Donaldson_Christine_Reading Reflection #1

        The prefaced section of our textbook entitled “For Story’s Sake” offered some hard truths and the impact a story can have on a person. We do live in a media saturated society. Our students cannot be motivated to do well for the sake of pride. Motivation to compete with fellow students is also beginning to decline unless there is a prize for the winner. The parents, students and patrons we serve are all looking for the quickest and easiest answer. “If you can’t measure it, it is not valuable, and kids need to be paid off with bribes and incentives in order to participate in reading programs or other book-related activities.” (Greene and Del Negro,2010, p. xix) This is the way society has been moving but the author proposes that the storytelling experience can bring joy and reading to students without incentives and rewards. Returning to the basic of “the right book for the right child at the right time” (Greene and Del Negro, 2010, p. xxvi) is still the key and helping students find books they can relate to or books to get lost in will be a reason students continue reading. This has been the case for many years, and it is hopeful that this will continue in the future. 

              The historical aspect of storytelling as outlined in our textbook was not a surprise. Our basic understanding of the development of civilization means that the written word was not available, education was only available for the elite, and the only way to pass on information was through stories. These stories were shared from town to town by traveling storytellers and bards. Song and rhythm aided in the memorization and the sharing of stories and history. Knowing how closely the singer-performers of old used song to spread stories, it is no surprise that storytelling and songs are still closely related and complement each other enhancing the storytelling experience. What I do wonder is how the storytellers of today will impact the future. Are there storytellers who can make as big of an impact on people and libraries as Marie Shedlock, Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen, Pura Belpre, or Augusta Baker. Will our society once again embrace the sound of the human voice and all the various sounds the human voice can create to tell an engaging story? 

The power of a story is evident every time I read to my younger students. The right story read or told using vocal inflections, rhythm, songs, and movement is likely to capture the attention of students. Young students are easily distracted by the slightest noise or movement from the students around them. If a story can be told using all resources available to a storyteller, the storyteller becomes the distraction that is holding their attention beyond what is happening around them. Many of the articles and video resources for this week gave tips and tricks listed above as ways for the storyteller to improve the experience for students. The tip that I think many overlooks is that a storyteller is a performer, and a storyteller will have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone to be silly and to make a story more than just a recitation of words but an experience that students can leave your library talking about and sharing with others.  

        The literacy benefits for students are also discussed in our readings and videos. The benefits to the student include visualization skills, cognitive engagement, critical thinking skills, and story sequence. While considering the article by Denise E. Agosto and knowing how digital our society is becoming made the benefits of storytelling even more important. Our students are spending more and more time watching online content and communicating via text or pictures. Storytelling is almost the opposite of a video and creates the opportunity for students to engage in an activity that is becoming less and less common.  

Considering our student's immersion in the digital, the concept of story circles is something I would like to incorporate in my library lessons. My younger students are always wanting to tell me something that has happened to them and there is rarely time to allow everyone to tell their stories. Classroom teachers have very regulated schedules and are squeezing as much academic content into their day as possible with little time to spare for students to tell their stories. Library time is a perfect opportunity to give students to tell their stories, create connections with other students, and improve their language. Students could have a story circle during book selection time. Some groups can share stories while another makes their book selections. As the teacher, I can walk around and monitor the story circles as well as the students making their book selections.  

While much of what I have done in school as a teacher and a librarian has been reading stories and not storytelling, the concepts and ideas presented in the readings and the videos this week are still applicable. I have always enjoyed reading books to students and employ any trick of the voice, movement, music, or rhyme to maintain the student’s focus on the book I am reading. The only step now to becoming a storyteller is to familiarize myself with a story and remove the aid of a book. Exchanging the book for other props that can help tell a story will enhance the story and aid the storyteller. As our students become even more immersed in our digital society, providing an experience where students can utilize their own imagination, develop language skills, and critical thinking skills will become even more vital.  

 

References 

Greene, E. & Del Negro, J. (2010). Storytelling: art and technique. ABC-CLIO. 

 

Reading Log 

Picture Books 

School’s Forst Day of School 

Mermaid Day 

The Invisible String Backpack 

The Library Fish 

The Book Hog 

Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library 

Froggy Goes to the Library 

 

Fables 

How the Raven Got His Crooked Nose 

The Monkey and The Dolphin 

Town Mouse Country Mouse 

The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse 

Hare and Tortoise 

A Story A Story 

The Lizard