Bring a story circle to your classroom, led by Anansi the Weaver of Stories. Children read a big question together, pause to wonder, then hear Anansi answer in his own voice. Then the circle turns to each other and talks it over. Each question adds a thread to your class story web.
The free Anansi Story Chest lets you try the circle. The kit is the full classroom program: 110 voiced questions, two new kit-only decks, an offline version, and everything you need to print.
What's inside
The Story Circle app, offline. Unzip, open, and it runs in your browser with no internet and no sign-in. Made for computers and smartboards.
Four decks, 110 questions, all in Anansi's voice:
The Anansi Story Chest (20)
The Anansi Question Archive (50)
Seasons of the Circle (20, new): the school year from the first day to summer, with Kwanzaa, Black History Month and Juneteenth
The Ancestors' Journeys (20, new): from the steelpan to the Ring Shout to the griot. The stories in Anansi's answers were adapted from the book The Ancestors' Journeys: African & Diasporic Stories of Spirit, Memory, and Freedom by Bradford William Pazant, M.Ed.
Printable cards for every question: the question on the front and Anansi's answer on the back, for days without a screen, small groups and substitutes.
Student pages: My Question for Anansi, Our Story Web, Anansi Says / I Say, and a family page in English and Spanish.
Story Circle poster with five circle agreements.
Weaver of Stories certificate for every child.
Facilitator guide (11 pages): setup, the circle step by step, a four-week morning meeting plan, talking-piece routines, guidance for tender topics, and standards alignment (Common Core SL.K.1–SL.3.1 and SL.K.2–SL.3.2, CASEL, C3).
Grades: K–3
Format: One zip file (49 MB) with the offline app and a Printables folder (PDF)
Works on: Windows, Mac and Chromebook computers and smartboards, in a web browser. The offline app does not run on iPads or phones.
License: One teacher, for use with their own students. Please do not share the files or post them online. For a grade-level team or school license, please contact Teach Between the Lines.
The question comes first. Anansi waits. Then the circle talks.
© 2026 Teach Between the Lines. Illustrations created with AI tools.