SNEIDER MALDONADO BAYONA

Name

Christian story telling

1. Name a source where you have found material for stories for each of the following categories.
Tell a story from each category. (Start Poster #1)

a. sacred history
 THE BIBLE
 PROPHETS AND KINGS
b. Church History:
 WHERE IS MOO COW / TIG'S TALE?
 TREASURE OF MR. SQUIRREL / ELLEN'S MIRACLE HORSE
 CHARLIE HORSE
 ELENA DE WHITE: FRIEND OF THE ANGELS
c. Nature
 NATURE ELENA G. WHITE
 ONCE THERE WAS A ZOO
 WHERE DINOSAURS COME FROM
d. Character history

e. Objective lesson with visual aids
 VIDEOS

2. With the stories from the previous requirement, do the following: (Complete Poster #1)

a. Tell one of your children's stories, ages 5 and younger, for at least 3 minutes.
b. Tell one of your stories to 10 to 12 year olds for at least 5 minutes.

3. Make a written outline of one of the stories you are going to tell.

 Prepare
Where and when
Description of the protagonist

 Conflict
Antagonist Description
Nature of the conflict.

 Reaction to conflict
What the antagonist does
• Skill level 2
Spiritual Growth, Missionary Activities, and Heritage
General Conference
 SNEIDER MALDONADO BAYONA
Name

What the protagonist does

 Resolution
How the conflict is resolved

 Aftermath
What happens to the antagonist?
Learned lessons

4. Say how and under what circumstances the story material should be modified in the following
circumstances:

a. Tell the story in first person, second person and third person.

 First person
A story told in the first person is one in which the words "I," "I," "we," and "us" are
used. It's a story about you. These stories are among the most compelling because they
come from the personal experience of the storyteller, and the audience knows it.

 Second person
A story told in the second person is one in which the word "you" is used. A good way
to tell a story in the second person is to direct your audience to close their eyes and
imagine specific points in your story: “Imagine yourself walking through the woods.
You can hear the birds singing. You can feel a soft breeze on your face.” Bible stories
lend themselves to this type of storytelling, and can put the audience directly into the
story. This can help them better relate to the people in the story and the lesson it
conveys. Turn a story into second person when you want to engage your audience's
imagination.

 Third person
A story told in the third person is a story told about another person. The disadvantage
of telling a story in third person is that the audience assumes that you have no personal
experience in the matter and that they are not fully engaged (as in second person).
However, this type of story has its place. If you're telling a story about someone the
audience knows (or knows), it may be important to leave it in the third person.

b. Different types of audiences, ages and purposes.

Young children don't have the patience to sit through a long story, so keep it short. It helps if
you can involve them in the story. Have them stand up and do something, perhaps to
• Skill level 2
Spiritual Growth, Missionary Activities, and Heritage
General Conference
 SNEIDER MALDONADO BAYONA
Name

demonstrate how a penguin walks (show them how and ask them to copy you) or anything
else you can do that will help your story progress. Make sure your vocabulary matches that of
your audience. The point of telling stories is not to show how smart you are, it is to
communicate an idea. If you're using multi-syllabic words (like multi-syllabic) on a crowd of
four-year-olds, expect some blank stares followed by fidgeting and then pandemonium. Older
children will feel patronized if you ask them to show you how a bird flies. "Come on! That's
first-grade material!" They may not say it, but they will surely think it (and some will say it!)

You can use a story to make more than one point by emphasizing different parts of it. The
story of Jonah can be used to emphasize the importance of obedience, how we cannot escape
God, the love God has for other people, or how huge a whale is. Each of these points can be
made with the same story by emphasizing different aspects of it.

c. Make the story short.

There are many reasons to summarize a long story, including the attention span of your
audience, the point you are trying to make, or the amount of time you have allotted to tell the
story. Stories can be shortened by skipping details, eliminating subplots, retaining background
information, or any combination of the above.

In this case, you can include visual aids that will help children remember the story and their
reason for telling it. Enlist parents' help in continuing that story for that week's devotions,
especially if the story is a Bible story; everyone could study that story for their devotion too.

d. Make the long story

A story can be made longer by adding additional details, adding side stories including
background information, or any combination of the above. It may be necessary to include
background information so the audience can understand why a character makes the decisions
they do. Sometimes you may be asked to occupy an audience until the next part of a program
is ready (it happens). There is a certain amount of skill involved in lengthening a story while
keeping it interesting.

5. Mention why a certain objective is necessary to tell a story.

• Skill level 2
Spiritual Growth, Missionary Activities, and Heritage
General Conference
 SNEIDER MALDONADO BAYONA
Name

If a story doesn't have a goal, it's idle entertainment. If you have a goal, you can teach a lesson or
convey a message. You can often accomplish this without being “preachy.” A good storyteller
can convey a message or lesson without listeners suspecting that it has been preached to them.

The goal can also be one of education. Telling the story of a Bible character or church leader can
educate listeners about the person's way of life, thought processes, and character. You don't
always need a life lesson or moral to have a goal. The preacher uses stories in his sermon for
many reasons and sometimes it is just to keep his audience attentive and sometimes more often
than not it is to let his emotions flow and his thought process follow his lead. Same with the
storyteller, your goal may be different, but in the end the children should be able to tell you how
they learned from your story without you having to tell them or you will just waste your time and
theirs.

6. Tell a story about missionaries abroad, no less than 5 minutes long.

Story title
Who was it told to?
Story length

7. Tell a story that teaches the principles of health.

Story/topic title
Who was it told to?

Date completed: Instructor/advisor:

• Skill level 2
Spiritual Growth, Missionary Activities, and Heritage
General Conference