Childhood stories

This series of activities enables students to practise what are traditionally

called 'language skills' (reading, writing, etc.) in the context of their own
lives and learn more about each other in the process.

Author: 
Robert Haines

 Preparation

 Have a short childhood story of your own on hand to share with your students. You
could also write the story for them to read, but the 'live listening' aspect of an oral
version can be more effective because it allows you to use gestures and intonation,
immediately clarify, and monitor students' reactions as you tell the story. Of course, a
combination of the two (written and oral) is also possible.

Procedure

 Share a story from your childhood.

 Students write a childhood story of their own for the next lesson.
 Copy the stories for students to read.
 Students ask questions and make comments about the stories in groups, rotating
until they've spoken with all their classmates. The goal is to ensure that everyone
understands each story.
  Together again as one group, ask questions you have about each story. You can
also clarify anything you noticed students missing or misunderstanding as you
monitored the group work.

Why it works

Most of us enjoy a good story. It's also fun to learn more about everyone in the
classroom. Because the students can choose which experience to share, their motivation
is relatively high and control over the story's content ensures that they don't feel too
vulnerable.

Variations

Obviously, language related to telling stories (e.g., past tense, 'When I was…') tends to
emerge out of this series of activities. A good sample of stories from any genre should
demonstrate which language features usually realise that genre. Teachers can select
story tasks accordingly, or even better, work with stories that come up as the result of
classroom interaction.

Follow up

Students can write questions about their stories for each other, which teachers could
then compile as a quiz.

Language level