Storytelling: Putting the 'Fun' in the Fundamentals!



Ring Around the Rosie
by Edward Henry Potthast,1910-1915

Since 2011 I have taught a storytelling residency at a private school in Massachusetts. The staff and students understand the value of storytelling and always make me feel welcome, respected and appreciated, but this year it didn’t end with the student’s final performance.

Last week I was delighted to find an envelope in my mailbox filled with thoughtful and creative thank you cards from all 30 students. I thought I would share some of the beautiful artwork, illustrating their stories, along with their impressions of the time we spent together.





Some comments from the student's thank you cards:

• “I became less nervous and more confident in myself.”
• “Thank you for helping me get over my stage fright.”
•  “Thank you for teaching me how to interact with the audience.”
• “You taught me a lot. This will help me in life.”
• “I like how your ‘I wonder if’s’ were never demanding and always  kind.
• “Thank you for helping me with voice and gestures. I became so much better at performing.”
• “You helped me connect with my story and learn more about it.”
• “I really enjoyed the experience!”
• “I loved the bouncing ball game. It helped me focus on my story.”
• “Storytelling was my favorite unit and you are my favorite teacher!”
• “Storytelling was the best part of my year.”
• “I really liked how you used games to help us with the performance.”
•  “I wish we could have storytelling every year!”
• “I had so much fun at storytelling!”
•  “If I had three wishes I would wish you would come back to school.”

As part of my residency we learn the fundamentals of presentation, eye contact, body language, gestures, vocal intonation, etc. However, I also believe that learning a story is a whole body experience and children need to move! I use a mix of written and interactive activities to help them fully connect with their stories and characters, and I end every class with a storytelling game. Finish with fun and they will always come back for more!

Every storyteller knows that our work complements the Common Core Standards in many areas, including oral presentation, writing, and reading, but it does so much more. Storytelling creates confidence, camaraderie and a willingness to play, things that can’t be measured on standardized tests; it puts the fun in the fundamentals!

And here's some fun for you! If you can guess the titles of three of the four stories pictured in the above student artwork I will send you a copy of my new book, Story by Story: Creating a Student Storytelling Troupe and Making the Common Core Exciting , which offers twelve original storytelling activities. The first one to comment on the blog with three correct answers wins! Hint: One of the titles is embedded in one of the student's comments above.

IMPORTANT: Please note, your comment won’t be posted on the blog until I approve it for publication; this cuts down on spam. However, I will know who responds with the correct answer first by the notification in my email.

Karen Chace 2014 ©

Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.