Submission Guidelines:

This category is similar to the "Storytelling: Original Story" category except that in this category instead of writing a new story to tell, you're telling your special version of a story that we already know. You could retell a classic fairy tale like Snow White or Beauty and the Beast, or you could retell a story from history, such as a famous battle or discovery. You could retell an important person's biography or a significant part of his or her life. This is a great way to reach across different areas of your curriculum and solidify learning in science, history, or even math. Retell the story of the day Europeans first saw the Pacific ocean. Retell the story of Galileo.

Your submission will be an audio file or video file of you telling your story. You do not have to appear on camera, if you'd rather make a video that shows pictures while you tell the story. Speak clearly so that each word can be understood. The judge will not be looking at a written version of your story -- he or she will only have the sound of your voice to help him or her grasp the content. Submissions should not be more than 3 minutes long. You can submit your file on a data or music CD with your entry form taped to the front, or you can host your file online and fill out an entry form to tell us where to find it.

Acceptable video formats include the following: .avi .mov .wmv .mpg .mpeg .swf

Acceptable audio formats include the following: .aif .wav .mp3 .mid

Teaching This Genre:

Being a good storyteller involves not only the construction of a good tale, but also elements of public speaking like eye contact and vocal modulation. Maybe you'd like to develop a different accent or voice to represent each of the characters in your story, to make it more interesting. You definitely want to speak clearly

Listen to Robert Munsch tell his stories: http://www.storyteller.net/news/2008/05/540/

This site is full of storytelling info http://www.storyteller.net/

Handbook on how to tell stories http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/storyhandbook.htm

Listen to online stories http://storynory.com/

Page of good links on how to tell stories http://42explore.com/story.htm

Software to allow you to record your story: Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Gregg Howard's traditional Cherokee way of Native American storytelling:

Dianne Ferlatte telling a story:

Priscilla Howe:

Native American Story ~ Grandmother Spider Steals the Sun:

The Story of the White Buffalo Calf Woman: