StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization that records and archives on its website a wide variety of stories told by the protagonists, their families, and friends. The sometimes touching, funny, riveting, or surprising tales offer our TEFL and ESL students and fellow teachers insight into U. S. culture. Moreover, the recordings and transcripts provide written and spoken material that students can role play in class.
This activity is for intermediate or advanced students or teacher training, as it requires good speaking and listening skills. It also allows the students to practice the teacher role as they lead the class discussion.
Objective: SWBAT perform role plays and participate in class discussions about the stories chosen from the StorysCorps archives.
Time: likely a unit project, performed with one to two stories presented in a class period
Materials: StoryCorps Transcripts with Discussion Questions
- Ebola nurses (http://storycorps.org/listen/michelle-dynes-and-anne-purfield/) Download this resource (docx)
- Noah McQueen and Barack Obama (http://storycorps.org/listen/noah-mcqueen-and-barack-obama-150225/) Download this resource(docx)
- Lyle Link and his granddaughter (http://storycorps.org/listen/lyle-link-and-carly-dreher/) Download this resource (docx)
Presentation
Ask students to form groups of four. Each group will choose one of the StoryCorps stories above to present in front of the class on a schedule decided by the teacher, who will also provide a grading rubric for the activity.
Each group of students listens to the recording of the story it chose (teachers should decide if the rest of the class may listen and read the transcript before the group’s presentation) and rehearses the dialogue. Students in each group decide on their roles in the project: two students will read the dialogue and two students will read the prompts and discussion questions to the class. The students also decide who will summarize other classmates’ answers to the discussion questions and who will write the summaries on the board.
Students may bring photos of the original speakers, pictures of the places where they live, or other props for the performance. Students may ask to rehearse with the teacher and should be encouraged to look up unknown words and ask for pronunciation help if needed.
Production
On the scheduled day, each group will present their story to the class. The rest of the class should take notes so that they can participate in a discussion based on the questions that accompany the transcripts after the performance. Of course, other questions may be substituted. Teachers may also choose grammar points related to the stories to discuss with the class before or after the role plays.
Sample: Discussion Questions from Noah McQueen and President Obama recording
1. (Purpose): Who are the speakers and what is their relationship?
2. (Topic): What is the main idea the speakers talk about?
3. (Details): What was the immediate effect of Noah’s teenage problems?
4. What does the president mean by “soften up”?
5. (Inference): Why does Noah want to be an educator?
6.Why does the president tell Noah he is proud of him?
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