When we tell a story we must make the most out
of our strengths and compensate our weaknesses. Here you will find some ideas
on how you can do that:
- Language competence and preparing the story: It
is important to prepare the story beforehand, especially for us non-native
speakers. When we tell a story to our students we are their model. The input
they receive comes from us. This means that we should be sure on how to
pronounce every word that comes out from our mouth. To do so we should scan the
story a couple of times in case we find words that we haven’t heard before –although
usually we know its meaning by context or we have seen it elsewhere- .
If this happens there are many tools in the internet called “Text-to-speech” –aka
TTS- that you can use. Here’s a good one: http://www.oddcast.com/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal
- Styles: There are many ways in which we can
tell a story. We can do it in a dramatic style or didactic, we can tell a story
solemnly or encourage the children to participate in some parts, we can use
multimedia props or only visual or no props at all. There is no right way. Do
what feels natural and right to you!
- Tone of voice: This is the combination of
vocal timbre, inflection, modulation or loudness. Together, they convey much of
the meaning of the spoken word. Using the appropriate tone of voice in the
different moments of the story will help our students understand what’s
happening even if they don’t know many of the words coming out of your mouth.
- Facial expression, gestures and posture: All
these also carry a lot of meaning as in most circumstances we rely on them for
important information about intention or emotional attitude towards what people say or hear. Body language has a cultural factor that we should
also take into account when trying to “read” the response of our audience to
our story. Think about it if you have students from another country in you
classroom.
- Orientation in space: Do you sit down on a
chair in front of them or on the floor? Do you need to stand up and move? How
about your audience? Again, do whatever feels comfortable to you. However, you
should know that our position relative to our listeners conveys meaning about
our relationship and intention. The same happens in the classroom out of a
storytelling context. Putting a table between you and your students suggests
that you are distancing yourself from them. Speaking from above seems
authoritative like in old secondary classrooms with those platforms.
- Transitions: When we tell a story and have a
book in our hands it is easy to go from one scene to another as turning the
page is a clear and visual signal. When we don’t we should make use of our
gestures or body language. If two characters are speaking alternatively use
different voices and facial expressions. For example: If the Gruffalo is
talking to the mouse look down and use a deep voice and then switch to a higher
pitch and look up.
- Pause: Don’t be afraid to use pauses when you
tell a story. Pauses allow you to think and react to your audience before going
on. Pauses allow the students to absorb what just happened or imagine what’s
coming next. Best of all, pauses can be used to cause anticipation. They can also
be used to help with a transition from one page to another or from one chapter
to another. The absence of a pause when the audience is expecting one can create
humour or a sense of urgency.
- Repetition: It has many uses to storytelling
in general. Mainly, to reinforce information and contribute to the rhythm and
tempo of the story. Moreover, for us language teachers it is a great resource
to support some specific structure or vocabulary, it also helps memorizing or aids
with the understanding of the story.
After all these clues to a good storytelling
experience I want to show you an example. In this video you’ll meet Michael
Rosen. He’s an excellent children’s author… and storyteller. If you don’t know his
“We’re going on a bear hunt” you're missing a great classic.
