Wells_Laura _Reading Reflection

 Let's talk about storytelling.  I want to start off by saying storytelling is new me. I am not a part of a culture that uses storytelling (just finished the YA book Firekeeper's Daughter which is in part about Native American storytelling....definitely recommend). And I don't recall being exposed to storytellers at a library, just read alouds. So this is all very new to me. 

From our textbook

This week we read chapters 1-6 in Storytelling: Art and Technique by Ellin Greene

and Janice Del Negro. Chapter 1 detailed histories of some famous storytellers, and what stood out to me was Shedlock's description of how carefully she chose storytellers: "Poor storytelling is more disastrous than poor story-writing" (p. 14). It would seem that, like teaching, there are some people who are just natural storytellers. While we can improve our storytelling skills, I wonder how many of us will be naturals?  In Chapter 2, I was delighted to read about Thorne-Thompson's belief that decoding words does not equate to reading unless a child is able to picture what the words are saying (p. 23). In Chapter 3, I was fascinated that early exposure to stories in preschool improves  early math skills by developing logic and analytical skills (p. 49). 

Chapters 4-6 were about the selection, preparation and practice of storytelling. Overall, my take away was a bit overwhelming, the amount of time and practice storytellers put into the process astounds me. Clearly, in a six-week course we will be unable to spend as much time as is recommended, feeling and becoming familiar with the stories we choose: "We need to internalize the map of the story so that we know how to take a detour, which side roads to are worth traveling down if there is time , and what vistas lay ahead" (p. 80).  Also, and I can't seem to find the reference, one of the great storytellers said she only learns 3 stories a year and recommends no one learns more than 6! 

Articles and Websites

My background is as a  secondary reading and English teacher. I am fascinated by the process of learning to read. Two articles stood out to me this week. "The Early Catastrophe" by Hart and Risley presents solid evidence that the socioeconomic level of parents is strongly connected to the amount of language a child is exposed to and the effects on reading outcomes last far into the child's future (2003). It was horrifying to see actual evidence of what I suspected might be true. So the

next question is what can we do about it? I don't think a definitive answer has been found, but I wonder if sharing stories is a nonthreatening way to share a love of words. Perhaps hearing stories eventually develops a love of reading as students experience how a story can make us leave our current space and be transported into the story.  Maybe, if kids struggle to read due to lack of word exposure, good storytelling can create positive story experiences. I mean, how many times has the story of a lost kid discovering a library been told??

As a future school librarian, two questions keep running through my mind. 

1) What is the role of storytelling, separate from a read aloud,  in the school setting? 

2) Is the effectiveness of storytelling, in its most natural from, that is without props or multimedia, different for the current generation?

I found some answers to my first question, but not my second. Venkat (2020) writes about ideas for using storytelling along with the printed book. She suggests telling a story before seeing the printed books with pictures. This gives kids a chance to use their imagination and then compare it with the what the illustrator saw. I like deeper engagement of this use of storytelling. Cherry (2017) offered some ideas of how he  used stories in a history classroom. As a school librarian and a history teacher, he did not have the struggle that is sometimes collaboration, and the storytellers were the kids, not the teachers. Or they were the kids capturing the stories of adults. I do believe, though I don't have evidence, that stories stick in minds longer than facts, I can see how having the kids gather enough information about an explorer and then share a story about being that explorer might be more powerful than just textbook information. I still am uncertain if there is more power in a read aloud (with pictures) than a story telling (especially if I don't end up being a skilled one). Which one is more beneficial for literacy development? 

Of course a part of me thinks that storytelling is just enjoyable and it's literary development does not matter as it immerses a student in a rich history they need to experience. 

Picture Books 

This week we read picture books, fairy tales, and fables. As a teacher, I am most familiar with picture books as a source of a read aloud. I let myself just browse the children's section of my public library. I chose books by authors I thought might appeal to kids or who had appealed to me in the past. As a source for storytelling, I only found one book that I could imagine using for storytelling.  Modern picture books, with their dependence on images, felt hard to use for storytelling.  Pirate Stew had the most potential as a story to tell because of rhyme and repetition and the appeal of parents turning into pirates. Plus who can resist pirate noises and pirate jokes!  I am not sure I have a great pirate voice though. The YouTube link below is to a video of Gaiman, the author, reading the first 1/3 of the story. He is wonderful and draws you into the story perfectly. He ends with a chant that is repeated throughout the book. I think young kids would love a good telling of this tale. 

I did notice that in our textbook, most of the discussion about storytelling selection  excluded modern picture book titles and focused more on legends and fairy tales and fables. Perhaps because these stories are part of a heritage or perhaps because often the tellings of these tales are not picture-dependent? 

Fairy Tales

I love the idea of fairy tales for storytelling. These stories are more about the story than the images. Fairy tales can usually stand on words alone. I love the idea of fractured fairy tales for older elementary. I don't think the younger ones know the original stories. Interstellar Cinderella and Three Ninja Pigs were just silly books that I did not care for.
I would not use these stories or even read them aloud.

 I did love Goldilocks and Just One Bear in which a bear visits an apartment in a busy downtown and does variations of all that Goldilocks did only to discover this apartment belongs to grownup Goldilocks and her family. I can  imagine using this story as a storyteller.  Plus it was told with delightful alliteration and onomatopoeia. Rapunzel by Chloe Perkins was an adaption by an Indian writer with an Indian illustrator. It was a simple board book.  It was a beautiful edition that I might read aloud but not inspiring for storytelling. Really, the best potential for a storyteller was Frog Prince by Brother's Grimm found in the Random House Book of Fairy Tales. As a storyteller, this collection had the most appeal because of the detail in the stories through the words. I am most intrigued by classic fairy tales as a storyteller. It would be interesting to know which grade level in my state assigns fairy tales as part of the curriculum. 

Fables

I read two types of fables: retellings of Aesop's fables and a few from a book called Chinese Fables: The Dragon Slayer and Other Timeless Tales of Wisdom. I remember the textbook saying that the more we know about a culture, the more effectively we can share their fables (or something like that). I spent 8 weeks in China one summer teaching English. I thought maybe I could appreciate their fables. They were so very Chinese-- straightforward lessons pointing out stupidity without commentary or detail. They ended abruptly. 

I think fables have a ton of potential for storytelling. They are already retellings usually and kids love their lessons and puzzles. 

Sources

Cherry, W.J. (2017 November/December). Our place in the universe: The importance of story and storytelling in the classroom. Knowledge Quest, 46 (2). 

Greene, E. & Del Negro, J.M. (2010). Storytelling: Art and technique (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Hart, B. & Risley, T. (2003, Spring). The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap by age 3. American Educator. 

Venkat, S. (2020, May/June). Using oral storytelling techniques in reading sessions. Knowledge Quest, 48 (5), 54-56.