Level - intermediate and above

Narrative, telling stories and anecdotes forms an important part of our everyday communication. This lesson is aimed at developing the ability to tell stories or anecdotes. It is based on an idea from 'Once Upon a time' by John Morgan & Mario Rinvolucri. It starts with fluency practice and works towards developing accuracy. The lesson also includes a grammatical focus session that aims to develop understanding of the meaning and form of narrative tenses.

Plan components

Lesson Plan: - guide for teacher on procedure including answers to tasks.

Download lesson plan 11k pdf

Worksheets: - exercises which can be printed out for use in class. The worksheet contains:

• Prompt questions for speaking

• Timeline meaning checking exercises

• Focus on form exercises

Download worksheets 8k pdf

For more storytelling ideas see 'Once upon a time' by John Morgan & Mario Rinvolucri: Cambridge University Press (1984).

Nik Peachey, Teacher, Trainer Materials writer British Council

The plans and worksheets are downloadable and in pdf format. If you have difficulty downloading the materials see the download section of the About page.