Along a Path: A Guided Storytelling Exercise

From American Language and Culture Institute, California State University, Chico, CATESOL CONFERENCE, 1991 ALONG A PATH: A Guided Storytelling Exercise Imagine you are in nature, and you are walking along a path. What is it like, and what are you doing there? As you walk you find a glass or a cup. What is it like, and what do you do with it? Next you find a key. Describe the key. What do you do with it? You come to an obstacle. It may be a wall, or a river, or something else. What is it, and what do you do? Now you see a pole or a road sign. Tell me about it. What do you do? Suddenly a tiger is on your path. What is he like? What do you do? You come to some water. It may be a lake, a river, or an ocean. Describe it, and tell me what you do there. Finally you come to a precipice or a black hole. Describe it, and tell me what you do there. Key to the Symbols glass/cup = role of women in person's life key = intelligence obstacle = problems in person's life pole/road sign = role of men in person's life tiger = danger water = love precipice/black hole = death Students can ask each other questions, interviewing in pairs. Tell them they need to be specific in their answers. After each student has answered the questions, give them the key to the symbols and ask them to try to analyze their partner. Afterward, answers can be shared in a large group. NOTE FROM KAT, WEBMASTER: With a small ESL class, I had the students fold a piece of paper into eight squares and draw a simple picture for each storytelling point. When everyone was done, I had each student tell their partner their story using the pictures. Then I revealed what the symbols were supposed to represent, and we would have a fun discussion centering around everyone's drawings. Also, I'm pretty sure I've seen something similar to this conference handout in a book. If anyone can remember where it may have come from, please e-mail me (buscandocalifornia[at]yahoo.com) so I can give it proper credit.