Storytelling

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How can stories influence the way we think and live?

Warm-up: Draw a quick collage of things, ideas, or images that come to mind when you hear the word culture. You have 5 minutes to collaborate with your group members and draw a telling picture.

Important term:
Culture: One's way of life (routines, beliefs, values, arts, traditions) usually shared by a group or community of people.

Model: Creation Myth of the Aboriginal Australian people (as told by Dr. Scott Campbell)

-A window into a culture (seeing past the words and events of the story)

What can I learn about this culture:

Beliefs?

Values?

Traditions?

Does this story influence the way YOU think?


GHOST STORY:

You are a colony of aliens who invaded earth 3000 years ago. You are especially interested in the species they call "humans."  Your alien community has recently come into contact with a story about a ghost in someone's family. Different alien mythologist groups have been assigned to study the story and figure out what it means.
Your mission is to figure out why this story might be told among other humans. The group who has the most convincing reason will go into Galactic Museum of Fun Facts about Humans! Yes!

In your groups:
1. develop a list of terms or ideas that you, as aliens, might be unfamiliar with
2. Circle the terms/ideas that matter to the meaning of the story
3. Write beliefs this culture (the human culture) might have
4. Write out what this culture (human culture) might value, based on the story.