It's all storytelling, you know. That's what journalism is all about. - Tom Brokaw

Most of the techniques we've explored so far relate to telling fictional stories, though many of them can also apply to the non-fiction narrative. Nothing gets students engaged more than telling stories that relate to the world they live in. Providing the skills and the framework to tell meaningful stories is something that can take student writing and storytelling to the next level.

Storytelling is at the core of our collective history and culture. In society, we pass on our beliefs and norms through the stories we tell and re-tell. Families are defined by the common stories that bind each person to memories that are shared.

In a sense, storytelling is at the heart of teaching. From the earliest examples of elders sharing knowledge through stories, we are innately programmed to learn by creating internal narratives from the discrete bits of data that flow in from our senses. Margaret Parkin, in the book "Tales for Trainers" mentions two studies that found when lecturers used stories to convey information, students make fewer conceptual and technical errors, applied concepts to more varied situations, and had a better grasp of content than those who were given lectures without a sense of narrative.

Story projects that incorporate either curriculum based information, historical events, or personal memories are powerful in their ability to convey information, emotion, and depth of meaning.

Good examples of stories as learning can be found online. Some of my favorites are:

• This American Life by Ira Glass. His story of the financial crisis, called Bad Banks, gave one of the best descriptions I've yet heard.
• NPR's Robert Crulwich on Science covers science topics in an entertaining way. A good example is the episode "Lucy's Laugh Enlivens the Solar System"

Use the links to the left to see story project ideas or share your own.