Once upon a time, oral storytelling was the medium through which people learned their history, settled their arguments, and came to make sense of the phenomena of their world. Then along came the written word, and respect for storytelling as a tool of learning was almost forgotten. Storytelling is relating a tale to one or more listeners through voice and gesture. Both tellers and listeners find a reflection of themselves in stories. Story is the best vehicle for passing on factual information. Children at any level of schooling who do not feel as competent as their peers in reading or writing are often masterful at storytelling. Teachers who tell personal stories about their past or present lives model for students the way to recall sensory detail. Storytellers can draft a story the same way writers draft. Storytelling is an unsurpassed tool for teaching students to learn about themselves, about the ever-increasing information available to them, and about the thoughts and feelings of others. (RS)