Francis Bacon
Bacon Academy · Grade 1 · Module E

Storytelling

Curiosity — "Create new stories based on your learning"

Thought Question to Ponder

"Has a story ever changed your mind about something real?"

Posted Week 1 · left open · answered aloud by students on Week 6, Day 5
Standing Teacher Practice — Fact vs. Guess

This module makes the true-vs-invented line the actual subject matter: a true story is something that really happened; a fable or invented story can still be honest about not being literally true while still teaching something real. Neither is dishonest — only pretending a guess or an invention is a fact would be.

How the day is structured →
  • Morning Circle — theme check-in
  • Outdoor Story Gathering (was Outdoor Observation/Inspiration Walk) — collecting real material to turn into stories
  • Movement / Free Play
  • Storyteller's Studio (was Sketch/Invention Studio) — building and telling stories, drawing only as needed to support them
  • Story / Read-Aloud
  • Lunch + unstructured outdoor time
  • Rest / quiet time
  • Second Block — project/synthesis time
  • Closing Circle — share out
The Six Weeks
Week 1Stories That Are True

tell a real story about something that actually happened, with a beginning, middle, and end.

Day 1
  • Morning Circle: introduce the Big Question, no discussion yet. Outdoor: think of one real thing that happened recently. Studio: skip drawing — oral share of a true small moment. Story: a read-aloud of a true/memoir-style picture book. Second Block: fact vs. guess — is this exactly what happened, or partly imagined/exaggerated? Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Outdoor: notice a real moment happening right now to remember later. Studio: practice telling a true story with a beginning-middle-end. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate the true story. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Outdoor: think of a true story involving an animal or nature moment (echoes Observe/Communities). Studio: tell that true nature story. Story: a nonfiction narrative. Second Block: check for accuracy vs. embellishment. Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Outdoor: think of a true story about learning something (echoes Inquisitive). Studio: tell the "how I learned X" story. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Outdoor: free reflection walk. Studio: choose a favorite true story of the week to polish. Story: recap. Second Block: share polished true stories. Closing: revisit Big Question — marinating.
Week 2Stories That Teach

introduce the fable — a story that teaches a lesson — connecting back to Imagineering's usefulness idea.

Day 1
  • Introduce fables. Outdoor: find an inspiration animal. Studio: begin a short fable using a Module D invented animal or a new one. Story: a classic, simple fable. Second Block: dictate the lesson the fable will teach. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Studio: build the fable's problem. Story: another fable. Second Block: dictate. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Studio: build the resolution and make the lesson explicit. Story: a fable. Second Block: dictate the full fable. Closing: tell the full fable aloud.
Day 4
  • Studio: practice telling it expressively. Second Block: rehearse with a partner, who guesses the lesson before being told — checks clarity. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Studio: polish the fable. Second Block: share in small groups. Closing: revisit Big Question — has a fable ever changed how you think about something?
Week 3Stories About Us

a cooperation story, echoing the "no single ant" idea from Communities.

Day 1
  • Introduce stories about groups working together. Outdoor: observe a real cooperative moment. Studio: begin a story about characters working together to solve a problem. Story: a teamwork story. Second Block: dictate the group and the problem. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Studio: build the middle — what goes wrong. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Studio: build the resolution — how cooperation solves it. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate the full story. Closing: tell the full story.
Day 4
  • Studio: practice different character voices. Second Block: rehearse. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Studio: polish. Second Block: share in circles. Closing: marinating nudge.
Week 4Stories That Ask Why

return to Module B's skill at a higher level, with real character and setting depth.

Day 1
  • Outdoor: collect a new unanswered why. Studio: begin a more developed invented-explanation story than Module B's version. Story: a myth read-aloud. Second Block: dictate the opening. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Studio: develop the character's motivation for seeking the answer. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Studio: build the climax and resolution. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate the full story. Closing: tell it in full.
Day 4
  • Studio: practice performing with expression, simple props/gestures allowed. Second Block: rehearse. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Studio: polish. Second Block: share in groups. Closing: marinating nudge toward the Big Question.
Week 5Choosing the Story That Matters Most

look back across the module's four stories and build one signature piece.

Day 1
  • Look back at all four stories made this module — which one feels most "true" in an important way, even if invented? Outdoor: reflection walk. Studio: begin drafting a combined or chosen signature story. Story: recap of a favorite read-aloud from the year. Second Block: dictate why this direction was chosen. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Studio: continue the signature story, weaving in patterns learned all year (fact vs. guess, usefulness, cooperation, true experience). Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Studio: continue. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate. Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Studio: finalize and polish. Second Block: full rehearsal. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Studio: light peer review, one partner feedback pass. Second Block: incorporate the final touch. Closing: marinating nudge — Big Question week next.
Week 6Big Question Week

answer with real evidence from the module — a story they can point to that actually moved them.

Day 5 (Fri) — Big Question Share-Out
  • Morning Circle: reintroduce the Big Question one final time.
  • Second Block: Share-Out — each child shares whether and how a story changed their mind about something real.
  • Closing Circle: celebrate the module; preview Module F (Build — the end-of-year capstone).
In Development — this module's day-shape and pacing are being refined with an experienced early-elementary educator before being finalized.
← Imagineering Grade 1 Home Build →