Telling a story is not my hobby. Actually I don't really interest to tell story. When I was given an assignment for midterm test to tell a story. I try to do it with my way. My first impression when I got this assignment, I just said "oh my God , What am I going to do for this ?".
Firstly, I surf on Youtube in order to know how the professional teacher tell a story for the students. I have watched some videos that give me some tips about how to tell a story.
From those videos I can learn how to tell a story and make students enjoy with my story and activity in the classroom being fun.
Before I start to tell a story. I need to prepare well o organize the steps to tell a story. Actually, this is my project of ELT for Young Learners class. Obviously, I need to focus on the kids.
What am i going to do?
1. I make a lesson plan in order to make me easier to teach, so it can be organized well.
2. I need to consider some things:
- The story
I choose Indonesian culture because it will be appropriate with the students in Indonesia. They will be easier to understand the story. Not only choose Indonesia culture story, but also consider the place. Because the students live in Pontianak. So, I choose the story from Pontianak. It makes students being closer with the story. It means I have provided ( Input + 1) for the students-The students learn based on their level and their knowledge.
- Don't use complicated words.
The children is hard to understand the complicated words because they have limited vocabularies. So, our roles in teaching storytelling in way to rewrite the story using our own words. Using simple word will make students are easier to understand the story. Avoid complex sentence which will make them confused. It makes our story can't be accepted well by them.
- Don't make a long story.
As we know, children are easier to be bored. We don't have to make a long story, because they will be bored easily and will not focus on our story. i try to make the story shortly. We don't need to think how many vocabularies that will be learned by them. You can teach just some vocabularies from short story.
- Prepare the media for telling a story.
Media is one way to to make students excited to join the class.
List of medias that I choose:
- Puppet
- Pictures
- Song
Why I choose puppet?
I choose puppet as my friend in telling a story. So, the situaion in the classroom will be colorful. It is not monotone because kids like something new.
Because Puppet is difficult enough to find on shop. I decide to make it using sock.
I just prepare 2 button, a roll of wool and a sock.
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| made by me |
Pictures
I use some relevan picturesto build understanding of students based on the context that will be taught. I show some pictures before I start to tell story.
Besides related pictures, I am also draw some pictures to know students' abilities to listen and understand well based on the story that have been listened.
After tell the story, I give them scrambled pictures. They need to arrange the pictures based on the sequence of the story. If they can arrange the story in a good order. It means they understand the story itself.
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| My drawing |
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| My drawing |
Song
I choose song as media. But I use song just for make them relax after listen a story. Just to have fun. But, song can be media for learning English in storytelling. They can learn through song (you can watch video above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCkuNyqAT9o)
- Involve the students in the story.
It is also one way to make them enjoy the story. We can ask them to act using their body language, to imitate, and to say something. They will be excited to listen our story. They will not be sleepy, but we should think that we must involve all of students when tell the story, so no one student that feel jealous each other.
- Not only students have to act, but the teacher also have to act.
Why teacher should act? It can make students imagine the real story.
- Don't forget to tell the character and moral value.
We need to teach children in a good way. Teach them from every little good thing that can affect the children. The children can be easy to remember what they hear and see. So try to stick good things in children brain.
From a workshop by Paula Stoyle, British Council Jordan. They tell a benefits of storytelling and give advices on performance skills.
What can storytelling offer?
Children have an innate love of stories. Stories create magic and a sense of wonder at the world. Stories teach us about life, about ourselves and about others. Storytelling is a unique way for students to develop an understanding, respect and appreciation for other cultures, and can promote a positive attitude to people from different lands, races and religions.
Storytelling and intercultural understanding
There are a number of ways in which storytelling can enhance intercultural understanding and communication. Stories can…
- allow children to explore their own cultural roots
- allow children to experience diverse cultures
- enable children to empathise with unfamiliar people/places/situations
- offer insights into different traditions and values
- help children understand how wisdom is common to all peoples/all cultures
- offer insights into universal life experiences
- help children consider new ideas
- reveal differences and commonalties of cultures around the world
Other benefits of using storytelling in the classroom
Stories…
- Promote a feeling of well-being and relaxation
- Increase children's willingness to communicate thoughts and feelings
- Encourage active participation
- Increase verbal proficiency
- Encourage use of imagination and creativity
- Encourage cooperation between students
- Enhance listening skills
Commonalities of cultures around the world
Stories reveal universal truths about the world. Through stories we see how very different people share the same life experiences and how human nature can transcend culture.
Performance techniques
Telling a story can captivate an audience…that is, with the right techniques and a little practice:
Remembering and retelling the plot:
- map the plot as a memory technique
- use story skeletons to help you remember the key events
- think of the plot as a film or a series of connected images
- tell yourself the story in your own words
- create your own version of the story (adapt and improvise)
- retell it numerous times until it feels like a story
Performance skills.Remember to...
- vary the volume, pitch and tempo of your voice (enunciate clearly and exaggerate expression)
- use your face, body and gestures (let your body speak)
- make your body and face respond to the tale
- have a clear focus and maintain concentration
- maintain engaging eye contact with the audience/ individual listeners
- create a charismatic presence (make the audience believe in you)
- use different, exaggerated character voices
- use your space/ be dynamic
- remember to pace yourself
- always remember to regain your style as a narrator
- use silence and pauses to add dramatic effect
From every videos that I've watched, from every article that I've read . I am so excited to tell a story. Storytelling can make children fun to learn English. We can relax and enjoy to teach it through tell a story. Other reason why I am excited? Because in story telling, there is language and art side which can be combined to make a good creation. Language and art are things which are always on my mind. It can make my imagination will live through an existence of my brain.
I wish that I can give the best for ELT for YL's project and of course succeed to tell a story. Amen :)
Thank's for reading. Hopefully this article can inspire you to be a good and cool story teller B)
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