Kirsten Donaghey

Vocabulary

featuring published
influence symbolic
promote

Theme: Reflections
Word count: 3,340

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1 18

ISBN 978-1-4869-0900-1
 Kirsten Donaghey

Literacy Consultants
David Booth • Kathleen Corrigan
Images: Cover–SolStock/iStockPhoto; [1: kids–vectorfusionart; 4: background–foxie; doodles–koMinx; quote
box–DenisGorelkin] Shutterstock.com; [6: animal drawings–Abra Cadabraaa; background–Buslik; 7: comic
book–StockPhotosArt] Shutterstock.com; [Lascaux cave–Bayes Ahmed; 8: Charlie Chaplin–Employee(s)
of Essanay] CC; [television test pattern–J.D.S; 9: notepad–Aleksandrs Bondars; 10: frame–IrenD; lights–
wanpatsorn] Shutterstock.com; W. Eugene Smith exhibit–EPA/Newscom; 11: photo album–Vasilyev
Alexandr/Shutterstock.com; W. Eugene Smith–Granger Historical Picture Archive/Alamy Stock Photo; 12:
letters–marekuliasz/Shutterstock.com; 13: printing press–PrintMus038/CC; 14: e-book–A.Aleksandravicius/
Shutterstock.com; 16: Mountain Chief–Harris & Ewing/Library of Congress; 17: podcast–ThePodcave/CC; 18:
Moth storytelling–Boston Globe/Getty Images; Sisonke Msimang–Craig Barritt/Stringer/Getty Images; [music
notes–Grapgraphic; notepad–Aleksandrs Bondars] Shutterstock.com; 19: Jamie O’Neal–USAF Photographic
Archives/CC; [20: graffiti–Alex_Bond; Run-DMC–Featureflash Photo Agency; 21: steps–Rainer Lesniewski]
Shutterstock.com; [“Waltzing Matilda” sheet music–National Museum of Australia] CC; 22: hula dancer–
Ron Dahlquist/SuperStock; [23: shadow puppet–fabola; creating shadows–fabola] CC; background–
CHOATphotographer/Shutterstock.com; [24: rakugo (inset)–vera46; rakugo–tablexxnx] CC; 25: calypso
music–Visual & Written/Superstock; Noura Mint Seymali–Carstor/CC; [26: computer–goodluz; background–
Buslik; 27: teens–Iakov Filimonov; 28: advertisement–Callahan; 29: charity–Chris Warham; 30: library–Jens
Goepfert] Shutterstock.com
Contents
4 The Evolution of Storytelling

6 Ways of Telling a Story

22 Storytelling Around the World

26 The Impact of Modern Life

30 How Stories Change the World

32 Glossary / Index

3
 THE EVOLUTION OF
STORYTELLING
Storytelling is among the oldest forms
of communication. … Storytelling is the
commonality of all human beings, in
all places, in all times.
— The Power of Story, by Pamela J. Cooper,
Rives Collins, and Maurice Saxby

Storytelling is a part of human nature. People

were telling stories long before they were
reading or writing. Some people enjoy fantastic,
imaginary stories, while others like true stories
about historical events or personal experiences.
As unique as each person is, we all share
experiences and feelings that unite us.
Throughout human history and in every
culture around the world, storytelling has been a
way to
• express one’s ideas and feelings to other people
• preserve historical facts and events
• promote societal change and progress
• connect with friends and family

4
 Telling stories around a
fire is an ancient tradition
that continues today.

Without stories we would not know as much as

we do about the past. By sharing and remembering
stories, we help keep memories of past events and
knowledge gained through the years alive. When
we hear stories about things that happened in the
past, we can understand the effects that our choices
can have on the future. Stories can also describe
what is happening in the present, and they can
influence what we do.
As technology has developed through the
years, the possible ways of telling a story have
grown. While the first stories humans told were
shared through speech or paintings on walls, we
can now share stories in writing, on film, and
through social media, among other ways. But
no matter how much storytelling has changed,
it still has the same purpose: to help us share
information and experiences.

5
 WAYS OF TELLING
A STORY

There is no greater power

on this earth than story.
— Libba Bray, writer

Humans are very inventive. There is almost no end

to the different ways we have found to tell stories.

Paintings and Drawings

Stories don’t have to be told with words. Pictures
and symbolic drawings have been used to tell stories
for many thousands of years.
Humans in ancient times were inspired to tell
stories through art. Ancient cave paintings and
other rock art have been found on every continent
except Antarctica.

6
 The Lascaux paintings are so delicate that visitors
are no longer allowed inside the cave. Artists and
engineers have created a reproduction nearby.

One example of painted storytelling was found

in a cave in Lascaux, France. These cave paintings,
which date back thousands of years, show scenes
featuring a variety of animals. Many visitors and
scientists believe that the scenes depict stories, but
it’s difficult to know exactly what they mean. Cave
paintings might tell stories about families, spiritual
beliefs, rituals, or daily activities, such as hunting.
Drawings are still used to tell stories in modern
times in media such as comic books, cartoons,
and advertisements.

Did You Know?

Comic books are a popular way to tell stories
using visual art. The first issue of the comic
book series X-Men® was published in 1963.
The illustrated characters in the series were
so exciting that we are still telling stories
about them today.

7
 Motion Pictures
The invention of motion pictures, now called
movies, allowed for stories to be told in a new and
fascinating way. Motion pictures can tell stories by
controlling how viewers see the action.
Different camera shots show different parts of a
scene. A close-up shot might show only an actor’s
face, while a long shot might show a vast landscape.
Each type of shot can influence how the viewer feels.
A close-up of a face focuses the viewer’s attention on
the actor’s emotions. Long shots, on the other hand, are
often used to show action instead of emotion.
Movies did not have sound until the 1920s. Dialogue
was shown on cards that flashed on the screen, and
movie theaters hired musicians to play music along
with the film as it was showing. Once voices, music,
and other sounds were added, movie theaters became
more popular than they had been before.
The next time you watch your favorite movie or TV
show, you might notice how the director uses camera
angles, sound, or other techniques to create a mood.

Life is a tragedy when

seen in close-up, but a
Charlie Chaplin is well
known for his comedic comedy in long-shot.
performances in silent — Charlie Chaplin,
movies. He also acted actor and director
in movies with sound.
8
 Television
The first television broadcasts were made in
the late 1920s. They were black-and-white images
of poor quality. However, TV technology rapidly
improved, and television became increasingly
popular. As more people watched television, TV
shows became more complex.
TV shows tell stories in unique ways. Unlike
movies, TV shows can tell stories over very long
periods of time, often years. Viewers can watch
characters change and grow over time in ways
unique to the medium of television. The creators
of TV shows often don’t know how long their
shows will run, so they cannot plan endings the
way writers of books or plays can.

A Stream of Stories
Today people can stream or download movies
and TV shows using the Internet. Many people watch
videos on their laptops, tablets, and smartphones
instead of at movie theaters or on TV.
Streaming and downloading allow people to watch
episodes at any time they want. People can choose
to watch numerous episodes back to back in a single
sitting as well. How do you think streaming has
changed the types of stories we see in TV shows?

9
 Photographs
Another way to tell a story is through a series of
photographs. Photographs can help us understand
different subjects, including history, war, and other
cultures. Photographers choose what they want
viewers to see and experience.

W. Eugene Smith
American photographer W. Eugene Smith
was born in 1918 at the end of World War I. As
he grew up, he saw many changes take place in
society. Smith documented some of these changes
by photographing people’s lives and experiences.
He created photo-essays, which are groups of
photographs that tell a story when viewed together.

This exhibition of W. Eugene Smith’s

work took place in Berlin, Germany.

10
 Smith also took pictures
of American marines
during World War II. At
the time, his style of tightly
cropped, black-and-white
images was unique. His
photographs emotionally
affected many viewers.
His photo-essays not only Smith, pictured here, captured
presented a vivid account many images of Japan during
World War II.
of the war, but they also
captured the rare peaceful moments that soldiers
experienced. Smith’s photographs showed some
of the many ways in which war affects people.
Smith used photography to tell stories. His
images help us imagine and understand what
it must have been like to live in a different time,
place, and situation. Smith worked on a variety
of photo-essays until his death in 1978.

Did You Know?

Family photo albums can use images to
tell stories. A photo album can preserve
a family’s stories for future
generations to enjoy.

11
 Written Word
Today, we take for granted the mass production
of the printed word. But a long time ago, books
were created by hand. The first illustrated books
were made by the ancient Egyptians. In ancient
civilizations, professionals known as scribes would
copy documents by hand.

I write to give myself strength. I write to be

the characters that I am not. I write to explore
all the things I’m afraid of.
— Joss Whedon, writer and film and TV director

The Printing Press

In order to produce a larger number of books,
people in China began to carve pages of text into
wooden blocks. The blocks would be covered in
ink and then pressed onto paper. A German man
named Johannes Gutenberg wanted to speed up this
process even more, so in the mid-1400s he invented
the printing press. Printing presses replaced carved
wooden blocks with metal keys that could be moved
from page to page. Using keys allowed printers to
create pages faster than they could by carving blocks.

These antique wooden letters

were used to print books.

12
 Gutenberg’s invention made it possible to
quickly make many copies of the same text, such
as a newsletter, newspaper, or book. Until the
invention of the printing press, books were rare and
expensive because they needed to be produced by
hand. This process could take a year or longer per
book. However, with the invention of the printing
press, books quickly became more common and less
expensive. For the first time, people who were not
rich could afford to read about science, religion, and
other interesting topics.
Many historians argue that the printing press
is one of the inventions that has had the greatest
influence on human culture
and progress. In 2010
mathematicians estimated
that about 130 million
different books have
been published since the
printing press was invented.
The printing press made it
possible for people from all
walks of life to share ideas,
knowledge, and stories.

The International Printing Museum

in Carson, California, houses many
antique printing presses. Some of
them are still in working order.

13
 E-books are read on devices
called e-readers.

Books Today
We now have access to e-books and audiobooks
in addition to print books. An e-book is a book in the
form of a digital file. E-books can be read on e-readers,
smartphones, computers, tablets, and other devices.
An audiobook is a recording of a book being read by
someone. Audiobooks can be listened to as CDs or
digital files, and in other formats.
Reading is important because it can make us
smarter, more empathetic, and less stressed. People
with better reading skills are also more likely to get
well-paying jobs.

Spoken Word
Some societies use the spoken word to teach their
stories and beliefs to new generations. This is called an
oral tradition. Oral traditions help societies preserve
knowledge of family histories, cultural traditions,
and spiritual beliefs in the collective memory of
their people.

14
Native American Oral Traditions: Then and Now
Native Americans have a unique culture that
is connected to their history and region. Although
different peoples may have different languages,
beliefs, histories, and traditions, many Native
Americans share their stories in the same way: by
telling them out loud.
Both in the past and today, the oral traditions
of Native Americans are important for passing on
information about
• survival techniques
• medicinal plants
• weather and the environment
• animals and their habits
• the relationships between different peoples

Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak

Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak is an Inuit children’s
writer and oral storyteller. He was born in Northern
Canada, near the Arctic Circle. After Kusugak had
children, he started to get bored with the children’s
books he read to them, so he came up with stories
of his own about Inuit culture and the Arctic. His
first book, A Promise Is a Promise, was cowritten
with writer Robert Munsch and published in 1988.

15
 Many Native American communities come
together often to share their stories so that many
people can hear them at once. Stories are committed
to memory and shared in a way that is easy to
understand and remember.
Now, with modern sound and video recording
technologies, Native American stories can be
preserved digitally. Some stories are compiled and
shared on radio programs. However, traditional
storytelling is still very important to many Native
American peoples.

Mountain Chief, a Blackfoot leader,

worked with Frances Densmore in the
early 1900s to help preserve elements
of Blackfoot culture on record.

16
With the right equipment, anybody
can produce a podcast.

Modern Oral Storytellers

Modern oral storytelling can take many forms.
One very popular form of storytelling is the podcast,
which is a type of audio show that is broadcast on the
Internet rather than on the radio.
People began creating podcasts because they
wanted to tell interesting stories or provide their
opinions on different topics. By releasing podcasts on
the Internet, people could share their stories and ideas
with the public anytime they wanted and as often as
they wanted. The Internet also allowed podcasters to
reach a large number of people. Podcasting started to
gain popularity in the mid-2000s, and by 2016 about
57 million people were listening to podcasts each
month in the United States. Podcasts can be fictional
or factual. There are podcasts about books, politics,
video games, sports, and many other topics.
Besides having interesting content, podcasts are
popular because they are portable. People can listen
to podcasts while traveling, exercising, or doing
household chores.

17
 An audience laughs during
a Moth storytelling event.

The Moth: True Stories Told Live

The Moth is an organization that works to
promote the art of storytelling. The people who
run The Moth celebrate the diversity of human
experience, but they also honor the many ways
in which we are alike.
The Moth produces hundreds of live shows
in more than 25 cities around the world. Each
show has a theme for The Moth storytellers to
explore. The stories are true and told in ways
that make them dramatic. In this way,
the storytelling The Moth does has
features in common with certain types
of performance. The storytellers try
to create a connection with the
audience members.
The Moth also records stories
in both audio and video forms. The
Moth Radio Hour plays on more than
400 radio stations worldwide every
week. The Moth also produces a
podcast featuring stories from live
shows and competitions.

The Moth welcomes both accomplished

storytellers, such as Sisonke Msimang,
and amateurs.
18
Songs
Music, similar to oral storytelling, can be a
powerful and unique way to tell a story. Music tells
a story using rhyming words, catchy rhythms, and
expressive melodies, which can make the story told
by a song easy to remember.

Country Music
Country music has been popular in the United
States since the 1920s. Many country music artists
would say that the secret to great songwriting is great
storytelling. Country songs tell stories of love, regret,
work, adventure, and almost everything else that
people experience.
Country songs are often about situations
that anyone can relate to. Subjects of
country songs can include being grateful
to your mom (“Somebody’s Hero,”
by Jamie O’Neal), building a happy
marriage (“From the Ground Up,”
by Dan + Shay), or appreciating nature
(“Where the Green Grass Grows,” by
Tim McGraw). At its best, country music
reminds us of what we have in common.

Jamie O’Neal has performed for

members of the U.S. Air Force.

19
 Hip-Hop
Hip-hop was created and developed mostly by
young African Americans in the 1970s in New York
City. During neighborhood block parties, DJs would
use turntables to alter popular songs. They often
focused on the drumbeat, which encouraged rapping
and break dancing. Eventually people began creating
original hip-hop songs.
The lyrics of hip-hop songs often focus
on current social issues. They can call
attention to problems the artists see
in society. For instance, some
songs tell stories about young
people growing up in poverty and
trying to avoid getting caught up
in the world of crime. Songs
such as these can be very
important to the people who
identify with them.

Did You Know?

The hip-hop group Run-DMC was very influential. Its
debut single, “It’s Like That,” tells stories about hardships
such as war, homelessness, and poverty. But the song
offers a hopeful message: hard work and a positive
attitude can help us overcome life’s difficulties.

20
“Waltzing Matilda”
The song “Waltzing Matilda” is so well known that
people call it Australia’s unofficial national anthem.
The lyrics were originally written in 1895 by Banjo
Paterson. The song tells the story of an Australian
man who steals a sheep. The lyrics include distinctly
Australian slang words, such as “jumbuck” for “sheep,”
“billabong” for a body of water, and “matilda” for a
bundle of someone’s belongings. Many Australians
feel that the song represents their free-spirited nature.
Sometimes a song is so influential that it becomes a
source of national pride.

Australians voted for their national anthem in 1977,

and “Waltzing Matilda” was one of the four candidates.
It came in second place, after “Advance Australia Fair.”

21
 STORYTELLING
AROUND THE WORLD
I can change the story.
I am the story.
— Jeanette Winterson, writer

Storytelling takes many forms around the world.

Various cultures use traditional storytelling methods
to preserve their histories.

Hula Dancing
Hula is a complex form of dance that was developed
in Hawaii. Traditional hula dancers dance to chants or
songs using specific hand, foot, and hip movements.
Some of these movements represent the
words in the chant. In this way, the dance
is connected to the meaning of the story.
There are hula chants and dances
about mythology, the creation of
the world, and different gods
and goddesses.

Hula was banned in the Hawaiian

Islands for much of the 1800s, so it
had to be performed in secret. Now
it is once again a celebrated part of
Hawaiian culture.

22
Ubu’s Dreams is a modern
shadow-puppet show.
This is a glimpse of what
the audience sees during
the show.

Shadow Puppetry
Shadow puppetry was performed in the Middle
East and Asia hundreds of years ago. It was very
popular in India, Indonesia, and China.
In shadow puppetry, puppets are placed between
a screen and a light to create shadows. The puppets
are controlled by people behind the screen, and the
shows are usually accompanied by music. Shows
tell dramatic versions of myths, fairy tales, and other
traditional stories.
Shadow puppetry is still performed around the
world today.

Behind the scenes, the show looks

very different. This is what Ubu’s
Dreams looks like to the puppeteers.

23
 Rakugo stages are simple, putting the
audience’s focus on the performance.

Rakugo
Rakugo is a type of Japanese
performance that involves a lone
storyteller, called a rakugoka. The
rakugoka delivers a monologue, which is a
long speech by a single actor. The rakugoka usually
remains seated and uses only a couple of small props.
He or she tells a complicated and funny story that
often ends with a surprising punch line.
An early form of rakugo was developed hundreds
of years ago by Buddhist monks. They used comedy
to make their sermons more entertaining. There are
several distinct types of rakugo, but in general the
form is similar to the stand-up comedy we know
today. The point of telling the stories is mainly to
make people laugh, although there are sometimes
moral or historical lessons.

24
Griots
Griot is the term used for a West African
storyteller and musician. Griots have an
important role in the oral traditions of
many West African societies. Their job is
to remember traditional songs and local
cultural histories. People also count on
griots to comment on current events
in a witty and informative way.

Noura Mint Seymali is a celebrated

Calypso Music griot from Mauritania.

Music is a popular method of storytelling in the

Caribbean. Modern calypso music developed in the
early 1800s in Trinidad. The music and lyrics were
influenced by the cultures of many different places,
including France and Spain, and countries in Africa.
Calypso songs can be used to spread news and
create awareness of current events and challenges.
People have also used calypso to highlight political
corruption and criticize politicians, which has often
led to governments censoring songs.

People dance to
live calypso music.

25
 THE IMPACT OF
MODERN LIFE

It’s like everyone tells a story about

themselves inside their own head.
Always. All the time. That story
makes you what you are. We build
ourselves out of that story.
— Patrick Rothfuss, writer

These days, our day-to-day — and sometimes

minute-to-minute — lives involve using technology.
People of all ages use smartphones, tablets, laptops,
and other devices that allow them to connect to the
Internet wherever they are.
When it comes to storytelling, there are benefits
and drawbacks to using technology. On the one hand,
technology gives us new ways of telling and sharing
stories. Our stories could be available to millions of
people around the world with a simple click. On the
other hand, relying on technology too much might
lead people to forget important cultural traditions.

26
Some people believe that technology makes
us less likely to talk in person to others.

Social Media and Online Storytelling

Social media has made it easier than ever to share
stories. Almost anyone can create accounts on different
social media platforms. From their accounts, they can
post how they are feeling, what they are doing, and
anything else that comes to mind.
Some people think that social media is changing the
way we think of stories. Some social media platforms
limit the number of characters or words that users can
post. These limitations can make it hard for people to
tell long stories.
Social media connects people, however, and it gives
them a platform on which to tell their stories. People
can join online communities made up of people who
have had experiences that are similar to theirs. The
people in these communities can tell their stories to
one another and learn that there are other people in the
world who have gone through similar things.
However, storytelling on social media does not
allow people to come together to listen to one story at
a time. While using social media can help people feel
connected to others, it can also make people feel lonely.

27
 Advertising
Advertising is a big part of the modern world. We
encounter advertisements in most places we go. They
are screened before movies, aired during TV shows,
and posted on Web sites and social media platforms,
to name only a few examples of where we find them.
Businesses have been using advertisements for
a long time, and many businesses today recognize
the importance of storytelling. Companies can show
ads that take the form of short movies. These ads
introduce characters that viewers can feel attached
to. When people see stories told about products or
services, they might have an emotional experience that
makes them feel good about what is being advertised.

Advertising styles have

changed over time.

28
Viewers can be more likely to
donate to a charity when they
see the people it has helped.

In recent years many charities have been using

storytelling in their advertisements. For example, an
advertisement might show the experiences of someone
whom a charity has helped. An advertisement like this
allows viewers to see for themselves how a particular
charity can help people.

Did You Know?

Some organizations have a page with a name such
as “Our Story” on their Web sites. One of these pages
might tell the history of an organization and describe
what it does in the form of a story.

29
 HOW STORIES
CHANGE THE WORLD
For as long as people have been communicating with
one another, they have been telling stories. Stories
do not need to be only imaginary creations. Through
stories we can learn about events that happened many
thousands of years ago or happened only last week.
We can also learn about people whose backgrounds
are different from our own. It can be fascinating to
discover what we have in common with people we
might have thought were different from us.

You have to imagine things

before you can do them.
Stories help us see.
— Francesca Lia Block, writer

30
 We can learn things about ourselves through
stories as well. Stories can show us people having
experiences similar to our own, and through these
stories we can learn that we are not alone. If we’ve
gone through a hard time, a story can show us that
other people have gone through the same thing and
managed to cope. It’s important to see people we
identify with in stories, whether those stories are
told in books, movies, newspapers, or podcasts.
What are some different ways that you hear or
tell stories?

A library is an important
part of a community.

31
 Glossary
censoring: removing
information from something,
often for political or moral
reasons
collective memory: the shared
knowledge of a group of
people, often passed down
through several generations
commonality: a characteristic
that is shared
empathetic: able to understand
someone else’s feelings or
experiences
featuring: including
influence: indirectly affect
someone or something
Index
advertisement, 7, 28–29
audiobook, 14
Australia, 21
charity, 29
comic books, 7
Dan + Shay, 19
drawings, 6–7
e-book, 14
Gutenberg, Johannes, 12–13
history, 4, 10, 15, 29
Internet, 9, 17, 26
Kusugak, Michael Arvaarluk, 15
Lascaux, France, 7
McGraw, Tim, 19
movie, 8–9, 28, 31
music, 8, 19, 23, 25
32
inventive: able to think of new
or different ideas; creative
mass production: the process
of making large numbers of
similar products
preserve: keep from being
destroyed or lost
promote: encourage an idea
or goal
published: released to the
public
symbolic: representing
something else, such as an
idea or emotion
O’Neal, Jamie, 19
oral tradition, 14–15, 25
paintings, 5–7
photography, 10–11
podcast, 17–18, 31
printing press, 12–13
rakugo, 24
Run-DMC, 20
Smith, W. Eugene, 10–11
social media, 5, 27–28
song, 19–22, 25
technology, 5, 9, 16, 26–27
television, 8–9, 28
The Moth, 18
“Waltzing Matilda,” 21
X-Men, 7
Think About It
Use a four-column chart to explain four of what Tell Me a
Story describes as some of the most important reasons to
tell stories.
Tell Me a Story
Kirsten Donaghey

LEVEL W
ISBN-13: 978-1-4869-0900-1
ISBN-10: 1-4869-0900-0
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