1. Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
STORYTELLING
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

2. Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
Children love stories. They
are always eager to listen to stories
want to understand what is happening
can enjoy hearing stories in English when they start English lessons
enjoy looking at story books by themselves
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

3. Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
Very young learners acquire language unconsciously. The activities you do should help this kind of acquisition. Stories are one of the most valuable resources you have. They offer children a world of supported meaning that they can relate to.
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

4. The educational value of stories
help children relate new things to what they know already
help children to look at real life from different viewpoints and imagine what it feels like to be someone else
can introduce the child to other cultures and attitudes
let children share their experiences with the group - everyone listens and feels sad or happy
help children develop their thinking skills
are interesting and enjoyable, and can be fun.
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

5. Stories for language teaching
can be told with pictures and gestures to help children understand
help children enjoy learning English
introduce new language in context
help children revise language they are familiar with
help children become aware of the structures of the language
help children acquire intonation and pronunciation by listening
can help bring English into other “subjects”
can lead on to lots of activities
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

6. Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
Storytelling
Telling a story
Reading a story
speak spontaneously
use natural intonation to help make the story seem real
look at the children and see if they understand
use your face and body to make gestures
practise first and have some support, e.g. notes on cards
don't worry if you make mistakes (children are unlikely to notice).
repeat words if you have to
rephrase in a natural way if the children don’t understand
stop and talk to the children about what is happening
stop and show pictures, and talk about them
stop sometimes and talk to individual children about an aspect of the story.
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

7. Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
Tell me a story...
There is a difference between reading a story and telling a story.
One of the most important differences is your voice
Your tone (soft, harsh, whispering, singing)
Your pitch (high/low)
Your intonation pattern.
Try saying “what’s your name” in different voices to represent these characters:
little girl, old woman, King, lion, mouse, snake
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

8. Stories for very young learners
Using body language, gestures, and actions is especially important for very young learners.
When children act and perform a story they quickly become familiar with the language you use.
On the next slide you can see how one educator told a story with her children.
The children stand in a circle and copy the educator while she is telling the story.
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

9. Stories for very young learners
“Spot is looking for baby animals” [start looking around the classroom]
“miaou, miaou” [all make a cat sound]
“Who's that?” [ask the question with a hand gesture]
“a cat...” [pretend to be a cat ]
“no baby animals here” [wave their finger to say 'no' with a sad face]
The teacher goes on telling the story, asking children to introduce other animals.
At the end of the story Spot finds some baby animals.
The teacher says “Oh look, piglets - hurray!!” [All point & jump up and down]
“Spot is very happy now.” [clap their hands]
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

10. Reading to very young learners
When you tell a story to children you can help them understand by
using a book with pictures
showing them real things that are talked about in the story
miming what happens in the story to help children understand
make the sounds for things in the story, e.g., animals, trains
repeating keywords and phrases
asking and answering questions about the story.
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

11. Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
Read the story several times before you use it with children.
Practise reading and telling the story aloud.
Record yourself, then play it back, and listen to it.
Prepare
the questions you are going to ask the children about the pictures and about the story
how to rephrase phrases in the story
the comments you could make about the pictures.
Keep all the stories you read in your reading corner and encourage children to look at them again.
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

12. Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
Re-telling stories
When children have heard a story once, you can tell it again. Each time you retell a story, children
will become more familiar with the language of the story
will be able to participate more
When the children are listening, you can
stop telling the story and see if the children can remember what happens next
put up some pictures of scenes from the story. Ask children to point to the picture of what or who you are telling them about.
ask the class to stand up and mime the actions as they happen
act out the story as you tell it
ask the children to listen carefully, then make some deliberate mistakes/changes, e.g. One day a fox saw a bird eating a hamburger
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

13. Stories and listening activities
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
Stories and listening activities
'listen and do'
the children act like a character in a story, for example, Red Riding Hood walking in the forest, or the wolf, etc.
'listen and perform’
they act out a story, such as The Fox and the Cheese.
'listen and identify’
they point to the picture in a story.
'listen and respond'
they listen and clap if the teacher makes a mistake in the story, for example, Once upon a time there was a little girl called Little Blue Riding Hood .. .
'listen and colour’
they follow instructions to colour a story poster.
'listen and draw'
they draw three things Red Riding Hood had in her basket.
'listen and make'
they trace and cut out a face mask of a character.
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA

14. Stories and speaking activities
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA
Stories and speaking activities
Children can get valuable speaking practice through:
Saying rhymes and singing songs.
Playing vocabulary games, e.g. with picture cards for matching games
Playing 'I spy' with items from the story, in Little Red Riding Hood:
I spy with my little eye something beginning with 'b:
Playing pass the ball and answer questions about the story, such as:
What did the animals always say to Elmer?
Starting to speak freely. Elicit personal talk, for example,
You are the fox - talk about yourself:
“I am Mr Fox. I live in the forest. I have three brothers. I like cheese!”
Speaking in groups. They can prepare a guessing game for the class, together, for example,
We live in three little houses. One is made of straw, one is made of sticks, and one is made of brick. Who are we?
Lingua e Cultura Inglese, L-19, a.a. 2018/2019 Prof.ssa A.STETA