Storytelling 101

1. Storytelling 101 Lesson 1-What Is Storytelling? Begin

2. What is storytelling? Long, long ago . . . Learn about the art of storytelling and how it all began. Story ElementsBeginning, middle, and end! Learn the parts of a story here. Fables, and legends, and myths, oh my! Learn about the different types of stories.

3. Who do you think told the first story? Although no one knows for sure, it is a widely believed that cavemen were probably the first storytellers. William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who created some of the world’s most well-known stories. He lived from 1564 to 1616, a long time after writing had been invented. Snoopy is a fictional character created by Charles Schultz as part of the Peanuts comic strip.

4. What were the first stories about? Based on cave drawings and other research, it is believed that the first humans shared stories about the animals they encountered. Storytelling was a way to share those adventures with other humans in their tribe or other clans. Storytelling was a way to entertain, inform, and share experiences with one another.

5. What is storytelling? Storytelling is telling a story to an audience without the use of a book or props. It is using your voice and movement to make the story exciting. Click on the box below to see an example of storytelling done by one of the ambassador storytellers of the 2010 Festival.

6. Story Elements Every story has three parts to it. There is the beginning, the middle, and the end. Click on the tabs below to find out more about each part of the story.

7. The Beginning is where the problem is identified. For example, the problem in the Three Billy Goats Gruff is that all of their grass is gone and they are hungry. Below you will find the story of the Three Little Pigs. Click on the sequence of events that happens at the beginning of the story. Great! Try Again Try Again

8. The Middle is where the sequence of events is told. This is where we say what happens next in the sequence. In the Three Billy Goats Gruff, we know that the littlest billy goat goes first across the bridge, the next biggest goes second, and the biggest billy goat goes last. Below you will find the story of the Three Little Pigs. Click on the sequence of events that happens at the middle of the story. Great! Try Again Try Again

9. The End is how the story turns out. What happened after the biggest billy goat and the troll got in a fight? How did the story end? We know that after the big fight, the billy goats went to the other side of the meadow and had all the grass they could eat. Below you will find the story of the Three Little Pigs. Click on the sequence of events that happens at the end of the story. Great! Try Again Try Again

10. Fables, and myths, and legends, oh my! There are many types of stories. Some stories are magical and fantastical. Some are filled with lessons for us to learn. Some are exaggerations of historical facts. Click on the story links below to learn more about each type of story.

11. Fairytales are magical! They have magic characters such as witches and fairy godmothers. They also have human and animal characters. The problem in the story is usually solved through some sort of magic. Some fairytales that you may recognize are Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince, and Rapunzel. Click on the pictures below to hear a fairytale.

12. Fables are stories that have animals as characters. They usually play tricks on one another and one character makes a bad decision, but learns a lesson or a moral by the end of the story. The most famous fables are Aesop’s Fables. Some that you may recognize include Town Mouse and Country Mouse, and The Ant and the Grasshopper. Click on the pictures below to hear a fable.

13. Folktales are stories that often come from the people of a particular location or region. The characters are often stereotypes of regular people. However, extraordinary things happen to them in the course of the story. Sometimes, the characters might be animals that have human characteristics. Folktales are meant to be instructive. They caution listeners about the consequences of certain kinds of behaviors or attitudes. Folktales that might be familiar to you are Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock, The Fisherman and His Wife, Lon Po Po, and Puss In Boots. To hear a folktale, click on one of the pictures below.

14. Myths are made up stories that express beliefs, customs, or values of a group of people. These stories often focus on human qualities such as the battle between good and evil. They are often considered sacred and tell us how things came to be. Popular myths include Greek myths such as Hercules and Cupid. To listen to a myth, click on one of the pictures below.

15. Tall Tales have characters that are larger than life or superhuman. They solve a problem in a funny way and the details of the story are greatly exaggerated. Stories that you may have heard of this type include tales about Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill. To read stories about Paul Bunyan, click on the picture on the left. To see a video about Pecos Bill, click on the picture on the right.

16. Legends are stories that are based on historical facts, which may have been distorted or exaggerated as they have been told over the years. Some stories in this category that you may have heard are the legends of Robin Hood, Atlantis, King Arthur, and Johnny Appleseed. To hear a story about Johnny Appleseed, click on the picture below.

17. HOORAY! You have completed Lesson 1-What Is Storytelling? You can now complete the Story Strips Activity in class or at home.