Using Storytellers to Motivate ReadersAuthor(s): Elene S. DemosSource: The Reading Teacher, Vol. 37, No. 8 (Apr., 1984), p. 804Published by: Wiley on behalf of the International Reading AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20198612 .

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3. Provide a list of words. "Type these words. Circle the vowels."

4. Provide a list of reading vocab

ulary. "Type these words. Circle the ones with a long (or short) vowel sound. Draw a picture beside the

word."

5. Provide a list of spelling words.

"Type each spelling word. Don't look at the word while you type it."

6. Provide a library book or any basal reader. "Look through the book. Find and type five action words. Find and type five compound words."

7. Provide a list of words that could be used as a main idea. "Write a short story using one of these words in it. Draw a picture to show what

your story is about."

These activities can be enriched in

many ways. Children can listen to the directions on a tape recorder. Picto

grams might help weaker students read the directions.

Using storytellers to motivate readers.

Elene S. Demos, Texas Christian

University, Fort Worth, Texas

Perhaps the best reason for using storytellers in a reading motivation

program is summarized by Gail

Haley, 1971 Caldecott Medal recip ient: "Children who are not spoken to by live and responsive adults will not learn to speak properly_And children who are not told stories and who are not read to will have few reasons for wanting to learn to read."

Storytelling also produces other val uable results?it fosters better listening skills and verbal skills.

At the Denver Avenue Elementary School in Fort Worth, arrangements were made to have storytellers from a

local storytelling guild visit the kin

dergarten through third grade classes

804 The Reading Teacher April 1984

as an experiment twice weekly for 2 weeks. Since the first period of the

day was a reading period throughout the school and proved to be most convenient for volunteers, the story telling was scheduled for this time.

Teachers received a schedule showing when their classes would be visited. The storyteller went to each class at a

particular grade level, for about 15 minutes each.

The experiment was so successful, the school decided to continue the

storytelling for the rest of the year and volunteers continued to come

every 2 weeks. The storytellers provided a novel

and welcome break in the reading routine. Currently, the school has three regular storytellers working

with students at all grade levels, although they most often visit the lower grades. Plans are in progress to have another volunteer work with fifth graders on developing storytell ing skills, so the fifth graders can tell stories to the children in kindergarten and grade one.

Make mini books from ads and posters Joyce J. Dahlquist, Western Primary School, Russiaville, Indiana

When publishers send me colorful

posters and advertisements about

paperback book clubs, I use them to

make materials for my class. The small pictures of book jackets with titles and authors on them can be

matched with the story descriptions to make mini books that are a delight to children?a fun way of practicing language skills that also introduces children to a wide variety of stories and books.

Make mini books by folding 4 by 6 inch (10 by 15 cm) rectangles of stiff

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