Page 336 - KSPK ENGLISH LANGUAGE

During story activities
If using a book:
 Encourage children to look at the illustrations.
 Ask questions to help understanding, e.g. What happened? Why is Elmer sad?
 Encourage prediction, e.g. Ask: What’s going to happen next?
 If the story has repetition, encourage children to join in the telling.
 If you are certain children know some of the story language, pause so they can say words or
expressions they know, or point to pictures of objects they know.

If using another type of story with realia or pictures as a support:
 Ask questions to help understanding, e.g. What did he say? What did he do? Why did he do it?
 Encourage prediction, e.g. Ask What’s going to happen next?
 If the story has repetition, encourage children to join in the telling.

After-story activities
These are varied and depend very much on the story itself:
 Ask children their opinions. Did they like the story? What did they like best? Who is their favourite
character?
 Ask children to draw their favourite bit.
 Ask children to re-tell the story together in their own words then illustrate it, so they create a book
of their own. Leave this in the classroom / English Learning Area.
 If the story has a value, e.g. helping others, or looking after the environment, ensure you talk to the
children about this and consider follow-up activities.
 If suitable, dramatise the story in small groups. Leave story props / realia in the English Learning
Area so children can do this during free play.

Important!

Always re-read / re-tell a story!
Not necessarily in the same lesson, but over several lessons. Children will enjoy recognising words and
expressions and repeating parts of the story with you. They will also enjoy revisiting illustrations if there
are any. Finally, they first predict what will happen, and then tell you what happens because they have
heard it before! This gives them lots of confidence.

Book browsing
If using a book, leave it in the classroom, so children can browse through it and take a good look at the
illustrations.

A relaxed, enjoyable time!
Storytelling should be a relaxed time in the classroom. Tell the stories at different times in a lesson – at
the end of a lesson when you have some spare time, if you want to calm the children after an energetic
activity and especially if the children request a particular story. Remember! Enjoy the story and the children
will too!

Tips for storytelling

Telling a story is the combination of a little bit of acting and the use of your body, but particularly the use
of your eyes and voice to good effect. It is important to get as involved in the story as you can, and to be
enthusiastic. In addition, don’t forget you have an audience, so your storytelling needs to include a
response to that audience.

Before the lesson:
 Get to know the story not just the words, but the illustrations too if it has any.
 Think about questions you could ask during the story.
 Practise the story at home - especially if you are going to try telling it from memory.

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