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Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling
This invaluable resource book includes everything teachers or librarians need to know for using storytelling in their classrooms. It covers a range of topics known as the 7Cs including recommendations for using storytelling to enliven the curriculum, ways to develop literacy and language skills, models for building character, techniques for learning to tell stories, tips for teaching creativity and ways to build community. It even includes ready to tell tales with useful tips for "tellers" along with valuable references for teachers. It also correlates these learning activities with the Common Core Standards.
225 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2013
About the author
Margaret Read MacDonald
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Biography
Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald travels the world telling stories....always on the lookout for more great folktales to share. She shapes these found stories into tellable tales which anyone can share with ease. Filling her folktale collections with these delightful tales, she creates perfect read alouds for you and your family. MRM wants everyone to experience the joy of a beautifully told tale. She hopes you will read them a few times...then put down the book...put down the electronic device...and just TELL the story to your children!
Some of her favorite folktales she expands into picture books...hopefully with delightfully readable language while will roll right out of your mouth. Share them with your children and then....act the tales out! Revisit the tales by TELLING them! At bedtime. While on the road. Fill your pockets with great stories to share wherever you go.
Joining her Folklore Ph.D. with her 30 plus years as a children's librarian, Margaret brings folktales to life in playful, lilting language which should delight both reader and listener.
See her performance schedule at: www.margaretreadmaconald.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 25, 2017
3.5 actually
As a teacher, anytime you can read a book and end it feeling like you can immediately incorporate action in your classroom - that's a winner.
This book makes it very clear on how to easily and effectively use folktales and stories in the preschool to high school classroom, across the curriculum. Much of this is due to the abundance of included stories along with the practical activities to include alongside them. One of the strengths of this book is the authors commitment to using a select few stories frequently throughout the book to demonstrate the various applications.
Finally, after instilling the desire to captivate students with stories, they go on to highlight the research that proves that this is an effective teaching strategy and then even pulls out common core standards that are met by using stories in the classroom.
I received an eARC from the publisher. Here is my honest review.
As a teacher, anytime you can read a book and end it feeling like you can immediately incorporate action in your classroom - that's a winner.
This book makes it very clear on how to easily and effectively use folktales and stories in the preschool to high school classroom, across the curriculum. Much of this is due to the abundance of included stories along with the practical activities to include alongside them. One of the strengths of this book is the authors commitment to using a select few stories frequently throughout the book to demonstrate the various applications.
Finally, after instilling the desire to captivate students with stories, they go on to highlight the research that proves that this is an effective teaching strategy and then even pulls out common core standards that are met by using stories in the classroom.
I received an eARC from the publisher. Here is my honest review.
May 19, 2020
I found it difficult to rate this book. Some chapters were full on five star surprises. There are not many books that address storytelling in general and classroom storytelling in particular with this “just do it” practical attitude. Great ideas and loads of simple stories that could easily be used for most audiences in most storytelling situations and for many educational and pedagogical purposes. I found the language very quoteable and many sentences from this book have made their way into my collection of quotes.
But. We all knew there was a “but” on its way, didn’t we?
More than a few chapters are merely lists of stories, usually from the many story collections of this author. These chapters feel like commercial breaks. And in a clear case of write what you know, the authors should have left out the chapter on storytelling for special needs children. Clearly, they have no idea.
The final chapter on the science behind storytelling is, once again, a list of titles to studies and articles, but it feels forced. As if the authors want to justify the book by adding a pinch of science at the end. These proofs and justifications should have been added to the pertinent chapters.
All in all, this is one of the better books about the subject and would have been the best if a few chapters had been left out.
But. We all knew there was a “but” on its way, didn’t we?
More than a few chapters are merely lists of stories, usually from the many story collections of this author. These chapters feel like commercial breaks. And in a clear case of write what you know, the authors should have left out the chapter on storytelling for special needs children. Clearly, they have no idea.
The final chapter on the science behind storytelling is, once again, a list of titles to studies and articles, but it feels forced. As if the authors want to justify the book by adding a pinch of science at the end. These proofs and justifications should have been added to the pertinent chapters.
All in all, this is one of the better books about the subject and would have been the best if a few chapters had been left out.
October 21, 2013
Title: Teach With Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling
Author: Margaret Read MacDonald, Jennifer MacDonald Whitman, Nathaniel Forrest Whitman
Publisher: August House
Published: 9-11-2013
ISBN: 978-1-939160-72-0
Pages: 225
Genre: Teaching
Tags: Storytelling
As a teacher of special needs and children that are challenged I have looked for any and all ideas on how to hold the attention of my kids. I wish I had run across a book like this years ago. Other than my Sunday School class where I have used story telling for years to make the lessons more fun for my 4th graders. I haven't thought to use it with my other students. I found that Teaching With story is a well written in depth look at using story telling to hold the interest of your students in a variety of school tasks and subjects. There are plenty of examples that you can use as guidelines if you like.
This is an amazing tool for teachers who desire to enrich the learning environment of their pupils. These simple techniques can be used by anyone. Try them the next time you want to take a tired subject and bring it alive for your students. I think you will find their retention goes up in proportion to their fidgeting going down. Take a moment to check out Teaching With Story today. Whether you are homeschooling or teaching in a classroom, you will find it informative and a great aid in planning your lessons.
Author: Margaret Read MacDonald, Jennifer MacDonald Whitman, Nathaniel Forrest Whitman
Publisher: August House
Published: 9-11-2013
ISBN: 978-1-939160-72-0
Pages: 225
Genre: Teaching
Tags: Storytelling
As a teacher of special needs and children that are challenged I have looked for any and all ideas on how to hold the attention of my kids. I wish I had run across a book like this years ago. Other than my Sunday School class where I have used story telling for years to make the lessons more fun for my 4th graders. I haven't thought to use it with my other students. I found that Teaching With story is a well written in depth look at using story telling to hold the interest of your students in a variety of school tasks and subjects. There are plenty of examples that you can use as guidelines if you like.
This is an amazing tool for teachers who desire to enrich the learning environment of their pupils. These simple techniques can be used by anyone. Try them the next time you want to take a tired subject and bring it alive for your students. I think you will find their retention goes up in proportion to their fidgeting going down. Take a moment to check out Teaching With Story today. Whether you are homeschooling or teaching in a classroom, you will find it informative and a great aid in planning your lessons.
November 22, 2013
Innovative ideas
With a wide range of ideas that are that simple and easy to use, in such a wide variety of situations, they may be easily adapted for your own use; creative use of storytelling to emphasise points and bring learning to life, all available in one easy to read book. This medium length book would be fantastically useful for anyone working with young children, or by those, like myself, who work with older children and are able to adapt the concepts to meet the needs.
With a wide range of ideas that are that simple and easy to use, in such a wide variety of situations, they may be easily adapted for your own use; creative use of storytelling to emphasise points and bring learning to life, all available in one easy to read book. This medium length book would be fantastically useful for anyone working with young children, or by those, like myself, who work with older children and are able to adapt the concepts to meet the needs.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews