Recorded Stories

Groups collaboratively build a story by taking turns recording individual sentences on a shared device, then listen to and share their stories.

Procedure

1. Tell learners they will work in groups and record a story together. First, each group decides the genre (horror, sci-fi, romance, comedy, historical, fairy tale, mystery, etc.).
2. Groups decide the names and details of main characters (age, origin, occupation, etc.). Make sure devices are ready to record.
3. Learners take turns recording sentences. When someone thinks of a sentence, they take the recorder and say it. They may write the sentence first if they want. Everyone in the group should take a turn.
4. Continue until the group feels the story is complete.
5. Groups listen to their entire story from the beginning, then swap recorders to listen to other groups' stories. Alternatively, listen as a whole class.

Tips

• One smartphone or tablet with a recording app per group is sufficient.
• Variation: instead of a story, students sit in circles of 5-6 and have an unscripted conversation. Each line of dialogue is recorded. Students who don't know how to say something can ask the teacher first. Play back and transcribe (or use speech-to-text), then focus on vocabulary or grammar features.
• An original version of collaborative storytelling, reconfigured from writing to speaking and listening.