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and repetitive texts because of the similarities to play from their early grades in
school (Fox Eades, 2006; Lisenbee & Ford, 2018). However, story selection is not a
necessary part of all types of storytelling. Some storytelling experiences will involve
students creating their own type of story, and others will involve students performing
a story that is given to them.
The way students are presented with material for their storytelling experiences
depends on the teacher and what curricular needs the teacher must fill. For instance,
a teacher could give students a story such as Little Red Riding Hood in an English
language arts classroom, while the teacher in a social studies classroom could give
students a historical topic such as Washington crossing the Delaware to create a
storytelling performance. For Little Red Riding Hood, the students could use the text
to guide their performance. For a particular historical topic, students may not have
a specific story text to anchor them, and, in this case, they would use historical facts
to guide their performance. Sometimes, picking a specific story is not as important
as choosing the right topic.

Conclusion
Through the use of storytelling, the five pillars of reading are embedded into
the learning activity. Additionally, the English language arts of listening, speaking,
reading, writing, viewing, and visual representation are covered, as well as the
five W’s and the five literary elements of a story. Students become better listeners
and performers while covering personal stories and curriculum-based concepts.
Storytelling is a win for students and teachers alike!

References
Campbell, T., & Hlusek, M. (2015). Storytelling for fluency and flair: A performance‐based
approach. The Reading Teacher, 69(2), 157–161. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002
/trtr.1384

Combs, M., & Beach, J. (1994). Stories and storytelling: Personalizing the social studies. The
Reading Teacher, 47(6), 464–471.

Daniel, A. K. (2012). Storytelling across the primary curriculum. Routledge.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, DHHS.
(2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: Reports of the
subgroups (00-4754). U.S. Government Printing Office.
Fox Eades, J. M. (Ed.). (2006). Classroom tales: Using storytelling to build emotional, social and
academic skills across the primary curriculum. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
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
Lisenbee, P. S., & Ford, C. M. (2018). Engaging students in traditional and digital storytelling
to make connections between pedagogy and children’s experiences. Early Childhood
Education Journal, 46(1), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0846-x
Livo, N. J., & Rietz, S. A. (1986). Storytelling: Process and practice. Libraries Unlimited.

Stanley, N., & Dillingham, B. (2009). Performance literacy through storytelling. Maupin House
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