Literacy activities: Seasons and storytelling

Storytelling probably originated when humans first learned to communicate. From describing the day’s events or how the food for supper was gathered while sitting around a fire, such occurrences developed into a form of entertainment.

Later, a good storyteller could command a place at the court of kings, or travel the country telling their stories of the real or imagined. They might even have sung their stories to the accompaniment of a musical instrument to earn their food and a bed for the night. Anywhere in the world where people faced long lonely nights before the introduction of modern entertainment, storytelling would undoubtedly occur. For example, one American tradition is the ‘tall tale’, where with tongue-in-cheek humour, wild exaggeration or outright lies, storytellers sought to out-do a previous speaker with outrageously far-fetched tales. In all cases of storytelling, both past and present, such activity has developed the skills of originality, structure and climax. Indeed, storytellers are great performers who enhance their tales with expressive voices, actions and facial expressions. Certainly storytelling has its origins in the telling and performing of a story, rather than in the written word.

Opposite are a selection of activities to explore storytelling with your class and encourage them to develop their skills in oral communication – a key area highlighted in The Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum interim report. The activities are based around the seasons – a topic to help creativity and imagination blossom.

Activities

1. Personification of the seasons
2. Tall tales
3. Creating dialogue
4. Plot and conflict
5. Becoming a storyteller