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**Curriculum Tie-Ins : Oral Presentation, Literacy, Art**
Story Ribbons: For Remembering and Retelling
by Deb Marshall
A Story Ribbon is a fun and easy way to remember and retell stories.
Here is what you will need to make your own:
A story (see below for one you can use)
Two pieces of 8 ½ by 11 paper, any color
old magazines (optional)
Scissors.
Pencil and crayons or markers
A roll of ribbon (use wide ribbon, at least ½ inch).
Stapler or stick glue
The Story
We are going to use an old Russian Folktale called, The Great Big Enormous Turnip.
The characters in bold lettering are the ones you will need for your ribbon. This is how I tell the story, but when you are sharing yours, you can use your own words!
The Great Big Enormous Turnip
Once upon a time an old man planted a turnip seed and said, “Grow sweet little turnip, grow strong little turnip.”
All summer long the old man watered, and weeded, weeded and watered. All summer long, the turnip grew sweet. The turnip grew strong. The turnip grew great big, and enormous!
When fall came along the old man went out to pull the turnip up, but no matter how hard he pulled, the turnip would not come out!
The old man called for the old woman. The old woman came and pulled on the old man. The old man pulled on the turnip. They pulled, and they yanked, and they tugged, but the turnip would not come out!
The old woman called for the little girl. The little girl came and pulled on the old woman. The old woman pulled on the old man, and the old man pulled on the turnip. They pulled, and they yanked, and the tugged, but the turnip would not come out!
The little girl called the dog. The dog came and pulled on the little girl, the little girl pulled on the old woman, the old woman pulled on the old man, and the old man pulled on the turnip. They pulled, they yanked and they tugged, but the turnip would not come out!
The dog called the cat. The cat came and pulled on the dog, the dog pulled on the little girl, the little girl pulled on the old woman, the old woman pulled on the old man, and the old man pulled on the turnip. They pulled and they yanked, and they tugged, but the turnip would not come out!
The cat called the mouse. The mouse came and pulled on the cat. The cat pulled on the dog, the dog pulled on the little girl, the little girl pulled on the old woman, the old woman pulled on the old man, and the old man pulled on the turnip. They pulled, and they yanked, and they…POP, the turnip came out of the ground, just like that.
They took that turnip home, they peeled it, boiled and ate it all up!
The Ribbon
Now that you have your story, cut your two sheets of 8 ½ by 11 pieces of paper cut into four squares each. That should give you eight squares. On one square print the title of the story and your name. On each of the other squares draw one of the characters that you saw in bold lettering in the story. When you are done drawing them you can cut them out, or leave them in the squares.
Option: Instead of drawing the characters, you can also cut them out from old magazines.
Next, cut a piece of ribbon from your roll, making sure that is long enough to hold the title and all the characters. I usually pull out the ribbon and lay everything on it first, then cut.
Now you are ready to staple or glue everything to the ribbon, in this order:
The Big Enormous Turnip, by (your name)
Turnip
Old Man
Old Woman
Little Girl
Dog
Cat
Mouse
There is only one more thing for you to do. Share your Story Ribbon with family and friends. As you tell the story, hold it up and point to each character, telling what happens in the story in your own words. Have fun with your story and don’t forget to tell it again, again and again!
You can use the ending I have, or make up your own. You may also decide that instead of a turnip, the old man plants a radish, a carrot, or an onion! The next time you visit your library, check out some of the following books to see what other storytellers have done with this tale.
Additional Activities:
Write out your story and read it to family and friends.
Use your story ribbons to decorate your classroom, by creating a Story Ribbon wall!
A Reading List for Followup.
The Tale of the Turnip, by Brian Alderson
The Enormous Potato, by Aubrey Davis
Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip, by Denia Hester
The Giant Carrot, by Jan Peck
The Gigantic Turnip, by Niamh Sharkey
The Giant Cabbage: An Alaska Folktale, by Cherie B. Stihler
The Gigantic Turnip, by Risako Uchida
The Big Pumpkin, by David J. Whitin
A Little Story About a Big Turnip, by Tatiana Zunshine
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