1. TELLING TALES: Putting the stress into teaching
Víctor Pimiento Armas

2. Telling tales
Telling stories to children help them to undertand English in a better way because is a very useful resource for teachers. They enjoy listening to stories and increase their imagination. As teachers we should know how to tell a story in the best way.
We have to pay attention to different aspects such as the units of spoken, the stress and the meaning.

3. The units of spoken English
We have to separate the spoken English into thought groups.
Each thought group has one or more focus word (but the second one is the prominance) and a tail.
I wouldn´t even LOOK at him.
LOOK = focus word
Him = tail

4. Stress and meaning in English
Depending on where we put the stress when we talk in English, the meaning of the sentence can change:
I love speaking English.
I LOVE speaking English.
I love SPEAKING English.
I love speaking ENGLISH.

5. Stress and meaning in English
I love speaking English.
The focus word is I so the meaning of the sentence is in the person is me not you…
I LOVE speaking English.
The focus word is LOVE so the meaning of the sentence is that I absolutely like it.
I love SPEAKING English.
The focus word is SPEAKING so the meaning of the sentence is that I really like speaking English, not teaching or listening to English.
I love speaking ENGLISH.
The focus word is ENGLISH so the meaning of the sentence is that I really like speaking English, not French or Spanish.

6. Putting the stress into practice
When we tell a story to our students we have to pay attention to the thought groups (pauses) and the focus words. This, help our students understand the story in a better way.
In the next slides I´ll present a extract of a tale without any punctuation so you can practice the theory explained before.
Separate the thought groups with these symbols / (short pause) or // (big pause) and you can write the focus word in CAPITAL LETTERS.
Try to do what is asked without clicking on the next slide (the solution is in the next).

7. Goldilocks and the three bears
once upon a time there was a little girl named goldilocks one day she went for a walk in the forest in the middle of the forest she came upon a house she knocked at the door and when no one answered she went in on the table in the kitchen there were three bowls of food goldilocks was hungry she tried the food in the first bowl this food is too hot she said she tried the food in the second bowl this food is too cold she said she tried the last bowl of food ah this food is just right she said and she ate it all up.
You have to try to separate the story into thought groups (pauses).

8. Goldilocks and the three bears
once upon a time / there was a little girl / named goldilocks // one day / she went for a walk / in the forest / in the middle of the forest / she came upon a house // she knocked at the door / and when no one answered / she went in // on the table / in the kitchen / there were three bowls / of food // goldilocks was hungry // she tried the food / in the first bowl // this food is too hot / she said // she tried the food / in the second bowl //this food is too cold / she said // she tried the last bowl of food //ah / this food / is just right / she said // and she ate it / all up//.
You have to try to identify the focus word or words of each thought group.

9. Goldilocks and the three bears
once upon a TIME / there was a little GIRL / named GOLdilocks // one DAY / she went for a WALK / in the FOrest / in the MIDdle of the forest / she came upon a HOUSE // she knocked at the DOOR/ and when no one ANswered / she went IN // on the TABLE/ in the KItchen / there were THREE / BOWLS / of FOOD// goldilocks was HUNgry // she tried the FOOD / in the FIRST bowl // THIS food / is too HOT / she SAID // she tried the FOOD / in the SEcond bowl // this food is too COLD/ she SAID // she tried the LAST bowl of food //AH/ THIS food / is just RIGHT / she SAID// and she ATE it / ALL up//.