Vantage                      Course:  18                          Unit:  6                              Day:  14                            Lesson:  B          Session:  2   FFI  

Storytelling  
Lesson  Learning  Objectives:    
By  the  end  of  the  class,  students  will  be  able  to:  
• develop  skills  for  the  details  of  a  story  and  making  inferences.  
• learn  and  practice  using  vocabulary  to  tell  a  story.  
• develop  skills  in  understanding  vocabulary  in  context,  reading  to  confirm  predictions,  and  
giving  a  personal  reaction  to  a  reading.  
 
Context:  
Use  phrases  to  begin  a  story  (e.g.,  I’ll  never  forget  the  time…,  It  all  started  when…,  That  reminds  me  of  
when…,   I’ve   got   to   tell   you   about…,).   Use   phrases   to   continue   a   story   (e.g.,   What   happened   was…,  
Meanwhile…,   The   next   thing   we   knew…,   So   later   on…).   Use   phrases   to   going   back   in   a   story   (e.g.,   The  
thing   you   have   to   know   is…,   I   forgot   to   mention   that…,   The   other   thing   is…).   Use   phrases   to   end   a  
story  (e.g.,  And  in  the  end…,  To  make  a  long  story  short…,  So  finally…).  
 
Important  considerations:  
• Students  may  not  come  up  with  enough  ideas  by  themselves,  so  be  prepared  to  use  some  
cues/prompts.  
• Please,  keep  in  mind  that  after  presenting  grammar  or  vocabulary,  you  should  move  on  to  a  
practice  stage  in  which  students  ask  and  answer  questions.  
• Insist  on  getting  long/complete  answers.  
• Keep  to  a  50/50  teacher/student  participation.  
 
Previous  preparation/Materials  needed  
Markers  &  eraser,  Student’s  Book,  CD  player,  CD  2,  game  cards  (Appendix  Activity  8)  
 
Activity   Procedure   Grouping   Material   Time  
pattern  
1   Homework   1. Check  homework.   Total  class     5’/5’  
  review   HW:  Write  on  the  board:    
a  party,  a  car  crash,  an  airport,  a  text  message,    
an  email,  a  meal  in  a  restaurant,  a  broken  
elevator,  a  cat,  $1000  dollars  
-­‐Ss  choose  five  words  from  the  list  and  use  them  
to  create  their  own  story.  Encourage  Ss  to  include  
the  grammar  checked  in  the  lesson.  
 
If  most  of  the  Ss  have  arrived,  start  with  the  class  
so  as  to  promote  punctuality.  
2   Warmer   1. Tell  Ss  they  are  in  a  TV  show  and  that  they   Total  class   Pair  work   7’/12’  
are  participating  to  win  the  contest  “The    
most  embarrassing  situation”.  Ask  Ss  to  work    
 
in  pairs  to  think  of  a  story  (real  or  made  up).    
 
 
Total  class  
2. Then  have  Ss  come  to  the  front  of  the  class  
to  participate  and  tell  their  story.  

D.R.  ®  2018  Organización  Harmon  Hall,  A.C.   1  

  

 
3. The  class  votes  on  the  best  story.  
 
4. Ask  Ss  to  brainstorm  various  kinds  of  
embarrassing  situations.    
3   Predicting   1. Tell  Ss  they  will  listen  to  an  interview  with   Pair  work   Board   4’/16’  
actor  Dan  Carville.  Write  a  list  of  about  10  
words  and  phrases  that  Ss  will  hear  in  the  
recording.  For  example:  
struggled,  different  jobs,  fired,  broke,  taxi,  
wrist,  afraid,  hired,  movie,  embarrassing,  
accident-­‐prone  
 
2. Get  Ss  to  work  in  pairs  to  predict  the  story.  
Ss  should  use  the  vocabulary  items  on  the  
board  to  make  their  predictions.  Go  around  
the  class,  and  help  as  needed.  
4   Listening   1. Tell  Ss  to  listen  to  the  interview  with  actor   Pair  work   Track  2.10   8’/24’  
Dan  Carville.      
    Notebook  
2. Play  the  recording.  Ss  listen  to  the  interview    
 
to  see  if  there  are  any  similarities  between  
 
the  2  stories  and  their  use  of  the  vocabulary    
items.    
   
3. Then  have  Ss  share  their  results.   Total  class  
   
4. Ask,  “What  jobs  does  he  talked  about?”  Play   Individual  
the  recording  again,  if  needed.  Ss  write  their   work  
answers.    
 
 
 
5. Check  answers  with  the  class.  Write  the  
Total  class  
answers  on  the  board.    
salesperson  in  a  department  store,  
housepainter,  taxi  driver/cab  driver  
5   Listening   1. Ask  Ss,  “Why  did  the  actor  mention  each  of   Individual   Notebook   8’/32’  
the  jobs?  What  does  he  say  about  them?”   work    
Tell  Ss  to  write  the  answers.       Track  2.11  
 
 
 
2. Play  the  recording.  Ss  listen  and  make  some  
 
notes.      
   
3. Go  over  the  answers  with  the  class.  Check   Total  class  
comprehension,  if  Ss  didn’t  mention  this  
information,  you  may  ask  questions  like:  
Why  did  Dan  lose  his  job  at  the  department  
store?  
Why  didn’t  Dan  last  long  as  a  painter?  

D.R.  ®  2018  Organización  Harmon  Hall,  A.C.   2  

  

Why  was  Dan  fired  from  his  job  as  a  taxi  

driver?  
How  seriously  do  you  think  Dan  took  these  
jobs?  
6   Vocabulary   Telling  a  story  -­‐  Phrases   Pair  work   Notebook   10’/42’  
Presentation   1. Have  Ss  put  the  following  phrases  in  the    
  correct  order  in  their  notebooks.  Tell  Ss    
  these  are  phrases  that  are  used  to  tell  a    
Race    
story.  You  could  make  this  into  a  race  by  
   
telling  Ss  to  work  in  pairs  and  timing  the  
 
activity.      
• time...  /  forget  /  I'll  /  never  /  the    
• know  /  is...  /  The  thing  /  you  /  have  to    
• all  /  started  /  when...  /  It    
 
• was...  /  What  /  happened  
 
• to  mention  /  forgot  /  I  /  that...    
• Meanwhile...    
• end...  /  And  /  the  /  in    
• reminds  /  That  /  me  /  when.../  of    
 
• we  knew...  /  The  /  thing  /  next  
 
• later  /  on...  /  So    
• a  long  /  To  make  /  short...  /  story    
• to  tell  you/  about...  /  I've  /  got    
• is...  /  other  /  The  /  thing    
 
• finally...  /  So  
 
   
2. The  pair  that  finishes  first  will  be  the  winner.   Total  class  
Make  sure  the  answers  are  correct.  Check  
the  answers  with  the  class.  
• I’ll  never  forget  the  time…  
• The  thing  you  have  to  know  is…  
• It  all  started  when…  
• What  happened  was…  
• I  forgot  to  mention  that…  
• Meanwhile…  
• And  in  the  end…  
• That  reminds  me  of  when…  
• The  next  thing  we  knew…  
• So  later  on…  
• To  make  a  long  story  short…  
• I’ve  got  to  tell  you  about…  
• The  other  thing  is…  
• So  finally…  
7   Categorizing   1. Write  these  as  column  headings  on  the   Pair  work   Board   8’/50’  
board:      
  Notebook  

D.R.  ®  2018  Organización  Harmon  Hall,  A.C.   3  

  

Beginning  a  story    
Continuing  a  story    
Going  back  in  a  story    
Ending  a  story    
   
2. Tell  Ss  to  work  in  pairs  to  put  the  words  and    
phrases  under  the  correct  category.      
   
3. Check  answers  with  the  class.  Discuss  any   Total  class  
 
mistakes.  Have  Ss  come  to  the  board  and  
 
complete  the  chart.  
 
Answers:    
Beginning  a  story  
I’ll  never  forget  the  time…  
It  all  started  when…  
That  reminds  me  of  when…  
I’ve  got  to  tell  you  about…  
Continuing  a  story  
What  happened  was…  
Meanwhile…  
The  next  thing  we  knew…  
So  later  on…  
Going  back  in  a  story  
The  thing  you  have  to  know  is…  
I  forgot  to  mention  that…  
The  other  thing  is…  
Ending  a  story  
And  in  the  end…  
To  make  a  long  story  short…  
So  finally…  
 
4. Model  the  language,  and  have  Ss  repeat.  Go  
over  any  vocabulary  Ss  don’t  understand.  
Have  Ss  brainstorm  examples  of  how  to  
finish  each  phrase.  Help  as  needed.  
8   Speaking   Game:  Is  it  true?   Total  class     15’/65’  
       
Game   1. The  game  starts  with  you  telling  the  students      
a  very  short  story  about  yourself.  The  story      
can  be  true  or  made  up.  When  you’re      
   
finished,  ask  Ss,  “Was  that  story  true  or  was  
   
it  a  lie?”      
     
2. Elicit  answers  from  the  class.  Encourage  Ss  to      
ask  you  questions  about  the  story  before      
they  decide.  As  they  guess,  ask  for  their      
reasoning.        
     
3. Once  they’ve  all  guessed,  reveal  if  it  was      
   

D.R.  ®  2018  Organización  Harmon  Hall,  A.C.   4  

  

true,  or  not,  and  give  a  little  more      

background  detail  to  the  story.      
     
4. Each  student  is  given  a  card  (The  handout  is   Individual   Appendix  
work   Activity  8,  
in  Appendix  Activity  8).  There  are  four  
  cards  
different  cards.  Make  enough  copies  so  as  to      
have  one  card  per  student,  and  cut  as      
indicated.     Notebook  
   
5. Give  Ss  time  to  think  up  their  stories  and    
write  some  notes.  Ss  should  be  prepared  for    
follow-­‐up  questions.    
 
 
Mingle  
6. Have  Ss  stand  up  and  find  a  partner  to  
 
exchange  stories  and  guess  if  their  partner’s    
story  is  true  or  a  lie.    
   
7. Ss  should  ask  two  or  three  follow-­‐up    
questions  before  they  guess.      
   
8. While  Ss  mingle,  monitor  for  error  correction    
at  the  end  of  the  activity.    
 
Alternatively,  when  you  play  the  game  you  can  
keep  score,  by  giving  students  points  every  time  
they  guess  correctly,  but  that  isn’t  necessary.  
 
9. After  every  student  has  spoken  to  at  least  
four  people  they  return  to  their  seats.  
9   Class  Discussion   1. Write  these  questions  on  the  board:   Pair  work   Board   10’/75’  
Whose  story  was  the  best  or  most    
interesting?    
Who  fooled  you  with  their  lie?    
Who  told  a  true  story  that  you  thought  was    
a  lie?    
Who  do  you  think  is  the  best  liar  in  the    
class?    
   
2. Ss  work  in  pairs  to  discuss  the  questions.    
Encourage  Ss  to  support  their  ideas.    
 
 
Total  class  
3. Pairs  share  the  things  they  discussed  with  
the  rest  of  the  class.  
 
4. Have  a  few  Ss  share  their  stories.  
 
5. Go  over  an  error  correction  and  feedback  
session  with  the  class.    

D.R.  ®  2018  Organización  Harmon  Hall,  A.C.   5  

  

10   Predicting  and   1. Ask,  “What’s  an  anecdote?”  (a  short  story   Total  class   SB  p.51   8’/83’  
Reading   about  a  funny  personal  experience)    
   
2. Student’s  Book  p.51.  Have  Ss  look  at  the    
 
titles  of  the  anecdotes.  Make  sure  Ss  
 
understand:    
Babysitter:  a  person  who  watches  children    
while  the  parents  are  out  of  the  house.    
Blues:  feelings  of  sadness    
   
3. Ask,  “What  do  you  think  each  one  is  about?”    
Have  Ss  tell  the  class  their  ideas.    
   
4. Have  Ss  read  the  anecdotes  silently  to   Individual  
themselves  and  see  if  they  were  correct.     work  
   
5. Ask  Ss  if  any  of  their  ideas  about  the   Total  class  
 
anecdotes  were  correct.  
11   Vocabulary   1. Have  Ss  read  the  anecdotes  again.  Ss  find  the   Pair  work   Board   5’/88’  
following  vocabulary.  In  pairs,  have  them      
discuss  the  meanings  of  the  words  and     SB  p.51  
   
phrases.  Tell  Ss  to  use  the  context.    
 
slam,  hysterically,  smoke  detector,  defiant,    
get  away  with  
 
 
Total  class  
2. Go  over  the  answers  with  the  class.    
12   Discussion   1. Have  Ss  work  in  groups  to  discuss  these   Group   Board   7’/95’  
questions.   work  
Why  do  you  think  Amy  hasn’t  had  any  more  
problems?  
What  would  you  have  done  if  you  were  Rita?  
Which  anecdote  did  you  find  more  amusing?  
Why?  
 
2. Go  over  the  answers  with  the  class.  
13   Storytelling   Magical  mirror   Total  class   Board   10’/105’  
     
1. Draw  a  large  rectangle  on  the  board  or  hold     Notebook  
up  a  blank  piece  of  paper.  Ask  the  Ss  what    
they  think  it  is.    
 
 
 
2. Tell  Ss  that  it  is  a  mirror,  and  that  the  mirror  
 
is  magical.  Explain  that  the  magical  mirror    
allows  a  person  to  look  at  themselves  at  any    
time  in  their  life.  Display  your  completed    
mirror  (Prepare  your  completed  mirror    
before  class,  to  model  the  task.)    
   
 

D.R.  ®  2018  Organización  Harmon  Hall,  A.C.   6  

  

3. Tell  Ss  they  will  create  their  own  magical   Individual  

mirror.  Ask  them  to  visualize  a  time  in  their   work  
life,  a  memorable  story  from  their  past.    
 
 
 
4. Tell  Ss  to  draw  a  picture  to  illustrate  the  
 
story.  Give  Ss  some  time  to  work  on  their    
drawing.  This  is  an  important  preparation    
stage  as  the  Ss  will  be  thinking  about  their    
story  as  they  draw.    
   
5. It  is  likely  that  as  the  Ss  think  about  the  story    
and  the  picture,  they  will  ask  you  about  the    
 
language  they  need  to  tell  the  story  they  are  
 
visualizing.  Be  prepared  to  provide  key    
vocabulary  to  Ss  as  you  monitor.    
   
6. Have  Ss  stand  up  and  find  a  partner  to  tell   Mingle  
their  story  to.  Allow  Ss  to  mingle  with    
different  students.      
 
 
7. Praise  Ss  for  the  wonderful  stories  they  have   Total  class  
shared  with  their  partners.  
14   Extra  Activity   1. This  task  can  be  done  in  class  if  there’s   Group   Board    
(Optional)   enough  time.   work    
    Notebook  
Speaking   2.Ss  work  in  groups.  Have  Ss  choose  one  of  
these  topics,  or  one  on  their  own,  and  tell  
their  group  an  anecdote.    
Speaking  English,  celebrity  encounters,  
childhood  memories,  food  experiences,  
school  days,  strange  coincidences,  travel  
stories,  mistaken  identity,  etc.  
15   Homework   1. Ask   Ss   to   write   a   commentary   about   one   of   Individual   Notebook    
their   partner’s   stories.   They   should   write   work  
from  the  point  of  view  of  one  of  the  people  
mentioned  in  the  story.  
**Each  activity  has  a  suggested  time.  You  may  adjust  the  time  as  needed.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

D.R.  ®  2018  Organización  Harmon  Hall,  A.C.   7  

  

Appendix  
Activity  8.  Is  it  true?  –  Game  Cards  
Tell a story about yourself – it can be true or a lie. Tell a story about yourself – it can be true or a lie.

Choose one of the story ideas below: Choose one of the story ideas below:
• You tried something for the first time. • You did something really exciting.
• You won a prize. • You were very late.
• You had a really fun job. • You met someone very interesting.

Think about your story: Think about your story:

• When did it happen? • When did it happen?
• Where were you? • Where were you?
• Who was there? • Who was there?
• What happened? • What happened?

Use some phrases like: Use some phrases like:

It all started when…, Meanwhile…, The other thing It all started when…, Meanwhile…, The other thing
is…, And in the end. is…, And in the end.

Use some adverbs of time like: Use some adverbs of time like:
Afterwards, As soon as, Before that, Afterwards, As soon as, Before that,

Your story needs a beginning, middle, and end. Write Your story needs a beginning, middle, and end. Write
some notes to prepare what you’re going to say.   some notes to prepare what you’re going to say.
Tell a story about yourself – it can be true or a lie. Tell a story about yourself – it can be true or a lie.

Choose one of the story ideas below: Choose one of the story ideas below:
• You forgot something important. • You met an unusual person.
• You had a surprising experience. • You did something really exciting.
• You lied about something important. • You went to a terrible party.

Think about your story: Think about your story:

• When did it happen? • When did it happen?
• Where were you? • Where were you?
• Who was there? • Who was there?
• What happened? • What happened?

Use some phrases like: Use some phrases like:

It all started when…, Meanwhile…, The other thing It all started when…, Meanwhile…, The other thing
is…, And in the end. is…, And in the end.

Use some adverbs of time like: Use some adverbs of time like:
Afterwards, As soon as, Before that, Afterwards, As soon as, Before that,

Your story needs a beginning, middle, and end. Write Your story needs a beginning, middle, and end. Write
some notes to prepare what you’re going to say. some notes to prepare what you’re going to say.
 
 

D.R.  ®  2018  Organización  Harmon  Hall,  A.C.   8