SHORT STORIES AND FABLES

INTRODUCTION
WHY STORIES
 We feed on stories: films, theatre plays, books, conversation with friends
 Stories teach us how to understand the world around us
 Stories are inexhaustible source of language building items
 Kids love them and they are always ready to hear a new story
 Kids search for the meaning in stories, and when they grasp it they are
happy
 Stories build fluency
 Stories help the children develop a sense of foreign language: they listen
without any obligation to repeat, and yet, they store language to use it
productively in the future
 Stories teach us how to listen, and that is a prerequisite for successful
communication
 READING OR TELLING THE STORY
Reading :
-no need to memorise the text
-no fear of language mistakes
-text is always the same and predictable
-reading promotes books
-creates distance between a reader and a listener
-the reader easily gets lost in the text
READING OR TELLING THE STORY
Telling:
-a sense of sharing something personal
-a storyteller can make a very powerful impression
-talking is natural
-a storyteller can see the faces of the listeners
-a storyteller can use mime and body to tell the story
-a storyteller can use a more simple language
-story needs to be memorised extremly well
-language mistakes are possible
CHOOSING A STORY
You should choose a story which:
-could capture the children´s attention after the first sentence
-you personally like
-would be understandable enough to be enjoyed
-offers rich vocabulary
-does not have long descriptive passages
-suits other topics that you discuss with children
-you feel you can tell successfully
 BEFORE YOU READ OR TELL THE
STORY
The success of your story depends on how well you have
prepared for it
You need to awake the spirit of storytelling in kids
Gather the children around you
Change the seating arrangement or create a story corner
Use an object: a storyteller´s bag, a puppet, a cloak, a hat
Use music – always the same
Tell them a story always at the same time
Show them a picture or an object
HOW TO BEGIN
 Create a context
 Wait for them to be perfectly still
 Don´t use long introductions
 Tell it naturally
 Use body and mime, move around, be dynamic
 Change the tone of your voice
 Emphasise the key words
 Stop the story to involve the children; ask them questions, make them feel
they are a part of the story
 Speak clearly and let your moves be a touch slower than in real life
 It is very important to maintain the magic, so keep everything under control
 Prepare well if you read from a book
LANGUAGE
Choose key words and teach them before or during the
story
Simplify the language, but do not alter the story beyond
recognition
Use big and clear pictures and cards
Use realia (objects) to explain vocabulary
Use the context of the story
Translate the word, if need be
SHORT STORIES AND FABLES

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND

PATIENCE