With groups start as soon as possible after they have heard the story. Circle time is a good way to begin this reflection or any time when they can talk without interruption. You may ask them to recollect their most vivid or favourite image from a story. Or to describe how they saw a particular character or scene. They may explore their feelings about this scene or character, or what they felt about listening to stories. Were they surprised at any of their feelings?
After talk they could be encouraged to draw or write short poems to
make their thoughts more concrete.
Play some quiet, gentle music. Children can lie down or sit with their
heads on their arms. Ask them to breath deeply and listen to the music.
Gently talk through some of the scenes of the story. Ask them to recall
what they saw, smelt , heard. Add to the details, recall the feelings of
the people as well as what they themselves felt. You do not have to go
through the whole story. This can be done with your own children at home,
maybe the following day.
Storytelling creates pictures in the child's mind so picture making of all sorts develops very easily as a follow-up. Storyboards or comic strips help to firm-up the visualisation and the structure of the story. Pictures are one of the best aids to memory and children's own pictures can be used to develop their own language to go with the story at a later date. The story of is an ideal opportunity to develop fabric pictures or quilt making.
FRIEZES OR OHP SHOWS
These are two ways of making co-operative art work which can enable the children to share their visual images with each other. It results in good fun for the group and a larger than life result, as well as being a memory aid for the retelling of the story.
MOVEMENT
Stories can also be told through movement and dance or mime - with or without narrative. This is also a very good means of exploring the deeper motives and feelings of the characters and the overall moods of the story.
SONG OR LYRIC WRITING
Chants, raps and songs can be devised in small or large groups with perhaps one person acting as scribe or maybe with the leader conducting the whole thing. They can be based on a whole story or single character or scene. One way is for everyone to write random rhyming couplets based on the story and then piece them together into verses, choruses, middle eights. etc.
LIBRARY VISITS
One of the ways of linking oracy with literacy is for children to search in books for new stories that they can tell. Orally developed stories such as folk tales tend to work best.
DRAMA
Some stories lend themselves well to group drama - or a mixture of drama and narrative (useful for tellers gaining confidence). This is an excellent way for the students to gain more understanding of the story. Rehearsing and performing may suit some groups.
PUPPETRY
Again this is an opportunity to make concrete the visualisation of the
characters. It is also a well known method for encouraging reluctant speakers
to give voice because they can distance themselves from the audience. They
may make a performance out of it. The back of the settee or the garage
can often make a good theatre.
The story can be re-written. New stories can be written around the characters or the setting.
TELLING STORIES
Don’t forget that a story to be told is not a script. Children need
not write it and learn the words but tell the story as their own oral language,
afresh each time. All tellings need to bear the audience in mind so you
may need to consider the size and type of audience that is involved depending
on the experience and confidence of the pupil. Look at the Guidance
Notes on storytelling.
It is a good idea to ritualise storytelling or reading to a group. This aids security and confidence and gives the storytelling a sense of occasion. A special piece of brightly coloured cloth laid over a chair will do, or a cushion or a particular seating arrangement.
You may experiment with different types of lighting; use a table lamp or even candles. Whatever rules or patterns of behaviour you need can then be applied. One thing I would encourage is lots of applause - and such shouts and yells and whoops as you are prepared to put up with. This gives encouragement to the tellers and any would-be tellers in the group.
TAPE RECORDING
When you first hear your own voice it is a great shock but this session is fun.
The technology is readily available, accessible and easy to use. Once
children are used to it then listening enables them to assess their own
speech and performance. After rehearsal let them tell the story in their
own words either in their own or in groups. They may wish to add sounds
effects and turn it into a radio programme.