The Role of Storytelling Within The Writing Classroom


Every writer has special sources for the ideas that spark their writing. In reality, ideas are waiting all around us. Those inspirational sparks are many and varied. They are hiding in plain sight, awaiting discovery. They saturate the world in which we operate daily. The writer must develop the skill of recognizing an idea’s potential and then shaping it to their particular vision.


The challenge in the classroom is how to assist those beginning to discover writing, how best to harness ideas and express them in a multitude of ways. The inexperienced writer needs support in becoming a keen observer, an enthusiastic collector and an active listener in order to better capture these writing ideas.

Stories begin to loom large in the lives of young writers. It is therefore important to nurture this growing sense of story while simultaneously creating opportunities for them to create their very own -real, imagined or blended.



Storytelling

Before the invention of the printing press, books were so rare they were memorized and recited. Storytelling existed as a rich tradition. Stories were shared through rich and detailed retellings. It provided a way to transmit culture. To this day the enduring stories of many cultures continue to be handed down.

It is most beneficial to encourage storytelling among young learners from the very beginning of the school year. Storytelling needs to assume a central role in the classroom. Such practice supports the development of ideas, it adds to the knowledge of narrative and fosters oral language capabilities. Conversations assume greater relevance and purpose. The conversations also assume a greater quality. 

When storytelling is encouraged, it indicates to the learner, the value placed on the stories they bring into the classroom. In culturally diverse classrooms, storytelling provides an enriching variety of cross cultural experiences upon which writers can eventually call.

Linking storytelling to the writing workshop is so important. It can be a most valuable pre-writing activity. The writer gets to ‘rehearse’  their possible words. The details of the story are more likely to feature. They control the material substance of the story as well as an opportunity to express thoughts and ideas before committing them to the page. The writing that follows, frequently incorporates more detail than one might expect from a ‘cold write.’ Fluency and writing volume increase. The richness and complexity of stories are more likely to emerge. This strategy works in a variety of classroom contexts.

The storytelling can be to a partner, within a small group, or to the whole class. If your students are inexperienced story tellers there are a number of things you can do to support them.

· Tell some of your own stories
· Co construct some stories
· Invite parents and grandparents into the classroom to tell some of their stories
· Read memoir extracts (Shared Reading)
· Read aloud, rich and varied stories from various cultures and times.
· Share your own notebook stories
· Invite students to bring in family stories
· View stories
· Discuss what makes a good story
· Listen to Ballads/songs that tell stories
· Encourage young writers to tell their stories to their peers, families
· Incorporate storytelling options into pre-writing strategies


All these actions support the eventual process of composing. The stories young writers compose may contain elements of fact and imagination. They need to be given licence to incorporate this into their writing.
 
Storytelling is a component piece of writing. It is not the only consideration when we begin building a writing community, but it is a vital consideration. It provides a launching pad for ideas and contributes to writing development in such a critical way. 

So, when the new school year launches bring stories with you, share them and work mindfully to establish in the minds of young writers that storytelling is encouraged.
Encourage young writers to tell their stories to different audiences
 
Writers frequently tell their stories many times before committing them to paper. With practice the writer develops a keen nose for stories that are memorable and worthy of attention and effort.
 
Try saying something like this to your inexperienced writers:

-What stories keep tumbling around in your head? Commit to telling the story to different people and then write it down in your notebook. Write it down before it can slip away.
 
‘I look for what fascinates me, or fills me with wonder. I look for stories that anger or disgust me, or make me laugh out loud.’
 
Ralph Fletcher
A Writer’s Notebook
Unlocking The Writer Within

'I think our minds are made for stories. So stories are important, both in terms of what students should be allowed to do. I think it's what we bring... And I think if we get too far away from story, we just lose contact with human reality. So, story is our home base.'
Thomas Newkirk

 
Storytelling is in our DNA. It possesses strong cultural ancestry. As the author, Joan Didion said- ‘We tell ourselves stories in order to live’ We must live what we wish to write. Go tell your stories and inspire young writers to begin telling their unique stories too. Above all, have fun exchanging this rich treasury of words. Stories touch the heart and stir emotions. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Irresistible LEADS with Grade One Students

I have been reading Australian author, Kate Grenville’s book, ‘The Writing Book – A Practical Guide For Fiction Writers.’ Grenville writes about leads and reminds us that the beginning of a piece of writing needs to be irresistible . Further to this she reminds the reader that it doesn’t matter where you begin a piece of writing- just begin! Grenville quotes Ezra Pound who said, ‘It doesn’t matter which leg of the table you make first as long as it stands up in the end.’ The writer’s aim is to glue the reader to the page. Grenville also makes the observation that sometimes you need to write the whole story before returning to the start in order to write a great beginning or ‘lead’ for it. Recently I have been working with groups of Grade 1 writers alerting them to the various ways in which writers ‘lead’ the reader deeper into their stories. Initially we looked at their own writing samples and I asked students, what did they notice about the words being used in their story leads? Th
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intention of drawing t
Read more

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not every thing has a
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers to gain i
Read more

Answering Questions Posed by Young POETS

Image
UPDATED, May 2020 As a frequent visitor to schools I have the great pleasure of working with groups of young, enthusiastic poets and their teachers. When I arrive in a classroom, young poets are often pre-loaded with questions, and most keen to have them answered.  I try to answer as many as I can, but we frequently run out of time, and the poetry caravan moves on to the next classroom. So I am here to answer some of those questions -right here, right now. So here goes: When you were little did you love writing? The short answer is yes. I have always enjoyed words and language. I can't recall a time when I wasn't doing some kind of writing. When did you write your first poetry book? I have had poems published over the years, but it wasn't until 2014 that I had an entire book of poems (an anthology) published. When I looked back through all my notebooks I realized I had hundreds of poems from which to choose. So, 'Searching For Hen's Teeth-Poetry From The
Read more