Reflections on the Third Week

Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials

 

by Lindsay Miller

 

After  reading Mrs Miller I should say that I completly agree. Here in Argentina we always go about reading, listening and writing with these three stages: pre-while and after.

In the case of reading, we exploit the material that the book or novel provides: pictures, headings, author's biography and so on. Then we go about the paragraph, chapter or book and deal with general comprehension questions and after that we go to a deeper reading stage where the students is supposed to read the article in details (before we have done skimming and scanning- Krashen's ideas). After everybody has read the whole thing, then we go about much deeper activities which may involve the changing of the ending, beginning,describing a character, etc.

 

In the case of listening, we do the same. Generally we use CD players as it is useful and practical in classes but we also use the net, the video and the radio, specially for older kids.

 

But let me provide you some information about what we do with storytelling. We use storytelling for little children. We retell the story orally and then we provide the students with exercises. I mainly do this because I work with little kids and so they are fond of them. I also love stories too.

Sometimes I deal with traditional stories like The SnowWhite and at other times with adapted stories or even authentic stories like "The Very Hungry Catterpillar", a useful book to deal not only with the story but also with food and health as well as the growing process of a warm.

But let me tell you the way I do and many of the teachers in Argentina go about the stories in order to develop listening and comprehension skills in their students. Thus, I will, in some way paraphrase the Miller's ideas.

Storytelling is the art of using language, vocalization, and/or physical movement and gesture to reveal the elements and images of a story to a specific, live audience.

What is a Story?

Most dictionaries define a story as a narrative account of a real or imagined event or events. A story is more generally agreed to be a specific structure of narrative with a sense of completeness. It comprises a specific style and a set of characters

What is a telling?

It is the live, person-to-person oral and physical presentation of a story to an audience. “Telling" involves direct contact between teller and listener.  Both have different roles

1. The teller's role is to prepare and present the necessary language, vocalization, and disposition to communicate the images of a story in an effective and efficient way.
2. The listener's role is to create the vivid, multi-sensory images, actions, characters, and events of the story in their mind.

Why Storytelling?

It may become a useful learning tool. It may help teachers to remind children that spoken words are as important as written words.

There are several reasons why storytelling may become an important tool in the teaching of English:

1. Storytelling is accessible to all ages and abilities.
2. Storytelling is especially suited for student exploration
3. No special equipment is needed; only imagination and the ability of listening and speaking.
4. Storytelling can encourage students to communicate thoughts and feelings in an interesting manner
5. Storytelling fosters interaction
6. Storytelling is a co-creative process.
7. Storytelling is, personal, interpretive, and uniquely human.
8. Storytelling is a process, a medium for sharing, interpreting, offering the content and meaning of a story to an audience.

How to retell a story in the class:

BEFORE RETELLING:

• Show the front page of the book to the students
• Introduce predictions about the story content
• Discuss the pictures that can be seen
• Allow the students to discuss about their own experiences and relate them to the book
• Talk to the children about the type of text they are going to listen to (fairy tale, fable, etc)
• Present the main characters and setting to the audience

WHILE RETELLING:

• Retell the story with the pictures (big books if possible). Remember to use gestures and tone of voice
• Promote the reaction of the students while you are retelling the story.
• Make occasional questions to monitor comprehension
• Retell the story again when you realize that the students didn’t understand a scene
• At certain times, ask children to predict what is going to happen
• Allow them to express their own interpretation of the story

AFTER RETELLING:

• Promote the revision of certain parts of the story to realize they have fully understood it
• Relate the events told in the story with the ones in their own lives
• If it has a moral, ask them for it.
• Promote general comprehension questions to see they have understood.
• Introduce activities connected with the story (change the ending, beginning; act out a scene; set a similar situation and role-play it, etc)