SLIS 600 Post #5 - Reading Reflection - Storytelling: Art and Technique & Poetry

Something that spoke to me as I was reading through chapter 11 of Ellin Greene and Janice M. Del Negro’s (2010) Storytelling: Art and Technique, titled “Program Planning,” was just how important being flexible is as a storyteller. The first sentence of the chapter states that, “A successful storytelling program requires careful planning, flexibility, and creativity” (p. 213). Planning and creativity are necessary for creating the program, but I feel like flexibility is what allows you to carry it out despite any obstacles that may present themselves. Being flexible and knowing how to adjust your plan is what keeps it from getting derailed when met with an unexpected challenge. As Greene and Del Negro (2010) write, “The public library storyteller does not always know who will be at the story program and therefore must be prepared to make changes” (p. 214).

When thinking about flexibility and planning, I was reminded of a course that I took last spring, EDEX 581: Teaching Reading in the Content Area to Adolescents with Reading Disabilities. In that course, I learned about Universal Design for Learning, which involved offering multiple modalities or methods for students to engage with activities and demonstrate their learning. In chapter seven, “Storytelling to Children with Special Needs; Storytelling in Special Settings,” it is stated that, “The emphasis must be on the whole child and whatever method of storytelling works best with that child” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 111). So being flexible does not just mean being able to adjust the stories that you are telling based on the audience, but also being able to adjust the method that you use to deliver the story, so that it reaches the largest audience. Green and Del Negro (2010) suggest that, “A program that includes a variety of types of stories and provides a change of pace and mood will appeal to the greatest number of children” (p. 213). I believe that the effectiveness of using multiple modalities in storytelling is supported by the study, ‘Our Stories Were Pretty Weird Too’ – Children as Creators of a Shared Narrative Culture in an Intercultural Story and Drawing Exchange. In this study, Piipponen and Karlsson (2021) found that children from two different cultures, despite speaking different languages, were still able to create a shared narrative culture through the use of multiple modality storytelling.

Story structure: 7 narrative structures all writers should know. (2018, July 20). reedsyblog. Retrieved November 7, 2021, from https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/#3__three_act_structure

Something else that I found interesting from chapter 11 was the idea of programming as its own story. In the chapter, there is a quote from a class lecture from Del Negro (2007), where she says that, “The second most important thing to remember about story programming is that every program has an arc; lead your listeners in gently, hold them with humor and action, and fare them well with something warm for the way home” (as cited in Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 216). The way that she describes it reminds me of a story with a three act structure, with the three acts being the setup, confrontation, and resolution (“Story Structure,” 2018). Like a story, the parts should all work together for maximum satisfaction, but unlike a story, they should all be able to be enjoyed on their own. As Greene and Del Negro (2010) wrote for multimedia programming, but which is true for all programming, “to be successful there must be a flow, a rhythm. The parts should complement each other, but each segment should be strong enough to stand on its own” (p. 221).

Speaking of flow and rhythm, one of the genres that I found really spoke to me this semester, was poetry. Above is a TED-Ed video explain what makes a poem a poem. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, poetry is, "literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm" (Nemerov, 2021). I enjoy reading poems in the same way that I enjoy singing along to certain songs. The rhythms and rhyming just seem to resonate and feel fun to say. I also enjoy how they can simplify complex thoughts and emotions in a way that feels satisfying and relatable. Below is a video where Kwame Alexander explains the ingredients of a poem. I read his illustrated poem, The Undefeated, for a children's materials course last semester and would very much recommend it.

As part of the ten poems that I read for class, I read three that were written by Shel Silverstein. The reason that I chose to revisit Shel Silverstein was because I have fond memories of being read his poems in elementary school. In third grade, if there was extra time left over at the end of class, my teacher would read poems from A Light in the Attic, and I remember really enjoying and looking forward to being able to hear more of those poems. I was really drawn in by the humor in his poetry and when my teacher finished the book, I went straight to the library and checked out Where the Sidewalk Ends, so that I could hear more of his poems. Revisiting his work was very enjoyable. Below is an interesting stop motion animation of his poem "Jimmy Jet and His TV Set."

References

Greene, E., & Del Negro, J. M. (2010). Storytelling: Art and technique (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Nemerov, H. (2021, August 18). poetry. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/poetry

Piipponen, O., & Karlsson, L. (2021). 'Our stories were pretty weird too' - Children as creators of a shared narrative culture in an intercultural story and drawing exchange. International Journal of Educational Research, 106(101720). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101720

Story structure: 7 narrative structures all writers should know. (2018, July 20). reedsyblog. Retrieved November 7, 2021, from https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/#3__three_act_structure