i‑Learner Education Centre

Teacher Diaries

Teacher Diaries: Ms. Willow – Love Speaking

Storytelling

All teachers and parents read stories to kindergarten-age children. It’s a fantastic way to share stories with children before they can read. However, when children start to read for themselves, we often stop reading to them completely. This cuts off a wonderful connection between stories and the spoken word.

I have recently been incorporating more story-telling into my lessons with older students, and it’s been an effective tool to show students the way that speaking something aloud can aid comprehension. I have found that after the story has been read aloud, my students have a very clear understanding of what it’s about. This is because my reading has lingered over the key parts of the story and dramatized the feelings inside it.

Importantly, by modelling the way that stories are spoken aloud, students can get an idea of how to find the points to stress in a story they’re reading themselves. They can hear the way that the pace changes at tense moments, or the way that dialogue can reveal how a character feels. Then they can use these same techniques in their own storytelling, and even to help them understand their school comprehensions.

I believe that children of all ages can benefit from practising the skill of storytelling. Let’s keep bringing stories to life by reading them aloud!