HEROES Teacher's Guide - Book - Page 9
Furthermore, “listening to stories allows the teacher to introduce or [review] new
vocabulary and sentence structures by exposing the children to language in varied,
memorable and familiar contexts, which will enrich their thinking and gradually enter their
own speech.” (Ellis 2014: 7). Vocabulary and lexical chunks are presented in this authentic
contextual framework that involves natural repetition. Because children enjoy listening to
stories over and over, language items can be acquired and practiced, whether they are
directly or incidentally taught. This repetition helps pupils “gradually learn to anticipate what
is about to happen next in the story” (7) and are encouraged to participate in its retelling.
Through the authentic context of stories, pupils are given an opportunity for natural
communication. They are motivating and interesting for young learners, encouraging them
to ask and answer questions in the target language. Stories expose pupils to the rhythm and
intonation of a language, while also providing ample opportunity for review and reentry of
vocabulary and lexical chunks. Listening to stories is essential in helping pupils develop
literacy skills which enable the acquisition of reading and writing in future years.
6. Implementation of the Storybook Approach
The stories in Heroes were chosen because they suit the unit topics, as well as the cognitive
and interest levels of the pupils. The stories are presented and taught in four stages:
Stage 1: Preparation for the Story
In order to make the story accessible, pupils are introduced to the major vocabulary
and lexical chunks that appear in the story before it is read aloud. This provides a
minimal base of content which enables the pupils to follow the basic plot of the
story. This process serves to avoid the frustration of having to listen to something in
a foreign language and not understanding it, in which case pupils are apt to “turn
off” completely to the language.
Stage 2: Introduction to the Story
Through a series of pre-reading activities such as discussing the book cover and title,
being introduced to the protagonists, and predicting what the story will be about,
children’s literacy skills are developed, and background knowledge of the story is
established. This will better prepare the pupils to develop literacy skills and linguistic
knowledge connected to the story when it is read.
Stage 3: Reading the Story
The first reading of the story is done with authentic intonation, focusing on the
pictures and sequence of the story. Following the first reading is a discussion about
the major events and the accuracy of the pupils’ predictions about the story.
The story is read a few more times, interactively, allowing pupils to become
progressively more involved in the reading. During the reading, questions are asked
to establish understanding of the events and progression of the story, as well as to
elicit the relevant vocabulary and lexical chunks that have been learned. Pupils can
show recognition of the characters in the story, say how they believe the characters
are feeling at different points in the story, and answer questions related to the
events and settings.
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