This resource offers a series of grade-appropriate lessons that link storytelling in the classroom with the development of essential language skills.
Without a solid grounding in language, education is virtually impossible. But at times, the wide gap in language skills—even within a single classroom—can be difficult for teachers to bridge. That’s where innovative, well-conceived storytelling can be the great equalizer; reaching and involving students of all kinds while helping them develop their literacy skills.
Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom shows just how powerful a tool storytelling can be for building vital language skills—not just reading and writing, but speaking, listening, visual literacy, and information literacy as well. It is an exceptionally rich and rewarding resource that helps teachers and tellers work together to focus story time on language development.
Moving grade-by-grade from pre-K to middle school, Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom offers both research-based ideas and specific lesson plans for using storytelling to promote literacy learning. Lessons seamlessly integrate material from traditional domains of social studies, science, math, and language arts, while incorporating elements from the creative arts, such as music, visual arts, drama, dance, and folk crafts as both storytelling vehicles and curriculum extensions. The stories themselves in this collection are drawn from the full spectrum of the world’s cultures—every child is represented, and every child will benefit from the concepts and lessons in this remarkable book.
Features
• Specific lesson plans for each level from pre-K to 5th grade
• Contributions from a variety of professional educational storytellers and teachers who use storytelling in their classrooms
• Photographs of children engaged in storytelling lessons as well as original children’s art and additional diagrams and charts
• An extensive bibliography of print, multimedia, and online resources on both the theoretical basis and practical applications of classroom storytelling
• An appendix of national standards and abbreviations
Highlights
• Helps teachers and storytellers make the connection between engaging storytelling and successful language development
• Addresses all kinds of literacy—speaking, listening, reading, writing, visual, and information
• Offers lessons and ideas that represent students of differing cultural backgrounds and various development levels
• Provides guidance for encouraging students to produce their own stories
Sherry Norfolk, MLS, is a storyteller and teaching artist on the rosters of several state and regional arts councils, as well as Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center (Atlanta) and Springboard to Learning—Young Audiences of St. Louis. She has coauthored eight other books.
Jane Stenson is on the early childhood faculty at the Baker Demonstration School in Wilmette, IL, and adjunct faculty at National-Louis University, Chicago, IL. She has been actively involved in education since 1963. She coauthored The Storytelling Classroom: Applications across the Curriculum.
Diane Williams is arts industry director and accessibility coordinator for the Mississippi Arts Commission. Her published works include Annie Mae Jumps the Broom.
Reviews
"This work has very original, stimulating material principally for classroom teachers, but it could have relevance for teacher librarians and for public librarians conducting holiday programmes for children and early teens. Many of the discussions from the contributors offer inspiration and fresh approaches through a very wide interpretation of storytelling."—Australian Library Journal
"Educators at any level will find this book a valuable resource to guide them in crafting lessons rooted in storytelling. For schools looking for innovative ideas, the editors offer a tried and true way to engage students. For teachers desiring to hone their personal storytelling skills the book provides multiple opportunities with strong educational underpinnings. Recommended."—Library Media Connection
"This excellent essay collection connects storytelling to music, poetry, art, social studies, math, science, and physical education and provides sample stories and hands-on lesson plans for pre-school through middle school-plus classrooms. . . . It is a fascinating collection with useful, creative surprises for classrooms and library programs."
—VOYA
"For teachers of primary, elementary, and middle school grades, teachers and storytellers Norfolk et al. present 64 essays, lesson plans, and activities designed to enhance literacy development using storytelling. The contributing teachers and storytellers, who are mostly from the US, also discuss key aspects of speaking and listening, reading and writing, visual literacy, and information literacy, and provide plans that address national standards, assessment, using puppets, ESL classes, integrating art, rhythm, and movement, vocabulary, using picture books, and other ideas."—Reference & Research Book News
"This is a valuable addition to any K-6 school library media center or professional development library where there is an interest in cross-disciplinary lessons complete with a library or information literacy component."—ARBA
2010 Storytelling World Award - Winner, Special Storytelling Resources — Storytelling World
