Speech: Storytelling, Characters and Story Structure for Primary 2

Class: Primary 2
Term: Second Term
Week: 8
Age: 7 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Studies
Curriculum Theme: Speech
Previous Lesson: Speech: Introducing Yourself and Others
Topic: Speech: Storytelling, Characters and Story Structure
Subject Matter: Telling a story using an appropriate style of narration -Identifying the characters and events in the story -Explaining the beginning content and closing of a story.

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Narrate a simple story using an appropriate style.
• Identify the characters in a given story.
• Explain the beginning, content (middle), and closing of a story.

Affective Domain

• Show interest in listening to and telling stories.
• Appreciate the role of characters in a story.

Psychomotor Domain

• Act out simple parts of a story.
• Draw a character from a story.

Reference Materials

• 2014 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• FCT ERC/NAPPS Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Story books
• Chart showing parts of a story
• Flash cards with pictures of story characters
• Textbook
• Notebook

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson helps pupils develop their oral communication skills through storytelling and improves their comprehension by teaching them to identify key elements of a narrative. Understanding story structure and characters lays a foundation for stronger reading and writing abilities.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can listen to simple stories and understand basic instructions in English.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Speech: Storytelling, Characters and Story Structure

Storytelling

Storytelling is the act of telling a story to others, often using different voices and actions to make it interesting. It helps us share ideas, experiences, and lessons.

Characters in a Story

Characters are the people, animals, or things that a story is about. They do the actions and make the story happen.

Examples of characters:

1. A boy named Tunde
2. A wise old tortoise
3. A talking bird

Story Structure

Every story has a structure, which means it has different parts that come together to make it complete.

Beginning of a Story

The beginning of a story introduces the characters and where the story takes place. It sets the scene.

Example: “Once upon a time, in a small village near a big forest…”

Middle (Content) of a Story

The middle part of a story tells us what happens. It describes the events, problems, and how the characters try to solve them.

Example: “The boy went into the forest and met a hungry lion…”

Closing of a Story

The closing of a story tells us how everything ends. It shows the solution to the problem and what happens to the characters at the end.

Example: “The boy helped the lion, and they became good friends forever.”

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Narration, Question and Answer, Explanation, Guided Practice, Storytelling

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Questioning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks them if they enjoy listening to stories. The teacher then asks a few pupils to briefly mention their favourite story.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings and mention their favourite stories.

Learning Point: Story enjoyment activation

Step 2: Introduction to Storytelling

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Narration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher tells a short, simple story to the class, using an appropriate style of narration (e.g., varying voice, gestures). After the story, the teacher explains what storytelling is.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively to the story and observe the teacher’s narration style.

Learning Point: Storytelling definition and style

Step 3: Identifying Characters

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Identification

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils questions about the story just told, specifically “Who were the people or animals in the story?” and guides them to identify the characters. The teacher explains that these are the characters.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils mention the characters they remember from the story.

Learning Point: Character identification

Step 4: Understanding Character Actions

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Discussion/Analysis

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils what each character did in the story, guiding them to describe the actions and roles of the characters. The teacher uses flashcards to represent characters if available.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils explain what the characters did in the story.

Learning Point: Character actions and roles

Step 5: Explaining Story Structure (Beginning)

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Illustration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains that stories have a beginning. The teacher asks pupils how the story started and explains that this is the beginning, where characters and setting are introduced.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils recall how the story began.

Learning Point: Story beginning concept

Step 6: Explaining Story Structure (Middle and Closing)

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Comparison

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher then explains the middle part (what happened in the story) and the closing (how the story ended). The teacher asks pupils to explain these parts from the story they heard.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils explain the main events and the ending of the story.

Learning Point: Story middle and closing

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is storytelling?
2. Who are the characters in the story I told today?
3. How did the story begin?
4. What happened in the middle of the story?
5. How did the story end?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Story elements understanding

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to copy the essential Board Summary notes on storytelling, characters, and story structure into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Story concepts recording

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher reminds pupils that stories are fun and help us learn. The teacher encourages them to tell stories to their friends and family, focusing on clear characters and a good beginning, middle, and end.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and acknowledge the importance of storytelling.

Learning Point: Storytelling importance

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Read a short story at home and answer the questions below in your notebook.

1. Write down the name of the story.
2. Who are the characters in the story?
3. What happened at the beginning of the story?
4. What happened in the middle of the story?
5. How did the story end?

Lesson Keywords

• Storytelling – The act of telling a story.
• Characters – The people, animals, or things in a story.
• Beginning – The start of a story.
• Middle (Content) – What happens in a story.
• Closing – The end of a story.

Differentiation

Support: For pupils who struggle, the teacher can provide simpler stories with fewer characters and guide them with picture cards to identify elements. Group work can also be used to support weaker learners.

Extension: Advanced pupils can be asked to create a short story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, or to describe the feelings of a character in a story.

Suggested Lesson Videos

Search YouTube for “Primary 2 storytelling characters story structure” or “how to tell a simple story for kids”.