Pirate Story Table Kit

What Are Story Tables?

Story tables provide excellent literacy experiences as children use props to sequence, recount, and retell stories. This process helps them grasp concepts about print in an engaging manner.

How to Use Your Pirate Story Table Kit

Setting Up:

• Find a quiet area in your classroom for the story table.
• Cover part of the table with the provided fabric.
• Arrange the various props in an interesting and inviting manner.
• Place the writing tools provided on the table, along with any other tools you have available, such as notebooks, coloured paper, and whiteboards.
• Display the original shared story about pirates along with any other pirate books and pictures you have.

The Role of the Teacher:

• Introduce the Pirate Story Table in an engaging way, ensuring the children know that everything on the table should remain there.
• Observe the children discreetly while they play, taking note of the language they use and any writing that can be addressed later during group instructional time.
• Provide feedback to the children only after the play session has concluded. Since this type of play is imaginative and creative, the teacher’s role is primarily observational rather than participatory.

How Does a Story Table Complement Your Literacy Programme?

A story table will:

• Encourage children to retell a story using their own language.
• Invite children to create their own stories using the props.
• Provide opportunities for practising writing skills.
• Encourage children to return to the shared book to reread the story independently or with

peers.

• Duration

• A story table should remain available as long as the children are interested in playing with the props. You may refresh the table by replacing the loose parts with new ones to sustain interest.
Once interest has waned, pack the props into the provided box for future use.

Suggested Picture Book Titles for This Kit:

• Captain Jack and the Pirates by Peter Bentley & Helen Oxenbury
• The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate by Margaret Mahy
• Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
• The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate by Joy Cowley
• Pirates Next Door by Jonny Duddle
• How Pirates Really Work by Alan Snow