TPR Storytelling is a language teaching method that combines elements of TPR and storytelling. It involves introducing vocabulary, telling stories acted out by students, and reading activities. The method provides comprehensive input through repetition and engaging students physically and emotionally in the language. Research supports that this keeps input comprehensible and aids acquisition similar to how children learn their first language.

1. Teaching Proficiency through
Reading & Storytelling
Jean-Pierre Vargas & Nick P. Cooper

2.  TPR Storytelling is a teaching approach invented by
Blaine Ray, a Spanish teacher in Bakersfield, CA. in
1990. Ray used Dr. James Asher’s (TPR) Total Physical
Response to teach Spanish.
 Asher claims that, “students acquire their second
language as they acquire their first. Our students
learn as babies learn. Therefore, we should not
expect them to reproduce the language before they
have had an ample amount of time to listen to it.”
(1977)
What is TPR-S?

3.  Ray found that changing from commands to the third
person singular allowed him to tell stories, a long-
term memory technique. Asking the students to act
out the parts of the characters in stories preserved
the highly effective physical element that had been so
powerful in TPR.
 The method combines Dr. Asher's Total Physical
Response (TPR) with Dr. Stephen Krashen's second
language acquisition strategies.
Why TPR-Storytelling?

4.  Teachers who use TPR-Storytelling base their
rationale on the SLA theories of Stephen Krashen:
 Krashen holds that “the best way to help students
develop both fluency and accuracy in a language is to
expose them to large amounts of Comprehensible
Input.” (1987)
 The steps and techniques in TPR-Storytelling help
teachers provide huge amounts of comprehensible
input by making the language spoken in class both
comprehensible and engaging through storytelling
and reading.
Rationale

5. •Establish
meaning
Step One
•Spoken
Class Story
Step Two
•Reading
Step Three
TPR-Storytelling is Divided Into Three
Steps

6.  Introduce students to new vocabulary to be used in
the lesson.
 The new vocabulary is written on the blackboard. If
students forget what a phrase means, they can glance
at the board and check the meaning at any time.
 Practice saying new words using gestures, in a style
modeled after traditional TPR. Students are given the
chance to get used to how the phrases sound before
hearing them in context. This keeps the atmosphere
of the class relaxed and conducive to learning.
Establish Meaning

7.  The story is short and will contain multiple instances of the
target chunks used in context
 The number of times the chunks are heard is further
increased by the circling questioning technique. TPR-S
teachers say each new chunk at least 50 times in the
course of a story
 The teacher uses a script with few details, fleshing out the
story using details provided by students in the TL
 The story is ‘acted out’ by students, prompted by ‘asking’
prompts from the teacher
Spoken Class Story

8.  Reading is a huge component to the TPR-S approach
and borrows from Krashen’s SLA reading hypothesis:
“the more we read in a SL the greater our vocabulary
will be.”(1987)
 There are four types of reading activities:
 Class reading
 Free voluntary reading
 Shared reading
 Homework reading
Reading

9.  Class reading is the most common reading activity
 This reading is based on the story from the storytelling part
of the lesson
 The reading should be structured so that students will be
able to understand most of the story on first view
 The story is read aloud and the teacher checks for
comprehension
 This process aims to ensure that all of the students
understand all of the words in the reading, as well as the
meaning of the reading as a whole
Class Reading

10.  The research for FVR is very strong, and has
consistently shown that FVR is as good or better than
taught language lessons (Krashen, 2004)
 Free voluntary reading can be done in the classroom
or at home
 Teachers should educate students about FVR in class,
introduce books for them to read, and give advice on
good reading practices
Free Voluntary Reading

11.  Shared reading (Kindergarten Day!) refers to the
practice of the teacher reading a children's picture
story book to the students
 Kindergarten Day is meant to create the image of
being read to as a child, but the activity can be done
with any age group
 Teacher reads to the students, shows them the
pictures, asks them questions, makes the story
comprehensible
Shared Reading

12.  "Teach to the eyes.” - Susan Gross, TPRS presenter,
Colorado
 “Weighing the pig more often will not make it grow
faster.” - Dr. Stephen Krashen
 “Circling is the heart of TPRS” – Ben Slavic
Principles of TPR-S

13.  Looking the students directly in the eyes gives the teacher
a good indication of whether or not they understand what
is being said
 Teachers choose one student and talk to them directly.
After they have finished talking to that student, pick
another student in a different part of the room to talk to
 Focusing attention on individual students helps teachers to
assess student comprehension levels and keeps the
teacher's intonation conversational and interesting
Teach to the Eyes

14.  “Weighing the pig more often will not make it grow
faster.” - Dr. Stephen Krashen
 Assessment in TPR Storytelling is ongoing
 Check students’ comprehension daily by asking
questions about the stories as they are being told and
retold
 Students who are answering are understanding
 Check with ‘pacesetter’ students so that your pace
isn’t too fast
On Assessment

15.  “An unannounced vocabulary test assesses how well
students have acquired the vocabulary. An announced
vocabulary test assesses how thoroughly students have
studied for the test.” (Ray, 1990)
 The extra credit question:
 “At the end of each test, offer students one extra point for
responding in English to the question, ‘Tell me what’s
going on in your life.’ It will provide personalized
information for stories and an invaluable connection with
the students.” (Ray, 1990)
On Testing

16.  The Ten Steps to Circling:
 1. Start with a statement.
2. Ask a yes/no question where the answer is YES.
3. Repeat the answer.
4. Ask a neither/or question.
5. Repeat the answer.
6. Ask a yes/no question where the answer is NO.
7. Repeat the wrong answer and restate the correct one.
 8. Ask a Who? What? Where? How? Why? question.
9. Repeat the answer.
10. Add a detail and start circling again.
Circling

17.  Example of circling “Dad wants to eat a wolf.”
 Statement
 Teacher: Class, Dad wants to eat a wolf!
 Students: Ooooh!
 "Yes" question
 Teacher: Does Dad want to eat a wolf?
 Students: Yes, Dad wants to eat a wolf.
 Either/Or question
 Teacher: Does Dad want to eat a wolf or a sandwich?
 Students: Dad wants to eat a wolf.
 "No" question
 Teacher: Class, does Dad want to eat a sandwich?
 Students: No, Dad does not want to eat a sandwich.
 "Wh" question
 Teacher: Class, what does Dad want?
 Students: Dad wants to eat a wolf!
Example of Circling

18.  Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling
(TPR-S) is an amazing teaching approach with tons of
online resources.
 We encourage you to conduct your own research and
apply the principles/techniques in your own class.
 Please utilize us both as a resource! We are here for you.
Thank You!