Classroom Strategies
During this unit, students will spend time gaining an understanding of the storytelling process. It is my aim to make sure that students are exposed to every aspect of being a true storyteller. This process, which will not happen overnight; it is aimed at building a foundation for their understanding, which will lead them to a total understanding of what it takes to become a storyteller. While there are a number of daily activities that students will undertake, listed below is an overview of some the core activities to be used during this unit.
Listening, Analyzing, and Writing
Providing students with an opportunity to listen, analyze, and write about stories is essential to the success of this curriculum unit. While they will have time to gather stories from their families, they will spend time in the classroom examining numerous stories. While my students have had the opportunity to use these techniques (listening, analyzing, and writing) during our Reading block, using them with this genre of writing will require a totally different approach. This series of exercises will require the students to do a number of things. First of all, they have to take time to patiently listen to the stories. Following this part of the process, students will be required to analyze and write about the story from a variety of perspectives to gain a better understanding of the text. During the process of analyzing the text, students will ask themselves a series of questions, which can include, but not be limited to the following: (1) What is the theme of this text?; (2) What was the author's motivation/purpose for writing this text?; (3) What words or phrases resonate with you while listening to and reading this text?; (4) Are there any words or phrases within this text that inspire you to move parts of your body?; and (5) What makes this piece of text a good/bad for storytelling purposes?
Storytelling Games
Taking students through a series of games connected to storytelling will assist them in developing skills needed to be successful during this process. These games, which can be tailored to fit whatever age group you are working with, are designed to give the classroom teacher a series of creative activities. The activities will enhance their communication skills (verbal) and listening skills (auditory). Both skills are essential to effective storytelling. Some of the storytelling games that can be used are: (1) Walks of Life; (2) Pun Puzzles; (3) Places, Persons and Things; (4) Town and Countries; and (5) Questions and Answers. Details about these games and others can be found in the book, Storytelling Games by Doug Lipman.
Working with a certified Storyteller
While we as classroom teachers are experts at a number of things, I know that taking on the role of a storyteller for me can be a daunting experience. With this in mind, I have contacted my local state Storytelling Association and local city chapter to seek professionals to come into my classroom. Depending upon your budget, this can be an affordable experience. While still in the planning stages, we have had conversations around the development of a Short Term Arts Residency (STAR) program. The STAR program will allow the certified storyteller to come into my classroom and work with my students on a number of techniques that include: development of visualization, student engagement, and connecting the story to a life lesson.
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