Listening to Stories

The teacher reads a graded reader aloud to the class over multiple sessions, writing difficult words on the whiteboard and adjusting speed to suit learners.

Procedure

1. Choose a graded reader at roughly the right level for the learners, ideally an award-winning book from the Extensive Reading Foundation competition.
2. Sit next to the whiteboard and begin reading the story. In early stages, read slowly and repeat each phrase.
3. When a potentially difficult word or phrase occurs, write it on the whiteboard. If the word recurs, point to it on the board. Watch learners carefully to make sure they are following.
4. After about ten minutes, stop and say "To be continued."
5. A few days later, continue reading. As learners become familiar with the story, read faster, repeat less, and write fewer words on the board.
6. Over several sessions, the activity moves from guided input to meaning-focused input to fluency development as learners become comfortable with faster delivery.
7. After finishing the book, learners may choose to listen to the same story again individually using a recording.

Tips

• If well chosen, this activity becomes one learners look forward to, similar to watching a soap opera.
• Ask learners to make small gestures (e.g., a wave of the hand) if they do not understand a phrase.
• Occasionally ask learners questions to check they are following the story.
• This is especially suited to low-intermediate proficiency learners.