1. Storytelling in the Classroom April 22, 2009 4:00 - 6:00 Teacher Center of Broome County Presented by L onna Pierce MaryAnn Karre

2. Once Upon a Time.... ·Teaching WAS storytelling ·Encouraged students to tell and write ·Details of stories remembered better than by reading

3. Why teach storytelling now? ·Anyone can tell - comfort with language leads to better writing ·Best vehicle for passing along factual info ·Emotional outlet - therapeutic

4. Stories: ·Promote relaxation & well-being ·Increase willingness to communicate ·Offer life lessons ·Allow students to see stories as art ·Encourage imagination & creativity

5. So much more ・.. ·Increases ability to recall sensory details ·Improves expression, body language ·Encourages active participation ·Teaches character education ·Encourages cooperation STORYTELLING BUILDS CONFIDENCE!

6. Applications to subject areas: ·Obviously ELA Classics, folk tales, fables ·Social Studies Family stories, histories Cultural tales, Native American and African Tales ·Technology - Digital Storytelling ·Character Education

7. In Language Arts, Storytelling: ·Enhances listening skills ·Builds prediction & problem-solving skills ·Increases verbal proficiency ·Models effective language

8. Stories: ·Help develop higher order thinking skills ·Teach sequencing! ·Help apply successful reading strategies ·Teach new language patterns ·Motivate readers!

9. Stories are Social tools: Allow children to: ·Explore cultural roots ·Experience diverse cultures ·Empathize with others ·Explore traditions, values ·Share universal life experiences ·Recognize commonalities of cultures ·Discover new ideas!

10. Science And MATH?? ·New studies show Storytelling students understand MATH better! ·Use of pourquoi tales can increase understanding of science concepts

11. Best reason of all? ·Children and adults LOVE stories Storytelling creates magic and a sense of wonder at the world

12. How to get started: 1. Find a story that you like. 2. Read it at least 3 times 3. Make a list of events in the story as they happen - PLOT and Storyboard 4. Tell someone the story

13. To use as a unit: ·Supply lots of stories ·Teach many methods of learning stories for variety of learning styles ·Allow plenty of time ·Model technique

14. Three step unit: 1. Choosing stories 2. Learning stories 3. Practicing technique

15. Have fun! ·Lots of helpers in packet ·Many online resources for inspiration

16. Step 1: Provide lots of stories - Make sure that they are suitable for students - Appropriate reading levels - Interesting topics - Suitable length

17. ·Aesops's fables ·Anansi tales ·Pourquoi tales ·Mitch and Martha books ·Tales in a Nutshell (see links) Suggestions:

18. Allow each student to read at least THREE to TEN stories Have some way for them to RATE or SORT them Each student should end up with only ONE tale!

19. Step 2: LEARNING the TALE After first read-through, have students circle strange words Provide alternate words or phrases As they learn story better, they should underline important words or phrases Storyboarding helps understanding, plus easier to tell from pictures than words

20. Time to pick story Read it at least twice Draw beginning, middle end

21. Step 3: Presentation Technique Games to encourage expression Games to encourage gestures Modeling!

22. Time to practice! Pick a partner Tell your tale

23. What do we do now?? * Storytelling night for parents * Tell to other classrooms * Record stories for website

24. Questions?? PierceL@BinghamtonSchools.org KarreM@BinghamtonSchools.org http://BinghamtonSchools.org Horace Mann Library Media Center Storytelling Schools