Storytelling Games: Creative Activities for Language, Communication, and Composition Across the Curriculum [Paperback]

Doug Lipman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0897748484 | ISBN-13: 978-0897748483 | Publication Date: December 7, 1994

Of course you want to help students master communication, learn about language, and practice thinking skills--but with storytelling games? Yes you can, and easily, with the expert guidance of professional storyteller and educator Doug Lipman. You will also discover that storytelling games are a fun and exciting way to explore places, periods, and peoples, and even to practice math and science. The author provides step-by-step methods for adapting and using the story games to meet the needs of specific groups. He explains how to teach each game, control your group without decreasing energy, and even how to get reluctant players to contribute.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An invaluable and practical resource for engaging young imaginations and encouraging communication skills....clear instructions are provided along with helpful hints....An excellent, very workable resource that is fabulously well-organized.”–Advisory List

“Over 46 games are explained here with plenty of how-to's to help the teacher, librarian, or group leader.”–School Library Journal

“This is one of the few books that provides educators with everything they need to lead story games with elementary and secondary children....the author brings a wide background of personal experience to the writing of this teachers' guide....The book is well organized with an easy-to-follow format....A Game-finder index and Subject index make the games easily accessible....Teacher-librarians and classroom teachers with active storytelling programs will find the book helpful in adding to their repertiore of stories and activities, while novice storytellers will find many examples of simple story games that will get them started.”–Emergency Librarian

“The author, Doug Lipman, is a folk musician and storyteller and has collected many of these story games over the years....Story games is an unusual concept, but one that seems to work well. The sub-title of this book is 'Creative Activities for Language, Communication and Composition Across the Curriculum.' The book certainly provides all of that.”–Teaching K-8

“Doug Lipman has created a first-of-its-kind resource for educators that offers creative and fun-filled strategies for sparking oral expression in young students through the use of storytelling games....This spirited book shows how to incorporate storytelling into curriculum plans and daily classroom activities, enabling teachers to review history or math lessons in a playful way while exercising oral language skills.”–Whole Language

“Each game is well laid out for the teller or teacher with notes on grade levels, space needed, complexity, game type, summary, directions, hints, and variations.”–Teller's Choice

“The book contains a host of acitivities for grades from kindergaretn to all levels of high school....It is possible to use some of the games to learn about places, historical, and people, including multiculturlism. Each game outlines clearly just what the skill and curricular focus is; this is useful for beginning teachers, or teachers looking for curriculum approaches not usually found in their particular tools of trade....The game finder index shows at a glance the grade level, complexity, type, group size, space, and props required for each game....whatever the user's purpose, whether to entertain, to build group skills, or to teach values, communication, or a particular subject, one will find games easily adaptable to these varied needs.”–Australia Library Review

“For each game, clear instructions are provided along with helpful hints, any variations, and a list of the communication skills the game reinforces. Easy-to-read, detailed indexes provide information to help teachers choose games to meet the specific needs of students from preschool through adult. An excellent, very workable resource that is fabulously well-organized."”–English Language Arts

About the Author

DOUG LIPMAN has been a professional storyteller and musician for 25 years and was a preschool teacher for five years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Oryx Press (December 7, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897748484
• ISBN-13: 978-0897748483
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,696,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for teachers and tellers alike, March 27, 2001

By 

Gwyneth Calvetti (West Salem, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storytelling Games: Creative Activities for Language, Communication, and Composition Across the Curriculum (Paperback)

Doug Lipman never fails to disappoint, and this book is no exception. He provides a wealth of language-based activities that can not only enhance storytelling abilities, but can be used to reinforce classroom skills and concepts or provide a fun team building game. The games are rated and ranked in every possible fashion, making it easy to choose just what is needed for a group; by age group, by level of complexity, by cultural background, by type of skills emphasized, all neatly indexed in the back of the book for quick reference. There are games for math and science, games for learning about cultures, games to enhance oral communication skills. The introductory chapters provide rationale and ideas for creating a joyful learning environment. Each game is described fully, with a script to make it easy for one to pick the book up and try a game when a few minutes are left at the end of class.

Even adults can have fun with these games. I haven't laughed as hard as I did when I used one during a storytelling session I was hired to do with a family holiday gathering. I used the game "Letter Relay," in which the group had to build a story, taking turns sentence by sentence. Sounds easy? Here was the catch. Each subsequent sentence had to begin with a word that started with the last letter of the last word in the previous sentence. By the end of the evening, mysterious boxes had been left on doorsteps, containing magical Beanie Babies that transported the recipient to all kinds of strange and wild adventures. All of us in that living room were transported into fits of laughter as the story wound its way to a very final conclusion. I highly recommend this book, and encourage families in particular to try some of these games instead of turning on the tv. You won't be sorry.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, August 24, 2009

By 

Jane Helen Austen "Reading/English Teacher" (Norfolk, Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Storytelling Games: Creative Activities for Language, Communication, and Composition Across the Curriculum (Paperback)

This book is full of wonderful ideas for using the magic of storytelling with children and even teens! It has games and activities that are suitable for a variety of ages. Love, love, love this book!