Wit & Wisdom

Roger Jenkins
 storyteller

© Roger Jenkins 2011    Made With Serif WebPlus.

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Training before telling after telling
ACTIVITIES DURING THE STORY :
Note:  do let the class listen to and enjoy the story! Don't spoil it with your desire to get a lot of useful work out of it! Sometimes the best activity is to let the children sit and listen.
Think about ways to get your students involved.  Depending on the story and the ages and backgrounds of your students, there is a wide variety of options!
If there is a repeated refrain, have students chant it with you. This is a good opportunity for students to practice stress, rhythm, and intonation - aspects of pronunciation (called suprasegmentals) that usually result in great gains in intelligibility.  
Look for actions in the story for the class to join in:  When Anansi can’t decide which feast to go to, you can divide the class into two villages and have each group mime pulling the ropes at the appropriate points. In The Three Little Pigs, ask the class to knock on their desks whenever the wolf comes to the door.
By involving as many of the students' senses as possible and increasing general participation, you increase involvement with the language in the material and accommodate students with different learning styles.

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Ask the class to close their eyes & see the PICTURE IN THEIR MIND. Now share the picture with their neighbour - it will be different! (Everyone hears a story with their own ears.)
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STOPPING & ASKING: what do they think will happen next?
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HOW WOULD YOU FEEL…if you were in this situation? What would you do next?
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WHAT CAN YOU ADD … stop & ask the class to add details - what food was Red Riding Hood carrying in the basket?
Activities to show understanding & encourage participation:
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MIMING - class shows action, feelings or character. Sat at their desks, they can use hands.
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JUMP UP   give each child a word card before you begin (can have several kids with same word.) They must jump up whenever their word is mentioned
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LABEL THE PICTURE  Hand out picture; write up key words on the board. Kids label their picture as you narrate the story.
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CHORUSING  Class repeat key phrases of the story (And who's been sleeping in my bed?) Class can make sound effects to accompany your narration
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TRUE OR FALSE  either with a well-known story or one you have just told. Kids put their hands up whenever you make a mistake: Little Blue Riding Hood's father said, "Go and take some mee siam to your uncle."
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BOING! In the middle of your narration you BOING or Whistle - kids supply the boing! or whistle! word. (The naughty boy stood up and shouted BOING! BOING!)
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Or, whenever I mention X, you say Y and do action Z (Wolf - growl  and mime clawing with hands; whenever I say Thank you, audience says Terimakasih - and vice versa)