EDUCATION AND STORYTELLING
(excerpts from posts)
(If you want to retell any of the stories listed below, be sure to obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain)

1) I have been doing some research tonight and thought I would share the articles I have come across. They all link storytelling and education. I have pasted the text of the last article as the site would not completely load but I was able to get it through the cache file via google. I hope you find these interesting and useful.

Click here: BBC | British Council teaching English - Literature - Storytelling - benefits and tips
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/literature/storytelling.shtml#one

Mello: The Power of Storytelling. Volume 2 Number 1
http://ijea.asu.edu/v2n1/

Storiesalive: Stories in Education: Why Bother
http://www.storiesalive.com/education/bother.htm

Click here: Call of Story Articles
http://www.callofstory.org/en/archive/articles.asp?cat=1&sCat=a

Why Storytelling? By Marni Gillard
http://www.storypower.com/gillard/schools/why.html
http://www.marnigillard.com/storytelling/why.shtml

Fall 2001 Issue of Education Today
Oral Storytelling: A Dropped Thread in the Tapestry of Literacy By Cynthia Andrew
"Once upon a time ..." For adults and children alike these words conjure up images of far-off lands, fearsome monsters, and strange and magical people. Once upon a time, stories were stored in the collective mind of a community. Before computers or books, before pens and paper, it was through oral storytelling that people passed their history on to the younger generation. Stories explained everything from the how to's of daily survival to the why's of human existence, and they laid the groundwork for a society's code of behaviour.

Today we think of listening to a story as entertainment rather than as an educational experience. As adults we see reading as the predominant way to acquire information. Literacy – the ability to read and write – is the basis upon which success is built. Now more than ever, schools are being asked to create literate citizens. To emphasize this accountability, Ontario will become the first Canadian jurisdiction to require high school students to pass a provincial literacy test as a prerequisite for graduation. To many Canadians, teaching literacy means teaching reading and writing. Formal curricula usually gives some attention to oral communication, but often treats it as an afterthought to literacy development, not as a foundation.

Bob Barton is an educator-turned-storyteller who has written several books about oral storytelling and literacy. "To teach literacy successfully," he states, "you have to enter the landscape of language and literature." Barton maintains that children, who learn to speak long before they learn to read, must be given an oral foundation in language and literature before they can take the next step. He says that once children become comfortable "on the tongue" they can begin to transfer their skills to and from the page. "Telling stories, reading and writing all work together," he maintains. "You can't teach one effectively in isolation from the others. If you leave one out, you decrease the opportunity for kids to grasp literacy more firmly."

Significant research has been compiled over the years on the correlation between oral storytelling and literacy. Literacy researchers and teachers recognize the importance of oral communication, but they often overlook the use of oral storytelling. Oral storytelling is a powerful classroom tool that supports speaking and listening skills, motivates reading and writing, stimulates the imagination and develops and enhances students' response to literature, including their awareness of story structure and sequence. It also improves concentration and memory, encourages critical thinking skills, and teaches about other cultures and other times.

2) While doing some research I came across the following articles archived at the International Reading Association website.
http://www.ira.org/publications/rt/
You can pay for copies but I bet you can access them at a local university library or via interlibrary loan. I am trying to get copies via our school librarian. Passing along the information.

Edmiaston, R. K. "Oral Language And Reading: How Are They Related For Third Graders?" Remedial And Special Education 5 (1984) : 33 - 37.
This article is a report of research study which investigated the relationship between the oral language and reading comprehension skills of a group of third grade students. The results of the research indicated that there seem to be strong relationships between oral language competency and reading comprehension skills. Edmiaston then uses the results of this research to build a case for integrating language skills into a "complete" language arts curriculum.

Hamilton, M., and M. Weiss. "Children As Storytellers Teaching The Basic Tools." School Library Journal 39 (1993) : 30-33.
In this article, Hamilton and Weiss describe why it is important to teach children to tell stories. The piece then goes on to outline effective strategies to use in teaching children to become more confident and successful storytellers. A list of stories that are well suited for young children to retell is also included.

Morrow, L. M. "Reading And Retelling Stories : Strategies For Emergent Readers." The Reading Teacher 38 (1985) : 870-875.
This article is a report of three related research studies focusing on the benefits of asking emergent readers to retell stories that they have heard. The first study indicated that a single experience of retelling a story produced a small improvement in kindergarten students' comprehension of that story, Further studies revealed that levels of improvement could be increased by frequent practice and guidance in retelling stories. It was also found that retelling activities also encouraged students to retell favorite stories on their own or at home, and that over time students showed much greater poise and confidence when retelling stories.

Peck, J. "Using Storytelling To Promote Language And Literacy Development." The Reading Teacher 43 (1989) : 138 - 141.
In "Using Storytelling To Promote Language And Literacy Development," Peck describes two distinct learning opportunities that storytelling in the classroom provides for students, based on a storytelling project that she implemented in a third grade classroom. The first, that storytelling improves students' critical listening skills, and the second that students can also develop their oral and written language skills when telling stories. Peck also indicates that students develop more complex senses of story through storytelling. In addition to providing information on the benefits of classroom storytelling, Peck also provides information on the effective implementation of such a curriculum.

Strickland, D. and L. Morrow. "Oral Language Development Children As Storytellers." The Reading Teacher 43 260 - 261.
In this article Strickland and Morrow argue that although storytelling is initially difficult for young children it is a very beneficial activity to their oral language development. Strickland and Morrow describe that through scaffolding and the careful structuring of storytelling activities, storytelling can be a very valuable and successful component of a language curriculum for young children.

3) Surfing through the arts news for our upcoming Working smARTS issue and came across this piece. It will definitely be included in the issue but I wanted to share it with all of you as well.
Click here: ABCNEWS.com : Are Three R's Squeezing Out Fun?
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/WorldNewsTonight/threers030825.html
This article brought to mind the memory of walking the few blocks with the class en mass to view the latest Hollywood spectacle, The Robe, The Sound of Music, etc., at the local theater; not those multiplex buildings, a real theater with intermission and everything! Reading and writing and rithmetic...all to the tune of the hickory stick....

(This web page updated 917/03)