Celebrating the Continent of Africa

Ikhlas Khan
African Prime Minister 
of Bijapur, c. 1650

I have been researching and writing for Storytelling Magazine for 17 years and have amassed many stories from a variety of cultures and I decided to organize the stories by country and/or continent. This is the third in the series and today I am highlighting the continent of Africa. There are 54 countries in the continent of Africa. Conventionally, there are five main geographical regions or subregions in Africa. North, West, Central, East, and Southern. Wherever possible I have placed the stories in their specific subregions.

My hope is that this will make it easier for you to find new and unique tales to add to your repertoire, and in the process, we will learn more about our global neighbors. I encourage you to conduct further research on the specific region and/or culture behind the stories.

At the end of this blog post you will find the previous two countries I have researched and shared, India and Turkey. Who knows where my next stop will be?

STORIES

Let’s begin with one of the stories told in Africa. 

How African Stories Were Born

The mouse goes everywhere into rich people's houses and into the poorest people's houses, too. In the old days, the mouse made stories from all that she saw. Stories were her children. Each story-child had its dress - white, blue, red, green, and black. The stories lived in her house and did everything for her.

One day a sheep ran against the door of the house where the mouse lived. The door was old, and it broke, and all the stories ran out. And now they run up and down over all the earth.

CENTRAL AFRICA

How Frog Went to Heaven A Tale of Angola – retold by Aaron Shepard
http://tinyurl.com/yk8cdjh

Virtual Chad
Five stories from the country of Chad along with additional information links on the culture, language, animals, and literature of the country.
http://www.tchad.org/research/folktales.html

Why Does Lion Roar? – Angola
http://angolarising.blogspot.com/2010/03/african-folklore-why-does-lion-roar.html

EAST AFRICA

The Ape, the Snake, and the Lion - Tanzania
http://tinyurl.com/nky7avl

Fadhila’s Secret - Kenya
https://www.pressherald.com/2013/08/05/fadhilas-secret-a-kenyan-folktale/

The Hare and the Lion – Tanzania
http://www.worldoftales.com/African_folktales/African_Folktale_40.html

The Hare and the Water – Tanzania
https://tinyurl.com/y7uo3nlr

How the Monkeys Saved the Fish – Tanzania
https://afriprov.org/how-the-monkeys-saved-the-fish/

Lion, Chameleon, and Chicken - Tanzania
https://tinyurl.com/ya6hht2m 

The Strange Creature – Zimbabwe
http://tinyurl.com/oy6sz8p 

Why Death is Like a Banana Tree – Madagascar
https://spiritoftrees.org/why-death-is-like-the-banana-tree

NORTH AFRICA

The Cruel Creditor and the Judge’s Wise Daughter - Morocco
http://tinyurl.com/y8gjxurb

The Story of Chicken and Elephant – Sudan
https://tinyurl.com/y99ffwym

SOUTH AFRICA

The Dance for Water or Rabbits Triumph
http://tinyurl.com/y99ccfx 

The Ostrich-Egg Wife
https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/ostrich-egg-wife 

Why Does Lion Roar? – Angola
http://angolarising.blogspot.com/2010/03/african-folklore-why-does-lion-roar.html

Why Mongoose Kills Snakes - Angola
http://tinyurl.com/bolyrnz

WEST AFRICA

The Brother and His Sisters
http://tinyurl.com/bdsyyj2

The Farmer’s Son Becomes a Hunter 
https://tinyurl.com/ycl97zws 

The Hippopotamus and the Tortoise – Nigeria
http://tinyurl.com/ydjd4x8

The King’s Drum – Nigeria
https://tinyurl.com/y6xgnp3g

How Monkey Stole the Drum
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/storyteller/transcription.htm   

One Man and His Precious Cow - Nigeria
http://tinyurl.com/jpjd8on

The Talking Goat – Liberia
https://tinyurl.com/y5bh4g3c 

The Tortoise and the Magic Drum – Nigeria
https://tinyurl.com/y6sr745c

The Tortoise and the Elephant - Nigeria
http://tinyurl.com/p252edy

The Tortoise Captures the Elephant

http://tinyurl.com/k7ax99r

The Tortoise, the Dog, and the Farmer - Nigeria
http://tinyurl.com/mlfogkc

Why a Hawk Kills Chickens – Nigeria
https://tinyurl.com/yc4wtzlj

Why the Cat Kills Rats - Nigeria
https://tinyurl.com/y7z6f3hv 

Why the Sun and the Stars Receive Their Light from the Sun - Lagos
https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/books/africa/barker/whymoonstars.html

STORY COLLECTIONS

African Folk Tales - Forty-two short stories can be found here.
http://www.english-for-students.com/African-Folk-Tales.html

Conversations With Ghana – West Africa 
Five folktales from the country of Ghana. The site also offers some additional background information useful to teachers who may be exploring this culture with their students.         http://www.ncsu.edu/chass/extension/ghanatalk/folktales.html

Congo Life and Folklore – Within this public domain book you will find thirty-three native stories as told “round the evening fires.”
https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/congolifefolklor00week

Ethiopian Folktales – Over 300 folktales “…many of which had never before been written down or translated into English. You can also listen to many of the original recordings in the voices of the narrators…” 
http://www.ethiopianfolktales.com/

Felids and Friends
A non-profit organization based in Florida that offers information, articles, quotes and stories and folktales about our fine furry and feathered friends. The following two links will lead you to animal tales. African folktales http://www.felid.org/activities/page_103.htm and Native American legend http://www.felid.org/activities/page_18.htm

Folktales from Liberia - From the American Folklore Center 43 Liberian folktales, published in 1919.
https://tinyurl.com/t3evw63

Folk-tales of Angola – Fifty tales collected and edited by Heli Chatelain, 1894 with Ki-mbundu text, literal English translation introduction and notes: stories of antelope, wolf, turtle, leopard, monkey and much more.
http://tinyurl.com/6f6nt2m

Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell, 1910 – Forty folktales at your fingertips.
https://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/fssn/ 

Kaffir (Xhosa) Folk-Lore by George McCall Theal, 1886 - From the South African Xhosa people, a scholarly collection of Xhosa tales; part of the cultural heritage of South Africa. 
http://tinyurl.com/742v3cp

Kikuyu - Fables and Legends - Kenya - Twelve unique stories from the Kenyan culture and an interesting article on storytelling customs in Kenya.
http://www.bluegecko.org/kenya/tribes/kikuyu/stories.htm

The King of the Snakes and Other Folk-lore Stories from Uganda
http://tinyurl.com/c7nkznm

South-African Folk-Tales by James A. Honey, M.D. 1910. “This is a collection of South African folklore collected during the 19th century. It includes many great animal tales with classic African wisdom.”
https://tinyurl.com/y7r52e79

West African Folktales by W.H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair – Children love animal and Anansi stories. This book will help add some new tales to your repertoire. 
https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/books/africa/barker.html

CURRICULUM

Exploring Africa
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/curriculum/

The Talking Goat – Lesson plan for the story found in the West Africa section above.
https://www.peacecorps.gov/educators/resources/talking-goat-lesson/  

Teaching African History and Cultures Across the Curriculum
https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-african-history-and-cultures-across-curriculum 

Teacher Vision - Activities for African folktales K-5.
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/folk-tales/activity/3721.html

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Celebrating the Country of India
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/01/celebrate-country-of-india.html

Celebrating the Country of Turkey
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2017/11/celebrating-country-of-turkey.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 2021 ©

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. 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.

 

 

Celebrating the Country of India

 "A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Shakuntala and her friends
Raja Favi Varma, 1870

A few years ago, I decided to organize all the cultures I have been researching for the National Storytelling Magazine since 2002. I began with the country of Turkey and then life got in the way.  I am revisiting my initial goal and will do my best to stay on track this time around. The good news is that since I dropped the ball, I have amassed many more stories from countless cultures.

My hope is that this will make it easier for you to find new and unique tales to add to your repertoire, resources for your curriculum, books to complement an educational unit, crafts to sprinkle in the fun, and in the process, we will learn more about our global neighbors. I am aware that India has 28 states, each with different cultures. I encourage you to conduct further research on the specific state and/or culture behind the stories.

I would be most grateful if you would leave a comment to let me know if you find this useful. Let’s continue our journey with the country of India.

 
STORY COLLECTIONS

A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India
The entire book by A. K. Ramanujan is online for generations to read, relish and enjoy.
https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft067n99wt&brand=ucpress

Dimdima Kids
An online children’s magazine from India with tales of Hodja, Ramen, Birbel, Jataka, Zen and mythological stories. This is one story time you won’t want to end!
http://www.dimdima.com/khazana/storytime.asp

Indian Fairytales by Joseph Jacobs
This complete work from 1912 is now available on line. It offers twenty-nine tales from Eastern India and gorgeous illustrations to complement each story.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/ift/index.htm

Panchatantra Tales
A legendary collection of short stories from India composed in the 2nd century B.C. “The purpose behind the composition was to implant moral values and governing skills in the young sons of the king.”
http://tinyurl.com/23hpacy

Pitara for Kids 
Many fables from the Panchatantra and Aesop, Jataka stories and tales from India's tribal peoples.
http://www.pitara.com/

The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. Both are now found online, and the links are found below. This link is an abridged verse translation of the two longest epic poems in world literature.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/dutt/index.htm 

Stories from Indian Mythology
This site is rich with information and stories on Indian Mythology, offering Jataka Tales, stories from the Panchatantra, Krishna, Shiva and more. Further links share information on Indian terminology, a picture gallery with exquisite portraits of the Gods and a mythology quiz to test your knowledge.
http://members.tripod.com/~srinivasp/mythology/stories.htm

Tales of the Punjab: Told by the People
"Would you like to know how these stories are told? Come with me, and you shall see. There! take my hand and do not be afraid, for Prince Hassan's carpet is beneath your feet. So now! –'Hey presto! And so, it begins...a wonderful collection of Eastern Indian tales with notes to the stories.
https://archive.org/details/talesofpunjabtol00stee

Tales of the Sun or Folktales from Southern India by Mrs. Howard Kingscote and Paṇḍit Naṭêsá Sástrî, 1890 – Twenty-six chapters filled with eclectic folktales.
http://tinyurl.com/m9wtowz

The Talking Thrush and Other Tales of India collected by W. Crooke and retold by W.H. Drouse, 1922. The jackal, tortoise, goat, and monkey are just a few of the animals you will meet in these 43 tales from India.
http://tinyurl.com/jkakm5l

INDIVIDUAL STORIES FROM INDIA

And Elephants Did Fly
http://tinyurl.com/ns7s8bl

The Bearded Fool
http://tinyurl.com/pa6qlgh

The Birds and the Shivering Monkeys 
http://tinyurl.com/j6u9w83

 

The Blind Man and the Elephant
https://www.peacecorps.gov/educators/resources/story-blind-men-and-elephant/

The Dog and the Pig
http://tinyurl.com/3y9z8pk

The Elephants Nose
http://tinyurl.com/p6y62ly

The Farmer’s Present
https://tinyurl.com/y9cy3m5b

The Farmer and the Money Lender 
https://tinyurl.com/yc9szm7v

The Farmer and the Serpent
https://tinyurl.com/yam5lka7

Fearing the Wind

http://spiritoftrees.org/fearing-the-wind

The Gifts of the Grasscutter
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/018.html

The Golden Fish
http://tinyurl.com/kyrfbee

Good Will Grow Out of Good
http://tinyurl.com/m9wtowz

Great Joy the Ox
https://tinyurl.com/y57uzj9y

Grinding Stone to the Rescue
https://kathakids.com/folktales/grinding-stone-to-the-rescue/

The King and the Drum
https://tinyurl.com/y42obndc

Learning to Act
http://tinyurl.com/jmzo8nl

The Lion and the Crane
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/ift/ift02.htm 

The Lion’s Share
http://www.pitara.com/talespin/folktales/online.asp?story=91

The Lion’s Wedding 
http://tinyurl.com/yba5v5kt

The King of Compassion
https://tinyurl.com/y4brjlv8

The Miserly Old Woman
https://www.longlongtimeago.com/once-upon-a-time/folktales/the-miserly-old-woman/

The Monkey with the Tom –Tom 
https://tinyurl.com/unja9l6

The Rat’s Wedding
https://tinyurl.com/uocn2j8

Tenali Rama and the Brinjal
http://tinyurl.com/6jo2g4p

The Priest, the Tiger and the Jackal
http://tinyurl.com/ye6qugj

The Son of Seven Queens
http://tinyurl.com/lmhvao9

The Tale of Two Sons
https://www.pitara.com/fiction-for-kids/folktales/a-tale-of-two-sons/

Why the Fish Laughed
http://tinyurl.com/lnfp7jo

BOOKS

Best Children’s Book About India
https://www.rebekahgienapp.com/childrens-books-about-india/

CRAFTS 

Activity Village – Animals, bangles, coloring pages and much more.
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/india-crafts

The Crafty Moon – “Children can make their own beautiful oil pastel creations, Indian textiles, Lotus flower sand paintings, Taj Mahal watercolor and more” with suggestions to add to your classroom unit.
https://thecraftyclassroom.com/crafts/india-crafts-for-kids/

CURRICULUM

40 Fun and Interesting Facts About India that Might Surprise You
https://www.globotreks.com/destinations/india/fun-interesting-facts-india/

Interesting Facts About India
https://knowindia.gov.in/my-india-my-pride/interesting-facts-about-india.php

PBS.org – The Story of India: Six units on the country of India. The lessons are designed for high school students but can be adapted for lower grades as well.
https://www.pbs.org/thestoryofindia/teachers/lessons/

ADDITIONAL CULTURAL RESOURCES

Celebrating the Country of Turkey 
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2017/11/celebrating-country-of-turkey.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 2021 ©

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. 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.

 

Celebrating the Chinese New Year: Year of the (Metal) Ox

Oxen Resting
John Singer Sargent, 1910

On February 12, 2021 the Chinese New Year begins and 2021 is the Year of the (Metal) Ox. The New Year is celebrated for 16 days and ends with the Lantern Festival.

Women Oxen are traditional, faithful wives, who attach great importance to their children's education. There are five types of Ox: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. This year falls under the Metal Ox and their traits also include hardworking, active, always busy, and popular among friends. For more information go to: https://tinyurl.com/y45om4jm

According to the Chinese people born in the Year of the Ox have the following personality traits:

Oxen are known for diligence, dependability, strength, and determination. Having an honest nature. They are strongly patriotic, have ideals and ambitions for life, and attach importance to family and work. These reflect traditional conservative characteristics.

At the end of this blog, you also will find links to previous blogs highlighting the different animals of the Chinese Zodiac, each offering additional background information.  

Whether or not this is your year under the Chinese Zodiac I wish everyone a New Year filled first and foremost with health and may you be blessed with all good things to keep you safe and happy. May we all find ourselves together once more as we meet 2021 with renewed hope.

 

The Ox and the Ant - Bulgaria

 

At one time, the ant was so huge that it could pull the yoke of the ox alone. She wanted to plow the ox with his plow instead, to work, and to provide food for himself. "You can't feed people!" The ox told her. "The Lord has assigned this work to me." "You do not want such a fate," replied the ant. "Because your master stitches you with a wall in your back to walk in the groove, and you cannot even make a step forward alone without a master, while I belong only to myself - I have no master."

 

At that time the Lord God was walking around the earth and all the animals were free to approach him and to complain to him about something or to make a request to him. That's why the ant and the ox came to him to complain about each other. "God!" Said the ox. "The ant wants to take down my yoke and plow with the plow you gave me to feed myself and the people." "This is not the job, Lord!" Said the ant - "I want to provide food for people because they can't do it well enough. "

 

Then the Lord turned to the ant and said to her, "I know you are hardworking, but let's see! Tell me, when you replace an ox, how many times a day will you give people to eat thanks to your work? "" I will give them to eat once every three days, "replied the ant. The Lord then addressed the same question with an ox. "And how many times will you give people to eat?" "They will be able to eat three times a day, although I work slowly, I will still be able to satisfy their food needs." Then the Lord blessed the ox: "You will feed the people of the earth while the world is shining! "

Then the Lord turned to the ant. "To work forever and never see the fruits of your labor!" To remember their sentence well, the Lord ordered the ox to step on the ant and walk on its back. Then the ox's hooves split as the back of the ant began to narrow. Up to that point, the ox's hooves were as full as the horse's, and the back of the ant was not as narrow and thin as it is today. And so now the ox still feeds all of us, because with such a destiny God has blessed it. And people should eat three times a day and the food will not benefit the one who eats more than three times a day. The ant would have been so huge if the ox had not crushed it so much, breaking the hoof on her back.

https://tinyurl.com/y54ckkof

MORE STORIES

Babe the Blue Ox – United States
https://tinyurl.com/y3m7zq8g

The Cart Without Oxen – Costa Rica
https://tinyurl.com/y5bcm24c

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl - China
https://tinyurl.com/y2ftj7sx

The Four Oxen and the Lion - Aesop
https://tinyurl.com/y6h86x4r

Great Joy the Ox - India
https://tinyurl.com/y57uzj9y

The Ox and the Frog – Aesop
https://fairytalez.com/the-ox-and-the-frog/

The Ox of the Wonderful Horns - Zimbabwe
https://tinyurl.com/y4cyxdt9

The Ox Who Never Envied the Pig - Jakarta
https://tinyurl.com/y6l8qo3c

The Oxen and the Butchers - Aesop
https://fairytalez.com/the-oxen-and-the-butchers/

The Oxen and the Pig - Jakarta
https://tinyurl.com/y4rbpb2k

The Straw Ox - Ukraine
https://tinyurl.com/y3jpx3jv

The Three Oxen – Somalia (A variant on the Aesop Fable, The Four Oxen and the Lion)
http://hooyo.web.free.fr/E_tale_03.html  

ARTICLES

Interesting background articles to help round out your storytelling program.

How Oxen Plowed the Way for Social Inequality
https://tinyurl.com/y5f7arlf

Ox, cow and bull in folklore imagery and tales
https://tinyurl.com/y2zhxdb7

The Tale of the Ox
https://tinyurl.com/y684b4ap

CRAFTS

Paper Cup Ox
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/paper-cup-ox

Printable Craft Projects for the Year of the Ox
https://tinyurl.com/y3ybzn84

Redtedart.com – Year of the Ox
https://www.redtedart.com/easy-cow-crafts/

CURRICULUM

Alphabet Letter X Ox Theme: Preschool Lesson Plan with printable activities and worksheets.
https://first-school.ws/activities/alpha/x/ox.htm

Ox-Cart Man – The curriculum is based on the book and is designed for grades
2 -3. This lesson received the 2020 Curriculum Gold Award of Excellence from the National Association of Economic Educators.
https://tinyurl.com/y5zfad34

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Below are previous blog posts I wrote for the Chinese New Year. You will find useful background information to augment your Chinese New Year programs.

Year of the Fire Rooster|
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2017/01/chinese-new-year-2017-year-of-fire.html

Year of the Horse
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/chinese-new-year-year-of-horse.html

Year of the Pig
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2019/02/chinese-new-year-2019-year-of-pig.html

Year of the Rat
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2019/11/chinese-new-year-2020-year-of-rat.html

Year of the Sheep
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/12/chinese-new-year-2015-celebrate-year-of.html

Year of the Snake
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/12/celebrate-chinese-new-year-2013-year-of.html

Year of the Tiger
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010-year-of-tiger.html 

Gung Hay Fat Choy
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2008/02/gung-hay-fat-choy.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 2021 ©

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. 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.

 

Inviting Storytelling Into Your Homeschool or Classroom

Teaching Artist/Storyteller
Eileen DeLorenzo
Used with permission. Visit her site at
https://eileendelorenzo.com/

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 700 children the art of Oral Tradition for the past eighteen years and witnessed firsthand how valuable it is for my students. It has augmented their learning in a variety of ways:

• improved writing skills
• enhanced vocabulary
• increased cultural knowledge
• sparked their imaginations
• strengthened self-confidence
• developed positive interaction with their peers

Many of my students continue to use story and storytelling in many 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. To assist you I have compiled a variety of resources; while it is not an exhaustive list it is a useful starting point. You will find information and lesson plans on the following subjects, including articles, interviews, books and more. Here is an overview of the topics covered in this piece: 

• Aesop Fables
• American Folklore
• Animal Fables
• Art
• Drama
• English Language Arts
• Fairytales
• Folktales
• Fractured Fairytales
• Icebreakers
• Lapsit Resources
• Legends
• Lesson Plans
• Math
• Myths
• Science
• Social Studies
• STEAM
• Storytelling in the Core Curriculum
• Trickster Tales
• World Cultures
• Worksheets
• Writing Prompts
  
  

CURRICULUM RESOURCES

ABC Teach - Several ideas and links for story writing prompts on a variety of subjects and age levels.
https://tinyurl.com/y6f4qru4

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://tinyurl.com/yyegaq49

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://tinyurl.com/y262a3dc

Education World.com - Lesson plans on Ten Characters from American Folklore, Pecos Bill, Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed, and more.
https://tinyurl.com/y2shvltg

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://tinyurl.com/2358m7y

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://tinyurl.com/y42mfzmt

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://tinyurl.com/ybohlo7

Learning Math by Seeing It as a Story –  An English teacher trigonometry asked students to explain an equation to a child and to turn discrete problems into a story.”
https://tinyurl.com/y5tquptx

MathsThroughstories.org – This site offers book, lesson plans, how-to books, research articles and more to combine math and story!
https://tinyurl.com/y22cm98p

Once Upon a Time - Lessons for teaching about fables, fairytales, folktales, legends, myths, and tall tales.
https://tinyurl.com/yy4qfjd2

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://tinyurl.com/y3p3fs24

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://tinyurl.com/yygn323w

Storytelling and Drama – Carol Read shares how to “incorporate story-based lessons and drama activities into the English-language classroom.”
https://tinyurl.com/y3a2etz4

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://tinyurl.com/334lftt

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://tinyurl.com/y39yty6v

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://tinyurl.com/y69cl8z6

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://tinyurl.com/y2t8srpp

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://tinyurl.com/yyesquqj

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://tinyurl.com/y5eqz8fq

BOOKS TO COMPLEMENT THE CLASSROOM CURRICULUM

Easy to Read Folktale Plays to Teach Conflict Resolution 
https://tinyurl.com/y3bdgqya

Science Through Storytelling: Strategies for the K-5 Classroom
https://tinyurl.com/y35o2xht 

The Storytelling Classroom- Applications Across the Curriculum
https://tinyurl.com/y2x3gmen

Raising Voices: Creating Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes
https://tinyurl.com/y5bdjn2v

Story by Story: Creating a School Storytelling Troupe & Making the Common Core Exciting
https://tinyurl.com/y36udemo

Super Simple Storytelling: A Can-Do Guide for Every Classroom, Every Day
https://tinyurl.com/y39tz7b3

Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling
https://tinyurl.com/y5wtr3np

Write Right: Creative Storytelling Techniques
https://tinyurl.com/y2bawbyd

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://tinyurl.com/3301

Storybee – A terrific website with a wide-variety of storytellers sharing tales from around the world to entertain and enlighten your students.
https://tinyurl.com/nwfu3k

Storybug Blog – This is my own blog where you will find thousands of stories on almost any culture, theme, subject, and holiday.
https://tinyurl.com/23c6dq3

SOMETHING EXTRA

Drama Source – This UK site was created for drama teachers but there are games, strategies and lesson plans for parents and teachers alike.
https://tinyurl.com/y6d4cchg

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://tinyurl.com/y6ezo7pz

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://tinyurl.com/y2xzls74

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and web links 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.

 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. 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.