Stories provide great educational platforms that make children laugh, question and think. I already used many stories last year to teach French but I never really tried out in Spanish.

Easter in Spain is a very special occasion closely connected to catholicism and Jesus. That is why I decided to have a special lesson where I would explain to my grade 6 students (11-12 years old) the Easter story of Jesus in Spanish.

Grow story Grow was the perfect tool to deliver this lesson.
" It is a story-telling website for learning languages. The stories are uniquely written for learning languages. They start off very simply and 'grow' with the addition of high frequency words. The idea is that learners can start off with minimal language and slowly build their confidence and language knowledge as they progress through the levels.

There are many types of stories:

• Educational stories (The Solar System, The Plant Cycle, World Culture, The Easter Story)
• Traditional stories from around the world (Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Dreaming Tree, The Honeyguide's Revenge)
• Funny stories, sad stories, interesting stories (Indian Village, The Great Wall of China, Blob)

The method used is called 'progression through high frequency words'. The stories progress by adding high frequency words, giving the children the skills to understand and build their own sentences. In English there are 12 words that make up 24% of all reading and writing. The same theory applies in other languages. By focusing on these words in your teaching you are providing the children with an excellent start to their language-learning journey. If you are interested in this method you can download a paper written on this method here."

You can have a free but limited access to the site by registering, which is what I did and I still have access to many stories in different languages. If you want to have full access to the site, you will have to pay. A special licence of £40 for a one year period  is available to all registered users who sign up before the launch date (May).

What were the high points of the lesson?:

• The Spanish Easter story comes in 3 different levels. I started by showing my students the level 3 which is the most difficult to understand. Nevertheless, with the help of the pictures and the cognates and also the fact that a few students knew the story already, the class realized that they could understand most of the sentences and they felt a great sense of achievement.
• I printed a blank script with pictures, which comes with the story when you click on "Resources". Students then listened again to the talking book and wrote their own copy of the story at the same time. It enhanced their literacy and listening skills.
• Students also understood other cultures and subjects. One girl made the connection between the Last Supper and a painting she studied in Art.
• It provided a stimulating context for language-learning. One boy told me he really enjoyed the lesson because for once he didn't learn basic words!

What are the low points?:
I cannot share the stories and therefore I cannot embed them on the school blog, which would be ideal for my students to be able to go back to it.

However, I really recommend registering to this website. It is well thought for teachers and it offers learners a truly enjoyable and productive language-learning experience.

What about you? Which tools do you use for story-telling?