Storytelling+in+the+ELA+classroom

Author: Kristin Demchuk



"To be a person is to have a story. More than that it is to be a story" "If a story is not about the hearer, he will not listen. And here I make a rule—a great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last." John Steinbeck toc =What is //Storytelling//? =

The National Storytelling Network defines //storytelling// as: //the art of using language, vocalization, and/or physical movement and gesture to reveal the elements and images of a story to a specific, live audience. A central, unique aspect of storytelling is its reliance on the audience to develop specific visual imagery detail to complete and co-create the story.

// An Oral Tradition// //The earliest forms of storytelling were oral and were often passed down and retold with each narrator adding their own voice, expressions, gestures and adaptations. Before the invention of the printing press, stories were often committed to memory and many ancient peoples used them as a way of explaining the world and defining their worldview. Check out an online exhibit by the Canadian Museum of Civilization where you can learn about the oral storytelling tradition of the First Peoples of Canada.//

= //Storytellers: In Research and Practice//  =

//Anthropological//
//**Joseph Campbell** (1904-1987) was a famous writer who explored ideas of storytelling and mythology. This Interview with him discusses the term mythology and explores the central figure of the hero within various mythologies and stories.//

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//Native-American//
**__Native American Authors__** the tradition of Native-American/Canadian storytelling does not lie within Western culture's form of authorship. There are many great contemporary writers/authors/storytellers that can be accessed through the Native Wiki **Louise Erdrich **is a contemporary author who's novel __Love Medicine__ //is a series of short narratives, each told from the perspective of a different character, and moving backwards and forward in time through every decade between the 1930’s and the present day, the book told the stories of several families living near each other on a North Dakota Anishinaabe reservation and is written in the Native Oral Tradition.// **Thomas King** is an Native-Canadian author who weaves native oral storytelling into contemporary narrative. King is a member of the Order of Canada and professor at the University of Guelph. His writings can also be found on the CBC radio program Dead Dog Cafe. //**N. Scott Momaday** is a Native-American Pulitzer Prize winner and distinguished Native-American Literature critic. He has also been featured in a PBS documentary concerning the Battle of the Little Bighorn.[|James Welch] (1940-2003) was an award winning U.S. author and poet who uses Native storytelling techniques to integrate Native history into his novels.//

//Philosophical and Political//
**Hannah Arendt** (1906-1975) was a political thinker who weaved storytelling into her practice as a way to illuminate the horrors of //Nazism and Stalinism: "Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it" Her most famous work __The Human Condition__ is a heavily studied philosophical work on the personal and political experiences of her times. //**__Anne Frank__** (1929-1945) Famous for her diary written during 2 years of hiding during the holocaust. Anne Frank also wrote many short stories, fairy tales and the beginning of a novel. A great resource is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the __Official Anne Frank House Website__// //**__Utah Phillips__** (1935-2008) was a folk-singer and storyteller who sung about labor unions. He was a singer of and for the Industrial workers of the world. His stories can be accessed through this online archive The Long Memory//

//Radio / Cultural Entertainment//
**Ira Glass** is an American broadcaster who's radio and television broadcast show This American Life has won all the major broadcasting awards for public radio and is one of the most popular podcasts in the country. Each episode has a theme and a variety of stories on that theme, most of them true stories of everyday people, though not always. Some of these episodes would be great for your class. Ira Glass discusses Storytelling and how NOT to do what you have been taught in highschool

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The rest of this series can be found here ////://// Part 2 Looking for Stories and Trying Stuff Out Part 3 On Good Taste and Disappointment Part 4 Common Pitfalls for Beginners **Stuart McLean** is one of Canada's most popular storytellers. His broadcast show The Vinyl Cafe can be listened to on CBC radio and podcasts can be downloaded through the website. **Jonathan Goldstein** currently hosts the CBC radio broadcast Wiretap. His show offers the art of storytelling through part conversation, part monologue, part real experience and part imagination. Goldstein has published several books and many articles and has received numerous awards for comedic broadcasting and writing. Podcasts may be downloaded on the website. **Tim Robbins** the actor has a //debut// album //all about storytelling// where he aims to tell his stories written over the past 27 years through music and film. Check out this interview on the BBC NEWS

=//**Articles ** / Resources//=

//**BBC Storytelling: Benefits and Tips** A short article, adapted from a workshop by Paula Stoyle, British Council, Jordan, listing neat bullet points of benefits: What can storytelling offer?, Storytelling and intercultural understanding, Other benefits of using storytelling in the classroom, Commonalities of cultures around the world, Performance techniques.//



Taken from a University of Houston Research Group on Educational uses of Digital Storytelling For greater depth also check out Effective Storytelling a Beginner's Manual

= =  **__AL Fowler's Blogspot__** A member of the Storyteller Society of Canada who has a great up to date blog with all sorts of storytelling ideas and antidotes. **Ottawa Storytellers' Festival 2010** check out their website for more information **The Teaching and Learning for Peace Foundation** is a non-profit organization which promotes peace-building through storytelling processes. Their website has many published stories which would be great for global learning lessons. **The Storytellers of Canada** is an organization for maintaining the oral tradition of storytelling in Canada. Their website has a directory listing of local storytellers, events and great teaching resources. = //Journals and Magazines// = 

 //// **Storytelling, Self,Society ** //**.** An interdisciplinary Journal of Storytelling Studies. The full journal articles are available by accessing your account through the UOttawa Library e-journals catalogue //  **Believer** A monthly magazine focusing on writers and lengthy interviews. Always well crafted and entertaining, never mainstream.  **Storytelling**Critical and theoretically published articles from the classics of Ray Bradbury to Stanley Kubrik. Available through **Literature Online** or by accessing your UOttawa Library e-journals catalogue  **Oral Tradition** Online and open access journal devoted to the comparative studies of worldwide literatures, folklore, anthropology and technology. Make sure to check out the Pathways Project which is an illustration project between oral traditions and the internet. **The Moth** is a not-for-profit storytelling organization in New York. Tons of resources here and stories available online from well-known authors, comedians, filmakers etc. There is also a radio program, youth outreach program and much more.  **http://www.mcsweeneys.net** __**The Raconteur**__This is a really good journal and teaching resource published by the __Storytellers of Canada__. Easy access to past an recent issues. Free to download.   =//Lesson Tools//=  ////<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> **Storytelling Ideas and Lesson Plans** Quick and easy ideas and suggestions for activities by Heather Forest. //// ////<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> __**Creating eBooks**__ with Powerpoint Check out this site on Digital Technology where students and teachers can follow a tutorial to make their own eBook //// ////<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> **Storybird** //// ////<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> Collaborative Storytelling with online artwork. Make sure to check out the section for teachers and learn how to create a free class account. //////