How To Tell A (good) Story - איך לספר סיפור

sections of stories/very short stories, note cards with instructions, [sheet about “storytelling”, “how to tell a story”]

How to tell a (good) story

Written by: Netanel Afek, Cleveland

Age: 9^th grade (leadership training)

Goals: to teach the chanichim how to give/tell a successful story

Tools: sections of stories/very short stories, note cards with instructions, [sheet about “storytelling”, “how to tell a story”]

Suitable for Shabbat

Part 1: telling the stories

Divide the group into smaller groups or pairs. Give each group/couple a story which you prepared before hand, with a note card telling them the method you want them to tell it through. For example: for any given story, ask your chanichim to tell it and make it interesting (!) through: a play between the storytellers, without reading any of it off the paper – and fast, slowly and very much in detail, passionately and with as many hand motions as possible, first person/third party narration, sentence by sentence switching off between storytellers, in pictures, etc. remember: they have to make interesting! If it’s not interesting, then all they did was show their ability to read (and maybe understand).

After each story, discuss what good qualities were in their story? Was it interesting? Why? How? Don’t criticize (too much), as you don’t want them to run away – rather point out what they did well. Other people will hopefully learn and improve their own stories as you go on.

Part 2: know your audience

A (short) discussion to follow the stories: what did they learn? How were they affected as listeners when the story/storytelling was boring? [How long was their attention span then?] Question: is it important to know your audience? What does it matter? Explain how each of these stories was needed to be adjusted to the level of 9^th graders – and so it has to be for every grade and every level.

Try the following: each of the pairs/groups will take his story and you will tell them who their audience is – Note: other chanichim will have to cooperate here – one time they will be 2^nd grade, another they will be 5^th grade boys, and next they will be 7^th grade girls, and so on and so on. Possibilities are endless. Ask the other Chanichim for their opinion as the people in that age-level: was it appropriate for them? Did they understand everything? What was good?