called Puppet Pals. At each storytelling session, the kamishibai man would sell homemade candies which was how he made his living. The stories are told in a series so that audience members want to come again and again. A kamishibai uses a wooden box mounted on a bicycle to display beautiful paintings which inspire oral stories. Our read aloud was Kamishibai Man, which tells the story of an old man who has retired from his work of traveling into the city to sell candy and tell stories.

In the library, we also read a book by Allen Say to fold into this class conversation, but we used the library lesson for another purpose, too: tinkering.

In class, they have read multiple books, compared and contrasted, and started identifying what marks a book as Allen Say’s work.

Third grade has been working on an Allen Say author study.

Kamishibai man book