Storytelling

Storytelling is an oral sharing of a personal or traditional story, told using the essence of the tradition from which it originates. As a shared experience between teller and listener, it offers natural language experiences for students.

Storytelling can be an enjoyable activity for both tellers and listeners and should be engaged in at all grade levels. The teacher should model storytelling before expecting students to tell stories. As well, students should have opportunities to listen to Native Elders and other storytellers who can provide enjoyment and act as role models for their own storytelling experiences .

Storytelling allows students to internalize important aspects of story beginnings and endings, settings, characters, and plot lines. It provides practice in expressing ideas in thought units, using colourful and descriptive language, developing ideas in sequence, and choosing effective action words.

The speech abilities needed for storytelling are essentially the same ones required for all speaking activities. Storytelling encourages students to experiment with voice, tone, eye-contact, gestures, and facial expressions. It also lets them practise techniques for holding audience attention. Storytelling encourages reading motivation and aids listening comprehension. It can lead directly to story writing.

Before Storytelling

As an introduction to storytelling students might tell riddles, jokes, or personal anecdotes that have some story elements. In each case, practice beforehand is required and close attention must be paid to the conclusion or punch line.

To ease students into the practice of storytelling, the teacher might suggest that they make up different endings to stories that are old favourites and tell them to one another. After a story is read aloud, an individual or group could create an add-on story and tell it. Another introductory activity is having students recall one incident in a story they have read, and telling about that incident as though they are one of the characters involved.

When students are comfortable with the idea of storytelling they can choose to tell tales that appeal to them. Some of the best sources are collections of folk tales and fairytales from around the world. These tales have been gathered from the oral tradition and are records of human survival throughout the ages, as well as unique glimpses into cultures. Titles of suitable collections of tales for storytelling are listed in the bibliography that accompanies this curriculum guide.

The following guidelines apply to storytellers in general (teacher and students):

• choose a story that you like that enables you to use words you enjoy, and communicate enthusiasm to your audience
  
• look for a simple, direct story in which the plot unfolds crisply and the characters are few
  
• choose a story that will not lose meaning when translated into your own words
  
• memorize only refrains or phrases used for special effect
  
• record yourself reading the story aloud and listen to the tape several times
  
• divide the story into sections, constructing the divisions in a way that will make sense to the listeners (e.g., use a storyboard, an outline, a diagram, or a story map)
  
• visualize the settings and the characters (e.g., close your eyes and imagine each location; add details of colour, shape, and light; make a mental picture of each character; picture facial expressions, hand gestures, and mannerisms)
  
• next, in your mind, silently run through the story's action from beginning to end (e.g., picture the scenes happening in sequence and develop a sense for which ones happen slowly and which ones are fast-paced)
  
• in your own words, tell the story aloud to yourself
  
• continue with the visualization process as you speak, using your voice to tell about the action, describe the settings, and speak the dialogue
  
• tell the story over a few times referring to your story notes, if necessary
  
• put your notes away and tell the story directly from your moving mental images (you will have internalized the tale by now and will know it "by heart")
  
• tell your story on audiotape while it is fresh in your mind and play back the recording to clarify the visual story elements in your imagination
  
• practise telling your story to a live audience (family, friends, pets) until it comes naturally.

Students may wish to tell stories from real experiences or from their imaginations, rather than retelling stories they have read; or they may wish to retell a story they have heard. Topics for personal stories might include how students got their names, favourite family possessions and the stories behind them, grandparent stories, family pet stories, or pourquoi tales (e.g., where does lightning come from?).

If students like to develop their own stories, they might borrow traditional plots, themes, and story patterns; or they may take several versions of the same story and combine them to achieve the results they want. A story could be transposed from the past to the present or future, or a traditional tale could be transferred from one time period or geographical setting to another. Some new stories are actually traditional ones, reconstructed with a different perspective in mind.

While Storytelling

Listeners require a physical setting that allows them comfort during the storytelling, perhaps on a rug and cushions in the reading corner. Listeners should be encouraged to relax and to concentrate on understanding and enjoying the storytelling experience.

Storytellers should find a comfortable position, look directly at the audience, tell the story as they have practised it, and let the tale do its work.

Storytellers may darken the room, play music, or do whatever helps to create an appropriate mood. They may select visual aids or props (e.g., an article of clothing, illustrations, wordless film) to enhance the effectiveness of their stories. These aids offer a number of advantages:

• provide the shy speaker with a prop
  
• guide students through a sequence
  
• motivate student interest
  
• combine visual and oral activities.

After Storytelling

Talking with students about their listening experience after the story has been told is an important way to develop their "story sense". As well, discussing what they have heard allows students to reflect on the interpretations each of them has of story and how their own unique life experiences and prior knowledge affect those interpretations. Students need time to explore thoughts and feelings about story characters and events.

When a storyteller is ready to examine his or her storytelling style, the teacher might make arrangements to have the storytelling process either audiotaped or videotaped. Students need to be reminded that the storytelling process is what is important: the shaping of the story, its restructuring, and the discovery of what it was in the story that mattered to them. Although students will strive for improvement, performing a story in a polished way is not the primary purpose.

If an audio recording is used for self-assessment, storytellers might listen for the effectiveness of the use of pauses, intonation, phrasing, certain sound effects, timing, repetition, or voice pitch and volume. They can chart these on a checklist they have created for this purpose. If a video recording is used, they might wish to assess posture, effectiveness of visual aids, hand gestures, body movements, and facial expressions. After viewing or listening to the tape and completing the checklist, students could identify one or two areas for improvement.

Alternatively, the teacher could write the storyteller a short, positive note. For example:

Dear Jeffrey,
You spoke clearly and your classmates enjoyed your story. I especially like your strong tone of voice and your description of "the night".
Mr. Reynolds

Together, the teacher and students could design an assessment checklist for the storytelling process. Following is one suggested format.

Sample Storytelling Process Assessment