Children Tell Stories: Table of Contents
Table of Contents
PREFACE xi
Introduction XV
Storytelling: The Rewards are Well Worth the Risks xv
How to Use this Book and Companion DVD xviii
Storytelling Is Fun! xx
1. The Power of Storytelling in the Classroom 1
An Ancient Tool with Enduring Power 1
Differences Between Storytelling and Story Reading 3
An Authentic Activity That Motivates Students 7
Imagination and Visualization 9
2. The Educational Benefits of Storytelling 13
Literacy Benefits 13
Enriching Emotional Development 20
Appreciation of Diversity and Cultures Other Than One's Own 23
Opening a World of Storytelling 25
3. Getting Started with Storytelling 27
The Importance of the Teacher as a Model 27
Setting the Tone for Storytelling 28
Telling Family and Personal Stories 29
Telling Jokes and Reciting Poems 30
Telling Stories with Puzzles or Riddles 31
Telling Stories Using Wordless Picture Books 31
Retelling Stories 31
Story Games 34
Story Theater 46
4. Planning and Preparing for a Storytelling Unit 47
Length of the Unit 47
What You'll Need 48
Planning for a Culminating Festival 50
Why We Discourage Contests 51
The Importance of Teacher Expectations and Encouragement 51
Dealing with Family Members with Reservations or Concerns 53
Enlisting the Aid of Others 54
Physical Setting and Rituals for Storytelling 58
How to Include Students with Disabilities 58
Working with English Language Learners (ELLs) 59
Cultural Differences 60
The Use of Props 61
Students Telling Stories with Partners 62
5. Introducing a Storytelling Unit 65
Observing Live Storytelling 65
Understanding the Importance of Storytelling Past and Present 66
Understanding the Practical Importance of Storytelling Skills 68
A Sense of Safety 68
Dealing with Nervousness 69
Listening Skills 70
6. Helping Students Choose Stories to Tell 75
Tips for Selecting Stories to Tell 75
Modeling Storytelling for Your Students 91
7. Helping Students Learn Their Stories 93
Creating an Awareness of the Oral Tradition 93
Making the Stories Their Own 95
Methods for Learning 96
Ways of Practicing 102
Specific Suggestions for Classroom Practice 103
Developing Characters 105
8. Helping Students Tell Their Stories 107
Beginnings and Endings 107
Change Your Voice in Many Ways 109
Put Expression on Your Face 117
Use Gestures to Help Listeners See Pictures in Their Minds 119
Look at the Listeners 124
Working with an Audience 125
9. Teachers Coaching Students, Students Coaching Students 129
Keep Your Priorities Straight 129
Our Style of Coaching Young Tellers 130
Coaching Older Students 133
Creating a Safe Environment for Risk Taking 134
Teaching Student Tellers How to Coach One Another 135
The Teacher/Leader's Role 140
Handling Various Problems 140
Suggestions to Keep Things Interesting 145
Tools That May Help 145
10. A Celebration of Stories 147
On the Road to Other Classrooms 148
A Family Storytelling Festival 148
A School Storytelling Festival on a Grand Scale 157
How to Celebrate in Your Community 158
More Creative Ways to Celebrate Storytelling 159
11. Assessing Student Storytellers 161
Self-Evaluation 161
Working with Rubrics 164
Using Assessments to Help with Fund-Raising 166
12. Storytelling Clubs and Troupes 169
Establishing Goals 169
Get 'Em While They're Young 171
Group Size 171
Laying Down the Ground Rules 173
How a Long Running Middle School Troupe Worked 174
Where Troupes Can Tell 176
Fund-Raising Ideas 176
For More Activities 177
13. Helping Students Develop Family and Personal Stories
for Telling and Writing 179
Sharing Your Own Stories 180
Collecting Family Stories 182
A Culminating Family Stories Event 191
14. Storytelling as an Integral Part of the Curriculum 197
How to Use Storytelling to Enliven Various Subject Areas 197
Character Education 217
Stories as Healing Tools 218
Integrated or Thematic Units 219
Conclusion: Words Take Wings 221
Appendices
A: Suggested Stories for Students to Tell 225
Stories from Our Anthologies Categorized by Difficulty for Telling by Second Through Eighth Graders 225
Bibliographies of Stories for Telling 228
Suggested Picture Books for Telling in Four Categories of Difficulty 229
Suggested Anthologies with Tellable Stories in Three Categories
of Difficulty 237
B: Storytelling Resources 242
Finding the Best Recent Resources: Storytelling Awards 242
Favorite Storytelling Sources 243
Storytelling Recordings 244
Storytelling Web Sites 251
Works Cited 253
Index 259
Companion DVD
Children Telling Stories: A Storytelling Unit in Action (20-minute video)
Four Students Sharing Stories at a Family Storytelling Festival (video)
Twenty-five Stories in Printable Format for Students to Tell
Sources for Stories in the Book and on the DVD