From Storytelling to Writing
Using storytelling as a
pre-writing activity
Beth Hammett
College of the Mainland
Greater Houston Area Writing
Project
mbhammett@aol.com/bhammett@com
.edu
»
copyright2003
We could learn a lot from
crayons: some are pretty, some
are dull, some have weird names
and all are different colors…but
they all exist very nicely in the
same box.
Author Unknown
OBJECTIVES
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Storytelling as a pre-writing strategy
Building a safe community for writers
Defining “memoir”
Writing a memoir
Stages of the writing process
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Rough (1st) Draft
Revising (Peer Workshopping)
Editing (Peer Workshopping)
Final Draft
Publishing
Benefits of Storytelling
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Remember history
Settle disputes
Understand the world
Increases attention span
Helps with sequencing
Improves writing fluency
Builds a safe community
of writers
Theory and Research
James L. Collins’
Strategies for Struggling
Writers
Storytelling uses “default
strategies” such as:
• Prior Knowledge
• Narrating
• Visualizing
• Copying
Theory and Research
Kirby and Linear’s
Inside Out
• Builds a safe
community of writers
• Sharing
• Positive working
atmosphere
Theory and Research
“The writer of a memoir takes us back to a corner of
his or her life that was unusually vivid or intense-childhood, for instance--or that was framed by
unique events. By narrowing the lens, the writer
achieves a focus that isn’t possible in
autobiography; memoir is a window into life.”
William Zinsser
Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir
Literature Connections
Children’s Literature:
YAL/Adult Literature:
Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by
Mem Fox
Midnight In the Mountains by Julie Lawson
My Mama Had a Dancing Heart by Libba
Smoore Gray
When the Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Nappy Hair by Caroliva Herron
Big Mamas by Tony Crunk
En Mi Familia by Carmen Lopas
Betty Doll by Patricia Polacco
My Dad’s Baseball by Ron Cohen
Mommy’s Office by Barbara Shook Hazen
Taking Sides by Gary Soto
Petty Crimes by Gary Soto
Local News by Gary Soto
Sweet Illusions by Walter Dean Myers
Knots In My Yo-Yo Strings by Jerry Spinelli
Slave Narratives (Anthology)
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolf
Little by Little by Jean Littlel
An American Childhood by Annie Dilliard
Against Borders by Hazel Rochman
Pre-Requisite
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Discuss the term “memoir”
Model by using a literature connection
Discuss why memories are important
Discuss how stories are handed down from
generation to generation
“I don’t know what to write about.”
“Nothing interesting ever happens to me.”
“I’ve never been anywhere.”
Road of Life Maps help students find ideas to write about.
Looking at the maps of peers can also help students come
up with new ideas or remind students of events from their
pasts.
Cindy O’Donnell-Allen
Education Packet
A First Week Activity: Road of
Life Map
• Begin holistically by
explaining/modeling
your map.
• Give instructions for
students to complete
their maps.
• Use one illustration to
expand on and to
storytell.
Map of My Life
Focus on Practice Series
Map of My Life has all the freedoms of a student’s imagination, and I give only two grading
parameters. The map must include at least 15 events of the student’s life, and it must be
colored. The 15 events can be past or future; students who have a good idea of future
plans can include them as well. By looking at it, an observer should have insight into the
personality of the artist/student.
Examples of maps have included drawings in the shape of:
1. Student’s athletic number
2. Student’s initials
3. State the student has lived in or was born in
4. Favorite cartoon character
5. Physical characteristic such as red hair
Cindy O’Donnel-Allen
Education Packet
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My Move to Florida
“Katy,” Mom called. “Katy!” she called again.
Leave me alone I thought while counting the orange
cones on the side of the road as we passed them.
“Katy!” my brother screamed in my ear while
shaking me. “What??!” I finally screamed at him.
“Mom wants you,” he said. I explained to her what I
was doing and how I had gotten to 182 before I was
interrupted.
I started staring out the window again when all
the sudden my little brother screamed, “There it is!
There it is!” I looked up and there it was! The green
sign with a big yellow sun saying “Welcome to
Florida.” I was so excited!
I had waited all summer before going to Florida.
I couldn’t wait to go to my cousin’s beach house!
We drove for about another hour before pulling up
to my cousin Amanda’s beach house. We unpacked
our bags and ate dinner before going to sleep.
The next day we got up at 5:30 and drove down
to the beach where we met our guide that was going
to take us on my first real fishing trip. We got in the
tour boat and headed off.
Once we got to where we could barely see land
we cast our lines in all different directions. After
about 10 minutes of nothing happening I finally
asked my dad, “When is something going to
happen?” “Patience,” was all my dad said. Well that
I had none of.
When the day had ended I had caught nothing. I
was so disappointed after that and never wanted to
fish again.
The rest of my time in Florida was fun. I
enjoyed it! Now to me fishing is fun. It is quite and
peaceful and something I love to do (except taking
the fish off the hook!)
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By Katy Barkman
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Make the Lesson Plan your own!
For seventh graders:
• Make a map of your life from birth to present.
Illustrate the hills, valleys, thrills, and conflicts.
Be specific. Be colorful.
• Where were you born?
• Where have you lived?
• Where was your first learning experience?
• You must have at least ten colorful events.
Lesson Plan Including Writing
Assignment
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Road of Life map
Choose only ONE event
Tell your story
Get peer feedback
Re-tell your story (if needed)
Write your rough draft
Revise and edit your story (peer editing)
Write a final copy
Dog Gone by Callie Massa
I remember when my dog died. My dog died on January, 1, 1999. It was
sunny, but cool outside.
It all started when my parents were divorced. When they divorced my dad
moved out. It was the worst thing that could ever have happened to me…I thought.
The house we lived in when my dad moved out was a two-story house. We
lived there for al year or two. My mom was having trouble paying off bills, buying
stuff for my brother and me, and stuff she needed. When my mom told me we had
to move out and that we were having problems with money I felt like my world was
ending.
I thought to myself, can anything get as bad as this? At that moment I didn’t
think it could. The house were going to move into had people living in it and we had
to wait three whole months. My mother didn’t know what to do.
We had to have a place to live that didn’t cost that much. The only idea my
mom had was not a good one, but we did it anyway. We moved into an apartment
this meant my loving dog, Abby, would have to go to live at my aunt’s house.
The apartment was not as bad as I thought is would be until I saw it for the
first time. It was a little bitty one-bedroom apartment for three people to share.
Sometimes I felt bad because my mom would sleep on the couch just so my
brother and I would have a nice cozy bed to sleep in.
That Christmas we had a Chrismas tree no bigger than two feet tall. We
didn’t get much that Christmas, but I didn’t say anything. I knew we were low
on money. That weekend I spent the weekend with my dad and had a little
Christmas with him.
That Sunday I came back to the little one-bedroom apartment. When we
walked in my mom was not smiling at all. I knew something was wrong. I
went to the bedroom and put my stuff up, then I went and sat down on the
couch next to my mom.
My brother came and sat down on the other side of my mom. My mom
said, “I have some bad news to tell you.” I started to cry before she even told
me the bad news.
When the words came out I didn’t want to believe it was true, but it was.
My loving dog I had loved and cared for was…dead. I felt all broken up
inside. I didn’t know what to say, how to feel, or what I would do.
My dog Abby was gone. Since she was at my aunt’s house I blamed my
aunt, but my mom told me, “Abby was going to die sooner or later and it had
to happen to her sooner.” My aunt was nice and buried Abby. Now when I go
to her house I see Abby’s flowers in the yard.
Sometimes I think to myself, I am glad she is in heaven with God. When
I think that I smile because I know all dogs go to heaven!
Assessment
This is the first writing assignment of the year for students. It
allows teachers to see where students are in their writings
and gives students the opportunity to do their first peer
workshopping in the class.
Scoring Guide:
10 items on map
Brightly colored map
Rough Draft
Workshopping
Final Draft
Extensions:
GT/Pre-AP:
• Kidspiration Map
• Add Sensory Details
• Add Dialogue
504/Special
Education/ELL
• Require less items
• Shorten writing length
From Storytelling to Writing
Part Two:
Storytelling Your Way Through
The Amusement Park
Storytelling Your Way Through
The Amusement Park
• Have students recall a time they visited an amusement park
or carnival. Discuss as a group then read the poem.
• Storytell with partners or whole group using vivid words
and descriptions.
• Model an example of a park brochure.
• Have students create their own park brochures complete
with titles, rides, games…
• After the assignment is completed, have students find a
partner to compare/contrast their theme parks.
• Students complete a compare/contrast writing assignment.
Seconds of Free Fall and Chaos
My bored brother dragged me
away from kiddie land, shoved me
roughly to the adult ticket booth,
the line dividing me from men.
Thrilled by tickets snaking from his fist,
I entered the kingdom of risks-the hammer and zipper, the roller coaster,
I flinched when the hammer
slammed down, when the zipper toppled
and flipped us, I held the bar
In a car jerked up a track
and watched treetops and tents
fall away. My brother leaned close
and hissed how many fell from these
seats last year, flung out
over screaming mothers. He raised
both hands
and made me , the crossbar loose on my lap.
Older boys tossed their hair
and laughed, the heads of girls snug in their
elbows.
Our car crawled on cable
grinding like bicycle chains\
about to break, all rides of childhood
behind me, my arms high in surrender,
my skull wobbling
through tight turns, mashed down,
like being born again to bright lights
and dazzling screams.
Walter McDonald
From Storytelling to Writing
Part Three:
Homer’s Shield
Homer’s Shield
• Using the handout, have
students get into small
groups.
• Each group will storytell
their interpretation of the
artwork.
• Students then write the
story and color the
illustration.
• Make sure the shields are colorful.
• Stories should be limited to one page.
• Arrange each story with its accompanying shield on a large
sheet of butcher paper.
• Display for all to see.
• Ask for volunteers to read their stories.
Please respond:
• What stood out for you?
• How will you use this in your classroom?
• What questions/wonderings do you have?
Thank you for your participation!
Beth Hammett
mbhammett@aol.com
bhammett@com.edu