Last week I filled my classes with lessons inspired by the Story Listening movement. I told my novice classes the story The Kingdom of Flowers and even my native speakers did not see where the story was going until the very last line. Next week I plan to tell at least one of Aesop’s fables, simplified of course. And I have to say: my classes are getting so good!!! I am really proud of our work together.
Before I tell a tale, I have students fold a blank piece of paper in quarters so that there are four squares on each side. I have pre-written the tale on a notecard. The story is simplified into at most eight scenes. I have done this with complex literature as well: about eight sentences so that students can illustrate each scene in a separate square as I tell the tale.
First time through, I tell the tale slowly as they draw (but do not write any words). I write words on the board, but I try to prevent myself from drawing because if I do, they just copy my drawings. Instead I ask questions, act out gestures, and try to bring the story to life. The first time through takes us 30-40 minutes.
After the first telling, we retell the story to add written captions to each square. For my novice classes, I write the captions on the board. It is not “me with my back to the class writing on the board”. We discuss what we are going to write in the style of a Write & Discuss activity, adding a word or two at a time. For this reason, the captions are slightly different than the prepared text, reflecting the needs of students.
I often ask Intermediate classes to write their own captions, after hearing my telling of the tale.
There may be a third time through that involves a student actor or two, but the third telling usually takes place on the following class period.
Here is the prepared text I used to tell the tale “El Reino de las flores”. An English version follows for teachers of other languages.
1 Hay un rey. Al rey le gustan las flores.
2 El rey tiene un problema: no tiene hijo ni hija. Necesita a un niño o una niña que sea el próximo rey o la próxima reina.
3 Organiza un concurso. El niño o la niña con la flor más bonita será el próximo rey o la próxima reina.
4 Todos los niños y todas las niñas quieren participar. Todos quieren ser el próximo rey o la próxima reina. Pero hay un detalle importante: el rey les da las semillas. Ellos necesitan usar las semillas del rey.
5 Después de tres meses, todos los niños y niñas llegan con sus flores. Hay muchas flores bonitas.
6 Pero hay un niño con una maceta vacía. No hay nada en la maceta. Había una semilla, pero no creció ninguna flor.
7 Todos se burlan de él. Todos se ríen del niño sin flores.
8 Pero el rey sonríe y dice: “Tú, niño honesto, serás el próximo rey.” El rey les había dado semillas muertas. Él quería encontrar a un niño honesto.
English version:
1 There is a king. The king loves flowers.
2 But the king has a problem: he has no son or daughter. He needs a boy or a girl who will be the next king or queen.
3 He announces a contest. The child with the most beautiful flower will become the next king or queen.
4 All the children want to take part. Everyone wants to be the next king or queen. But there is an important detail: the king gives the seeds to the children. They must use the king’s seeds.
5 After three months, all the children arrive with their flowers. There are many beautiful flowers.
6 But one boy has an empty pot. There is nothing in it. He planted a seed, but no flower grew.
7 All the other children laugh at him.
8 But the king smiles and says: “You, honest boy, will be the next king.” The king had given them dead seeds. He wanted to find an honest child.
One of my favorites of Aesop’s fables is “The Thief and his Mother”. Here’s the outline:
- A boy steals something small at school.
- Instead of correcting him, his mother praises him.
- As he grows, he steals more and more.
- Eventually, he is caught and condemned.
- On the way to execution, he asks to whisper something to his mother — and then bites off her ear!
- His final words: if she had corrected him when he was young, he wouldn’t be dying as a thief.
I have the perfect picture talk to follow a few days later. In that activity I purposely do not retell the tale, but rather encourage students to imagine a different plot.
In the end, what I love most about this approach is how a simple tale—told slowly, illustrated step by step, and revisited in different ways—can draw every student into the story world. Whether it’s a legend like El Reino de las flores or a moral lesson from Aesop, the power of storytelling is that it grows language naturally, almost effortlessly, while also shaping imagination and values.
CI Master Class members can access the database of “8 scene stories” I use in the Telling Tales section.
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