Pupils at St John’s Priory School in Banbury loved celebrating National Storytelling Week during the week of 29th January to 5th February. This year, pupils at St John’s Priory took part in a range of exciting activities which enhanced their English and literacy learning and sparked their passion for stories.
The week started with everyone wearing their pajamas to school and bringing their favorite bedtime stories and stuffed animals. In their music lessons, the children enjoyed a lullaby session, which included listening to and composing lullabies. In their French and Spanish lessons, the children recited traditional stories, including “We are going bear hunting”.
A particular highlight was the reading and storytelling by the Year Six prefects to the younger members of the school community – the Little Conkers Nursery and the children in Reception. The day ended with Headmistress Mrs Tracey Wilson and a group of children visiting the famous Telephone Booth Library located just outside the school.
Throughout the week the children produced wonderful stories that included building and illustrating their own dinosaur adventure stories.
The whole school took a school trip to the Story Museum in Oxford, participated in storytelling sessions and workshops, and visited the very lamppost that inspired CS Lewis to write about Narnia. The children also had the opportunity to participate in a reading competition, which consisted of posing with their favorite storybooks. The winner was a second-grade student who hosted a tea party for her teddy bears while she read to them.
Director Ms Tracey Wilson said: “Storytelling is a traditional way of entertaining. Storytelling activities help our children internalize narrative patterns and develop their skills as storytellers and writers – directly impacting their academic performance – while having fun.
“Finding the time to read and enjoy stories with children can be a challenge, especially with the distractions of modern technology, but there is nothing more rewarding and valuable than sharing stories, and c is something we actively encourage at SJP.”
