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

Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this session!Karen

kjelliott08@yahoo.com