The Story Champs® Kit includes materials to support 3 tiers of instruction – large group, small group, and individual settings. Story Champs intervention includes 24 stories, corresponding illustrations, and vibrant storytelling icons that represent key story grammar elements. These icons are used throughout Story Champs to help visually reinforce the key story grammar elements. Story Champs also includes games and peer tutoring activities that keep all participants engaged during the learning process – plus so much more!

Your Story Champ® Kit Will Include the Following:

STORY BOOK

Story Champs offers a systematic approach to increasing a student’s language complexity with leveled stories. The intervention program includes 24 stories, with 144 story iterations that allow interventionists to target varying levels of language complexity. Intervention should be adjusted based on the language needs of the children regardless of age and ability. Personal themed stories are used so that most children can relate to the content, which serves as a familiar context for learning new and difficult language targets.

CLASSIC STORIES (12 stories)

The first 12 stories of the program are typically needed when students first begin the program. They are simple stories used to initially teach story structure. There are two levels of each of the 12 stories. Level A stories align with expectations in preschool and beginning of kindergarten. Level B stories correspond to kindergarten and first-grade expectations.

• LEVEL A: Basic Story Structure
• LEVEL B: Enhanced Story Structure

BLITZ STORIES (12 stories)

Students are ready to move on to Blitz stories (13-24) when additional stories are needed to continue intervention on the basic (Level A) and enhanced (Level B) story structures OR when students demonstrate proficiency in understanding and producing the Level B Classic stories.

• LEVEL A: Vocabulary Words; Vocabulary Words from Context
• LEVEL B: Vocabulary Words; Vocabulary Words from Context
• LEVEL C: Causal Connections (because, so that)
• LEVEL D: Temporal Connections (after, when)
• LEVEL E: Modifiers (Adverbs, Adjectives)
• LEVEL F: Causal and Temporal Connections
• LEVEL G: Causal Connections and Modifiers
• LEVEL H: Temporal Connections and Modifiers
• LEVEL I: Causal Connections, Temporal Connections, and Modifiers
• LEVEL J: Advanced Story Structure

ILLUSTRATION CARDS and DIGITAL PRESENTATION

A set of Story Champs 4.75” x 6” illustration cards accompanies each of the Classic and Blitz stories. An interactive, digital presentation of the illustrations, along with icons needed to teach story structure is included with the kit. CLICK HERE to see a demonstration. The illustrations are strategically designed to encourage the use of academic language. There are minimal details depicted in each illustration, which promotes the use of literate language and inferencing skills. For all Level A-I stories, use only five illustration cards; however, for Level J stories, all eight illustration cards are needed. Illustrations and icons are also provided in a digital presentation format on the flash drive included in the kit.

Example of Level A-I stories (5 illustrations)

Example of Level J stories (8 illustrations)

ICONS

To help students learn the structure of stories (also called Story Grammar or macrostructure) and information passages, brightly colored Story Champs icons are included in the materials. Their use is detailed in the Master Lesson Plans. Story Champs icons for grammar are used for narrative lessons and Passage Icons are used for informational lessons. The icons help to make abstract structures more concrete and provide systematic visual support that can be faded as students master the structures. The Story Champs program also uses icons to teach linguistic structures and vocabulary words. In the lessons, causal and temporal connections are taught using the Connection Icons, and vocabulary words and modifiers are taught using the Sparkle Icons. In the informational lessons, the New Term Icon is used to remind students to use and remember the new concepts from the information passage.

CHAMP CHECKS

For large group lessons, Champ Checks were developed to engage all students in independent storytelling without the need for the interventionist to listen to stories one at a time. Champs Checks is a peer tutoring system that supports partner retelling. Although necessary for large group lessons, Champ Checks can also be used in small group lessons as an additional story game, or when small groups include four or more students.

• 15 Champ Checks for levels A/B
• 15 Champ Checks for levels C-I/J

STORY STARTER CARDS

Once students have had sufficient practice retelling the model stories and can demonstrate proficient retelling skills, it is appropriate to challenge students to generate their own stories. The set of Story Starter Cards can be used to encourage students to create a fictional story based on a single image. This can be done orally, or the students can write a story based on a Story Champs Cards.

• 1 deck of 30 cards

STORY GAMES FOR SMALL GROUPS

The purpose of the Story Games is to ensure all students are actively engaged during small group lessons when a single student is retelling or telling a story. There are three sets of Story Game materials and one game that is played without materials (i.e., Story Gestures). Only one game is needed per lesson, but sometimes using a variety of games encourages engagement.

• Story Cubes (4 included)
• Story Bingo Cards (4 icluded)
• Story Sticks (4 sets included)