Fun! Entertaining! And Powerful! Who doesn’t want to listen to a great story?
But did you ever think of the connections between literacy and storytelling? There are plenty!
Let’s start with listening. Listening is directly linked with speaking. And listening and speaking are connected to reading and writing. It’s the whole kit and caboodle. And listening is a prerequisite to reading comprehension.
I can silence a room of children with just these four familiar words: “Once upon a time. ” Or even just … “One day.” Here’s my favorite though … “I’m going to tell you the oldest story in the world!”
Ears perk up. The children settle. All eyes are on me. They are ready!
Think about it. What’s happening when children have the opportunity to listen to a story?
They think. They comprehend. They learn. They listen for pauses, emphasis on certain words, look forward to repetition, mentally see the story, and they make predictions. They enjoy the parts where they can join in by helping to tell the story, repeat phrases, or make motions … all the time, carefully and eagerly listening for those parts.
The children hear sentence structure, proper grammar, and new vocabulary. They hear how a story is put together.
And when the story is finished? (Aside from the round of applause!) They like to share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Many of them like to retell the story to someone. I will run into parents after storytelling sessions with their children, and the parents enjoy telling me how their children retell the stories, complete with voice changes and facial expressions. Oh, I would love to hear and see that!
One time a parent happily told me how her four-year-old delighted in retelling a story I had told at our local school’s literacy night. The four-year-old had tagged along with his siblings and had listened as well as the older children! And, by the way, the parents enjoy listening to the stories as well.
And when retelling a story? Children engage in organizing their thoughts, sequence events, focus on beginning, middle, and end, and use newly learned vocabulary. Listening does all that. Wow! Sounds like what they engage in when reading a story. What a connection!
So … find a storyteller or tell some stories of your own. You can do it!
http://www.ednawaidellcravitz.com/storytelling-l…racy-listening/