Using Storytelling in the Classroom
Storytelling differs from reading aloud and memorized recitation in that the storyteller speaks directly to their audience and is therefore more present and not bound to convey the story in exactly the same way as it was originally created.
The story is a gift that the individual storyteller makes their own and wraps in a way that suits themselves and the storytelling situation.
You can use the tools below both to become a skilled storyteller yourself and to support your students in becoming good storytellers.
Learning the art of storytelling involves two steps,
Explore the 12 short tutorial videos below that will give you a solid basis to continue on your own with storytelling.
Note that you can choose subtitles in several different languages.
We hope that you will enjoy the journey on the “Highway to Tell”, which is a storytelling method developed by Kasper Sørensen from Fortælletid.
Do you know the fable of the lion and the mouse?
Listen to “The lion and the mouse” that Kasper Sørensen tells us several times to show different ways of using language when telling stories, which is the idea behind the “Highway to Tell”. The magic of storytelling is about evoking images in the heads of the listeners and in that way make them co-producers of the story. It is about being transported to another place and/or time as a listener. That is one of the main differences between stories being told or stories being summarized or explained.
Here the story is being told with a combination of the language lanes of “The Highway to Tell”:
Now, you can invite your pupils on a journey on The Highway to Tell by introducing them to the language lanes yourself, so they can learn how to use them as well.
You can also work with the fable together with your students using the PLACES playful learning activity card STORY BONE – THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
For thousands of years people all over the world have created and told fables. That makes this genre recognizable for most people regardless of cultural background and age. Moreover, the brevity and simple structure of fables make them ideal for learning how to use and experiment with the tools of storytelling
How do we build stories that connect and captivate
the listeners? Well, exactly what is a story? Most people
intuitively understand the concept and recognize it easily
when being told a story. But it can be difficult to identify the
most important elements and how to use them,
and thus challenging to do it yourself
Here are some additional ideas for using storytelling to share facts, strengthen relations and engage your students:
We hope you’ve found the journey along the ‘Highway to Tell’ both enjoyable and worthwhile.
You can also find some of these points highlighted on the INFO CARDS included in the Playful Teaching materials on storytelling
Remember that having a driving license is one thing, only practice makes you an experienced driver on The Highway to Tell.