Our Students are Oral Storytellers!
During our first English Intensive, students investigated oral storytelling and looked at the Common Core English standards of oral expression as well as the Compass Competency of Communication. We are often asked to “tell our stories” whether that is in a job interview or wanting to get a project off the ground. In looking more into this topic, I remembered “The Moth” storytelling program out of New York City, and thought, “What a cool way to get kids to start writing about themselves.” Our final for this intensive was a Story Hour, Moth style where students shared their personal stories around the themes of “How did I get here?” and “I learned it the hard way.”
In addition to drafting, editing, and practicing reading stories out loud, students experienced samples of historical storytelling such as The Odyssey. I love the translation I’ve been reading in class (and the translator was a professor at Sam’s university!) The copy is Odyssey: Homer Translated by Stanley Lombardo.
Below are a few storytelling events near us to continue getting your students excited about this form of entertainment (these usually have some adult themes, but they are inspiring).
Please stay tuned for more opportunities to get our community excited about sharing our stories.