Storytelling activities- Part 1

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling and it is celebrated every year on March 20. On this day as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages as possible in order to share knowledge and inspiration. Apart from its cultural and artistic dimension, storytelling can be used  in education and it is an extremely creative activity which broadens students' horizon of imagination and it engages curiosity, open-mindedness and problem-solving. The stories and storytelling are not only an efficient way to explore subjects and projects that meet extracurricular experiences but they also help students develop a love for language, vocabulary literacy and enhance their writing skills through creative writing. Moreover, students get to express themselves, their deeper thoughts trying to find a new perspective to their worries but also respect other children's perspective and stories as well. These stories can reflect the children's cultures and identities thus making storytelling a major tool for intercultural education.


You can make use of any material you like or you may think they will trigger students' fantasy and creativity. 

1) The magic fairy garden. You can urge students narrate the story of these magic fairies who may live in a flower pot that you may have brought in your classroom just to make the story more vivid. You should divide students in two teams.
Two fairies in a magic pot!
 



You should ask both teams questions like:
-What are their names?
-Where do they live?
-Are they friends or enemies?
-How do they spend their daily routine?
-What are their personality traits?








Danger! Danger!

The next step should be an unexpected twist in the story. You should address to the first team of students the following questions:

-What happens?
-Can you describe the unexpected incident that occured?
-Can you describe the characters' feelings?
-Can you tell how this affects the story?
-What steps should be taken to resolve the situation?
-How does the story end?
-Can you describe the characters' feelings in the end?
What should we do???


Now, the second team should tell the story from another perspective.
-What would happen if the story had a different unexpected twist?
-What if another character of the story was in danger and not the original one?
-Would the feelings be the same?
-Would the counteractions be different or same?
-How would the storyline unfold?
-How would it end?






In this way students will be able to produce their own story but also retell it with a different ending, trying to acquire a different insight to their characters. Therefore, children will come up with different feelings, incentives, strengths and thoughts for the exact characters something that will enable them to create their own understanding of the world but also respect the other's way of thinking.


Good luck!
Maria P.

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