Written By Margaret Teske

Level: Community College/ Intensive English Program

This lesson combines reading and speaking skills. It uses authentic texts which may seem challenging. However, with homework time and time in groups prior to retelling the story, students lessen their frustration. Encourage your students. They are working with real materials and not their textbooks.

Access the inspirational stories website (http://www.inspirationalstories.com). Preview some stories and select four or five of them. Print and photocopy for distribution to your students.

You need one Internet accessible computer for each student (lab situation).

Each table or workgroup of 4-5 students receives one copy of each story so that each student has a different story. Students can be given the opportunity to read the stories for homework. Or, students can be arranged by same stories to read together and practice retelling.

Students read their individual stories. They make sure they understand them. Then, they are asked to retell their stories to the other students at their tables or in their workgroups. The teacher asks that the students NOT read the stories, but actually retell in their own words. The students listening to the story can ask for clarification.

Each student in the group gets a few minutes to tell their stories. A time limit can be set according to your level. Students should be encouraged to teach each other new vocabulary which they learned in their stories. After all the stories have been told, then tell your students to pass them around the table for quick reading.