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Storytelling Tips for
the Classroom |
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STORIES
AS A TEACHING TOOL WHY? (as in Why Bother?) 1. Cost
effective - often free, no investment in education - gizmos not necessary. 2.
Accessible, inexhaustible resource. 3.
Flexible teaching tool. Stories can be used for the obvious subjects
(English, History) and the not-so-obvious (Social Studies, use of a library,
and yes, even Math and Science.) 4.
Imagination building. Develops this often-neglected mental muscle. 5.
Natural, age-old medium for communication of feelings and ideas.--Stories in
the form of religious writings, myths, and legends have long been a vehicle
for the passing along of tradition, customs, family and popular lore,
and even ethics. 6.
Researched based. The use of storytelling in the classroom increases
listening and comprehension skills. HOW?
-The following activities are arranged on a somewhat logical, sequential
spectrum which begins with those that are "teacher-centered" and
building toward activities which are "student-centered".- TEACHER-CENTERED ACTIVITIES 1. Teacher
READS STORY to students.
*Teacher reads story and adds CHARACTERIZATION (voices)
*Teacher reads story and adds DRAMATIZATION (intonation, movements, facial
expressions.) 2. Teacher
TELLS STORY to students. (Characterization and dramatization are even more
easily integrated here.) TEACHER AND STUDENT
CENTERED ACTIVITIES 1. Teacher
READS/TELLS story, students REFRAIN (chorus) 2. Teacher
and students SHARE READING/TELLING. e.g. Students take characters' dialogue
in story. 3. Teacher
READS/TELLS, students DRAMATIZE: without dialogue or with dialogue (lip-mime)
- (WARMUPS are useful here.) STUDENT-CENTERED
ACTIVITIES
1. Student
SHARES STORY with class or small group of students. 2. Student
SHARES with class or groups, adding Characterization, Dramatization. 3. Student
READS/TELLS, other students DRAMATIZE. 4.
Students get video recorded telling their stories and view their own videos,
prior to performance. 4.
Students TELL, to other groups (other classes, school, etc.). TECHNIQUES OF
LEARNING STORIES 1. Find a
story that you enjoy. - You will probably be telling it a dozen or more times
and if you are indifferent about the story, it won't come out well. 2. Read it
to yourself silently and aloud 2 or 3 times. 3. Start
to learn it in parts, practicing aloud as you learn. As each part is learned
go back to the text to see what you have missed or need work on. Don’t try to
memorize the story, unless the original author’s words are important to the
telling. 4. Tell
what your story is about, all the way through, without using any prompts as
fast as you can. If you are stuck, remember the general outline of what your
story is about and just tell what you know until you remember where you are.
(This is your back up plan. When you forget during a performance an exact
line, you should be able to work through it the same way as this). 5. When
you know the whole story, practice it aloud using different voices,
pitches and dynamics, be aware of your movements, until you find ones that
fit the story. (It helps to have different voices, physical positions, and/or
facial expressions for different characters.) 6. Practice
in front of a mirror, get video recorded, and find audiences to practice on,
e.g. your family, friends, relatives, other classes, etc. (You can try
different ways of telling on different audiences.) 7. If you
feel comfortable, ask for suggestions on how to improve your telling. 8. Re-look
at the written story, see what you missed, what you added, what needs to be
adjusted in your telling. 8. Tell
your story. ** Remember
- each time you tell your story, it helps to go back to the text to review
things you missed and need to work on.** ** A STORY
ISN'T REALLY YOURS UNTIL YOU'VE TOLD IT AT LEAST 4 TIMES IN FRONT OF
AUDIENCES.* * |
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