Storytelling and Imagination: Beyond Basic Literacy 8-14

225 Pages·2011·1.51 MB·English

by  Rob Parkinson

Storytelling and Imagination:
Beyond Basic Literacy 8–14
Storytelling helps pupils develop a wide range of skills. Do they dream and fantasize?
Do they lie, waffle and distract? These are not just bad habits but marvellous start-
ing points for teaching an art that can help them to pass on experience, train and use
imagination, develop language skills, promote their own confidence, communica-
tion and creativity and much more. Storytelling and story making may indeed be
essential catalysts in developing critical and analytical thinking skills too.
Storytelling and Imagination: Beyond Basic Literacy 8–14 is the complete guide to
using creative storytelling in the primary school classroom and for transitions to
Key Stage 3 at secondary school. Taking a holistic approach incorporating reading,
writing, speaking and listening, this book covers the skills of developing stories from
conceiving a tale through to performance and the oral tradition. Tried and tested by
the author and by teachers in hundreds of workshops, this book provides:
(cid:129) ideas for sparking children’s imaginations and harnessing creativity;
(cid:129) information on using storytelling in cross-curricular contexts with examples and
ideas;
(cid:129) games and practical activities in each chapter;

(cid:129) a range of original and traditional stories for use in the classroom;
(cid:129) different stages of work to suit all abilities;
(cid:129) joined-up thinking about stories and storytelling.
More than a box of good tricks, this book is an indispensable guide for all literacy
co-ordinators, practising and student teachers who are looking to create an inspiring
and cross-curricular approach to literacy.
Rob Parkinson is a former teacher who now works as a freelance storyteller, musi-
cian, writer and educational speaker. He has visited over 2000 schools in the UK
giving workshops on storytelling, stories and music as well as using storytelling in
therapy and counselling.

Storytelling and
Imagination:
Beyond Basic
Literacy 8–14
Rob Parkinson
First published 2011
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2011.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
© 2011 Rob Parkinson
The right of the author to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patent Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known
or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Parkinson, Rob.
Storytelling and imagination: beyond basic literacy 8–14 / by Rob Parkinson.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Storytelling. 2. Literacy—Study and teaching (Primary) I. Title.
LB1042.P28 2011
372.67'7—dc22
2010022697
ISBN 0-203-83640-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN13: 978–0–415–57186–9 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–57187–6 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–83640–8 (ebk)
For Asha,
a talented, much-loved daughter
and a fine storyteller already

Story-telling has a real mission to perform in setting free the natural
creative expression of children, and in vitalising the general atmo-
sphere of the school.
(Sara Cone Bryant, 1910)

Contents
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
1 Thinking about story 3
2 Practical protocols 23
3 Telling tall tales 35
4 Likely legends and marvellous myths 59
5 Dreaming awake 75
6 Learning stories 93

7 Stretching stories 110
8 Stealing stories 138
9 Fooling with forms 158
10 Performing stories 167
11 A storyteller’s vision 189