My unit on storytelling is designed for second-grade students. In this unit, storytelling is used as a strategy to increase oral language proficiency of second language learners or students who are substantially below grade level in language skills. In many instances our students’ oral language skills are not developed enough to support the curriculum and objectives of their grade level. These students require formal language instruction before they can be expected to become fluent readers, writers and thinkers. Storytelling is a great avenue to pursue when looking for ways to improve your classroom’s oral language proficiency. This unit on storytelling gives the students the daily practice they need in order to advance their language skills. The unit progresses each week through different levels of storytelling, each building upon the last, increasing in difficulty and skill. It will help students understand how telling stories and story structure enable them to express themselves more clearly. The students will also learn through storytelling that their ability to listen to others will increase, expanding their vocabulary, knowledge base, and awareness of sentence structure.
(Developed for Literacy, grade 2; recommended for Literacy, grade 2)
