Introduction

We are going to present a session plan wich includes the reading of the fable the wolf in sheep's
clothing (by Aesop) and its pre-telling and post-telling activities.
This session plan is aimed to children between 5 and 7 years old. We can use this story planning for
younger children as long as we adapt its vocabulary and make it easier for them.

Learning through stories

It is very useful to work with sotrytelling because children have an innate love of stories . We can
take advantage of this motivation and work on it in order to teach them a wide range of things.
Through stroytelling, for example, we can teach them about life, about themselves (self-reflection,s
self-esteem), and so many values (charity, godness, etc.) that are really important to learn.
There are a number of ways in which storytelling can enhance intercultural understanding and
comunication. Stories can:

allow children to explore their own cultural roots

allow children to experience diverse cultures

enable children to empathise with unfamiliar people/places/situations
offer insights into different traditions and values
help children understand how wisdom is common to all peoples/all cultures
offer insights into universal life experiences
help children consider new ideas
reveal differences and commonalties of cultures around the world

Stories reveal universal truths about the world. Through stories we see how very different people
share the same life experiences and how human nature can transcend culture.

Other benefits of using storytelling in the classroom may be the next:

Promote a feeling of well-being and relaxation
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 Increase children's willingness to communicate thoughts and feelings

Encourage active participation
Increase verbal proficiency
Encourage use of imagination and creativity
Encourage cooperation between students
Enhance listening skills

Young Learners share a remarkable variety of personal experiences, values and ways of
understanding. The language they learn in the classroom is the tool they use to shape their thoughts
and feelings. It is more than a way of exchanging information and extending ideas, it is their means
of reaching out and connecting with other people. Stories can link not only between the world of
classroom and home but also between the classroom and beyond. Stories provide a common thread
that can help unite cultures and provide a bridge across the cultural gap.

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Pre-telling
Before telling the story it is important to do some activities to introduce the vocabulary that we are
going work in the reading and to motivate the children and create an interest about the story.
In order to introduce the story to the children, we are going to use different activities. First of all, we
are going to play a game we have called find the surpise. In this game we have hidden some
pictures of the main characters of the story. When the children arrrive to class, we will tell them
that in today's class they are going to be detectives (using a mysterious voice, remember acting!).
We will split up the class into groups of 4-5 students. After this, we will tell them that there are
some clues hidden arround the class, and they have to find them. Every team has to find as many
clues as possible and try to find out what is happening, what they are, and what is going to happen
and make a hypothesis that includes all of this.
When everyone have finished, each group will explain its hypothesis. Then, the different groups
will work together in order to find a common theory about what is going to happen (what those
clues have to do with their english class, what is going to happen next in class, what the teacher is
about doing, etc.).
Once they discover that we are going to read about thumbelina, we will present the story.

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Telling the story

To start with, we will introduce the basic vocabulary that the children might have trouble with.
When we know for sure that everyone understands the basic vocabulary, we start with the story.
Actual telling:
To make the children calm down and relax (so that we can start reading the story in an adequate
atmosphere) we will use an effective strategy: sing a rhythmic chant that orders them (in an indirect
way) to sit down and be quiet. The following one is an example of this:
Time for story
time for story
Let's sit down
Let's calm down
Just like me
After this, the teacher will start by reading the first paragraph aloud. Then, every child will
colaborate on the reading by reading one paragraph each.
The teacher will encourage and motivate the children to improve their reading telling them the
things that they have done well when they finish their paragraph.
TIMING:
The reading of the story will take us about 15-20'' (it depends on the number of students, their
reading speed, the questions they may have, etc). It is important to invest the necessary time in the
reading, so we make sure it is enjoyable for everyone and everyone understands everything.

Post-telling
To improve their understanding of the story and strengthen the vocabulary we have been working
with, we will use some post-telling technics like the following ones:

Flashcards games

Game: Snakes and ladders

Listen to the story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXFDDgp55s4. This can improve

the comprehension of the story and boslter the right pronunciation.

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Multiple intelligences and

storytelling
Through the reading of this story we also develope some of the multiplle intelligences:

Linguistic: due to the fact that we are learning new vocabulary while reading.

Kinesthetic: because they are moving around the class in the first part of the activity.

Musical: we are working on rythms when singing the chant. They will have also to clap in
some moments of the storytelling.

Interpersonal: they are working as a group and colaborating with other children (expresing
their ideas and knowledge)

Intrapersonal: they will have to reflect about what is happening in class (so they can, after
this, tell their own idea to the group).

Moral of the story and implicit

learning
This story has a moral that teaches us: Appearances are deceptive we cannot always trust
appearances, they aren't always are they seem to be.
We can also learn that Brain is better than brawn. This means that it is better to be clever than to
be strong.
Another moral could be don't be nave. Don't let the others fool you.

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The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing to the vigilance of
the shepherd and his dogs. But one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been
flayed and thrown aside, so it put it on over its own pelt and strolled down
among the sheep.
The Lamb that belonged to the sheep whose skin the Wolf was wearing began
to follow the Wolf in the Sheep's clothing. So, leading the Lamb a little apart, he
soon made a meal off her - and for some time he succeeded in deceiving the
sheep, and enjoying hearty meals.
Moral: Appearances are deceptive.

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GLOSSARY
Word

Meaning

Wolf

any of several large

carnivorous mammals of
the dog family usually
hunting in packs,

difficulty

the fact or condition of

being difficult.

sheep

any of numerous
ruminant mammals of the
genus Ovis closely related
to the goats

vigilance

state or quality of being

vigilant; watchfulness:

shepherd

a person who herds, tends,

and guards sheep

dog

a domesticated canid, Canis

familiaris, bred in many
varieties.

skin

the external covering or

integument of an animal
body, especially when soft
and flexible.

flayed

to strip off the skin or

outer covering of.

pelt

the untanned hide or skin

of an animal.

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Picture

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strolled down

Walking down

Lamb

a young sheep.

follow

to come after in sequence,

order of time, etc.
2- To go or come after;
move behind in the same
direction:

meal

the food served and eaten

especially at one of the
customary, regular
occasions for taking food
during the day, as
breakfast, lunch, or supper.

enjoying

to experience with joy;

take pleasure in

hearty

warm-hearted;
affectionate; cordial;
jovial:

clothing

garments collectively;
clothes; raiment; apparel.
2- a covering.

leading

chief; principal; most

important; foremost:

succeeded

Past participe of succeed.

Succeed: to happen or

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terminate according to
desire; turn out
successfully; have the
desired result
deceiving

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to mislead by a false
appearance or statement;
delude

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