Storytelling Behavior

Young children need to be encouraged to find their joy of books. For teachers this is a big job because so many children are more interested in playing video games or watching TV. There is always going to be a need for good stories and storytellers to share them. Storytelling is a great tool that teachers can utilize in the classroom to help teach literacy. Children enjoy when a story is told in a way that entertains as well as educates. For young children books open them up to a whole world of things that can ignite their imaginations. Storytelling strategies vary but for the most part the experts agree that there are main points that you should always use to be an effective storyteller. One concept is that when choosing stories you should know your audience. Teachers need to understand who they are reading to. When choosing a story teachers should think about what would be interesting for their students. It should also be one that you like so that you will be more likely to enjoy reading it. “Literature sharing becomes a highly personalized two-way adventure, as the utility of books and the joy of reading and writing is reinforced through the storytelling process” (Zeece, 1997). In order to choose a good book it needs to be something that is filled with action so that the story continues to engage the children. It also needs to appeal to many groups of children (Giorgis & Glazer, 2009). Stories can be very powerful for children and can allow them to be able to find a way to relate them to their own lives and experiences. “They take us outside the realm of our reality and immerse us in a world of possibilities” (Goode, 2012). This I feel is a very important part of the storytelling experience. Children need to be able to feel the stories they are hearing and for teachers to create the image of the stories they are telling. The tone of your voice and the visual materials are another important strategy that teachers need to think about when telling a