FROM STORIES TO SKILLS: A PATH TO LITERACY

2023

curriculum design
learning science
storytelling pedagogy

From Stories to Skills: A Path to Literacy

Storytelling Everyday is a story-based curriculum that equips children with foundational literacy and social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. Designed for primary school students in rural and semi-urban India, it aligns with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and adapts across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts.

From Stories to Skills: A Path to Litercay

2023

Storytelling Saturday was Indivillage Foundation's reading-cum-literacy program where a simple set of 2-3 activities were combined with stories. After its initial success, IVF wanted to transform it into a structured program with a formalised curriculum.

Fold Labs worked with IVF to design a robust, multi-year program that integrates stories, activities, FL and SEL objectives into a seamless learning experience.

Aligned with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), the Storytelling Saturdays Program has 32-sessions that balance the joy of storytelling with measurable learning outcomes. Each session features engaging stories paired with literacy-building activities and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) components. We also created student workbooks and volunteer manuals to make session delivery smoother, ensuring a seamless and enriching experience for both students and volunteers.

CHALLENGES & APPROACH

CHALLENGE ONE

English presented translation challenges across Indian languages.

We designed the curriculum directly in Hindi to ensure better translation.

CHALLENGE TWO

Storytelling and foundational literacy were treated separately in the sessions.

We restructured the program to use the same story in two sessions, linking storytelling with literacy learning for stronger outcomes.

CHALLENGE THREE

The lack of standardised teaching materials led to differences in how sessions were delivered.

We introduced detailed session manuals for clear communication.

CHALLENGE FOUR

Volunteers felt that session preparation and post-session tasks were tedious and time-consuming.

We designed a student workbook to streamline activities and track progress efficiently.

LEARNING STRATEGIES USED

LEARNING STRATEGY

Storytelling Pedagogy

Narratives make lessons more engaging and memorable. By connecting complex information to relatable stories, it enhances comprehension and encourages creative thinking.

LEARNING STRATEGY

Activity-Based Learning

Each story is followed by hands-on activities that reinforce the literacy and SEL concepts introduced in the narrative. These activities encourage active participation, allowing children to apply what they’ve learned through creative tasks.

LEARNING STRATEGY

Sequencing for Learning Progression

The curriculum is designed with a clear progression in mind, ensuring that each story and its related activities build upon previous learning. This sequencing helps learners gradually develop more complex literacy skills in a structured manner, ensuring consistent growth.

  • Final Outcome

    volunteer manual

    Glimpse of Volunteer Manual

    activity

    My Plant Pet

    Students draw and name their Plant Pet, after reading 'An A-maize-ing Story' during the session.

    activity

    Who's Tail are You?

    A FL and SEL integrated follow-up activity to reading 'My Aaji's Tail.'

    student workbook

    Sample Student Workbook

    volunteer manual

    Volunteer Manual
  • Final Outcome

    volunteer manual

    Glimpse of Volunteer Manual

    activity

    My Plant Pet

    Students draw and name their Plant Pet, after reading 'An A-maize-ing Story' during the session.

    activity

    Who's Tail are You?

    A FL and SEL integrated follow-up activity to reading 'My Aaji's Tail.'

    student workbook

    Sample Student Workbook

    volunteer manual

    Volunteer Manual

IMPACT

IMPACT ONE

The program currently engages with 9264 children spread across 91 schools.


IMPACT TWO

The curriculum has been translated to Kannada, Telugu and other regional languages.


STATISTIC

Over 30% students exhibit gains in speaking skills in year 1 of the Storytelling Saturday program.


"The creative curriculum naturally develops essential skills in children aged 4-8. Their thoughtful and detail oriented approach has resulted in an engaging program that consistently delivers results, and we've observed remarkable progress in our children's abilities, especially speaking skills."

Akanchha Sharma, Head of Operations, IndiVillage Foundation

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