Today marked the end of a very special opportunity we were fortunate enough to have, that being our time with Ms. Field and participating in Story Workshop.

Although our sessions with Ms. Field have ended, that does not mean that our opportunities for Story Workshop need to end as well. The beautiful thing about Story Workshop is that stories are all around us, they are within us. There are ample amounts of materials in our surroundings that have the beautiful possibility of evolving into something else right before our eyes. These items are used as inspiration to derive our stories from. Do the materials hold meaning or significance to us? Do the materials inspire a creative and imaginative story out of us? Do the materials remind us of an experience or memory that we once lived?

The possibilities are endless…

I witnessed magic during our sessions of Story Workshop. Students that initially were hesitant and or intimidated by the writing process demonstrated consistent engagement, passion, curiosity and ultimately enjoyment for the writing process. They were eager and willing to orally share their story as well as draw and write their story in written communication form. 

I also found that Story Workshop encouraged our young authors to find the beginnings of their own authentic writer’s voice, as the objects within our story studio provided a supportive, interactive and challenging environment. Over time, students also began snapping their ideas together and collaborating their stories.

Throughout the story process, students would select the materials of their choosing (whatever they were drawn to), and would first create their story, then orally share their story with others and if time permitted, began recording their story. This process supported the opportunity for students to develop their reading, writing, listening, speaking, critical thinking, and imaginative problem-solving capabilities. During the share-out process, as an audience, students would ask questions, drawn inspiration from others and or provide thoughtful compliments. Again, the possibilities were endless, as stories continued on to the next day, or next week, listening to others’ stories provided inspiration for other stories to be created as they could add on to the original story etc, the possibilities…. were… endless…. 

What will inspire your next story?