Every storyteller knows how effective stories are in the classroom, complementing every aspect of the core curriculum and learning style. As a teaching artist and professional storyteller, I have taught over eight hundred children the art of Oral Tradition for the past twenty-four years and witnessed firsthand how valuable it is for my students. It has augmented their learning in a variety of ways:
- improved their writing skills
- enhanced their vocabulary
- increased their cultural knowledge
- sparked their imaginations
- strengthened their self-confidence
- developed positive interaction with their peers
Many of my students continue to
use story and storytelling in diverse areas of their classroom work, in
elementary, high school, college and into the business arena. It is a lifelong
skill that will always serve them well.
Whether a child is learning remotely this year or has returned to the
classroom, I hope you will consider merging storytelling into your activities, both
to enlighten and entertain.
CURRICULUM RESOURCES
ABC Teach - Several ideas and links
for story writing prompts on a variety of subjects and age levels.
https://www.abcteach.com/resources/
Aesop
and Ananse: Animal Fables and Trickster Tales – These
lesson plans students will help students “become familiar with fables and
trickster tales from different cultural traditions…”
https://www.lessonplanet.com/teachers/aesop-and-ananse-animal-fables-and-trickster-tales
Dragons and Fairy Tales in Science Class – “Using
stories as a hook to grab students’ attention leads them to deep engagement
with scientific concepts.”
https://www.edutopia.org/article/dragons-and-fairy-tales-science-class/
Education
World.com - Lesson plans on Ten Characters from American
Folklore, Pecos Bill, Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed, and more.
https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/02/lp279-04.shtml
Exploring
World Cultures Through Folk Tales - Students
will gain an appreciation of other cultures as they read and research folktales
from around the world and present their story and research to the class.
https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/exploring-world-cultures-through
Fables
and Trickster Tales Around the World - Lesson
plans, information and stories, everything you need to introduce your students
to those globe-trotting tricksters, Anansi, Brer Rabbit, Fox, and Rabbit.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED478844.pdf
Fractured Fairytales – “This interactive tool gives students a choice of three fairy
tales to read. They are then guided to choose a variety of changes, which they
use to compose a fractured fairy tale to print off and illustrate. Useful for
teaching point of view, setting, plot, as well as fairy tale conventions …this
tool encourages students to use their imaginations and the writing process at
the same time.”
https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/fractured-fairy-tales
Guiding Students to Use Storytelling Across the
Curriculum – “Teachers in any subject can have students
use storytelling techniques to demonstrate learning, and these story generation
strategies can help them get started.”
https://www.edutopia.org/article/storytelling-framework-learning/
How to Tell Great
Stories in the Classroom
https://www.trevormuir.com/blog/how-to-tell-great-stories-in-the-classroom
Kennedy Center - "Lesson plans, activities, and other resources that focus on
telling stories through theater, music, dance, writing, and visual arts."
https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/collections/collections/storytelling/
Learning Math by Seeing It as a Story – “An English teacher co-teaching trigonometry asked
students to explain an equation to a child and to turn discrete problems into
a story.”
https://www.edutopia.org/article/learning-math-seeing-it-story/
MathsThroughstories.org – This site offers book, lesson plans, how-to
books, research articles and more to combine math and story!
https://www.mathsthroughstories.org/
PBS Storytelling: Oral Traditions
Note: If you use the
search tool on this site and type the word storytelling, you will find a
plethora or articles and videos on the art of Oral Tradition.
https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/echo07.lan.stories.lporaltrad/storytelling-oral-traditions/
Story Elements Alive! English Language Arts – “After working collaboratively,
students engage in independent activities such as completing a character map; a
setting illustration; a problem/solution chart; a beginning, middle, and ending
activity; and a story map.”
https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/story-elements-alive
Storytelling
and the Common Core Standards - If you are
seeking information on how storytelling connects with the Common Core, YES
(Youth, Education and Storytellers) offers a comprehensive, downloadable
document full of information to make your case.
https://storynet.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/STandCCS-June2012.pdf
Storytelling and Drama – Carol Read shares how to “incorporate story-based
lessons and drama activities into the English-language classroom.”
https://www.onestopenglish.com/stories-and-poems/storytelling-and-drama/156981.article
Storytelling in the Social Studies Classroom – “Students tell their own stories and explore the stories of
other Americans. Hearing and telling these stories helps students realize that
social studies is not simply the study of history, but an exploration of real
people and their lives.”
https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/storytelling-social-studies-classroom
ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS
Developing Student Storytelling Skills to Set Up
Future Career Success –
“Anthropologists have long understood that
storytelling helps us engage with others, share emotions, and find common
ground through personal experiences. It’s a part of our makeup as humans.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodberger/2019/10/04/developing-student-storytelling-skills-to-set-up-future-career-success/
How Stories Connect and Persuade Us: Unleashing The
Brain Power of Narrative
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/11/815573198/how-stories-connect-and-persuade-us-unleashing-the-brain-power-of-narrative
National Council Teachers of English: Teaching
Storytelling Position Statement
“Story is the best vehicle for passing on
factual information. Historical figures and events linger in children’s minds
when communicated by way of a narrative. The facts about how plants and animals
develop, how numbers work, or how government policy influences history—any
topic, for that matter—can be incorporated into story form…”
https://ncte.org/statement/teaching-storytelling-position-statements/
Storytelling in the
First Three Years – An important article from The National Center
for Infants, Toddlers and Families. In part it states, “The richer the
repertoire of storytelling styles a child is exposed to, the more possibilities
for that child to develop his or her own powerful narrative voice…” There are
additional resources on literacy, play, brain development and more.
https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/storytelling-in-the-first-three-years/
Storytelling, Story
Acting and Literacy in the Boston Public Schools – Fascinating
interview about the program, Boston Listens, “based on Vivian Paley’s innovative storytelling and story-acting
approach.”
https://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2022/03/6-2-interview-storytelling-story-acting-and-literacy_0.pdf
Twelve Way to Integrate
Storytelling in the Classroom – “Storytelling is a powerful method of communication…
Following a character on a journey of exploration, empathizing with the
character’s problem, yearning for a solution, and reveling in the outcome helps
to shape our mental state.”
https://vhlblog.vistahigherlearning.com/twelve-ways-to-integrate-storytelling-in-the-classroom.html
What Makes Storytelling So Effective For Learning? - Harvard
Business Impact
https://www.harvardbusiness.org/insight/what-makes-storytelling-so-effective-for-learning/
BOOKS TO COMPLEMENT THE CLASSROOM CURRICULUM
Easy to Read Folktale Plays
to Teach Conflict Resolution
Easy-to-read
Folktale Plays To Teach Conflict Resolution - Hollenbeck, Kathleen M:
9780439249874 - AbeBooks
Science Through Storytelling: Strategies for the K-5
Classroom
https://www.powells.com/book/science-with-storytelling-strategies-for-the-k-5-classroom-9780786498185
The Storytelling Classroom- Applications Across
the Curriculum
https://www.abebooks.com/Storytelling-Classroom-Applications-Across-Curriculum-Norfolk/32328199654/bd
Story by Story: Creating a School Storytelling
Troupe & Making the Common Core Exciting
https://www.parkhurstbrothers.com/story-by-story.html
Super Simple Storytelling: A Can-Do Guide for
Every Classroom, Every Day
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/super-simple-storytelling-kendall-haven/1149277036
Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to
Storytelling
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/teaching-with-story-margaret-read-macdonald/1114982677
Write Right: Creative Storytelling Techniques
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/write-right-kendall-haven/1132780381
STORIES
Looking for stories to share with your children? These three websites will lead
the way.
Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts – By far one of the most comprehensive sites on
folklore and mythology from around the world. The tales are numerous and
grouped alphabetically by genre.
https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html
Storybug Blog – This is my own blog where you will find thousands of stories on
almost any culture, theme, subject, and holiday.
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/
SOMETHING EXTRA
Drama Source – Created for drama teachers but there are games,
strategies and lesson plans for parents and teachers alike.
https://dramaresource.com/
Education World.com - Fourteen icebreakers to make the first day of school run smooth as silk. They would be fun to use throughout the year as well. https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy001.shtml
Learning Together: Educational Resources – Art,
Music, Math and More – This is a blog filled
with resources I put together when we first moved into remote learning. Lots of
terrific information here.
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2020/03/learning-together-educational-resources.html
Please
note, websites change at a rapid pace, and weblinks may change or
break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or
broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order.
Thank you for understanding.
Karen Chace 2026 ©
This blog post was researched and
compiled by Karen Chace. 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 or
karenchace.stories@gmail.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 appreciate your support
and personal integrity.
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