"Because there is a natural storytelling urge and ability in all human beings, even just a little nurturing of this impulse can bring about astonishing and delightful results." Nancy Mellon wrote in The Art of Storytelling. I would like to showcase storytelling with a performance from a local expert.
I am a teacher librarian at an elementary school that services many Navy and Army families in Hawaii.
The library is the center of encouraging literacy on our Preschool-6th grade campus. About half of the students at my school are military dependents who move locations every three years.
A local storyteller would help to educate our military children in the popular stories and fables from Hawaii. Often times they are not exposed to local literature and miss out on unique, culturally significant tales from our state.
My Project
I would like to bring in a professional storyteller from the University to encourage a love of literature. She will share various stories with the students to demonstrate the power of speaking. Stories will come alive in the minds of the students as they imagine the characters, setting, and events.
In addition, students will want to find the printed version of the tales she shares and may want to become storytellers, themselves. I will review the stories shared during future library visits and make connections to other stories in the library. Students from my school also participate in an annual Speech Festival for area schools. This expert storyteller will help to inspire and provide an example of how to speak in front of and entertain an audience.
My students need to hear this storyteller to inspire their love of reading and storytelling.
Children from military families will especially benefit from this storytelling program as they learn more about this state and become culturally literate about the place they call home.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Sumida and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
