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Article issued September 19, 2001
The World of Storytelling
The art of storytelling has a long and venerable history, dating back for centuries. This thematic unit explores storytelling history, and engages students to learn storytelling techniques.
Long before there were written books, the storyteller performed an important function in society -- teaching, entertaining, and maintaining an oral record of historical events. Storytelling is as old as language itself. Early hunters of ancient tribes used language to tell of their adventures, and often used their imaginations to embellish their tales.
Over the centuries, storytelling has been used to pass down oral history. Generations passed before those stories were ever written down, and by then they had metamorphosed into epics, legends, folktales and fairy tales.
Today, the art of storytelling is still an important skill. It is used in many professions and in daily life. We tell stories every day. Most of them are short descriptions of daily events, or the interesting and funny things we learn about. Learning to tell a good story can help us to be successful in many types of careers. Examples of professionals that make use of storytelling are teachers, librarians, public speakers, actors, entertainers, journalists, historians, lawyers, tour guides and politicians. In addition to helping us in our careers, being able to tell stories can be very useful for having fun with family and friends--especially around the campfire!
Learn More!
Web sites
Reading List
- Breneman, Lucille N. & Bren. Once Upon a Time: A Storytelling Handbook. Nelson Hall, 1983. ISBN 0830410074.
- Dubrovin, Vivian and Bobbi Shupe. Tradin' Tales With Grandpa: A Kid's Guide for Intergenerational Storytelling. Storycraft Publishing, 2000. ISBN 096383944.
- Dubrovin, Vivian and Bobbi Shupe. Storytelling For The Fun Of It: A Handbook For Children. Storycraft Publishing, 1999. ISBN 09638339160.
- Holt, David and Bill Mooney, editors. Ready-To-Tell Tales: Sure-Fire Stories From America's Favorite Storytellers. August House, 1994. ISBN 0874833817.
LESSON 1:
Choosing a Story to Tell
Concepts:
You will learn what makes a good story, and how to prepare a story for telling.
Lesson:
Choosing a great story is crucial to having a successful storytelling experience. A truly great storyteller might be able to make a dull story interesting, but more likely he or she will know how to choose a good story in the first place.
Ideal stories for storytelling are short and have simple plots. Folktales, fables, and fairy tales are often best for beginning storytellers. Below is a list of resources you can use to help students find a good story to tell. Students can review the worksheet What Makes a Good Story? to make sure a story fits all the criteria that make it a good story to tell.
Once a story has been chosen, students will need to prepare the story for telling. Use the Story Structure worksheet to break the story into its component parts. Use the Story Structure example, Little Red Riding Hood as a reference. To add spice, students can change components of the story to change its meaning or focus.
Additional Resources:
Here is a list of links to sites on the Internet where you can find stories available online. Most of these stories are folktales and fairy tales.
LESSON 2:
My Oral History
Concepts:
You will learn how to choose and prepare a family story for telling.
Lesson:
When a story is passed down from generation to generation through storytelling, it is known as oral history. Today, although most stories have been written down, there are still stories that are passed down through families, preserved only in the memories of those who have heard the story.
Ask your children:
Do you have a favorite family story you could prepare to tell to others? It could be about an ancestor or a more recent event such as how your parents met, or the fish that got away, or the bear that ate someone's camping food!
Ask your children to try to remember a story that they've heard you or another member of the family tell more than once. They can interview other family members about a story, and hear it told again.
Have them write it down using the worksheet What Makes a Good Story? as a guide.
Next, use the Story Structure worksheet to have students break the story into its component parts. Use the Story Structure Example, Little Red Riding Hood as a reference. To add spice, students can change components of the story to change its meaning or focus.
Additional Resources
LESSON 3:
Preparing Your Story
Concepts:
You will learn to prepare characters and events, and memorize key elements of a story.
Lesson:
Using the Story Structure Outline that students created in Lesson 1 or Lesson 2, have students analyze the scene and the characters. Have students write a descriptive paragraph about the setting of the story, and about its characters. Who are the main characters? Who are the villains? Who are the helper characters? What do they look like? Students can draw pictures of their story or characters to feel closer to them.
Next, have students memorize their story, event by event. If you have a tape recorder, students can record and replay their story.
Emphasize the memorization of:
- Plot events
- Important phrases
- Scene descriptions
…and most of all, have fun!
LESSON 4:
Practice Inflection with your Dog, and Other Exercises
Concepts:
You will learn about using inflection to create different voices for different characters.
Lesson:
Telling a good story is more than just memorizing the words--the storyteller needs to bring the words to life! Each character needs to have a distinct voice that portrays who they are to the audience. Understanding and mastering inflection will bring the story to life.
When we speak, our words have more than one meaning. They have a literal meaning, the meaning you would find in a dictionary, and they also have an emotional, or "feeling" meaning. This is conveyed through the inflection of our voice, the way we say words.
When we speak in a voice with a higher pitch, it can sound like we are excited, timid, very young or very small. If we speak in a deep voice with a low pitch, it sounds like we might be stronger and more self assured, or perhaps disgusted or sad.
Sometimes our voice will change pitch during or at the end of a sentence.
- If our voice rises at the end of a sentence, it suggests a question or an uncertainty.
- If our voice falls it at the end of a sentence, it suggests certainty, finality, or a command.
- When our voice both rises and falls in a phrase, it hints at a double meaning such as humor, disbelief or sarcasm.
Use the Inflection Exercises worksheet to help student storytellers get ideas for different kinds of voices they can use for the characters in their story.
Enunciation (speaking clearly) is also very important when telling stories. Audiences need to hear every word or they may lose interest. Use the Tongue Twisters worksheet to help students practice enunciation.
Additional Resources:
LESSON 5:
Organize a Storytelling Event
Concepts:
You will learn about organizing a storytelling event.
Lesson:
Organize a storytelling event! It can be as simple as a special night out in the backyard around a campfire or as fancy as a public event at your local community center. If you belong to a homeschooling group, you may be able to organize an event with several other families in your group.
Setting the Scene
Setting can make a big difference in the experience your listeners have, so consider the following when organizing your event:
- Where will you hold your event? At a home, a library, or outside?
- What time will you hold your event? Ghost stories could be told at night with dim lights or candle/fire light. A morning with a homeschool group might be a nice outing to add to your curriculum.
- What will your "stage" look like? It could be a simple, informal gathering, or your group could plan to make scenes for each story, combining an arts-based curriculum to your storytelling experience.
- How will you announce your event? Students can make a program, invitations, or posters!
Additional Resources:
LESSON 6:
Listen to Other Storytellers
Concepts:
You will learn analysis, documentation and listening skills.
Lesson:
Listening to other storytellers and paying close attention to the way they tell their stories is an excellent way to perfect your own storytelling skills. At your storytelling event, have students fill out this Storytelling Analysis worksheet to evaluate what they've learned from the storyteller and to record ideas they can use for their own storytelling.
Do you have opportunities to listen to other storytellers in your area? Check the National Storytelling Network's Calendar of Storytelling Events for a listing of storytelling events nationwide.
Storytellers often tell children's stories at libraries, so be sure to ask your local librarian if any events might be coming up in your area.
Listening to Storytellers on the Internet
The Internet is a great place to listen to storytellers! A high bandwidth Internet connection is recommended, but if you have a slower connection, download the files and play them locally.
- The Moonlit Road
Classic spooky tales from America's South.
- Stories of the Dreaming
This remarkable collection of traditional stories told by Aboriginal Australians is available in text, audio, and video formats.
- Telling Tales
Listen to stories by Bob Wilkins, a storyteller from the British Isles.
LESSON 7:
Story Rewrite Challenge
Concepts:
You will practice the skill of rewriting an old story.
Lesson:
Have students find an old story that they like and rewrite it into a different setting, with modern characters. Folktales and fables are the best to start with. Have students use the story resource list in Lesson 1 to find a story.
Once a story is selected, have students take the original story and break it up into its components, using the Story Structure Worksheet. Next, change the setting and rewrite the main points of the story on a new Worksheet. Use the What Makes a Good Story worksheet as a reference. Then write the story out on plain paper in greater detail, as it will be told to an audience.
Let's take "Red Riding Hood" as an example. What could be the setting? A busy street? How would characters change in a modern environment? Who could the wolf be? Perhaps he could be a stranger near the crosswalk. The woodsman could become a delivery person who saves the day. Have students use their imaginations to create their own unique tales!
Some suggestions for changed settings are:
- On a camping trip
- Vacationing in a foreign country
- At the mall
- On a sailing ship in a race
- On safari in Africa
- On the farm
- At a birthday party in a park
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