In the classroom
Class oral storymaking (cont.)
How old is she? 4 Ask the class: What the weather is like?
What’s her name? Is it raining, snowing, windy, stormy, sunshining,
etc.
What does she look like?
5 Ask the class: What is he/she/doing?
Brown? What kind of brown?
Hiding, sleeping, eating, cooking, reading, etc.
Tell me about her character.
Crying, laughing, shouting, etc.
Etc., through to advanced learners:
Would you describe her as an extrovert or an
Ask questions to invite them or push them to say
what happens next. Only use your suggestions for
introvert?
what happens next as a very last resort and if you
do then give at least three possibilities. If you give
Procedure
1 Ask the class: Who is in the story? Is it a man,
woman, boy, girl or an animal?
2 Ask the class: What is his/her/its name/age?
Your
further
questioning
is
theirs.
A key tip for this technique: include everything
Continue according to the proficiency level of your
students.
them a choice, they will feel that the story remains
your
opportunity to drive their creativity to greater
particularisation.
Students in the class call out answers. You collect
all the answers. They call them out in the present
tense but you then keep re-telling the story so far
in the past tense. Do NOT change things to make
them more sensible according to your ideas!!!
you hear!
Built on years of using this technique! Several
answers might be called out. You must not select
one of these answers but include ALL of them in
the growing story. This is vital for three reasons:
1 It is not your job to select the best one but their
job to make the story.
2 Sometimes you might get two answers one from
each of two cliques of students. To stop all rivalry
Example of re-telling their first responses: which will destroy the technique say, ‘Whatever I
You: There was a girl. She was 14 years old. She hear will be in the story!’
had dark brown hair and she was very tall. She 3 Sometimes you might have two or more ages
was two metres tall. offered. You can respond in this way: I heard that
2 Ask the class: Where is he/she/it at the she is 14, 25 and 120. How can she be 14, 25 and
beginning of the story? 120?
Is he/she/it in a city or a town, or a village, or in the
country, etc.
Somebody might give you an answer. If they can’t,
you can say, ‘Well, people were not sure how old
3 Ask the class: When does the story begin? she was. Some people thought she was 14, other
Months of the year, weeks, days, seasons, times in people thought she was 25 and others thought she
the day. was 120.’
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