Do you need a bit of help
with developing your stories in the classroom?
Try our learning guide, which was developed to help the teachers involved in the project.
Below we also have some great stories and activities with ideas of how to inspire you to create original tales or tell old favourites in a new way.
Sankofa Toolkit for Teachers
Sankofa Toolkit for Teachers – this is a series of developed classroom activities and lesson plans, which have been tried and tested by partners and teachers in the UK, Czech Republic and Slovakia. It puts into practice many of the ideas introduced in the Sankofa Learning Guide. Look here to find resources which build storytelling skills and ways to use stories to learn about global issues such as migration, gender equality and climate change. Through exploring stories, students are also developing critical thinking and literacy skills. Each classroom activity is clearly related to the Sustainable Development Goals and contains all the links and printable resources that you need to run the session. In some discussion activities, Philosophy 4 Children is used and support materials for this practice can be found in the Learning Guide.
Sankofa tried and tested activities 
# | Summary | Sankofa Themes | Links to SDGs | Age | Contributor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Million Bottle Wonder – this activity can fire imaginations of creative use of unwanted items as part of studying climate action. |
Sustainable Consumption, recycling | ![]() |
4-11 yrs | Global Learning London |
2 | Reduce reuse, recycle – it’s in our hands – this activity explores actions which promote a more sustainable lifestyle. |
‘The story of stuff’ - reduce reuse recycle. An ‘Explore’ activity. | ![]() |
4-11 yrs | Global Learning London |
3 | This is my home because...
This activity explores how ‘home’ is important in feeling valued, belonging, security, comfort, friendship, love etc This is an important introductory activity to exploring migration, refugees and what it means to feel part of a community. |
Identity and belonging. Migration | ![]() ![]() |
4-11 yrs | CDEC |
Sankofa Stories 
# | Title | Themes | Summary | Type of story | Contributor | Links |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | What makes me Happy? Junjie’s film | Recycling, Friendship | A story of 8 year old Junjie, a boy in China, who takes action and shares what makes him happy. Junjie tells us through his story that what makes him happy is having friends to be with and not just being by himself. Junjie searches the streets for re-useable products, but he is also searching for friendship | Digital -film | Global Learning London | https://youtu.be/L4MqQGWl6D4 |
2 | Flip Flotsam by Elspeth Murray film | Recycling, happiness | What happens to the world’s most popular footwear after its original use? This ode to the flip-flop and its life after human footwear use can be found here. There is a beautifully shot short film based on the poem. It looks at the story of flipflops in Kenya – how they are made, worn and eventually reused for children’s toys. | Digital poem and film | Global Learning London | Site Trailer The full film |
3 | The Journey by Francesca Sanna | Migration, refugees | This beautifully illustrated picture book introduces a powerful and moving perspective on migration for readers of all ages. Told through the eyes of a young girl, the story explores the decisions made as a mother and her two children are forced to flee their home and everyone they know to escape the turmoil of war. | Picture Book | CDEC | Site read aloud by ‘Read me a Book’ Ideas and questions to discuss the book with children. |
4 | Something Else by Kathryn Cave | Belonging, exclusion, acceptance | This simple story, is about a small creature who does his best to join in with the others. But he's different. No matter how he tries, he just doesn't belong. Then Something turns up and wants to be friends. But Something Else isn't sure he's like him at all... | Picture book – for age 5-10 years | CDEC | Read aloud |
5 | What has happened to the seasons? | Climate change Original story Story | A short comic strip created by pupils of Horní Maršov school. […] |
SEVER ZŠ Horní Maršov | Read the whole story | 6 | The destruction of Krkonoše mountains forests (CZ) | Biodiversity Climate change Story | A story from the life of Pavel Klimeš |
SEVER | Read the whole story | 7 | Voda uvnitř / The water inside (CZ) | Biodiversity Climate change Story | The story how ordinary people can live when |
SEVER | Read the whole story |
Our workshops
The workshops have been created as a part of the Sankofa project.
Sankofa workshops
Gender Equality and Storytelling
TAGSworkshop
Sankofa workshops
Anti-racism through Storytelling
TAGSworkshop
Sankofa workshops
Storytelling as a Wellbeing Tool
TAGSworkshop