The Evaluation Criteria to Write about Storytelling - Essay Example

I had a storyteller she was Ms. Jones, she was a public library from Steel Creek Public Library come to my school she read two books by Margaret Read Macdonald. One was Pickin Peas which is illustrated by Pat Cummings and the other book was The Old Woman and Her Pig which John Kanzler co-authored the book. She did the storytelling for Ms. Wallace's second-grade class and they joined in as she read the choral parts of the story. She had the students do acts with their hands to act like the pig and the girl picking peas.

Choice of the story: was the story chosen appropriately for the audience, and setting - Yes, the story was very appropriate for the audience, as well as for the setting. As the audience comprises second-grade students, both the story: Picking Peas and The Old woman and her pig, were one of the best materials that could be used to let the audience learn as well as participate in it. As for the setting, nothing can be better as the place, our school, was the best setting one could have.

It is because it's hard for the students to transfer to a different location plus the fact that the school can decorate the class with the help of the students to enhance and encourage their cooperation in the storytelling. It also gives them a sense of belongingness that the event was theirs alone. Breathing, Posture, Eye Contact: (a) appropriate for the story, (b) pleasing, (c) enough, excessive or not enough - The proper gestures for the storytelling were present in Ms. Jones' act. She had the proper breathing, posture, and eye contact enough to enrapture the crowd of second graders and enough to have the students listen and cooperate during the storytelling.

Quality of voice: (a) volume, (b) pleasing inflection, (c) sense of excitement, and energy - The quality of voice is excellent. There was enough inflection on it and the voice quality is superb. For every scene, there was a different voice projection and it followed that if the scene was sad, the voice was sad too, and so on. You can feel the flow of the story just by listening to Ms. Jones' voice. Quality of facial expression: (a) appropriate for the story (b) pleasing (c) enough, excessive or not enough (d) engaged the audience in the story - As stated above, if the voice quality is superb, it follows that the facial expression is also of the same quality.

The voice is like the sound of the face. Whatever the face reacted, the voice follows and the emotions embedded in the voice can also be seen in the facial expression of the storyteller. The facial expression enraptured the audience exactly as should be. Quality of other gestures/movements: (a) appropriate (b) pleasing, (c) enough, excessive or not enough (d) engaged audience -The quality of the gestures was enough. It wasn't an overstated movement was it understated? It was just the right quality as the audience wasn't distracted enough by the movements.

Also, unnecessary movements of the hands are quite distracting so it is also not advised to be done. Use of props/costumes (if any): (a) appropriate for the story (b) appropriate use in the story - There was no props or costumes because they didn't need any as the voice projection and facial expression were enough to give the audience something to think and feel about even without props and costumes. Also, there was audience participation in the chorus and that adds up that the storytelling can go without any artistic aids.

The children used their hands to act like the pig and the girl picking peas. It just proves that even without any props or costumes the simple job of enacting the story and letting the audience participate will be enough to substitute the props and other paraphernalia. The children have been moving incrementally from performing for themselves to performing in very small groups (friends, family, pairs) and now they are ready to perform in front of sympathetic fellow storytellers.

This can be supported by the participation of the second graders in the middle part of the story when the chorus was given and the children joined in as the chorus part was read. Audience participation is important when dealing with crowds so that they will feel the story and they can imagine what is happening. Transition activity before or after the story: (a) moved audience to or from the story/setting appropriately - There was a simple introduction about the story before it began.

This is to inform the audience what is the story all about and also, at the end of the story, the moral values inflicted on it were also stated. This is very important because the goal of storytelling is to impart values to the young ones and to also learn the idea that storytelling is an old tradition passed from generation to generation.