Stories in esl class
Story #1 How did I make the story comprehensible?
“I Like Coffee” I like coffee. But I don’t have coffee. I’m sad. I don’t have coffee. I look at Joe. Joe has coffee! I walk to Joe. I smile. I take Joe’s coffee. Now, Joe is sad. Joe doesn’t have coffee. But I’m happy. I have coffee!
Why use stories? Stories are interesting Stories give students input You can make the story more comprehensible in real time (unlike recorded audio passages) Stories can easily be simplified or made more advanced Stories often contain very high-frequency vocabulary Stories have a natural repetition of vocabulary Students learn new words in context
How can you use stories in class?
Story Listening Reader’s Theater TPRS Read-Alouds Oral stories: Using graded readers: Read-Alouds Whole-Class Novel Reading Free Voluntary Reading
Story #2: Story Listening Developed by Dr. Beniko Mason, an EFL teacher in Japan
a race
wins
Where can you find stories? Simplify traditional fairy tales/ folktales/fables Use graded readers Find children’s books that could also be enjoyed by adults Make up your own
Story Listening Resources Beniko Mason’s website: http://beniko-mason.net/ Story Listening videos for beginning-level Mandarin learners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VCiOyt_5u0 My videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvOaPCiwigR Qh_wdVI1E9-g
Other Resources Tea with BVP podcast for language teachers: www.teawithbvp.com The Power of Reading by Stephen Krashen Stephen Krashen’s website, sdkrashen.com “The Inescapable Case for Extensive Reading” by Rob Waring: http://www.robwaring.org/er/what_and_why/er_is_vital.htm “Time, Texts, and Teaching in Vocabulary Acquisition” by Jeff McQuillan: http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/October2016/discussion/mcquillan.pdf Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher The SSR Handbook by Janice L. Pilgreen
More on using novels:
Stories lead to meaningful discussion
Reading stories prompts critical thinking
Students learn about American culture Geography American customs or cultural ideas Typical American behaviors Ask students to reflect on characters’ actions and compare to their home culture
Make it easy! Most reading experts say students should understand about 98% of the words in a text (when reading independently)
How I use whole-class novels Prepare students for reading: Introduce important vocabulary Talk about the setting of the novel Preview the book: look at the cover, read the summary on the back, make predictions Read one chapter in class every day Discuss the chapter together
Don’t commit readicide Try to allow at least some student choice in book selection Don’t over-do the comprehension checks, worksheets, or extra activities Imagine you were reading a book you loved. How would you feel if you kept getting interrupted every few minutes to answer questions? Readicide—a book by Kelly Gallagher
Free Voluntary Reading Also called SSR, extensive reading, DEAR; allows students to have choice; low-accountability
Meijo University Extensive Reading Program In Nagoya, Japan From: https://www.er-central.com/contributors/extensive-reading-programs/meijo-university-extensive-reading-program/
My library: