Selection of Stories
Selection of Stories :
There is a wide range of material which can be used for storytelling. It includes fairytales, folktales, legends, stories based on ballads, plays and films, personal experiences or those of others and lastly, the products of faithful make the listener think, question and experience the story in all its cathartic possibilities as well as enlarge his field of experience. The story itself must be entertaining, of high interest value and appropriate to the conceptual and emotional development level of the pupil. Such material can lead to activities which promote reflection, develop imagination and facilitate the transfer of skills of reasoning, awareness and observation to other areas of learning.
Teacher should make pupils sit comfortably around her on chairs or on the floor. The arrangement should allow her to have eye contact and control over all of them. In reading aloud, the cover page and title should be shown to them. Teacher can ask them what they think the story will be about. While telling a story, the magical phrase ‘Once upon a time’ never fails to catch children’s attention.
Teacher should look at children when telling the story. She should try to increase their interest in the story and help them focus their attention better on listening to the story by using gestures, body movements and mime to listening to introduce and develop the story. In case there is waning of interest or the story disturbs them she should not hesitate to improvise through elaboration, modification or deletion and give it a form which is acceptable and provides positive stimulation.
The story should be animated by entering into the skin of the characters, the language and the mood of the story, using variation in voice, gestures and movement. Teacher’s own voice is her best and most creative prop. She can change its pitch, volume, speed and tonal quality to create an appropriate medium for introduction and elaboration of characters, signal changes in narrative and atmosphere and stimulate the imagination of the young listeners.
The story should be punctuated by inviting opinion of the children on the narrative, their comments on what is happening and has happened so far and lastly, to guess what is likely to happen next.
Selection of Stories :
Idioms Index – Previous Page
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