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Stories and Early Literacy: English for
Very Young Learners
Karen Elliott
28 March 2019
Talk Overview
• Introduction
• Very young learners: emotions in the classroom
• Why stories?
• Storytelling: tips and techniques
• Making the most of storybooks
• Online resources: stories and finger plays
• Literacy and pronunciation in the infants classroom
• Your ideas and experiences
Introduction: a teacher’s journey…
Introduce yourself to your group and discuss:
• Who you are• Where you teach• What you like most about being a teacher• What you find most difficult about being a
teacher
If you are studying to be a teacher, what do you like best about what you’re learning?
Discussion
• Describe a story you like. It could be a book, TV series or a film. It could be a story you’ve told your students or own child. Why do you like it?
• Why tell stories in English? What are your experiences of storytelling in English? How does it make you feel?
‘A human being is nothing but a story
with a skin around it.’
Fred Allen
A felt story: Big Blue Fish and Small Red Fish by Sarah PhillipsYoung Learners OUP 1993 Photocopiable worksheet 4.3
By primary children in India:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LncIMh3in4E
Traditional tales: activity
Folk and fairy tales, myths and legends
• Have you got a favourite fairy tale or legend?
• Why do you like it?
• In pairs, think of a story to tell...
StoriesforInfantsAsyoulistentothestory,thinkaboutthefollowingthings:
Titleofstoryandtype
Beforethestory
Tellingthestory
Afterthestory
What makes a good story?
•A conflict or problem
• Interesting characters
•The ‘rule’ of three
•Repetition
•A message or meaning
•A surprise ending
Tips and techniques: voice
Use your six voices:• High and squeaky
• Deep and booming
• High and scratchy
• Deep and growly
• Nasal
... and your own voice, of course!
Tips and techniques: visuals and ending the story
•Use expressions, gestures and mime to convey the characters (hungry, greedy, happy, excited, sleepy…)
• Involve your audience (repetition, wait for response, ask questions, encourage miming and feelings)
•Acknowledge the ending… (and that’s the story of the Three Little Pigs!)
You
The story
Your audience
The Title
The main
characters
The problem…
First…
Then…
After that…
Finally…
And that’s the
story of…
The best thing
about the story…
Telling a story you know
‘Some stories are true that never happened.’
Elie Wiesel
Story Books
Find images to support your stories at the free Clip Art Library:http://clipart-library.com/
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKS
(AND ONLINE STORIES)?
The very hungry caterpillar Story read aloud by the author and illustrator
Eric Carlehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY
I’m a Very Hungry Caterpillar song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tUBBh4QzTU
The amazing life cycle of a monarch butterfly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AUeM8MbaIk
Julia Donaldson: Stick Man, The Gruffalo…
Story books… it’s all good
• Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwUlh3i4qto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wOcuT4BcOU
• Online story Pete’s Groovy Buttons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkQ4d_fff3E
http://www.petethecatbooks.com/songs/?videoId=563
• Pre and Follow up activities
https://b0f646cfbd7462424f7a-f9758a43fb7c33cc8adda0fd36101899.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/activity-guides/AG-9780061906220.pdf
• Brainstorm: how to exploit the material
Traditional tales, finger stories and rhymes
• Folk and fairy tales, myths and legends: Have you got a favourite fairy tale or legend? Why do you like it?
• Do you use and finger stories or songs? Do you have a favourite story rhyme? Why do you like it?
• In pairs, think of a story or rhyme to tell…
Finger play and puppet songsThe finger family song (Muffin songs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjFcrv6Lfx8
Five Little Ducks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZw9veQ76fo
Five Speckled Frogs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSC-gHBU_d0
Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j6AZhZFb7A
Puppets
1) Do you use puppets?
2) What tips and techniques can you share?
3) What do children think of them?
4) How I use puppets
5) The importance of…
Remember to...
• Personalise and involve
• Provide images
• Keep it simple
• Encourage repeating, predicting and speculating
• Check understanding
• Think about follow up activities
‘Stories are equipment for living.’Kenneth Burke
