Teaching Foreign Language Through Storytelling

By Jeanette Borich

What is the best way to help students learn a second language?
Traditionally, teachers tackle the "how" of the language. Students learn a list of vocabulary, are introduced to various rules, produce language according to those rules, and are corrected as needed.

This year I tried something different: using storytelling to help my 8th graders become more confident second-language (L2) learners. This method emphasizes the gradual acquisition of language rather than the memorization of vocabulary and rules.

http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/04/02/tln_borich.html