Teachers can promote children’s language and literacy development through a variety of methods, including story reading and oral storytelling (Isbell et al., 2004). Story reading, which entails telling a story using a book with printed pages and illustrations (Chesin, 1996), is the more commonly used method in early childhood classrooms (Bartan, 2020). Oral stories, on the other hand, are told verbally without the use of a book. Despite not being as common as story reading in the classroom environment, oral stories have been used in many cultures to pass down traditions and values (National Geographic Society, 2020). While the actual telling of an oral story does not involve a physical text, books can easily be adapted into oral stories.
The first step in adapting a book into an oral story is choosing the book. Making this decision requires being conscious of the makeup of your classroom. For instance, if the students all have an interest in a particular subject, you can choose a book that supports that interest, or choose a favorite book of the class. Another characteristic to take into account is the age of the children. Teachers can consider choosing a book that is appropriate for the children’s current developmental stage (Sacks, 2018). Furthermore, PreK teachers might choose a book that is relevant to the current PreK for All Thematic Units. You can also consider the children’s backgrounds to choose a book with a diverse cast of characters that is representative of their lived experiences. If you cannot find a book that caters to the children’s backgrounds, you can make changes to the story by making characters more diverse or adding elements of the children’s culture.
Once you have chosen your book the actual process of adapting begins. First, you should consider whether you will need to shorten the story or change elements of the plot if the story seems too long or complicated. You may also choose to highlight different vocabulary words that are more fitting to your class’ needs. After you have decided on the plot of your story, it may help to write a short summary that can help you remember all of the major plot points. However, you should not memorize the story, as it diminishes the expressive element of oral storytelling. Next, add dialogue to the story, either by using the dialogue already provided by the book or by creating your own. Repetition, phrases, rhymes, and/or songs can also be included to make the dialogue and story more engaging (Venkat, 2020).
After working on the dialogue, you should focus on visualizing the characters and setting. To aid in visualization, you may want to recall which characters are present in which scenes. Thinking about the character’s appearance, personality, actions, movements, and voices may also be useful in visualizing. When it comes to visualizing the setting, you should think of which scenes take place where and what those settings look like.
Another way to enhance the oral story adaptation is through the use of props that can help you recall and describe the events of the story (e.g., images of the setting and characters; Frick, 2018). These can be images from the text, or you can use drawings that you have drawn yourself or that the children have drawn. Hand puppets or stick figure puppets are another good way to bring the story’s characters to life, and you can even involve children in the story by having them act out characters using the puppets as you tell the story. Using these tools can help support the expressive nature of oral storytelling and also encourage the interactive element.
These are just some ways that you can go about adapting a book into an oral story. You are free to choose a book based on other factors or even have different prop ideas in mind. Once you feel the key steps have been completed, you are all set to share your oral story!
Stefanie Osorio is a senior in the Applied Psychology program at New York University
References
Bartan, M. (2020). The use of storytelling methods by teachers and their effects on children's understanding and attention span. Southeast Asia Early Childhood, 9(1), 75-84. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1272217
Chesin, G. A. (1966). Storytelling and storyreading. Peabody Journal of Education, 43(4), 212–214. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1491022
Frick, K. (2018, November 13). Oral storytelling: Not just for grandma anymore. ALSC Blog. Retrieved from https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2018/11/oral-storytelling-not-just-for-grandma-anymore/
Isbell, R., Sobol, J., Lindauer, L., & Lowrance, A. (2004). The effects of storytelling and story reading on the oral language complexity and story comprehension of young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32(3), 157-163. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ECEJ.0000048967.94189.a3
National Geographic Society. (2020, January 24). Storytelling and cultural traditions. National Geographic Society. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/storytelling-and-cultural-traditions/4th-grade/
Sacks, A. (2018, July 26). Tips for selecting a book for the whole class (Opinion). Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-tips-for-selecting-a-book-for-the-whole-class/2018/07
Venkat, S. (2020). Using oral storytelling techniques in reading sessions. CBC Column, 48(5), 54-56. https://www.cbcbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/KNOW_48_5_CBC_54-56-v2.pdf
Comments