1. UNIT 1 – STORYTELLING LESSON 3 – WHAT STORIES DO WE TELL?

2. TELLING THE STORY OF THE ASSUMPTION COMMUNITY Assumption High School was founded in 1955 by the Sisters of Mercy in the spirit of Catherine McAuley. These founding sisters had the goal of establishing a school where young women were educated to advance themselves academically, but also to broaden their understanding of the importance of service and compassion toward others. Assumption creates and maintains an atmosphere which values the bond between “sisters” and the love of living life to its fullest through joy and laughter. THIS is the Spirit of Mercy that lives within our walls and surrounds you each and every day…and the story we MUST tell!

3. SEVEN ELEMENTS OF STORYTELLING A Point of View: who is telling it? A Dramatic Question: captures attention from the beginning, answer at end Emotion: feelings and memories, keeps our attention Economy: compact, brief, fast moving, no more than 5 minutes Pacing: keeps viewer engaged Moral/Message: In our case it is “The Spirit of Mercy”

4. LISTENING The first step to collecting stories is to become a good listener. Good listeners encourage great storytelling. When a speaker feels that the listener is interested, he or she is more inspired to communicate generously. A good listener gives full attention to the teller, does not interrupt or contradict the facts of a story as it is being told She offers the teller encouragement with an interested facial expression and body stance. When a teller feels encouraged by an interested listener, there will be a spark of excitement and enjoyment in the telling.

5. INTERVIEWING An effective way to learn stories is to ask questions. Stories can be collected by interviewing. When planning for this, you will want to make a mental or written list of topics that might generate some questions to ask the elder. We will use a series of interview questions in the hopes of obtaining a good story to retell!

6. ASKING QUESTIONS… People, places, events, objects, important transitions, work, or travel can be story starters. You will be asking questions of a specific group, but if it is a more general story you are seeking, these are good to start off! Although short-term memory may sometimes be limited in the older interviewees, long-term memory may be very much intact. We need to help the teller journey back in time to retrieve these treasures. Focus on the senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell, touch, and taste These can often illicit the most vivid memories which can lead to a great story being shared!

7. NOW… LET’S GET STARTED! CHECK OUT THE RUBRIC/EXPLANATION IN THE CONTENT LIBRARY!