Storytelling as a Method for Teaching English Vocabulary in Primary Schools

Timea Clark, University of Trnava, Slovakia

This article discusses the use of storytelling in teaching English vocabulary to young learners, examines briefly the significance of storytelling, and furthermore suggests a few approaches to the use of storytelling in primary school language classrooms for young learners, as they are the intended audience. Stories and storytelling have been used to fascinate, challenge, and educate for centuries. As a shared form of language interaction, storytelling has engaged communities in the development and perpetuation of common understandings of language and culture, both of which are essential foundations for harmonious societies. Stories and storytelling provide a rich source of materials for language classrooms, opening up opportunities for gaining insights into cultures and language use, engaging learners with the literature and texts of the target language and culture, and allowing learners to become more engaged with the use of the target language and with expressing their own stories in ways that are meaningful to them. Through exposure to storybooks, young learners can interact with the authentic language during English language classes.