10 tips for storytelling in your classroom

• The boy who wanted to live forever: Part one: Departure and the Journey.

• Why storytelling?• Tips and strategies ‘It’s the way you tell them’• Promoting Storytelling in your classroom• Retelling today’s story• Resources• The boy who wanted to live forever: Part two: The

return.

Introduction and outline of the workshop.

• The boy who wanted to live forever: Part one: Departure and the Journey.

• Story telling: the first part• Sharing a story in pairs• Prediction• Changing the narrator• Activities: book making, storyboard/comic

strip, notes for retelling, puppet making etc

Why tell stories?‘I like my teacher telling stories because I can see what he is saying,’ Gary aged ten Story serves throughout our lives as a framework for sharing, contemplating and evaluating where we are on the journey In a multi cultural schools such as ours, the stories from many different cultures not only enriches our experiences but helps to to create a community of sharing and belonging Storytelling can reveal patterns of narrative, plot, perspectives and sequences that can enrich and engage with the writing process Writing develops on a sea of talking. Narratives help us to influence our abilities in other modes of discourse such as argument Live listening is participating not passive receiving and extends the climate for the development of oracy skills

11 ways of choosing and retelling a story with children

1. Choose a story2. Find an audience3. Story pictures4. Story swap5. Story games6. Story patterns7. Telling into writing8. Writing into telling9. Anecdotes and personal stories10. Chain whispers11. Making changes

Choose a story

• Anthologies• Folk tales• Visitors• Human Libraries• Audio & video resources

Story swap

• Swap between teacher and student• Student and teacher• Student and student• Class to class• School to school• School to community

Tips and hints 1

Don't  learn  every  word  try  telling  it  out  loud  to  yourself  a  couple  of  times.

A  set  of  cue  cards  may  help  you  to  remember  the  

narrative  sequence  at  first.

Use  a  tape  recorder  to  prepare  your  telling  and,  if  you are  confident,  to  record classroom  telling. Your  tone  of  voice  should  be  of  one  sharing  secrets  or juicy  bits of  gossip to establish  an  intimate  atmosphere.

 

I  like  you  telling  stories  because  you  look  at  us.

Tips and hints 2Rhythm  and  repetition  in  the  storyteller's  voice  encourage  participation.

Make  good  use  of  eye  contact  and  gestures  throughout  the  telling.

Gather  the  children  who  are  to  hear  the  story  around  you  as  closely  as  you  can.Have  a  special  storytelling  chair,  as  part  of  a  classroom story  area. Use  props  e.g.  try  dressing  up  or  using  puppets  or  artifacts. Relax  and  enjoy  yourself !

 

Story Resources 1Different versions of stories can be created in many ways. Interviews, role plays, verbal recording of places, events and situations. Stories can be told again in the same way, or in a different version or form, from a different point of view or before and after the vents they have heard.

 

Retelling is at the heart of story telling. From visual, written, oral and audio starting points the children can retell stories, from the television, from games they have played, from films, from their parents, grandparents

 

Stop the story. How did it change on retelling it? Which parts changed? Why? Can we add anything or take anything away? What affect would that have? Does the story have a message, an ethic or a bias- how can we change that? What will happen next?

 

Talking partners. Storytelling is about listening, sharing and communication. Children can cooperate and discuss a story together and give feedback on content, style and impact.

 

‘When I listen to someone it is like saying I am interested, like I am her friend and that I want to share’ Joanne 12

Story resources 2An audience is essential, a mirror for the story and the story teller, talking and

listening are enactive. Stories are changed, modified retold to many audiences

at different times. Children, classes, other teachers, parents schools over the

internet, filmed, ‘Skyped.’ Audiences can reciprocate by being part of the story

or story tellers themselves.

 

Storytelling objects are essential props- especially for English Language

Learners. Fabrics, stones, jars, man made and natural materials or a dressing

up box. All can promote, extend and fix stories within a context that is here and

now, as well as being starting or end points.

 

Story Chests are also great resources. Piles of words based around the four

story components- ‘characters,’ ‘events,’ ‘places’ and ‘special objects’ that can

be provided and ‘scaffolded’ by the teacher for all learning abilities

Story telling discussions

• Who tells stories?• Where do they come from?• Where do we hear them?• Who do you tell stories too?• What are stories for?• What qualities do you need to be a good

storyteller?

The boy who wanted to live forever: Part two: The return.

A story frame for all story types of stories

• THE ORDINARY WORLD. Change• THE CALL TO ADVENTURE. Opportunity• REFUSAL OF THE CALL. Doubt• MEETING WITH THE MENTOR. Belief • CROSSING THE THRESHOLD. The Leap• TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES Weathering early storms• A NEW APPROACH. Allies• THE ORDEAL. The test of fear and a call to courage• THE REWARD. The Boon. The Elixir• THE ROAD BACK. Bringing the treasure home• THE RESURRECTION/TRANSFORMATION• RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR. The power to transform

Acknowledgements

• AEMS, storytelling group Cheshire, UK 1991• thewritersjourney.com• The Hero with a Thousand faces, Joseph

Campbell• Italo Calvino: Italian Folk Tales