FACULTY OF EDUCATION. DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND
LITERATURE. STORYLINE IN TEACHING ENGLISH. TO YOUNG LEARNERS.
MASARYK UNIVERSITY IN BRNO FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
STORYLINE IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO YOUNG LEARNERS BACHELOR THESIS
BRNO 2007
Written by: Jana Březinová
Supervisor: Mgr. Naděžda Vojtková 2
I declare that I wrote this thesis by myself and used only the literature listed.
3
I would like to express my thanks to Mrs Mgr Naděžda Vojtková for her helpful comments and encouragement. 4
Contents INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 7 1.THEORETICAL PART....................................... 8 1.1 STORY ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 WHAT IS STORYLINE? ............................................................................................. 9 1.3 STORYLINE AND TEACHING ENGLISH .................................................................... 11 1.4 STORYLINE AND PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES .......................................................... 12 1.5 THE BENEFITS OF A STORY FOR CHILDREN ............................................................. 13 1.6 THE BENEFITS OF A STORY FOR TEACHERS ............................................................ 13 1.7 STORYLINE AND THE CZECH SCHOOL SYSTEM ....................................................... 14 1.8 STORYLINE, ELT AND THE MOST IMPORTANT STORY SELECTION CRITERIA ........... 15 1.9 USING STORIES FOR LINGUISTIC STUDIES ............................................................... 16 1.10 CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS FOUND IN STORIES .................................................... 16 1.11 MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES .................................................................................. 17 1.12 MEMORY ............................................................................................................. 18 1.13 AUTHENTIC MATERIAL ........................................................................................ 20 1.14 WORKING WITH STORIES ..................................................................................... 22 1.15 READING ALOUD VERSUS STORY TELLING ........................................................... 24 2. PRACTICAL PART........................................... 26 2.1 AIMS OF THE PRACTICAL PART .............................................................................. 26 2.2 DESCRIPTION OF MY CLASS ................................................................................... 26 2.3 THE GINGERBREAD MAN AND CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS .................................... 28 2.4 ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................ 29 2.4.1. Storyline and Czech language.......................................................................... 29 2.4.2.1. Storyline and Art ........................................................................................... 30 2.4.2.2. Storyline and Art ........................................................................................... 31 2.4.2.3. Storyline and Art ........................................................................................... 32 2.4.3. Storyline and Music ......................................................................................... 33 2.4.4 Storyline and Information Technologies........................................................... 34 3. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES IN CONNECTION WITH GBM ............................................. 35 3.1.1. Storyline and Science (1) ................................................................................. 35 3.1.1.2. Storyline and Science (2) .............................................................................. 36 5
3.2. Storyline and Homeland Study............................................................................ 36 3.3 Storyline and Maths ............................................................................................. 37 3.4 Storyline, Music and English ............................................................................... 38 4. CONCLUSION ..................................................... 39 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................... 41 5 APPENDIX.............................................................. 42 5.1 APPENDIX 1........................................................................................................... 43 5.2 APPENDIX 2........................................................................................................... 44 5.3 APPENDIX 3........................................................................................................... 45 5.5 APPENDIX 5........................................................................................................... 47 5.6 APPENDIX 6........................................................................................................... 49 5.7 APPENDIX 7........................................................................................................... 52 5.8 APPENDIX 8........................................................................................................... 53 5.9 APPENDIX 9........................................................................................................... 54 5.10 APPENDIX 10....................................................................................................... 55 5.11 APPENDIX 11....................................................................................................... 56 5.12 APPENDIX 12....................................................................................................... 57 5.13 APPENDIX 13....................................................................................................... 58 5.14 APPENDIX 14....................................................................................................... 59 5.15 APPENDIX 15....................................................................................................... 60
6
Introduction Stories are equipment for living. ~ Kenneth Burke
Homo fabula, homo historia,
we are story, story is us. We communicate and experience
life through stories every day of our lives. ~ Andrew Melrose
Human beings cannot live without stories. ~ Ann Douglas
As the quotes above show stories have been with us since the beginning of humanity. They are read to children from birth. The main characters are everything they want to see or even be – princes, princesses, kings and queens, dragons, devils, animals, good characters and bad ones too. Children learn about the outside world through these characters before they start going to school. But is it possible to use stories in a learning process at school? Can they be used in teaching a foreign language? To discuss these questions, this paper will focus on the teaching approach, which is called Storyline. The advantages of using stories will be discussed, as well as the benefits that they offer. In addition, the value of using authentic materials in the classroom, how to choose them and why use them at all will be examined. The paper will also deal with pedagogical principles and the way they fit into the story based teaching. The practical part will show the Storyline used in practice. There will also be some activities designed for primary teachers.
7
1.Theoretical part 1.1 Story Long before written word was recorded, all taught behaviour and wisdom was passed through the method of story telling. In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English a word ‘story’ is defined in a following way:
story - noun (C) 1. for entertainment – a description of how something happened, that is intended to entertain people, and may be true of imaginary 2. events – a description of the most important events in someone’s life or in the development of something 3. news – a report in a newspaper or news broadcast about a recent event 4. of a film or a play – what happens in a film, play, or book 5. excuse – an excuse or explanation, especially one that you have invented 6. what people say – information which people tell each other, but which may be untrue 7. a lie – a word used by or to children meaning a lie
Based on the preceding definition, the word “story” has 7 different meanings. I find the first definition most relevant to this work. Stories have been told since the beginning of mankind. Storytelling is an old oral tradition combined with various gestures and sounds. Traditionally, they were passed from generation to generation verbally and through the use of pictures. Many of them were later recorded and published. There are numerous reasons for which they are told. Factual and fictional stories were told for pleasure and entertainment and many of them were used to teach a moral lesson. And why are they still so popular? There is always some mystery in them, often something unexpected happens. Although we can usually predict the end, we still cannot wait to hear it. Children, adults and even elderly people love stories. There are stories loved by everybody; however, some are more liked by a specific audience. Adventure and mystery stories, which often include heroes, great fighters and wizards, are popular with boys, whereas, love stories, involving princes and princesses, are popular with girls. 8
Although there are countless authors who wrote brilliant works, the following ones must be noted: the Grimm Brothers are best known for publishing a collection of authentic folk and fairy tales. Both Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were German professors who specialized in linguistic research. While travelling throughout Germany and other countries, they recorded different styles of speech, which they later published (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia). The second important name in connection with stories is a Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen. Other significant authors include some of the greatest Czech storywriters. Božena Němcová is often called ‘the Queen of the Czech Storywriters’. Her most famous collection of Czech stories is called Národní báchorky a pověsti (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia). Another great Czech author, who should be included in this list, is a famous Czech poet and writer Karel Jaromír Erben whose five-part book called Prostonárodní písně a říkadla is a “collection of the most famous tales, songs, myths and rhymes of the Czech folklore” (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia).
1.2 What is Storyline? There are many ways how to teach young learners at primary schools. One of them is using stories. The storyline method (Storyline) for teaching children at primary schools was mainly developed in 1967 by a team of teachers from Jordanhill College of Education (now known as University of Strathclyde) in Glasgow, Scotland. The primary schools in Scotland use a curriculum that involves integration of new topics, such as environmental studies and expressive arts, in their teaching process. These topics are not courses taught on their own because they comprise several other subjects such as history, science, technology, geography and health. But how are teachers supposed to integrate these topics and make them interesting for their pupils? According to Bell, the founder of the method, “being a teacher can be very creative, enjoyable and rewarding if teachers know exactly what is expected of them”. By empowering the educators “they can be helpful as designers of education” hence their strategies “encourages their students to be independent learners” (Bell). Teachers were offered to use the Storyline approach. The teacher chooses a topic and creates a story or uses a folk or fairy tale, which is suitable for the age group of the pupils. The next step is to find out what children already know about the 9
topic, which they are going to discuss. This represents the knowledge that the teacher will build on. Children try to link the new knowledge to what they already know. The story then penetrates through all subjects taught at primary school. There is always something to be connected with maths, science, art, music, physical education etc. Therefore, children are in touch with the story all the time. They actively discover how things work and start learning in a self-reliant way by creating different models and other meaningful representations of reality (Bell, Harkness, Rendel): We communicate, think, and learn through stories. Stories come in all different forms, including personal experiences, anecdotes, metaphors, analogies, or jokes. The guiding rule for using stories in trainings or workshops is to be sensitive to the group. By staying tuned in to the group’s ever changing needs, you will be able to find the right stories to tell at the right time, elicit group member’s stories and increase learning. (Gargiulo)
In the 1970’s, Steve Bell, Sallie Harkness and Fred Rendell were pioneers of this approach. This new approach found many supporters not only in Scotland, but also in many countries all over the word including Malta, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Greece, the USA, Turkey, China, Thailand, USA and many others. There are teachers who are keen on these ideas and design course books and web sites for other teachers. As this method was developed in Scotland, many conferences, seminars and courses are held there. In addition, trainers are available to travel and train teachers to be successful at using the Storyline method. Being competent at this teaching method is not enough. What is more important is the enthusiasm, which all teachers should have for this method. Those who tried it agree that the Storyline approach is a very challenging method and it is also an “active methodology” (Harkness). Moreover, the link between the imagination and reality can be very fascinating. Children can do many projects connected with the story and in this way they learn how to communicate, how to solve problems if they appear and how to work as a team. These are the benefits for children and for their future. What are the benefits for teachers? Some of the benefits may include having children who are smiling while they are learning and children who cannot wait for the next class to continue with their work. It is clear that the Storyline method is “children centred” (Harknees) and also involves children doing the work. Furthermore, this method fits into almost all school curricula, so it can be used by more than one teacher: 10
Learning is a partnership, which requires the active participation of both a teacher and a pupil. Skills are refined through practice but the repetition, which is involved, can be dull and boring for both teacher and pupil if care is not taken to create an effective learning climate in the classroom. Ideally the opportunities for skill practice will still be present but will be organised in such a way that they seem imaginative and exciting for both learners and teachers. (Bell)
1.3 Storyline and teaching English There are many approaches, styles and methods, which can be followed in the teaching process. The storyline approach was specifically designed for the use at primary schools. As I teach English as a foreign language at a primary level, I would like to focus on how it can be adapted to teaching foreign languages. In their 3rd grade, children are only eight years old and at this age playing is still essential to the learning process. During English lessons, they slowly gain familiarity with the English language, increase their vocabulary, learn grammar rules, practise pronunciation and above all try to speak and express themselves. Teachers can choose stories, which are not linguistically complicated, not too long and include repetition and illustrations. The stories should have a limited number of characters and contain an uncomplicated plot (Ellis and Brewster 8-10). All of these criteria help children to understand the English language and enable them to eventually compare it with Czech. Teachers should be able to adapt the story to eliminate any possible confusion. For example, unfamiliar words can be substituted with familiar ones. From a grammatical point of view, children can be introduced to new tenses, sentence structures and word order (Ellis and Brewster 8-10). Children can also be exposed to English in art, music, drama, etc. This is how the storyline approach can be applied to teaching and learning English.
11
1.4 Storyline and pedagogical principles In the teaching process, there are some principles that teachers need to keep in mind. It is necessary to demonstrate that pedagogical principles are not fulfilled only by using a course book, but also by using the storyline methodology. Below is an outline of these principles (Šimoník 30-35):
Principle of purposefulness – the teacher sets a goal to be achieved at end of the activity. Children should know what they are doing and more importantly why they are doing it. Storyline offers different topics to be chosen from. Systematic principle – stories allow us to focus on the topic from different points of view and work on them throughout the school year. Principle of involvement – this principle is most important for the development of a new School Educational Program. It is essential for all pupils to be involved in the learning process by using enjoyable activities. This process significantly increases the chances of learning. Principle of learning through doing – this principle is based on sensual perception, experiences and imagination, which are incorporated into the Storyline teaching process. It has been proved that the percentage of gained information increases rapidly, if children get the opportunity to be involved in this process and are not only observers. Affective principle – children are drawn into a story, they start to like the main characters, dislike the negative ones and by dramatizing a story they are able to demonstrate their attitudes towards the characters. Principle of suitability – teachers are offered a great variety of stories, which are appropriate for the age group they teach and the level of the language their children have a grasp of. Too complicated and difficult stories may have discouraging affects on children.
12
1.5 The benefits of a story for children It is important to note that children are the most important part in the process of storytelling. They identify with the main characters and they often imagine that they are a part of the story. There are numerous benefits children gain through the use of a story telling in the teaching process. Below is a summary of the benefits that are derived from my own experiences, and Ellis, Brewster, Harkness, and Bell’s, as well as those of other linguists and teachers: each child is involved in the learning process actively everybody has a chance to express themselves children are not stressed they learn about team work they learn how to communicate they learn how to listen to others their emotional and social development grows they are able to make sense of the world stimulus to the imagination is on a high level they try to find the right solution in a group, where everybody does not have to agree they learn about real life through fairy tales and the use of fictional creatures they learn from their own experience they have to use their knowledge from other subjects they learn to be responsible for their work they learn to present their work and justify their ideas
1.6 The benefits of a story for teachers The teachers can also benefit from stories in teaching English. They can learn by observing children and then: see children’s different abilities respect children’s opinion train their organizational skill be able to direct children in their learning communicate with other teachers about the project 13
1.7 Storyline and the Czech school system The Czech school system is undergoing an enormous reform. Some people are sceptical, while others have been longing for a change for quite some time. Since society has changed and evolved, it is now time for the school system to follow. Nowadays, almost everyone has access to numerous facts and information not only through books, but also through the use of the Internet. The curriculum designers realised that something had to be done and that the fact-based education relying on textbooks had to be changed to skill-based education. The new system is called the School Educational Program (SEP) and it states that the goals should be achieved by respecting children’s needs and abilities. It suggests that the schools should offer as many optional subjects as children require for developing their interests. Last, but not least, this program requires cooperation with parents.
These are the most important aims from SEP (Střelec 9-15): let children acquire learning strategies and motivate them for lifelong learning encourage children to be creative, to think logically and be able to solve problems lead children to multilateral, efficient and open communication develop children’s ability for cooperation, to respect work and success of others Nowadays, children do not want to go to school and they learn because they have to, without any interest or enthusiasm. Some of the teachers present material in uninspiring ways and simply want their students to memorize it. The current system does not always allow time for children to express their ideas or a chance to show their acquired knowledge. In addition, some of the textbooks currently used are out of date. SEP is a project, which has been designed to address these issues. Teachers will have to adjust their attitude towards the whole teaching process, change their methods and become more flexible. The children will be expected to change their attitudes towards teachers and to take the learning process more seriously. These changes will take time to implement and the changes will not happen immediately. With patience and perseverance, a successful outcome should be forthcoming. The 14
overall aims of SEP appear to be a significant fit with the storyline approach. It is a structured approach, which uses stories in the overall teaching process for all subjects from the 1st to 5th grade. It builds on the key principle that learning, to be meaningful, has to be memorable, and that by using learners’ enthusiasm for story-making, the classroom, the teacher’s role and learning can be transformed. Storyline is a strategy for developing the curriculum as an integrated whole. It provides an opportunity for active learning and reflection as essential parts of effective learning and teaching. At the same time, it develops in learners a powerful sense of ownership of their learning. (The Scottish Consulate Council on the Curriculum)
1.8 Storyline, ELT and the most important story selection criteria The most important part of a teacher’s job is the appropriate selection of a story. Here is a list of the most important story selection criteria as suggested by Ellis, Brewster, Armstrong, Bell and others: 1. Children’s age 2. The level of language of the target group 3. Interest and motivation 4. Balance of new and familiar language 5. Illustrations 6. Natural repetition 7. Practice of pronunciation 8. Creation of positive attitudes
It is also essential to remember in selecting a story that since children can identify with the characters and through the use of their imagination they become a part of the story, the teacher should try to choose a story that fits the children’s interests.
15
1.9 Using stories for linguistic studies Many authors, who deal with using stories in teaching to young learners, find stories to be useful for teaching a new language. Wright, Bell, Ellis and Brewster’s ideas can be summarized as follows:
Language in stories is meaningful in context Stories give natural context for repetition of language They help to build a language system They give the opportunity to use all 4 language skills Children can be aware of sounds, rhythms and structures
1.10 Cross-curricular links found in stories The cross-curricular links depend on the children’s age and the level of understanding of the English language. Stories lead not only to exploration of new facts, but also to the extensions of primary subjects. Here are some examples of subject integration which teachers should be aware of (Ellis and Brewster 2): Music – singing songs, rhymes, chants, playing instruments Art – drawing, painting, working with different materials, making posters, books, masks, puppets, maps, illustrating stories Math – numbers, measuring, shapes, making graphs or charts, doing surveys Science – parts of the body, animals and their life, plants and trees around us, nature-mountains, rivers Geography – countries, life and habits from around the world, working with a map, weather, seasons Drama – role-play, miming Crafts – cooking, baking, working with wood Information technology – using the internet, working with a computer Other topics which may be discussed – colours, food, time, clothes, people’s appearance, a description of a house, hobbies Grammar – spelling, different tenses, adjectives and comparatives, extracurricular activities, ordinal numbers, prepositions, verbs Others – using dictionaries and other additional resources
16
1.11 Multiple intelligences The Storyline methodology may be used as an additional approach to the development of course books. Assessment of most course books reveals that different approaches may be used in presenting either new grammar or vocabulary. What happens if some of them do not work? According to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences “learners acquire information using a range of 'channels', which are collectively referred to as ‘Intelligences’”(Bundaberg Curriculum Exchange). There are eight different ways how to teach anything. As mentioned above, when the traditional linguistic teaching approach fails, this theory suggests several other ways in which the material might be presented to facilitate effective learning. According to Armstrong theory, it does not matter whether you are a kindergarten teacher, a school instructor or an adult learner, better ways for learning or teaching must be explored. The same basic guidelines apply to all of them. Gardner says: “All of us have varying degrees of each intelligence. Remember that instructional practices should involve all intelligences, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn”(Gardner, Encyclopedia of Educational Technology). It means that whatever is being taught or learned must connect with: Words Numbers or logic Pictures Music Self-reflection A physical experience A social experience An experience in the natural world Each of these areas represents a different knowledge base. Words are part of linguistics, numbers or logic is based on logical-mathematical sense, pictures represent spatial aptitude, music is musical intelligence, self-reflection is intrapersonal intelligence, a physical experience is bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence, a social experience is interpersonal intelligence and an experience in the natural world is naturalist intelligence. It is not necessary to teach or learn in all eight ways, but 17
those that are relevant to the students must be appropriately selected (Armstrong, based on Gardner).
1.12 Memory “Memory is an ability of an organism to store, retain, and subsequently recall information” (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia). It is essential for our well being and important in the learning process. Memory can be classified into various categories, such as “sensory, short-term and long-term memory” (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia). For example, a random seven-digit number may be recalled within a few seconds, but then forgotten (short-term memory). Whereas, important telephone numbers may be recalled for many years (assuming they are used often enough). Those long-lasting memories are said to be stored in long-term memory (Armstrong). Teachers generally complain about students’ lack of recall. They may say: “They knew it yesterday, but today it is gone. It is as if I have never taught it.” Shortterm memory is employed in the teaching of new information. Long-term memory cannot be changed without repetition of words and revision of grammar and sentence structure (Armstrong, chapter 12). There are many activities, games and exercises, which help children to do that. It is the teacher’s responsibility or challenge to choose the strategies that will work for their students since using multiple intelligences in the teaching process may help students to retain more information. There are people who have a good memory for faces, but a poor memory for numbers and dates. Using the storyline approach, offers students to participate in a variety of activities, this may provide a greater opportunity to remember as much as possible without even noticing it. As an example, let’s suggest a story about animals. The following chart, based on Gardner's model of the eight intelligences and Armstrong’s experiences, shows what kind of intelligence is used in different activities.
18
Intelligence
Activity working with books, Pc, labelling things,
linguistic
discussions, playing word games songs, chants, rhymes, poems, playing musical
musical
instruments , playing with sounds, trips to concerts individualized projects, solo games and sports,
intra-personal
dreaming, planning TPR activities, Simon says, Please, drama,
bodily-kinesthetic
hands-on learning, sports and physical games group games, projects, competitive and non-
interpersonal
competitive sports pictures, flash cards, memory games, using
spatial
maps, watching videos, films, trips to art museums, imagination games trips to Zoos, farms, nature walks, gardening,
naturalist
ecology projects, gardening, opportunities for interacting with animals (a class pet) words with numbers association, Cuisenaire
logical-mathematical
rods, strategy games, logic puzzles, trips to the planetarium and science museum
(Based on Armstrong: Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, chapters 3 and 12)
The teacher’s task is to help students associate the material, which they have to learn, with components of the different intelligences: words, numbers, pictures, physical movements, musical phrases, social interactions, personal feelings and experiences, and natural phenomena. According to Armstrong, the students will then be able to select those strategies that work best for them and apply them independently in their studies.
19
1.13 Authentic material There are several definitions related to authentic materials. As suggested in Teaching Styles Online, all of them share some common factors: • • • •
“exposure to real language and its use in its own community 'appropriate' and 'quality' in terms of goals, objectives, learner needs and interest and 'natural' in terms of real life and meaningful communication materials which are designed for native speakers; they are real text; designed not for language students, but for the speakers of the language texts that are not specifically produced for the purposes of language teaching”.
Authentic materials can be divided into sub-groups such as audio, visual, printed and multi-media materials. Although they are not designed for teaching purposes, they can be utilized in the classroom. As Spelleri describes in one of her articles, using authentic material is a challenge for both teachers and students. The teacher must considered the age, interest and background of the students when selecting the topic of the authentic materials. In addition, the teacher should try to choose a topic that addresses the needs and interest of the specific group of students being taught. It is well known that if students do not understand every word of the text they may start to panic. Instinctively, they may wish to look up every single word or expression in a dictionary. It is imperative to teach them that this is not necessary for their understanding. Eventually, they will develop the skills of guessing and predicting. When using authentic materials, we may choose students to work in pairs, on their own, as a class, or in groups. Illustrations are an inherent part of all storybooks. They synchronise with the text and help children to understand the story and develop their visual literacy. They may also help children to understand the unknown vocabulary. Children are able to predict the story just by looking at illustrations, which may lead to the most important skill – speaking. Other than that, authentic storybook writers and illustrators may choose different print styles, artistic mediums and genres so that children may get to know them and learn about them in their art lessons. This represents another example of cross-curricular links. Teachers may use books written to entertain children in their lessons. These types of stories generally have lots of repetition, which enables children to acquire new knowledge. The stories offer not only language at the children’s level, but may 20
also be naturally cross-curricular. For example, a well-known and used story by Eric Carle “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is a story about growth and change. The above mentioned story offers the following links (Ellis and Brewster 77): Natural history – the life cycle of the butterfly from egg to a caterpillar, cocoon and eventually the emergence of a butterfly Days of the week Colours Plurals and classifiers for food (fruit, dairy products, meat and fish, sweet salty,…) Adjectives: little, tiny, hungry, big, fat, beautiful Numbers According to Ellis and Brewster, the story must be chosen with the following principle in mind (Ellis and Brewster 13): Is it a story that: the teacher like and can tell with enthusiasm children will enjoy, find the topic interesting and keep their attention is suitable in length or can be broken into parts is familiar to children, perhaps a fairy tale or a story from their own culture, enabling them to consider prior knowledge and predict the outcome.
Does the story have a clear and uncomplicated story line have rich vocabulary, but still remain within their cognitive level have repeated grammatical structures to help children acquire useful phrases contain onomatopoeia that children will enjoy mimicking feature rhyme and rhythm have elements of thrill, surprise and humour have repetition have accumulative content allowing predictions and confirmations provide opportunity for involvement and participation (thinking and interacting, predicting, guessing) exercise imagination 21
encourage children to learn have an universal theme support children’s understanding of the world, extend their knowledge of it have a moral or express values and beliefs acceptable to teachers and pupils provide opportunities for follow up and extension work Are the illustrations: clear, accessible and large enough for the whole class to see strong, providing good visual support co-ordinated with the text to help clarity and support meaning It should be obvious that not every book will meet all of the above criteria, but the good ones should incorporate most of them. Ellis and Brewster suggest that it is very important for children to have the feeling that their work leads somewhere. The follow-up activities, based on the topic introduced in the story, should involve making products so children have tangible result to demonstrate their abilities and skills. Steve Bell suggests that teaching and learning by using storyline method should end on a high point. It is the best time for parents to visit, to see and hear what their children have learned and to watch them as they communicate in a foreign language in a variety of ways. He advises teachers to visit places connected with the stories, such as farms, zoos etc., or to have the class be visited by someone who works there and is an expert witness to answer any questions that the children will most definitively have (Bell).
1.14 Working with stories Although the storyline method is presented as a method which is able to accommodate most curriculum goals, Jeff Creswell, an American elementary teacher who has been using the storyline method since it was introduced in the USA in 1990, does not think that it is a means of teaching everything. He says, “Each morning I teach math, reading and writing and in my afternoon classes we work on a storyline”. He has experienced that his classes are able to complete about three storyline topics a year. 22
The authors of the storyline method have a storyline design format containing six ideas, which provide a precise summary of the topic plan (Bell, Introduction to the Storyline Method):
Storyline
The headings of chapters /or the name of the story.
Key Questions
The key questions are suggested here and they start the learning process.
Activities
Different kinds of activities are mentioned in this column as they are designed to answer the stated key questions.
Organization
Here the teacher suggests the best organization for his/her activities – pair work, group work, class work
Resources
It is often necessary to have other resources handy for a particular activity (e.g., a CD- player, a map, and a dictionary).
Outcomes
There are always some end-products at the end of each activity. They are listed in this column.
23
According to Creswell, each storyline topic contains the following essential elements that are explored through work in the various disciplines.
Settings Characters
A wall frieze or 3-D box model is often constructed. Students create small cut paper figures, paper faces or even life-sized characters that sit in the classroom.
Way of life
Children explore the way of life these people live in this particular setting – schedules, timetables, daily routines, skills, and free time activities.
Incidents
Things happen all the time and these people are not an exception. Children have to come up with solutions to their problems-so they do research, create scenarios, write articles …
Culminating events
A storyline offers doing a performance, a grand opening or a celebration where parents, friends and other family members are invited to see what the children have learned.
Reflection
The children evaluate their work, see what they have learned and can make a book or a folder often used as a portfolio.
(Cresswell, Artworks)
1.15 Reading aloud versus story telling There is a discussion about this question and according to many experts, including E. Martin Pedersen, both reading out loud and story telling have positive and negative aspects. First of all, when reading out loud, the teacher does not have to memorise the story. As a result, preparation time is minimized. When saying the story by heart Pedersen suggests following preparation: 1. “Learn the story 2. Outline the story 3. Control the story's length 24
4. Control the story's vocabulary 5. Refine your storytelling style 6. Practice, practice, practice 7. Relax before telling” (Pedersen, Forum) Illustrations play a very important role in books. They are invaluable and irreplaceable. They help children understand and decode the story and improve their visual literacy. Illustrations in books can help children develop skills such as 'reading' pictures and getting meaning from them. As previously noted, by selecting different types and genres of books with various kinds of illustrations, graphics and photographs, teachers inform children about artwork and develop their feelings for them. On the other hand, story telling has benefits for children too. If a teacher decides to tell a story, it is imperative that the teacher maintains eye contact and uses the opportunity to dramatise the story telling. At the same time, language can be modified, which may help to enrich the story. We can either simplify the language for very young learners or make it more difficult for the older ones. The storytelling can be also enriched by using props like a hat, soft toys or even some pictures made by children in pre-listening activities. It is the teacher who decides and then chooses the right interpretation of the story and investigates which is most suitable.
The theoretical part of this paper can be summarized by an Indian Proverb, which says:
Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me a truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.
25
2. Practical part 2.1 Aims of the practical part This part of the paper will demonstrate how the Storyline may be used in a process of acquiring a foreign language, which in this case is English. The focus will be the idea of Storyline in connection with subjects which children learn between the ages of 8 to 10 years old, instead of presenting the material in a lesson plan. The aim is to present different activities, which are based on a particular story, and possibly to cover cross-curricular links in connection with development of the English learning process. The activities outlined are those activities I’ve used in my classes, as well as those which are based on Storyline.
2.2 Description of my class The students in my class have been learning English for two years now. They are eight to nine years old and they enjoy the English lessons. The class, which consists of ten girls and nine boys, was put together based on their grade two test results. The classification of the students into groups based on their marks is to create a homogeneous subset of students with similar skills sets. The group that I have been teaching consists of students with the highest test scores. Teaching these talented students is not only demanding, but also most interesting. The ideas they are able to come up with makes their learning process enjoyable. The course book used at our school is called Chit-Chat published by Oxford University Press in 2002. Each unit of this book contains numerous activities, songs, and chants in addition to a cartoon story. Although this book is a useful guide, it is not utilized in every lesson. It provides inspiration to which more can always be added. I enjoy creating my own activities and games, which are somewhat unique and are designed to allow the students to express themselves. This school year consists of four lessons per week, which is most beneficial as there is sufficient time to spend on each topic, and allows time for competitions, which the students like very much. I have decided to use a story called The Gingerbread Man (GBM) as this book is easy to understand and, in my opinion, satisfies almost all pedagogical principles. The students know the plot from a Czech version called “O koblížkovi”. The story is full of animals, which children at this age love, and the idea of trying to 26
escape from a danger but not succeed makes the story didactic. The story is written in the past simple tense, which was altered into the present simple because this was the first time the children were introduced to this story and any potential confusion with the unfamiliar past tense would be eliminated. In total, 8 lessons were spent working with GBM and several interesting cross-curricular links were found, which are presented in the subsequent section.
27
2.3 The Gingerbread Man and cross-curricular links As the spider-gram shows there are many cross-curricular links in the story of GBM and endless activities any teacher can think of.
28
2.4 Activities 2.4.1. Storyline and Czech language Aims:
to acquaint pupils with different fairy tales to get to know the main character of a GBM story to remember some English names for Czech stories to express themselves while meeting a new person to know some Czech fairy tales authors
Materials: worksheet with English and Czech titles of stories (see appendix 1), different story-books, pictures of some writes (B. Němcová, H.Ch.Andersen), a big picture of GBM, bluetack
Steps: children sit in a circle on the carpet and talk about their favourite stories and characters they meet GBM and suggest how would they greet him if they were to meet him and propose names for this boy show a book of GBM and let them guess what a Czech version is called distribute pictures of writers , story books – talk about literature children sit at their desks, get a worksheet with English and Czech titles of the stories and try to match them in pairs
Reflection: Children were very active while sitting on the carpet. All of them were given a chance to share their favourite story. They not only named older stories, but also mentioned ones they have recently seen (Nemo, The Cars, Spiderman etc.). This part took longer than was expected because the children were excited by sharing all the stories that they know. They also liked choosing a name for GBM and were able to come up with really funny and interesting ideas (clever John, Tom – the funny face, Sweetie, Goodie, Silly Tom etc.). Subsequently, the discussion focussed on the story writes. The children knew the name Walt Disney, but the name Hans Christian Andersen was not familiar to them. The word matching activity was designed for pair work, but colours and commands, which the children are already familiar with, 29
were revised. They were asked to “pick up a red pencil and circle the name of the story in Czech and find the English name and circle it in red again”. Then the pupils were instructed to give similar commands until all the names were matched. The completed worksheets were glued into their exercise books. After the lesson, the children’s class teacher was told of our discussion and she was willing to continue with it in their Czech language class. Although we spoke English as well as Czech, the Storyline sessions started successfully.
2.4.2.1. Storyline and Art Aims:
to follow the instructions to cut out the picture of GBM to work with scissors safely to communicate with classmates and make a chain
Materials: copies of GBM in A4 format, worksheet with instructions (see appendix 2 and 3 – a template and the instructions retrieved from Kidzone Fun Facts for Kids), scissors, glue, coloured pencils
Steps: the class is rearranged before the beginning of the lesson - two desks are attached to each other so children can sit in groups of four copies of GBM are distributed by children who follows the teacher’s command: “Can you please hand out these copies to your friends.” the teacher asks the children whether they remember who GBM is and what changes they might like to make to his appearance they are asked to follow the teacher’s instructions and colour GBM they cut out GBM and make a chain of four GBM in their groups children come to the carpet and they make a chain of all GBM with a help of the teacher
Reflection: This is a kind of activity children like very much. It is learning through doing and they do not have to sit silently all the time. The arrangement of the classroom was very effective and children are used to it from other classes too. There 30
was no need to explain to them anything about it so time was saved. The children remembered GBM and their suggestions for his clothes and things he should wear were endless. It was easy for them to follow my instructions, as they were familiar with all expressions used. We revised parts of a body, clothes, animals, seasons and colours. They had to listen carefully because there were different instructions according to whether they are boys or girls, they like this or that, etc. Using scissors is not a big problem with children of this age; however, the making of a chain proved to be problematic. Children had to be careful not to make a circle instead of a chain. The problem was solved by using a small piece of paper, which we attached to the hands of the GBM cut-outs. For final pictures of GBM see appendix 4. Storyline offered the possibility of making an activity where children not only develop their art skills, but also used English at the same time. Part of this activity is based on the Internet page called Kidzone Fun Facts for Kids.
2.4.2.2. Storyline and Art Aims:
to create a poster to be able to use a dictionary
Materials: hard sheets of paper, magazines, scissors, glue, pictures of animals, coloured pencils, felt-tip pens, dictionaries, a camera Steps: children work on their own and they are asked to create either a poster or a part of a book called GBM they draw or glue pictures and try to describe them in short and simple sentences teacher offers advice, helps with translations Reflection: This activity took longer than expected and the children were asked to finish it at home. Three lessons were spent working on these posters, but the end result was worth it. Some children drew their pictures and some chose to use pictures from magazines. The children needed assistance writing the text, but they were always encouraged to try it their way first and then we discussed it and came up with a corrected version. At the end, a picture was taken of each child with his/her poster, which was then displayed on a notice board in the school corridor so everybody can 31
see what the children created. I have also written a short article about our lessons with GBM that is posted on the school web page along with the pictures. Photos of some posters are in Appendix 5.
2.4.2.3. Storyline and Art Aims:
to bake and decorate GBM to describe the simple baking steps
Materials: the ginger dough, kitchen dishware, sweets for decoration, a shape of GBM
Steps: the class takes place at school – in the kitchen teacher prepares the dough in advance in order to save some time (if parents are willing to help, let them do it) children work on their own but help each other, while the teacher monitors the class and helps with the baking children cut out their GBM and put them in the oven everybody decorates their GBM teacher takes pictures of children and their GBM Reflection: It was necessary to spent at least two lessons in the school’s kitchen and as such the appropriate arrangements were made. The pupils’ class teacher was keen on the idea of baking and was willing to spend more time on this activity. As previously noted, it is advisable to ask parents to be involved in the Storyline teaching process. One of the pupil’s mothers, a professional confectioner, was asked to help us. She prepared various colours of toppings and helped the children with decorating. Children were very excited and could not wait to start the work. They were divided into groups of 5 and took turns in the kitchen. While some of the children were baking, the rest of them were drawing and planning how they will decorate their GBM. Children were skilled enough to use rolling pins; they cut out the GBM and put them into the oven. After that, they chose different coloured 32
toppings for decorating their GMB. The decorated GBM were displayed in the classroom and photos of them were posted on our school Internet page. The evaluation took place the next day, as there was no time during the baking class. Nevertheless, children were motivated and praised during their work. The children attempted to describe the baking process very simply using the vocabulary that they already acquired. In addition, the children were asked about their favourite part of baking. The clear winner was decorating GMB. The photos of GBM may be found in Appendix 6.
2.4.3. Storyline and Music Aims:
to learn a song Old McDonald had a farm to be familiar with some animal sounds to revise names of animals in English to learn some new animals living on a farm
Materials: worksheets: (1) with a song (see appendix 7), (2) animals and their sounds (see appendix 8), (3) anagrams (for homework, see appendix 9), pictures of a farmer and some animals with their babies, blue tack
Steps: Brainstorming: teacher says a word and children come up with different ideas they can think of to associate with that word - for example: farm, pets, animals, fat, quick, big,… Teacher puts a picture of a farmer and introduces him to children saying that his name is McDonald and he is a very old farmer. Animals are put on the board one by one as they occur in the song – teacher practice the pronunciation and children try to guess the sounds they make the song is played and children listen , the second time they also try to sing (repeated 2-3 times) , children can be divided into groups of different animals and sing only when their animal takes part in the song teacher hands out worksheet and this is the first time they see the song children get a word search and children find animals either on their own or individually 33
the song can be sung again anagrams are set as their homework and children are offered to colour the pictures if they wish
Reflection: Music is a very nice way for children to express themselves. Some new words such as donkey, turkey, hen and chick were learnt. The sounds animals make are quite different from those children know from the Czech language, so we had fun pretending to be different animals. We also played a pantomime game based on animal sounds and imitating animals. Children were given a card with a name of an animal and there were always three of one kind. The aim was to find their friends only by imitating animals and making sounds. The whole class was smiling and shouting so only two rounds were played because the children got carried away. Playing such games helps children to remember new words and sounds easily. When the song was played, the children liked the song but were not able to sing it since it was too quick for them. By reading the song lyrics, they were able to sing along. An animal word search was given to them to complete at home or in the class. These worksheets were made by using a computer program for interactive board called Smart Notebook, so during the next lesson the class went to the board and checked the children’s work. This is an example of how the Storyline connects with Information Technologies. The board has also been used for revising vocabulary and words related to GBM. Examples can be seen in Appendix 10.
2.4.4 Storyline and Information Technologies Aims:
to check homework from previous lesson to practise words from GBM story to practise writing to present a story of GBM on the Internet
Materials: Smart Board - an interactive board, exercise books, pens
Steps: children sit at their desk or in a circle in front of the Smart Board 34
teacher runs the programs on the board and children come to the board to do the activities required, when it is done, they check it with their worksheet from the previous lesson teacher finds a story of GBM on the Internet and they all read and talk about the story working on the board again to solve some other tasks that the teacher prepares
Reflection: Children are often very excited about working on the Smart Board. It is a new piece of equipment at our school and it offers endless activities that can be created. It was better to sit at their desk in the first part, while the children were checking their homework. It is very important to ensure that all children have a chance to use the board at least once otherwise they get upset. A nice version of the story was found on the Internet page called Topmarks Education. The story was read and compared with the book version, which was previously read in the classroom. The other part of this lesson consisted of some activities based on GBM and animals. (See Appendix 11 and12, 13, 14 and 15).
3. Additional activities in connection with GBM Additional activities based on Storyline are presented in the subsequent sections. These activities were not completed owing to a lack of time.
3.1.1. Storyline and Science (1) Aims:
to be able to talk about animals living on a farm to know what these animals eat to name animals and their babies
Materials: picture of animals and their babies, a map of a farm, pictures of different kind of food (grass, bones, milk, hay …), memory game card with animals and their babies, bluetack
35
Steps: children sit on a carpet, talking about the difference between farm animals and those which live at zoos (exotic ones) sing a song Old McDonald try to name as many farm animals as they can and their babies, teacher presents additional ones that the children do not know talk about lives of these animals, what they live on, what they look like playing a memory game in groups of three of four
3.1.1.2. Storyline and Science (2) Aims: To determine what happens with GBM when he falls into the river.
Materials: a shallow dish of water, some gingerbread cookies, stopwatches
Steps: children are asked to predict what would happen to a cookie in water (suggestions can be displayed on the board) children are divided into pairs, each pair is given a dish with water and 3 cookies children do experiments by leaving one cookie in the water for one minute, the second for three minutes and the last one for 10 minutes children are asked to compare their results with their predictions This activity is based on the ideas of Mrs Zakowski.
3.2. Storyline and Homeland Study Aims:
to know other parts of the world to be able to point out some differences between the Czech Republic and other countries to find out the countries on the world map to get to know some animals from foreign countries 36
Materials: a world map, pictures of people from various countries of the world, National Geographic magazines
Steps: children are asked to come to the map and they talk about different continents and countries children are asked to make groups of four and sit together teacher asks children to suggest what GBM may look like in other parts of the world (USA, Africa, Australia, China, Japan etc.) children, still working in their groups, think of animals that might chase him they can also create the land he runs through they come to the board and present their ideas
3.3 Storyline and Maths Aims:
to be familiar with different shapes to measure without using a measuring stick
Materials: pictures of some shapes such as circle, triangle, square, rectangle, oval etc, small pictures of GBM with different shapes as his buttons, scissors, colouring pencils
Steps: teacher checks whether children are familiar with the names for different shapes, some of them can be also taught in English children are asked to draw buttons on GBM’s coat according to teacher’s instructions children are set to measure the length of their desks, the height of the door, the window, the height of the teacher, of a boy and a girl etc. children cut out one of their GBM , make a chart to write their answers in and try to measure what they are asked to (the best way is to do it in pairs) the whole class check the number of GBM in the height of the door, etc. 37
3.4 Storyline, Music and English Aim:
to be able to decide on playing the roles to learn a number rhyme to cooperate in groups
Materials: small coins, clothes for bakers (not necessary, but if you have them the role-play is for real)
Steps: teacher talks with children about different jobs and asks whether children know what is the person who bakes cakes, cookies, GBM, bread and rolls called talk about bakery and bakers – their lives and clothes they wear the hats can be made in the Art lessons teacher pre-teach the number rhyme : Five little cookies in the bakery shop Shinning bright with sugar on top. Along comes __child's name__ with a nickel to pay. He/she buys a cookie and takes it away. (Next time, there are 4 little cookies, 3 cookies, etc.) children are divided in groups of 6 and role-play the parts in the rhyme , first round is presented by the teacher This activity is based on the ideas of Mrs Zakowski.
38
4. Conclusion The main aim of my thesis was to discover the advantages and possible disadvantages of a Scottish teaching approach called Storyline. What is more, I wanted to examine its use in a learning process of acquiring a foreign language, find possible ways of using it as a cross curricular link and try to combine it with as many subjects as possible. Based on the theoretical part I tried to design various interesting activities. I have verified some basic pedagogical principles for using the Storyline approach. I have also realized that having knowledge of Gardner’s theory about multiple intelligences may affect teaching positively. We, teachers, should work with a class as a number of individuals who want to reach the same goal but their abilities and interests are different. I have learnt that Storyline can be based on very well-known stories which children are familiar with as well as stories that they make up while they learn and discover information, facts, rules and principles of the world according to their mental and physical age. When choosing a story I was aware of all the principles and therefore I chose a story full of animals and a little creature called “The Gingerbread Man”. Children like and admire him for his swiftness and mischievous tricks at the beginning of the story but at the end they feel sorry for his silliness and unknowingness of laws of nature. Although children know the story very well they are willing to listen to it over and over again. I have realized that lessons should be planned very carefully and teachers should be well prepared. Children like and appreciate classroom arrangement and interaction such as sitting on the carpet, group work, pair work, walking or running in the classroom etc. What I liked most was that during my lessons, while we were playing games and many activities which were connected with different subjects, I got to know children from different points of view. I was able to see who loves drawing, who prefers speaking to writing, who is interested in music, science, art etc. I could see their personalities and their attitudes towards unusual learning. They felt happy and excited to see what will come next. The atmosphere was pleasant and I think that I can say that I made a friendly and stress free environment for my pupils. 39
I would like to recommend Storyline approach to all creative teachers who want something more for their pupils rather than follow course books. I am sure that I will be one of them and I will also try to share my experience with all my colleagues.
40
Bibliography Armstrong, T. “Multiple Intelligences and Cognitive Skills.” Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Publisher: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development 25 Aug 2006 . Path: Publications; Books; Browse by author. Armstrong,Thomas. “Utopian Schools”. Mothering. Winter 1996 28Aug 2006 . "Božena Němcová." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 1 Aug 2006. 2 Aug 2006 < http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Božena_Němcová>. Bell, S. “Storyline, Feelings and Respect“. International Conference on Imagination and Education, Coast Plaza Hotel, Vancouver, 16-19 July 2003. Bell, S. “Introduction to the Storyline Method“. Articles on The Storyline Method. De Akelei, Assendelft, The Netherlands. 15 Aug 2006 . “Brothers Grimm.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 1 Aug 2006. 2 Aug 2006 . Creswell, Jeff. “Scottish Storyline: A Method for Teaching and Learning”. Artworks. May 2004. 20 Aug 2006 . Ellis, Gail, and Jean Brewster. Tell it Again: The New Storytelling Handbook For Primary Teachers. 2nd. London: Penguin English, 2002. “Gardner's Multiple Intelligences”. Bundaberg Curriculum Exchange. 25 Aug 2006 . Gargiulo, Terrence. "8 Strategies on How to Use Stories to Increase Learning and Facilitate Trainings." American Executive. Jan 2006. 15 Aug 2006 . “Gingerbread Man”. Central Falls School District. 15 Sept 2006 . “Gingerbread Man”. Kidzone Fun Facts for Kids. 20 Aug 2006 . “Gingerbread Man”. Topmarks. 20 Aug 2006 . Hoffman, Bob. “Haward Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences.”Encyclopedia of Education” 28 Aug 2006 . "Karel Jaromír Erben.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Aug 2006 . Kidzone Fun Facts for Kids. Retrieved 28 July 2006 < http://www.kidzone.ws/>. “Memory” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Aug 2006. 25 Aug 2006 . Pedersen E. Martin. “Storytelling and the Art of Teaching”. Forum. Jan – March 2005: 2. 15 Jan 2007 . Spelleri M. “From Lessons to Life: Authentic Materials Bridge the Gap”. ESL Magazine. March-April 2002. 15 Sept 2006 . “Story.” The Free Dictionary. 5 Aug 2006 . 41
Storyline Scotland. 23 Oct. 2006. Bell Steven. 31 Oct 2006 . Střelec, Stanislav. “Výchovné Působení Školy.” Studie z Teorie a Metodiky Výchovy. Ed. Stanislav Střelec. Masarykova Univerzita v Brně, 2005. 9-15. Šimoník, Oldřich. “Didaktické Principy.” Úvod do Školní Didaktiky. Brno: MSD Brno, 2003. 30-35 Spolton, Sue. Topmarks Education. Retrieved 2 Aug. 2006 . The Scottish Storyline Method. June 2006. Storyline Design. 30 Oct 2006 . Vale, David, and Anne Feunteun. Teaching children English : A training course for teachers of English children. Marion Williams and Tony Wright, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
42
5 Appendix 5.1 Appendix 1 Find and match Czech with English stories
Sněhurka a sedm trpaslíků
Goldilocks
Šípková Růženka
Cinderella
Karkulka
Puss in boots
Kocour v botách
Sleeping Beauty
Zlatovláska
The Bad Boy
O Budulínkovi
The Gingerbread Man
O koblížkovi
The three little pigs
O kůzlátkách
The Turnip
O třech prasátkách
The wolf and the seven Kids
O veliké řepě
Ugly Duckling
Ošklivé káčátko
Snow White and seven Dwarfs
Popelka
Little Red Riding Hood
43
5.2 Appendix 2 Follow these instructions to colour your GBM:
Nose:
If you haven’t got any pets, colour his nose red. If you have a cat, colour his nose green. If you have a dog, colour his nose yellow. If you have fish, colour his nose orange. If you have some other pets colour his nose purple.
Mouth:
If your favourite dessert is ice-cream, colour his mouth red. If your favourite dessert is cake, colour his mouth pink. If your favourite dessert is something else, colour his mouth purple.
Eyelids: If your favourite season is spring, colour his eyelids pink. If your favourite season is summer, colour his eyelids green. If your favourite season is autumn, colour his eyelids orange. If your favourite season is winter, colour his eyelids blue. Eyebrows:If you have made GBM, colour his eyebrows brown. If you have never made GBM, colour his eyebrows yellow.
Buttons: If you are a boy, colour the GBM’s buttons blue. If you are a girl, colour the GBM’s buttons pink.
Retrieved from Kidzone – Fun facts for kids.
44
5.3 Appendix 3 Worksheet of GBM
Retrieved from Kidzone – Fun facts for kids.
45
5.4 Appendix 4
46
5.5 Appendix 5
47
48
5.6 Appendix 6
49
50
51
5.7 Appendix 7
52
5.8 Appendix 8
53
5.9 Appendix 9
54
5.10 Appendix 10
55
5.11 Appendix 11
56
5.12 Appendix 12
57
5.13 Appendix 13
58
5.14 Appendix 14 Put the story words in the alphabetical order:
LITTLE
1.
OLD
2.
WOMAN
3.
BAKE
4.
OVEN
5.
GINGERBREAD
6.
CHASE
7.
CATCH
8.
RIVER
9
FOX
10.
59
5.15 Appendix 15 Use the alphabet to break the code and read the sentence:
A-1
F-6
K-11
P-16
U-21
B-2
G-7
L-12
Q-17
V-22
C-3
H-8
M-13
R-18
W-23
D-4
I-9
N-14
S-19
X-24
E-5
J-10
O-15
T-20
Y-25
Z-26
-- -- -- -- --
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
14 15
3
15 14 5
1 14
3 1 20 3 8
-- -- --
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
20 8 5
7 9 14 7 5 18 2 18 5 1 4
60
13 1 14
