Storytelling Your Way into the Common Core and Beyond

One of a school librarian's greatest delights can be the moment when you gather the children close, look directly into their eyes, and tell them a story. Recently, school librarians have said they miss the pleasure of sharing stories, but they don't have time with so many standards to address. In school library settings, storytelling offers a pleasant pathway for exploring Common Core requirements. By listening to orally told stories and telling stories themselves, students viscerally experience important elements of narrative such as story structure, characterization, and setting. They wrap their mouths around beautiful patterned language as they chime in on chants or retell stories themselves. Throughout the ages, stories have been used by parents and teachers to impart lessons that build character and set expectations for behavior. Teachers and librarians find "first week of school" stories can set the tone for the coming year.