http://parlindunganpardede.wordpress.com/articles/language-teaching/using-short-stories-to-teach-language-skills/

MORAL VALUES1. Teaching values through stories with morals or lessons: Another way of approaching morals, values, and worldviews is through stories and examples that speak directly to particular values. A story is told with a lesson embedded in it. Typically, the stories show how to behave or how not to obey in situations where a decision has to be made. Often in these stories right behaviors and actions are rewarded and, of course, wrong behaviors bring undesirable consequences.Fables and parables have been used to teach right and wrong for thousands of years. This approach is most effective when the listener or reader is provoked to think by the story and then through discussion and thought discovers the lesson embedded in the story. Obviously, the lesson in the story can be too difficult to figure out or too obvious. When either is true, the approach is not very successful. It also fails if a lesson runs contrary to the existing worldview of the audience and when the story seems to be an attempt to force a belief that they do not want to accept. The story approach offers a lot of possibilities for the teacher. Most importantly, stories have plots, characters, and settingsall factors that make them both interesting to listen to or read and, at the same time, memorable.Nonfiction or fiction stories provide a way to look at different cultures, different times, and different beliefs. Every folk story tells a great deal about the culture from which it came. It shows what those people believed and, more importantly, what they thought was worth teaching or passing along to the younger generation.Stories offer opportunity for discussion and thinking, for questions, for focusing on alternatives, and for comparison both with other stories and with personal experiences. Students can learn through dramatizing experiences with stories, through looking at character motivation, through examining alternative outcomes and beginnings, and through looking at the author's viewpoint, for example.http://www.education.com/reference/article/develop-values/Use childrens literature to share examples of caring. Early childhood educators should be aware that usingchildrens literature to foster caring inchildren is both supported and criticized in the professional literature. The well-established practice of bibliotherapy where carefully chosen literature is used to help people solve problems certainly supports the idea. Yet, there are others who criticize the practice of using moral stories to build character. They suggest that labeling a complex set of behaviors with one word like respect or loyalty does not help children understand its meaning (Narvaez, 2002). They also suggest that the use of childrens literature in this way is not consistent with constructivist theory in that it represents an effort to give children a sense of morality rather than providing them with experiences to develop their own understandings about what it means to do the right thing (Narvaez, 2001, 2002).While its important to keep these criticisms in mind, its also wise to refer back to the idea of interactive discussion as an effective strategy in helping children construct their views of morality. Childrens literature often serves as an excellent stimulus for such discussion. Rather than just reading a book from cover to cover with children, teachers should help children uncover the meaning and personal implications of the story through thoughtful discussion. Such discussion should be based on the understanding that books cant givechildren morality but that they can serve as stimuli for meaningful social interaction. Readers should be reminded that morality arises out of social interactions and social relationships (Coles, 1997, 1986). (Seepage 20 for suggested childrens books for fostering caring in young children.)http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=565

The most important part of a teachers job is the appropriate selection of a story. Here is a list of the most important story selection criteria as suggested by Ellis, Brewster, Armstrong, Bell and others: 1. Childrens age 2. The level of language of the target group 3. Interest and motivation 4. Balance of new and familiar language 5. Illustrations 6. Natural repetition 7. Practice of pronunciation 8. Creation of positive attitudes It is also essential to remember in selecting a story that since children can identify with the characters and through the use of their imagination they become a part of the story, the teacher should try to choose a story that fits the childrens interests.

Illustrations are an inherent part of all storybooks. They synchronise with the text and help children to understand the story and develop their visual literacy. They may also help children to understand the unknown vocabulary. Children are able to predict the story just by looking at illustrations, which may lead to the most important skill speaking. Other than that, authentic storybook writers and illustrators may choose different print styles, artistic mediums and genres so that children may get to know them and learn about them in their art lessons. This represents another example of cross-curricular links. Illustrations play a very important role in books. They are invaluable and irreplaceable. They help children understand and decode the story and improve their visual literacy. Illustrations in books can help children develop skills such as 'reading' pictures and getting meaning from them. As previously noted, by selecting different types and genres of books with various kinds of illustrations, graphics and photographs, teachers inform children about artwork and develop their feelings for them.

http://is.muni.cz/th/105084/pedf_b/Storyline.pdf

When evaluating potential books, look at: The length and complexity of the story. Simple, short stories with repetitive language work best for young EFL learners. Does the book look overwhelming? Type that is too small, or too many words on a page, can intimidate young students. The level of vocabulary. How much of it will be review for your students? If students know less than 75% - 80% of the vocabulary, they may lose confidence in their ability to understand the story. Illustrations should be interesting and should help students understand both the vocabulary and the story. Finally, select a book that you think you will enjoy. It will be difficult to convince students to be enthusiastic about a story you don't like.

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Brown-ChildrensLit.html

Criteria for the selection of stories Bongs story Fulfills Exploits 28 appropriate language level (vocabulary, structures, notions/ functions) 9 8 content (interesting, fun, motivating, memorable, encourages participation) 9 8 visuals (attractive, potential to work with, size) 9 8 pronunciation (intonation, rhythm, repetition) 9 8 motivation (develop imagination, arouse curiosity, draw on personal experience) 9 8 Language learning potential (skills development, language practice, recycling, prediction, other strategies) 9 8 potential in terms of learning other subjects, target/other culture, metacognition 9

SELECTION CRITERIA OF TEXTS FOR YOUNG LEARNERSLANGUAGE LEVEL AND POTENTIALVocabularyNotions/ functionsStructuresGrammarPronunciation(intonation,rhythm,repetition)VISUAL FEATURESAttractive, potential to work with, sizePicturesColoursFontsLayoutCONTENT(interesting, fun, motivating, memorable, encourages participation,develop imagination, arouse curiosity, draw on personal experience)INTERESTMain characters-heroes(children)ThemeCULTURAL CONTEXTIdentity and cultural heritagesort of clotheskinds of houseskinds of foodtypes of kitchens and utensilssort of games they playedthe occupations of peopleSUITABILITYHow do the literature theme and treatment of ideas, characters andplot and the level of language suit the:child'sorchildren'smaturityandinterestspersonalproblemssocialsituationscreativeabilitiesunderstandingresponsesandfeelingsMORAL VALUESImplanting values

Moral reasoningMoral judgement is essential in guiding individuals to behave ethically and to respect the rights of all living things. Both fantasy and realistic fiction can provide a context within which children can examine the characters values and gain insight into their own values and attitudes (Goforth, 1998). Kohlberg and his colleagues (Colby & Kohlberg, 1987) found that working through complex moral dilemmas enhances moral reasoning levels of young adolescents, and Ghosn (2003) contends that childrens moral reasoning can similarly develop when they work through moral dilemmas in literature. For example,The Hundred Dressesmentioned above is a story of a poor immigrant child, who is bullied and mocked by classmates. One of the students feels guilty, but, afraid of becoming a victim of the bullying participates in having fun with Wanda. Discussing her choices and what options she might have had, and why what the children did was wrong, will help children gain insight into moral choices, and what they might do in a similar situation. Similar discussions can be raised after children have read stories such asThe Hundred Penny Box, a chapter book by Sharon Bell Mathis, andThe Summer My Father was Ten, a picturebook by Pat Brisson. When asked to relate the story events to their own life experiences,[End of page 43]childrens understanding of moral choices will grow. These three stories are suitable for intermediate learners as read-alouds, and as independent reading for advanced learners aged 10-12.Well-illustrated stories can reveal characters emotions through both text and pictures.The popularAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad DayandAlexander, Whos Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Moveby Viorst are excellent examples; Alexanders body language in the illustrations by Ray Cruz and R. B. Glasser, respectively, clearly reveals his emotions while the text tells the reader what is causing them. Children can explore the characters body language in the illustrations and look for clues to their emotions in the text. On many occasions characters emotions are revealed by behaviour even silence rather than words. Explicit instruction of vocabulary on emotions and feelings will facilitate discussion if they are only implied in the narrative.

http://clelejournal.org/article3/