Learn how to increase students' skills as writers and storytellers with an innovative, inclusive, and empowering framework for teaching writing that centers student voice.

Tell Your Story: Teaching Students to Become World-Changing Thinkers and Writers explores how to help students see themselves as writers and storytellers who are developing the skills and techniques to communicate in ways that resonate with various audiences. When students make that shift and see themselves as active and valued participants in their own communities, cultures, and literary journeys, they become powerful writers eager to explore and share ideas.

With the strategies in this book, you can

* Create an environment of belonging that fosters creativity and confidence.
* Demonstrate the value of oral and visual storytelling.
* Teach story structure, both old and new and in a variety of genres.
* Offer a variety of role models and exemplars through mentor texts.
* Assess and confer with student writers to help them improve their skills.
* Value students' voices as future agents of change.

When you help students unlock the stories they want to tell, you'll see writing anxieties and resistance fade as students come alive to the multitude of ways in which they can make their voices heard. Storytelling can be a wellness practice, a tool for empowerment, and a method for self-understanding and self-expression. For all students, storytelling is a path to lifelong learning and to realizing the full power of their voice and their potential to change the world.

Morrell, Ernest

Ernest Morrell is an award-winning scholar, author, public speaker, researcher, and practitioner. He is the Coyle Professor of Literacy Education, a member of the faculty in the English and Africana Studies departments, and director of the Center for Literacy Education at the University of Notre Dame. Ernest is also the recipient of the NCTE Distinguished Service Award, the Kent Williamson Leadership Award from the Conference on English Leadership, and the Divergent Award for Excellence in 21st Century Literacies. Ernest has authored 90 articles, research briefs, and book chapters; coauthored 10 scholarly monographs with Pam Allyn; and written several books, including Educating Harlem, Stories from Inequity to Justice in Literacy Education, and Critical Media Pedagogy.

Allyn, Pam

Pam Allyn is an award-winning author, educator, and innovator. Her books include Every Child a Super Reader, coauthored with Dr. Ernest Morrell; Your Child's Writing Life, winner of the Mom's Choice Award; and What to Read When. She is a renowned public speaker and has created programs that achieve exceptional results in academics and well-being for students aged pre-K through grade 12. Her signature programs include LitCamp, LitLeague, and ReadyGen. Pam is the founder of many initiatives, including LitWorld, which champions the power of story worldwide, and Dewey, a family learning community to help caregivers learn, bond, and thrive. Pam is the creator, with her team at LitWorld, of World Read Aloud Day, celebrated in more than 60 countries each year.