Inclusive+Storytelling

=**Storytelling and Story Time for Children with Special Needs and Special Strengths**= toc

**Introduction**
All of us have strengths and weaknesses, stories that grip us and stories that don’t, good days and bad days. However, many articles in library journals focus on adapting storytelling and lessons for students with a variety of deficits. As Linda Lucas Walling (2001) points out, the most effective way to individualize teaching for students with a wide range of abilities is to get to know both their challenges and their strengths. As school librarians, we have the opportunity to get to know both the weaknesses and strengths of our students, and we may even know them better than some teachers because we work with them over the course of multiple years.

This page offers a brief overview of ways to choose stories and adapt storytelling for our kids with special needs by addressing story choice and recommendations for planning lessons for a students with different needs and strengths.

To start with, this list of characteristics, drawn from Linda Lucas Walling’s article “Ability, Disability, and Picture Books” and from //Storytelling: Art and Technique// by Ellin Greene and Janice M. Del Negro (2010) provide a basis for evaluating books for different students. The following section details how these characteristics might be used to choose stories and books for students with different strengths and challenges.


 * Characteristics of stories**
 * Clear beginning, middle and end
 * Rhythm/rhyme
 * Word play
 * Participatory action
 * Repetition (may be participatory)
 * Narrative about interacting with others
 * Narrative about self-awareness, understanding feelings


 * Characteristics specific to books**
 * Obvious humor
 * Visual/tactile reinforcement
 * One main character
 * Coordinated picture and story
 * Big font
 * Good contrast/uncluttered
 * Few words on each page
 * Realistic illustrations
 * Non-glare paper
 * Rich images or visual puzzles
 * Rich, lyric text
 * Wordless books
 * Black and white

**Stories for Children with Different Strengths and Challenges**
//“I believe that the that the dynamics of storytelling, particularly the emotional connections that stories forge between teller and listener, help to engage children on a very deep level. Brain research tells us that the emotional component of learning is crucial, and storytelling simultaneously engages both the emotions and the intellect.”// (Danoff as ctd in Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 113)

What follows is a list of strengths and challenges, notes on how to work with students who demonstrate these strengths and deficits, and suggestions for story characteristics that will work best for these children. The list of strengths are drawn from Howard Gardner’s 1983 book //Frames of Mind//, which outlines a series of learning modes and which Linda Walling uses to explain different adaptations for storytelling.

Several considerations not touched on in the following sections are finding ways to choose stories for a group of children and considering sensory integration disorders.

Groups may be difficult to work, particularly if the children have a wide range of different strengths and weaknesses. One school librarian consulted for this project recommended having a “change” card to add to the schedule in cases where a book she was using was not connecting with the group of students. Also, groups of students will have their strengths and weaknesses just like individuals and the more a librarian works with a group of students, the better she will get to know those strengths and weaknesses.
 * Groups**

It is also important to be sensitive to individual students who have sensory integration disorders. Some children may be over-sensitive or under-sensitive because their brains are unable to moderate sensory activity around them. Children on the autistic spectrum may be particularly likely to be sensitive to loud sounds or touch (Schiller & Willis, 2008).
 * Sensory Integration Disorders**

**Visual Impairments**
Children with visual impairments may embrace oral storytelling and shine as tellers of stories because their disability puts them in the habit of being careful listeners. Give them the opportunity to excel as listeners and storytellers or re-tellers (Greene & Del Negro, 2010).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Pair story with other sensory options like something to touch, music, or other sounds
 * Make sure to speak clearly and project
 * Use books with clearly outlined, high contrast images for kids with partial visual impairment
 * Give preferential seating to students with partial visual impairment


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** visual/tactile reinforcement, coordinated picture and story, big font, good contrast/uncluttered, non-glare paper, black and white

**Visual (Spatial) Intelligence**
Kids with dyslexia and autism may be particularly adept at analyzing images and understanding busy illustrations (Walling, 2001). The plethora of beautifully illustrated children’s literature – fiction and non-fiction – offers teachers and librarians a wide variety of options to pass along to these students.


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Have student describe what they see on each page
 * Follow story-time with a drawing activity where students draw a scene from the story


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** Rich images or visual puzzles, wordless books

**Cognitive Challenges**
Children with cognitive challenges may have difficulty understanding and generalizing new concepts and they may get frustrated when they see that they are not learning as quickly or easily as others (Schiller & Willis, 2008). These students may have a learning disability, have ADD or ADHD, down syndrome, be on the autism spectrum, have a brain injury, or have other disabilities in combination with cognitive challenges. They often respond best to stories that are concrete rather than abstract and have familiar settings and characters (animals, families).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Have students re-tell a story using drama, dance or puppets
 * Choose stories that have clear participation
 * Work on developing the following skills: listening, comprehension, sequencing, discussion

Use a white board or big paper and draw a series of blank boxes. Have students re-tell the story to the teacher as she fills in scenes with stick-figure pictures. (Greene & Del Negro, 2010)
 * Example Activities**

After telling a story about the sea, have children touch seashells, coral, other “treasures of the sea.” Greene and Del Negro (2010) recommend the story “Crab and the Jaguar.”


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** clear beginning, middle and end, rhythm/rhyme, repetition (may be participatory), obvious humor, visual/tactile reinforcement, one main character, coordinated picture and story, good contrast/uncluttered, few words on each page, realistic illustrations

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Students who have strong logical-mathematical skills will be better at abstract thinking or thinking that requires logical reasoning (Walling, 2001).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Consider using mysteries that require listeners to put together many clues
 * Develop skills that help students abstract elements of storytelling like fore-casting, recognizing story patterns, or adopting stories

**Speech or Language Challenges**
Children with speech or language delays may have trouble articulating words, using language, developing vocabulary, or understanding language. Children with autism or cognitive challenges may struggle with speech and language and may additionally not understand what is appropriate to say in social settings (Schiller & Willis, 2008).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Use rhyming books to help children develop phonological awareness
 * Have students draw a scene from a story to show what they took away from the story


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** rhythm/rhyme, participatory action, repetition (may be participatory), visual/tactile reinforcement, coordinated picture and story, big font, few words on each page, wordless books

Linguistic Intelligence
Students with strong linguistic intelligence may introduce new words, challenge the reader to pay close attention, and use language and fun and interesting ways (Walling, 2001).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Have activities that encourage students to write or dictate their own stories
 * Teach new words or start a "new words" list that students can add to


 * Charcteristics for book/story choice:** rhythm/rhyme, word play, rich, lyrical text, humor

**Behavior or Social-Emotional Challenges**
Children with behavior or social-emotional challenges may have a specific diagnosis, like autism, or they may not have a diagnosis (Schiller & Willis, 2008). It can take longer to win the trust of these students, particularly students who have behavior challenges as a result of challenging environmental experiences (Greene & Del Negro, 2010). Some children may be uncomfortable making eye contact or doing activities that involve touching peers. However, well-chosen stories can help build trust between students and between students and teachers. As seasoned storyteller Paula Davidoff says, stories can “create a metaphorical space in which the teller and audience have shared experiences and that they can use to connect to each other” (as ctd in Greene & Del Negro, 2010).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Find alternate ways for children to participate or show that they were listening, particularly if children are uncomfortable making eye contact
 * Avoid stories that might trigger unhappy memories
 * Stories with a hero or heroine overcoming obstacles may work well
 * Choose books that demonstrate successful and appropriate social interactions in different settings


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** narrative about interacting with others, narrative about self-awareness, one main character, realistic illustrations

** Personal Intelligence (directed towards others) **
Gardner describes students with a strong sense of kindness, respect for others, or simple observation of their peers as having personal intelligence (as ctd in Walling, 2001). These students will continue to develop this strength if they are encouraged and presented with good role models.


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Have students work in pairs
 * Practice phrases that build on children’s vocabulary of kindness
 * Reflect on children’s past experiences of helping others
 * Share different family traditions


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** narrative about interacting with others

**Personal Intelligence (directed towards self)**
Students with personal intelligence that Gardner describes as “directed towards self” are those children who exhibit honesty, a strong sense of self-awareness, sensitivity to fairness, the ability to acknowledge their own emotions or even deal responsibly with (or think responsibly about) money (as ctd in Walling, 2001).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Pair biographical stories with activities that invite students to reflect on an experience they had and how it made them feel


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** narrative about self-awareness

**Hearing Impaired**
Children with hearing impairments may have partial hearing loss or complete hearing loss. Depending on their means of communication, they may be fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) in addition to English or they may be in the process of learning one or the other. It is important not to assume that hearing impairments are paired with cognitive delays; in fact, children with hearing impairments are likely to be at the same level as their peers in their language and vocabulary development. However, they may be behind in learning to read (Schiller & Willis, 2008).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Incorporate simple ASL signs and teach other children how to do them
 * Some children may need muted background noise
 * Children with hearing impairments may still enjoy rhythm or sound vibrations


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** Participatory action, visual/tactile reinforcement, big font, coordinated picture and story, rich images or visual puzzles, wordless books


 * Notes on communicating with lip-readers**
 * Kids who are lip reading cannot look at the pictures at the same time that they are reading lips. Close the book or face it towards you, then turn to show the picture. If you are reading to an audience of children with and without hearing impairments, be sure to leave time for the children with hearing impairments to look at each picture after you have finished reading the text on one page.
 * Do not try to over-exaggerate your lips as you speak; this actually makes it harder for individuals with hearing impairments to read your lips.
 * Men who have beards will present more of a challenge to lip-readers.


 * Notes on working with ASL interpreters**
 * Avoid rhymes, nonsense words, and puns
 * Try to show the interpreter the text of a story before they have to interpret it, particularly for larger audiences, like at a school assembly
 * Plan for lag time. Remember that the translator will be following what you say and your audience will be a bit behind where you are in the story
 * Stand close to the signer so the audience can see both tellers
 * Introduce the translator at the beginning (Greene & Del Negro, 2010)

**Musical (Auditory) Intelligence**
Some children may be particularly interested and attuned to music, sound and oral storytelling. These skills can give students a leg up as they develop phonological awareness and other language skills (Walling, 2010)


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Encourage student participation in rhythm, repetition or rhyme
 * Bring simple instruments or noise-makers
 * Practice making loud and soft sounds


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** rhythm/rhyme, participatory action, repetition (may be participatory), rich, lyrical text

**Delayed Motor Development/Physical Impairment**
Children with delayed motor development may depend on wheelchairs or adaptive walkers to move (see Universal Design for hints on making your library space accessible). Get to know students with motor delays and physical impairments and do not assume that a motor impairment means a child also has a mental impairment (Schiller & Willis, 2008).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Remember that children in wheelchairs will need books to be held at eye level for them
 * Find ways to adapt activities with physical movement to include children with motor delay or physical impairments, even if they can only participate partially


 * Characteristics for bok/story choice:** participatory action (simple)

**Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence**
Students with body or kinesthetic intelligence may be particularly good at using their bodies expressively, working with objects, or may just have lots of energy (Walling, 2001).


 * Suggestions for lesson planning**
 * Use stories that involve students through movement or touch (find adaptations for students who have physical impairments)


 * Characteristics for book/story choice:** rhythm/rhyme**,** participatory action, visual/tactile reinforcement

**Works Cite**
Greene, E. & Del Negro, J. M. (2010). //Storytelling: Art and technique.// Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Schiller, P., & Willis, C. (2008). //Inclusive literacy lessons for early childhood.// Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, Inc.

Walling, L. L. (2001). Ability, disability, and picture books. //Libraries Worldwide,// 7(2): 31-38.