storytelling in the classroom
the hows and whys
storytelling and story dictation
Stories are how we learn. We use stories to learn about people we will never meet, places we may never go, and things we had not yet heard of. And, through story, we learn a lot about ourselves. Children use stories to learn about the great big world they are growing up in. They learn how to be, how to do, and what to say through story. It's a cultural experience.
Through a process of shared storytelling, children can bond. They learn to listen to each other, to consider a different point of view or discover shared interests, they develop imagination and creativity, realize humor and drama, learn phrases they've never heard before, and independence right along side community and collaboration. It's a beautiful process that must be invited into children's lives.
The tips below walk you through how to take story dictation from kids, things to consider and to say, and how to bring their stories to life through dramatization. The most important thing to remember is to enjoy it.
"honor their voices..."
10 tips for story dictation in your classroom
tip 1
When you begin, start by having the student write their name at the top, noting that they are the author of this story, and then write the date. Then begin the story by asking "can you tell me a story." Write down exactly what they say.
Part of the beauty of the story dictation process is the inherently organic way of teaching concepts of print, phonological awareness, the idea that spoken words can be written down to be read and reread over time, and the list goes on.
(Gadzikowski, 2007; Cooper, Capo, Mathes, & Gray, 2008)
tip 2
It might be a good idea to keep a mental note to add to anecdotal records if you notice a child has a pattern of grammar issues. Later be sure to model proper grammar as much as possible for the students.
(Nicolopoulou, McDowell, & Brockmeyer, 2009; Gadzikowski, 2007)
tip 3
Be sure that you aren't interjecting your own ideas into the story. Remember we are honoring their words, so if you add ideas, it's no longer the student's story. A short, one sentence or even one word story is just fine, especially at the beginning. You will see progress soon!
Once students get used to telling stories, it's okay to prompt them or ask them to be sure everything makes sense. Often times characters pop in and out of stories in a way that is very confusing to the audience. We want our students to become better storytellers, so it's okay to ask them to clarify and edit.
(Cooper, 1993)
tip 4
- echoing the student as they are talking to slow them down so that you can be sure to get every word they say down on the page.
- stopping to reread parts of the story can help students who get sidetracked or to help them along with thinking of a logical next step in their story.
- rereading the entire story once it has been completed to make sure you got everything right and editing anything that the student may want or need to change.
(Cooper, Capo, Mathes, Gray, 2008).
tip 5
(Cooper, Capo, Mathes, Gray, 2008).
tip 6
Dramatization is not only a great way to introduce reading comprehension skills, it serves as a motivator for students to dictate stories.
The first step is to gather students on the carpet. Read the story first without the actors on stage so the students have already heard it once before acting. Next, announce the cast and have them come up on stage. Review their roles and ask any logistic questions about the stage and where things might take place. Then read the story as the students act out. If there's dialogue, encourage actors to say what the author wrote. It's also okay for actors to interject their own dialogue as long as it's okay with the story author.
"Stories that are not acted out are fleeting dreams" (Paley, 1990).
(Nicolopoulou, McDowell, & Brockmeyer, 2009; Paley, 1990; Cooper, Capo, Mathes, Gray, 2008)
tip 7
(Nicolopoulou, McDowell, & Brockmeyer, 2009)
tip 8
Students who participate in story dictation and dramatization are more inclined to participate in journal writing, even the boys,who are often uninterested in this activity were engaged. Their journal writing tended to be more engaged and better quality journal entries after having participated in storytelling frequently.
(Nicolopoulou, McDowell, & Brockmeyer, 2009)
tip 9
Storytelling is an easy way to get students intrinsically motivated to practice vocabulary and literacy skills in the most authentic way. And, because the students have a stronger relationship with the teacher and other students, they will learn and love school that much more.
(Cooper, Capo, Mathes, Gray, 2008; Dyson, Genishi, 1994)
tip 10
(Cooper, Capo, Mathes, Gray, 2008)
JASON
November's story- one word.
February's story- two words.
March's story- ten words.
5 tips for getting parents involoved
tip 1
Instead of asking, "did you have a good day," try something along the lines of "what was your favorite part of the day?" This gives them a chance to use all of that language that they are so rapidly taking in, they can express themselves more, and have the chance to be more creative and even problem solvers.
tip 2
tip 3
tip 4
tip 5
webliography
http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/young-dictate.htm
- Here is a tip sheet for engaging young students in story dictation. Tips range from how to give the story dictation and how to keep the stories together, allowing time for students to share stories with their classmates and how to dramatize.
https://isidore.udayton.edu/access/content/group/48d85ee6-68d7-4a63-ac4e-db6c0e01d494/EDT608/m6_article4.pdf
- The following link is to an online article with amazing tips on how to cultivate great young authors. Story dictation is included in this article, but not limited to it. This article discusses everything from English language learners, maintaining a home-school connection, and understanding the progression of kid writing and inventive spelling.
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/dictation
- Reading rockets is a tried and true resource for teachers. This particular link is all about dictation. What I like most about this website is that they introduce ways to honor students words through dictation in all subjects in the classroom, not just language arts and not just through story. Strategies for differentiation are included as well as a recommended book list with ideas of how to implement them into the classroom.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toontastic/id404693282?mt=8
- Toontastic is really cool app to facilitate independent story telling. It's usage is super kid friendly and walks students through the steps of creating a story using a story arc. Students can pick a huge assortment of characters and settings for their story. Once they have selected these options, they can record themselves telling the story or performing the dialogue while moving the characters around. In the end, they have created a movie of their story that they can save, re-watch, and share with friends. What I love most about this app, besides the bright and fun images, is that it specifically uses vocabulary like character, setting, rising action, climax, and resolution.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/book-creator-free-make-books/id661166101?mt=8
- Another fantastic app for students to become storytellers and authors. There are two options for students to create books using this app. The first it to create their own book using actual pen and paper. They can then go in and take photos of each page and insert them into the app and record their story for each page. Another option is to take pictures of whatever they like, and then record a narration or type on top of the photo itself. This app is slightly more difficult for our youngest students, however students can independently be highly successful in Kindergarten and beyond after some modeling and instruction.
storytelling must reads
This is one of those books that you just can't put down. Paley's ability to teach you about kids, storytelling, and life all at once in such an eloquent way is truly inspiring. She begins with her journey in the classroom with storytelling. She then tells us the story of a young boy with special needs who needs story and community more than anything. This is not a how to book for story dictation. This is a book that makes you wonder why you haven't already started.
Vivian Paley is a pre-k and kindergarten teacher as well as an early childhood researcher who won a MacAurthor Fellowship for her work with children.
This book begins with a tribute to Vivian Paley, who we can credit storytelling and dictation in the early childhood classroom to. Cooper goes on to describe her experiences with story and story dictation in the classroom as well as at home in her personal life.
My favorite chapter in this book is What I Had to Learn about Stories, where she describes everything from becoming a teacher, learning about inventive spelling, language, and even lack of confidence in stories.
What follows these experiences are step by step instructions for how to take dictation and incorporate dramatization as well as helpful things to consider and say while taking a story. This is a wonderful tool once you begin taking dictation, and then feel like you're not sure what to do next.
As much fun as this book sounds, it's a pretty serious read. The main point of this book is to help guide teachers into bringing what is most important in a child's life, experiences, and interests into curriculum. The suggestion is that superheroes and cartoon and princesses all have a place in the classroom, fostering engagement and creativity as well as a sense of familiarity. It's about bringing what they know together with what they have to learn.
And, all of these ideas come with plenty of research and theory to bring all of these ideas to a serious and defensible teaching practice.
"Children [are] superheroes... of a special kind, whose force is found, not in the sword, but in the word." -Dyson
references
Cooper, P. (2005). Literacy Learning and Pedagogical Purpose in Vivian Paley's Storytelling Curriculum. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy 5(3), 229-252. DOI: 10.1177/1468798405058686
Cooper, P., Capo, K., Mathes, B., & Gray, L. (2008). One authentic early literacy practice and thre standardized tests: Can a storytelling curriculum measure up? Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 28, 251-275. DOI: 1080/109010207015555
Dyson, A. H., & Genishi, C. (Eds.). (1994). The need for story: Cultural diversity in classroom and community. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Nicolopoulou, A., McDowell, J., Brockmeyer, C. (2009) Narrative play and emergent literacy: Storytelling and story-acting meets journal writing. In Singer, D., Golinkoff, R., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (Eds.). Play = Learning. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
Paley, V. G. (1990). The boy who would be a helicopter: The uses of storytelling in the classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.