How Teachers Can Invite a Spellbinders Storyteller to Their Classroom

Spellbinders.org has a dedicated page for teachers who want a trained volunteer storyteller to visit their classroom. The site's "Teachers: Invite a Storyteller to Your Classroom!" section is the starting point: it explains how a Spellbinders-trained storyteller enhances literacy and supports your curriculum, and it is the entry point for making a request. The organization is a non-profit run by volunteers who bring oral storytelling into classrooms within their own communities, so availability depends on whether there is an active group of trained storytellers near your school.

What a classroom visit involves

A Spellbinders storyteller is a trained volunteer who tells stories orally to students. According to the site, the program is designed to:

• Enhance literacy
• Support the teacher's existing curriculum
• Create connections between young and old
• Enrich the lives of children and volunteers alike

The emphasis is on oral language and listening rather than on reading from a book, which is why teachers describe it as complementing what students are already studying.

What teachers report after a visit

The site collects teacher feedback that gives a realistic picture of what to expect:

• Attention and engagement. A Broomfield teacher described a storyteller as "simply wonderful," noting that "her ease of addressing children was immediately apparent and her storytelling was mesmerizing."
• Curriculum fit. The same teacher said the visit "went along with stories or history we were already discussing in class," and that students turned to her "wide-eyed, knowing they were making connections."
• Retell and recall. A Basalt Elementary School teacher wrote that the class discussed the story afterward and "they were amazing with their retell and recall," adding that oral language and auditory processing are crucial at that developmental level.
• Story structure for young writers. That teacher also noted that to become good writers and readers, children need to understand the structure of a story — something an oral telling models directly.

How to make the request

1. Go to spellbinders.org and open the "Teachers: Invite a Storyteller to Your Classroom!" section.
2. Read the "Learn More" material there to understand what the program offers your grade level and subject.
3. Use that page to begin the invitation process with the Spellbinders group serving your area.

The site does not publish a single national booking form or phone number in the material available; because Spellbinders is organized as local volunteer communities, the practical path is to reach the group active in your district. If your area has no group, the site's "Become a Spellbinders Trained Volunteer Storyteller!" and "Start Volunteering" sections describe how new storytellers are trained — useful if you or a community member wants to help start coverage.

Practical things to sort out before the visit

• Timing and fit. Tell the storyteller which stories or history topics you are already covering, since teachers report the visit works best when it connects to current class material.
• Grade level. The examples on the site come from elementary classrooms (fourth grade and Basalt Elementary are mentioned), so confirm the storyteller's experience matches your students' ages.
• Follow-up. Plan a few minutes after the visit for retell and recall discussion, which teachers found valuable.

If there is no storyteller nearby

Spellbinders is explicitly a volunteer, community-based organization. If no trained storyteller serves your school, the site's volunteer path — "Become a Spellbinders Trained Volunteer Storyteller!" — is the route to building local capacity, whether you recruit a community member or consider training yourself.