A friend on the Storytell listserve asked for information to share with new librarians on the value of storytelling. The list I sent her (below) is applicable not only to librarians but to teachers, child care workers, parents and grandparents--all can impact the early development of literacy through storytelling:
1. Storytelling in America was preserved by librarians during a time when storytelling was not recognized as important in this country. An aricle I wrote a few years ago on the topic will be posted here soon.
2. Storytelling provides important connections to literacy. The PLA's Early Literacy Iniative includes narrative skills as one of the six important pre-literacy skills. These six skills can be addressed in storytimes and storytelling.
See http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/ECRR/ECRRHomePage.htm for more information about that initiative.
3. Storytelling can involve diverse age groups in a story. Stories offer something for all ages, and each listener will take something different from the story. It's a great tool for intergenerational programming.
4. Storytelling encourages children to create mental images of the spoken words in the story. This is one way children learn to attach images to words, a needed skill for reading comprehension.
5. Each listener will create their own "mental movie" of the story, complete with people, places and things created by their own imagination. Each listener imagines the story uniquely, using images familiar to him-or-herself. Each listener will see the characters through the filter of their own experience, making each told story a deeply personal experience.
6. Storytelling improves listening comprehension in an enjoyable way. Children who can listen well will do better in school. Here's one research article on that topic :
Enhancing Student Achievement through the Improvement of Listening_Skills
7. Storytelling will encourage children to find the stories they hear in books, and that can lead to a lifelong interest in reading.
8. Partic
1. Storytelling in America was preserved by librarians during a time when storytelling was not recognized as important in this country. An aricle I wrote a few years ago on the topic will be posted here soon.
2. Storytelling provides important connections to literacy. The PLA's Early Literacy Iniative includes narrative skills as one of the six important pre-literacy skills. These six skills can be addressed in storytimes and storytelling.
See http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/ECRR/ECRRHomePage.htm for more information about that initiative.
3. Storytelling can involve diverse age groups in a story. Stories offer something for all ages, and each listener will take something different from the story. It's a great tool for intergenerational programming.
4. Storytelling encourages children to create mental images of the spoken words in the story. This is one way children learn to attach images to words, a needed skill for reading comprehension.
5. Each listener will create their own "mental movie" of the story, complete with people, places and things created by their own imagination. Each listener imagines the story uniquely, using images familiar to him-or-herself. Each listener will see the characters through the filter of their own experience, making each told story a deeply personal experience.
6. Storytelling improves listening comprehension in an enjoyable way. Children who can listen well will do better in school. Here's one research article on that topic :
Enhancing Student Achievement through the Improvement of Listening_Skills
7. Storytelling will encourage children to find the stories they hear in books, and that can lead to a lifelong interest in reading.
8. Partic
How can I be a good storyteller like you?
ReplyDeleteBeing a storyteller takes time. It takes finding stories you love and telling them, telling them, telling them until they are part of who you are.
ReplyDeleteBeing part of a group helps. There are some storytellers where you live. Get in touch with them, tell them you want to learn. One of the best things about storytellers is they love to share and help each other.