ChristopherHas-ngs,PhD

StorytellingintheClassroom

Today’sGoals

•  Exploretheuseofstorytellinginthelanguageclassroom

•  Discusstheroleofstorytellingin– Thelearner-centeredclassroom–  Interculturalcommunica-on

Let’sBeginWithaStory

Visualize&Imagine

•  Scenesfromthestory

•  Sounds

•  Feelings

•  Drawthreeimagesofwhatyousee.

•  Sharewithyourneighbor

•  Now,retellthestorywithyourimages

• Encouragesspeakingandlisteningfluency• StudentinteracXon• Confidencebuilding• IncreasedmoXvaXon• CompensaXonstrategies(circumlocuXon)• Naturalexposuretolanguageincontext

Somebenefitsintheclassroom

Making Stories Interactive From “Making Stories and Storytelling Interactive” by Alison Smith

Interactive Activities

¤ Predict

¤ Pause and Predict

¤ Sound Effects

¤ Questions

¤ Story S

¤ Story Freeze Frame

From “Making Stories and Storytelling Interactive” by Alison Smith

PredictwhatwillhappenbasedontheXtleofthestory,“JohaandHisDonkey”

• Market• Villagers• Son• Donkey• Weight• Angry

Usingwordsfromthestory,predictwhatwillhappen

Lookingatapicturefromthestory,predictwhatwillhappen.

• Oneday,Johawasridinghisdonkeytomarket.

• It’simpossibletopleaseeveryonealltheXme,soitwasbestifeachpersondecideshowtolivehisorherownlife.

Giventhefirstandlastsentence,predict…

Pause and Predict - 1

One day, Joha was riding his donkey to market. Joha’s son walked beside the donkey, holding the

reins and talking with his father.

When they passed a group of villagers, the people criticized Joha. They asked, “How can you be so

heartless, Joha? How can you ride upon the donkey while your son is forced to walk beside you?”

What happened next?

Pause and Predict - 2

When Joha heard this, he climbed down and lifted

his son up onto the donkey’s back.

They continued on their journey, Joha walking beside the donkey, holding the reins as they made

their way towards the market.

What happened next?

Chose the most important words

• Donkeywalking• Villagersscoffing• Neighborslaughing

EncourageinteracXonbyhavingstudentsmakesoundeffects

Sound Effects & Questions

Walking down the road, Joha, his son, and the donkey passed a group of women gathered around

a well.

When the women saw Joha they were shocked. They asked him, ‘How is it that an old man walks

while his young son rides the donkey? Surely this is not right!’

Drawalongandpredictwith

“StoryS”

Drawalongandpredictwith“StoryS”

It’simpossibletopleaseeveryonealltheXme,soitwasbestifeachpersondecideshowtolivehisorherownlife.

• Tellandretellstoryusingpictures,prompts,realobjects,etc

• Giveapurposeforlisteningtothestoryandatasktodowhilelistening

• ReviseexisXngvocabulary• Pre-teachnewvocabulary• Relatestorythemestolearners’lives• Elicitstudents’reacXonsandopinions

Enhancingunderstanding

Boylan,J.(2009).MoXvaXnglearning.London:BriXshCouncil.

• PredicXonbefore,during,andajerthestory• Encouragestudentstoactoutanddiscussstories

• Getstudentstojoinintherepeatedphrasesinthestory�������������

• Howcouldthisbeextended?

Enhancingunderstanding

Boylan,J.(2009).MoXvaXnglearning.London:BriXshCouncil.

• LelertoJoha• Storyreviews• Summary/Retelling• Writeapoem/songaboutstory• Changetheclimax• ???

ExtensionAcXviXes

“JohaandHisDonkey”Onwww.worldstories.org.uk

Willstudentsrememberstories?

Graesser’s(2002)TheoryofStorytelling

SurfaceCode(1minute)

TextBase(1hour)

SituaXonandThemaXcPoint(Years!)

Depthofstoryrepresen

taXo

n

Timestored

inm

emory

“Ifhistoryweretaughtintheformofstories,itwouldneverbeforgolen.”

RudyardKipling

Let’sCreateaStory!

Madlibs

•  Apopularphrasaltemplatewordgame

•  Startedin1953•  Oneplayerasksanotherforalistofwords

•  Theotherplayerusesthewordstocompleteastory

Withapartner,namea…

•  Place•  Season•  Feeling/EmoXon•  Avaluableobject•  AnAcXon•  Anotherfeeling/emoXon

Completethestorywithyourwords

Iwaswalkingin__(place)___.Itwas____(season)___.Iwasfeeling___(emoXon)_.Isawsomethinginthe__(place)___.Itwasa___(valuableobject)___.So,I__(acXon)___.Ifelt__(secondemoXon)____.

Whathappenednext?

Shareyourstory

GotXmeforanotherstory?

RabbitsFox

MonkeyElephantLion

ImitatetheseAnimals

DavidHeathfield

Oneday,agroupofrabbitsheardalarge“PLOP!”andbecameveryscared.Theyranandranasfastastheycould,deeperanddeeperintothewoods.Theycameacrossafoxwhosaid“whereareyougoing,rabbits,insucharush?”

Plop

DavidHeathfield

“Plopiscoming!!!”Foxgotfrightenedandjoinedtherush.Theyranandranasfastastheycould,deeperanddeeperintothewoods.Theycameacrosssomemonkeyswhosaid“whereareyougoinginsucharush?”

Plop

DavidHeathfield

“Plopiscoming!!!”Themonkeysgotfrightenedandjoinedtherush.Theyranandranasfastastheycould,deeperanddeeperintothewoods.Theycameacrossanelephantwhosaid“whereareyougoinginsucharush?”

Plop

DavidHeathfield

“Plopiscoming!!!”Theelephantgotfrightenedandjoinedtherush.Theyranandranasfastastheycould,deeperanddeeperintothewoods.Theycameacrossalionwhosaid“whereareyougoinginsucharush?”

Plop

DavidHeathfield

“Plopiscoming!!!”“Ihavepowerfulclawsandsharpteeth,Iamthestrongestofallanimals.Iamnotafraid."Whoisthisplop?Andwhereishe?”Theanimalsanswered….

Plop

DavidHeathfield

Whathappened?Whatwasit?

UsefulResources

Story Websites World Stories www.worldstories.org.uk

The Moth http://themoth.org

StorytellingWebsitesDavidHeathfieldh;ps://sites.google.com/site/davidheathfield2/teacher-training

Folklore&MythologyElectronicTextsh;p://www.pi;.edu/~dash/folktexts.html

SomeDigitalStorytellingResources

DigitalStories:A21st-CenturyCommunicaXonToolfortheEnglishLanguageClassroomEnglishTeachingForumhHp://americanenglish.state.gov

DigitalStoriesatUMBCUniversityofMaryland,Bal-moreCountyhHp://www.umbc.edu/digitalstories