Storytelling

 Storytelling in the ESL classroom can make language learning fun, safe, and enjoyable. It promotes students to take more verbal and written risks and learn the English language more quickly. Storytelling in an English language classroom will: -Share common language patterns and phrases -present vocabulary in a motivating manner -develop listening comprehension skills -improve expressive language ability -introduce cultures from English speaking lands -help student gain confidence as they tell to others // (from www.cathyspagnoli.com) // The approach I identify the most with storytelling is the Total Physical Response Approach, the Language Experience Approach, and the Literature Based Approach.

Two activities that I use in my classroom for my Bilingual Kindergarten students are different types of rhymes and story circles. I teach my students Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes so that they can hear the rhyming pattern in the nursery rhymes. They also develop and hear new vocabulary. As a class, we read the rhyme together and then we either act it out or draw pictures of the rhyme and share them in the classroom. Another activity I do are Story Circles. This can be done in a whole group or small groups. I present a question (depends on the theme we are studying) such as “I am grateful for….” I begin by modeling how I want them to answer, and then we go around the circle and give each student an opportunity to speak and answer the question. I choose these particular activities because they are something I do in my classroom and my students love doing these activities. It gives them an opportunity to talk and practice their second language. I do not have a reliable source for these activities because I got the idea of how to do both of these activities by a co-worker when I first taught Pre-Kindergarten. I was able to use these activities with 3 and 4 year olds and I brought the activities to my 5-6 year old students and they love them. So my source comes from my students, they love doing these activities and I see that they are learning from them. However http://www.cathyspagnoli.com/English/warm-ups.htm also provides many great and easy examples for storytelling in the ESL classroom.