Teach English in Caishi Zhen - Yongzhou Shi

Philip Pullman (English novelist) said that “after nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” It is true that our culture has revolved around stories, whether we are in front of a fire telling stories, in bed under the covers with just a torch narrating scary stories, reading them from a comic book, or watching cartoons and films on television, stories are a big part of everybody’s life, children and adults, different stories but nonetheless vital and important for everyone. There are various methods of storytelling but in modern life it is mostly through movies, video games, cartoons etc etc.. so the aim of the teacher is to encourage the children to love and appreciate storytelling through written words and pictures as much as they love the stories they watch. It is best to instil a love of books and reading from birth. Reading one-on-one to children is nurturing and helps develop the relationship between parent and child while also encouraging a positive connection between children and books. Children who grow up in families that embrace and encourage reading during the early years are more likely to enjoy reading and will also have a much greater vocabulary. Reading to young children is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills, it also builds motivation, curiosity, imagination and memory. It also provides children with a vocabulary that they will use throughout life, because when we talk we don’t usually use a wide variety of words (especially when talking to/with children because we think they won’t understand) and we are not always grammatically correct. When we talk, we generally do not take the time to form well-thought-out sentences. Unfortunately this is not always the case as some parents do not have the love for books and reading inside themselves so many kids are not used to this kind of activities at home. In these cases the teacher must work harder to transmit the love for books, for reading and for listening to the child. There are many ways to encourage kids to enjoy reading. Reading aloud is one of them. It is plain enjoyable to see the delight on a child’s face when they encounter a good book, the expression of happiness or sadness, the hesitation to find out what happens at the end. It helps children become familiar with books and accustomed to listening and focusing. It will also give them an early awareness of the art of reading. Another way to interest them into books is to talk to them about their favourite movies, TV shows or video games, find books that expand on those universes and characters that already have kids captivated. Show them how dynamic visuals and written storytelling work together in comic books and graphic novels. It is also important to surround kids with good books, and let them choose their own reading material. When we give kids access to a rich library we provide hundreds of opportunities every day for their eye to fall on an intriguing title, or for them to see another child choose a book and become engrossed in it. When we surround kids with books we show them that reading is something to do at any moment of the day. It is important that the teacher shows the children how much he/she loves reading because teachers are no less influential in the lives of their children then their parents so the love for books can be transmitted at school as much as can be at home. Another way to reach to the children is to take them to a trip to the local library and let them choose a whole bunch of books of their favourite topics, in some cases this is what they need to open their minds to the world of books. Also it is good to let them visit the adult section of the library where they will be able to spend time when they will be older, looking for books or reading in this peaceful environment inspiring them for the future.