The Art of Storytelling in SJSU History

Teaching Through Storytelling

A story in The Christian Science Monitor of December 14, 1914 explained how teachers at the San Jose State Normal School were using storytelling to teach children about history, geography, ethics, heroism and nature. The article referred to storytelling as an art to be taught. Also, the stories were to be told, not read so the students training to become grade school teachers had to learn this art. The student-teachers had an opportunity to practice the art of storytelling at the public library on Saturday afternoons.

Miss MacKenzie, a teacher in the Kindergarten Department of the Normal School and a teacher of storytelling, compiled lists of stories appropriate for particular subjects in grades 1 through 8 and  published them in a pamphlet for the Normal School students in 1912.

Stories Recommended by Miss MacKenzie

The stories recommended by Miss MacKenzie of the State Normal School were ones she felt would “require the least possible preparation in the matter of adaptation.” She noted that they had been tested in schools and with different grades. Listed below are a sampling of the over 300 stories listed in her book.

  • “The Story of Ibbity” from Firelight Stories, for first grade to illustrate fairy and folk lore.  

  • "The Star Dollars" from How to Tell Stories to Children by Sara Cone Bryant, to illustrate fairy and folk lore, legends and myths

  • “How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes” from Nature Myths, for second grade as a nature story.

  •  “The Jack O’Lantern”  and “Climbing Alone” from Ethics for Children for third grade to help teach ethics.

  •  “The Choice of Hercules” and “The Two Travelers” from Ethics for Children for fourth grade as hero stories.

  •  “Heroic Madelon” and “The Unappreciated Patriot” from American Book of Golden Deeds as tales of heroic deeds for fifth grade.

  •   “Columbus” and “George Washington” from American Hero Stories for sixth grade as holiday stories.

  •  “A Winter at Valley Forge” and “Dolly Madison” from American Hero Stories for seventh grade as heroic tales.

  • “The Story of Siegfried” from Told to the Children Series as a story of heroics for seventh grade.

  •  “Mowgli’s Brother” and “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” from The Jungle Books as nature stories for eighth grade.

  •  “Edith of Scotland” and “Woo of Hwang-Ho” from Historic Girls as tales of heroic deeds for eighth grade.  

You may be able to find these books at used bookstores or libraries or at Project Gutenberg.

Additional Information:

  • Storytelling demonstrated at Castro Elementary School in Mountain View, CA - click here

  • SJSU courses - Beverly Swanson, SJSU instructor in Theater Arts

  • Professor Andrea Whittaker's presentation on the history of storytelling as used by teachers - click here.

This page last updated February 25, 2007

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THE STAR DOLLARS*  [From How to Tell Stories to Children (1905) by Sara Cone Byrant, p 156; available at some libraries or used book stores and from Project Gutenberg (click here for the entire book)]

* Adapted from Grimms' Fairy Tales.

There was once a little girl who was very, very poor. Her father and mother had died, and at last she had no little room to stay in, and no little bed to sleep in, and nothing more to eat except one piece of bread. So she said a prayer, put on her little jacket and her hood, and took her piece of bread in her hand, and went out into the world.

When she had walked a little way, she met an old man, bent and thin. He looked at the piece of bread in her hand, and said, "Will you give me your bread, little girl? I am very hungry." The little girl said, "Yes," and gave him her piece of bread.

When she had walked a little farther she came upon a child, sitting by the path, crying. "I am so cold!" said the child. "Won't you give me your little hood, to keep my head warm?" The little girl took off her hood and tied it on the child's head. Then she went on her way.

After a time, as she went, she met another child. This one shivered with the cold, and she said to the little girl, "Won't you give me your jacket, little girl?" And the little girl gave her her jacket. Then she went on again.

By-and-by she saw another child, crouching almost naked by the wayside. "O little girl," said the child, "won't you give me your dress? I have nothing to keep me warm." So the little girl took off her dress and gave it to the other child. And now she had nothing left but her little shirt. It grew dark, and the wind was cold, and the little girl crept into the woods, to sleep for the night. But in the woods a child stood, weeping and naked. "I am cold," she said, "give me your little shirt!" And the little girl thought, "It is dark, and the woods will shelter me; I will give her my little shirt"; so she did, and now she had nothing left in all the world.

She stood looking up at the sky, to say her night-time prayer. As she looked up, the whole skyful of stars fell in a shower round her feet. There they were, on the ground, shining bright, and round. The little girl saw that they were silver dollars. And in the midst of them was the finest little shirt, all woven out of silk! The little girl put on the little silk shirt, and gathered the star dollars; and she was rich, all the days of her life.