Storytelling and Story Writing

The following is from a weekly column I write, called Curriculum Connections, in the OCDSB Business & Learning Technologies e-Newsletter.

 

The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat has released its “Literacy and Numeracy Strategy” Fall 2010 Resource Package at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/publications/fall.html

Rich with research and  practice-related resources, strategies and curriculum connections, it provides cohesive, classroom friendly suggestions and ideas, broken into quick, manageable articles.

Storytelling and Story Writing “Using a Different Kind of Pencil”; Dr. Terry A. Campbell and Michelle Hlusek. (Oct 2009) at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_Storytelling.pdf
asks “How can teachers make writing fun and motivating, so that even reluctant writers want to write?”. It is a compelling read.

Using oral story-telling, to retell a story, with a change to the setting or plot, can scaffold reluctant and hesitant writers. Strategies such as storyboard creation and visual reenactments give students confidence. “Once they had a story in oral and visual form, they felt like authors, even before pencil was put to paper.” (Campbell & Hlusek, 2009)

Many graphic organizers and storyboards are available online, either for cloud-use, or for teacher download.

Check out http://ocdsbdigitalstorytelling.wikispaces.com/Online+graphic+organizers for some examples. This is a wiki so collaboration is encouraged. If you have further resources or comments, please “Join This Wiki”