FROM STORY READING TO STORY TELLING AND STORY DEVISING

 

Part 3 of this series of articles on story telling will start by suggesting that stories be implemented more frequently in the English classroom since they are powerful tools and involve children in an enjoyable way in the learning process. Story telling is mostly associated with young learners, but I propose a broad use of this tool involving all ages. The idea is to urge students to read, listen to, tell, act and devise stories. Our initial aim in the story telling project in education is to get students to “tell” or “act out” a story; then to devising their own story. The story telling activity is introduced with the teacher telling or reading a story and so serving as a model for this activity. Not only listening activity is provided in this way, but also students’ attention is drawn into story reading and telling habits. The teacher builds up a collection of short but memorable stories which is given out to students as reading material.  The students then chose the story to do and decide if they will do it on their own or in a group. If they take the group option they decide who will be in the group and  assign roles within the group.