fyi : back issues
Winter 2004 - Doorways to literature
Children as
storytellers
Diane Lester
We are all natural
storytellers. Everything that happens to us in our lives is filed at the
back of our minds in containers called stories. Imagine a society where
stories are not told (Barton, 1986, p. 10).
Kerry Mallan, a lecturer at Q.U.T. Brisbane, liked to start her lectures
with a story. Her stories came straight from the heart and worked towards
building a relationship with us, her students. Her stories were as simple
as tales from her childhood, the traffic jam on the way to work, embarrassing
stories, sad stories, long and short stories and ones about her family.
She was comfortable telling them to us and we felt privileged hearing
them. It set the mood and eased us into the work ahead.
I have to thank Kerry, for introducing me to the wonders of storytelling.
Kerry herself says “The sharing of stories between adult and child
is the basis for forming a relationship. . . . so too can teachers and
children come to know each other better through these exchanges”
(Mallan, 1991, p. 3).
I remember how panicky we students all felt when we discovered our task
was to prepare a story to tell without the aid of a book. How easy is
it to perform with the aid of someone else’s words right there in
front of our noses, but to memorise and tell it in front of an audience
. . . impossible? Why, even actors have cue cards and prompters. Well,
we soon discovered it wasn’t as hard as we thought. No, not at all,
and even after all these years I still recall the fun we had during those
performances.
Storytelling is different from story reading. Story reading depends on
the written text but storytelling has its foundations in the oral traditions
of earlier civilisations. When I talk about storytelling I am referring
to the art of using oral language straight from the heart and the storyteller
interacting personally with the audience using voice, body language and
words. Storytelling is a great vehicle to enhance the language development
of the teller. As the reteller comes to terms with story structure and
reshapes the original version into their own, they are becoming more aware
of the elements of story. As they interact with their audience they enhance
their speaking and listening skills and even the audience benefits as
they work at creating their own mental image of the story they are hearing.
For a couple of years the idea of using storytelling in my own teaching
program bubbled at the back of my mind but the biggest hurdle I had to
overcome had to do with learning a story off by heart. In our busy and
frenetic schedule it just seemed impossible to find the time and it just
kept getting put off. So I started by using my own personal stories with
the classes that visited the Library Resource Centre. If you relate a
sad or happy story kids will openly share their experiences. Tell them
a joke and pretty soon they will be trying to out do each other with the
funniest one.
After that I moved onto folk tales. Traditional tales have their origin
in the oral form and work well in storytelling activities because of their
common structure, characters and language patterns. Besides, who can’t
tell the story of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Myths and
legends also based in oral tradition are great too. Think of some of the
Roman and Greek myths. They are filled with drama and action. If you remember
that there is no set way of telling a story then you realise there are
NO mistakes. You cannot fail and you get better at it. Why not have a
go? You could begin with these storytelling ideas.
A picture is worth 1000 words
Select a classical painting to use for inspiration. Have the class construct
the first few sentences or paragraphs of a tale through group discussion.
Pass the paragraph and painting onto another class to continue the story.
Repeat until the tale is finished. All gather to hear the result and see
the painting that inspired the story.
Story circle
Students sit in a circle. Place cards that have titles or pictures from
fairy and folk tales on them face down in the centre. Turn over the ‘story
card’. A designated student starts the story off, and the story
continues around the circle with each person in the group having a go.
Keep going around until you get to the end of the story. You need to keep
the pace moving. I usually get the children to say as much as they are
comfortable with and they signal with the wink of an eye to the next person
to continue when they are ready. If children are not comfortable there
is no pressure on them to speak, they can wink straight away and move
onto the next person.
A story treasure hunt
Have students collect family stories by interviewing relatives at home.
The stories may or may not be about a specific topic e.g. an embarrassing
moment, what school was like for a parent or grandparent, a story about
a childhood pet, toy or friend, a naughty moment or a fond memory. Students
come to school prepared to share these stories. They could be recorded
on paper, audiocassette or video and then transcribed into written form.
Remember if you decide to publish the stories, try to keep the ‘oral’
flavour. I did this activity one year and we ended up publishing a collection
of the best stories. As my former lecturer says: “. . . remember
that people – neighbours, family, teachers, librarians and, of course,
children – are sources for stories, and are just as important as
written sources” (Mallan, 1991, p. 29).
Digital storytelling
Technology is great for supporting storytelling. Stories can be published
using a variety of software. PowerPoint presentations can be used to support
a story as it is being told to an audience. Video and digital cameras
are also a fantastic tool. The children find them so easy to use. Send
them around the school to create a school tour with documentary which
becomes the storytelling voice. For ideas on using technology this way,
go to <http://
www.digitalstorytelling.org/videovaultstudent.htm>.
Storytelling café
Set up the library as a storytelling café. Cover the tables with
tablecloths and add vases of flowers. Invite children to come along and
entertain the café with a story of their own.
Retelling a tale
Immerse the children in a story or use one they know. Ask the children
to retell the story using the beginning, middle and end technique. You’ll
need to do lots of modelling here. I often have the children draw the
parts of the story first so that they get a mental image and then they
can rehearse retelling the story with their peers before they get up and
perform to an audience. Put younger children in groups of three. The first
person tells the beginning of the story and then winks to the next one
who tells the middle part before winking to the third person who finishes
the story off. I sometimes use puppets in this activity, especially with
younger students. It takes their mind off their nervousness. Ask the audience
to respond by reflecting on the performance with positive comments. Feedback
is important. Remember: “In our fast-paced, media-driven world,
storytelling can be a nurturing way to remind children that their spoken
words are powerful, that listening is important, and that clear communication
between people is an art” (Story Arts Online 2000).
Get a storyteller in!
Guest storytellers can usually be organised through storytelling guilds
or booking agents. There are some great storytellers around and I’ve
learnt so much by watching and listening to these experts.
Some good ones to try are:
Graham Davey, daveyg@netspace.net.au
Kym Lardner, 3/22 Tintern Ave, Toorak, Vic. 3142
Bronwen Bennet, Show & Tell Promotions, info@showtell.com.au
Booked Out <www.bookedout.com.au>
References
Barton, B (1986) Tell Me Another Pembroke Publishers, Markham, Ontario.
Jennings, C (1991) Children As Story-tellers: Developing Language Skills
in the Classroom Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Howe, A & Johnson, J (ed) (1992) Common Bonds: Storytelling in the
Classroom Hodder & Stoughton, London.
Mallan, K (1991) Children As Storytellers, Primary English Teaching Association,
Marrickville, NSW.
McDuff, P (2001) ‘Story Magic’ Education Views Feb 2, 2001.
Websites
There are numerous websites to inspire storytelling.
Australian Storytelling Accessed 22 June 2004 <http://www.home.aone.net.au/stories/storymag.htm>.
Brown, David K. (1994-2001) The Children’s Literature Web Guide
Accessed 22, June 2004 <http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/>.
Digital Storytelling: Video Vault Accessed 22 June 2004 <http://www.digitalstorytelling.org/videovaultstudent.htm>.
Story Arts Online (2000) Accessed 22 June 2004 <http://www.storyarts.org>.
Diane Lester is Information and Resource Centre Manager at Milgate Primary School, East Doncaster