Making Stories, Making Books
-Workshop with Bonnie Farmer, author/teacher, English Montreal School Board.

Bonnie Farmer is the author of two picture books: Isaac's Dreamcatcher ( Preschool-Grade 1 / Ages 4-6), and ABC Letters in the Library ( …"with a multicultural cast ... the book effectively serves to encourage language play - and a visit to the library." - School Library Journal , Mar. 2005).

Ms Farmer's hands-on workshop showed teachers how picture books can help students generate vocabulary and images to create their own stories. The following are activities, Make Your Own Dreamcatcher and My Monster , are based on her storybooks.

Make Your Own Dreamcatcher:

Materials:
2 pipe cleaners 12” (30cm)
3 feathers
2 strings 50” (150cm)
1 pair of scissors
8 beads (put aside three)
1 small bottle of white glue

Instructions:

1. Place the two pipe cleaners side by side and twist them together to form one thick pipe cleaner.
2. Shape the thick pipe cleaner into a ring.
3. Tie one end of one string anywhere on the ring; make a double knot.
4. Make a half-hitch 1” away from the double knot and gently tighten. Continue making half-hitches 1” apart all the way around the ring, gently tightening as you go, until you are 1” away from the double knot. When you have made your way around the ring, you will notice a loop between each half-hitch.
5. Slip a bead on the end of the string and let it slide close to the ring.
6. Holding the bead close to the ring, slip the end of the string through the first loop to make another half-hitch. Continue making half-hitchers, adding a bead every so often and gently tightening as you go until you're almost out of string.
7. You will see a spider web form with a small hole in the middle.
8. Slide the last bit of string through one of the center loops and make a double knot. Snip excess string.
9. Cut the 2 nd string into 4 equal lengths and tie each piece to the ring at 4 equally distant points. You now have 4 double strings instead of 4 single ones.
10. Slide a bead onto 3 of the double strings.
11. Dab a bit of glue onto the shaft end of each feather and slip the feather into each bead. Snip excess string.
12. Tie a double knot near the end of the 4 th double string.
13. Voila, your dreamcatcher is ready to hang.

My Monster: Writing/Illustration Activity:

1. Illustration of My Monster (eg. cover page)
2. Monster Biography
   WHO - Your monster's name
   WHAT - What does your monster like to eat? Drink? Favorite colour?
   WHERE – Where does he live? Where does he/she come from?
   WHEN – When was your monster born?
3. Monster Monologue
With a partner choose one of the following settings and together write down what each of your monsters would say to each other:


1. The two of you are locked inside the janitor's broom closet.
2. You are both hiding under a table in the cafeteria from the lunch monitor.
3. You both forgot your homework at home and you're standing at your lockers.
4. On the way home on the school bus you both see the bus driver chewing bubblegum and blowing bubbles.
4. Monster Paragraph
   Once upon a time there was a monster whose name was___________________.
   He/She ________________________________

References:
www.lobsterpress.com
www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol8/o17/isaacsdreamcatcher.html

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