Storytelling (Story asking)

[Louis L Sorenson]

One of the things I've tried in my class this year was storytelling. We have gone through a number of passages. I put a chart of the interrogative questions with their glosses on the wall. We go through the story, and I have a chart up of the certain grammatical conjugation (usually) which are talking about. The latest story I've used is John 2, Water into Wine. It is full of aorists.

We read a verse, and then go over a question (all in Greek) which then has a number of multiple choice answers, some very innovative and controversial. The students have to answer "ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος" or "ψευδὴς ὁ λόγος" or answer "οὐκ οἶδα" or "οὐκ οἴδαμεν". Sometimes they have to pick the correct answer. I did this for a number of stories in Hale's book "Let's Read Greek", but I've found it's really fun to expand into New Testament stories. I have them open their Reader's New Testament to the passage, that is their vocabulary list.

The text of the passage is phrased and put on a separate paper. Verse numbers and line numbers are used as reference points. The questions have numbers and the answer letters. I've gotten really good response from my students. I make them answer back in Greek, repeating the correct answer. Some really fun stuff comes out of their mouths. For example, when I asked ἄπην ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ Ἰηςοῦ; (Was Jesus' father absent), an older gentleman said ου μνημονευω. So I answered αρα συγ' εκει παρης; (So you were present there?) We all had a good laugh.

I put a map up on the board with Greek city locations and geographical features (all in Greek). I write vocab on the whiteboard when needed, but not for everything. I try to write the questions so they can figure out the answers. ἐν οἶκῳ βασιλικῷ did not need any explaining (they knew οικος and βασιλευς). I translate the answer if they cannot immediately know its meaning, there is some new vocab here and there, but we just use it with a quick gloss or oral statement and go on.

I've uploaded a PDF of the whole thing (John 2.1-12) here· http://www.letsreadgreek.com/stories/th ... incana.pdf. It could even be used as a test. What do you think? It's still in the early stages. (I even wrote a pre-story, you know, don't you that when Jesus was in Capernaum, his mother sent him a letter which said, "Get to the wedding, Your hour has come!).

Another similar phrased text, (at this point without questions) is John 9.1.1-41 "The Man Born Blind From Birth" http://www.letsreadgreek.com/stories/th ... mbirth.pdf

Here are example questions:

(2) ποῦ ἐγένετο ὁ γάμος;
a. ἐν κώμῃ τινι
b. ἐν πόλει τινι
c. ἐν χώρᾳ ὀνόματι Σαμαρίᾳ
d. ἐν χώρᾳ καλουμένῃ Γαλιλαίᾳ
e. ἐν τῇ πόλει Καφαρναοφμ
f. ἐν πλοίῳ ἐπὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ τῆς Γαλιλαίας
g. ἐν οἶκῳ βασιλικῷ
h. ἐν νυμφῶνι (τόπῳ) ὃν (ὅπου) εἶλετο ὁ νυμφίος [νυμφών, -όνος, ὁ, bridal-hall]

(4) τίνες ἐκλήθησαν πρὸς τὸν γάμον; (ἀληθὴς ἢ ψευδὴς ὁ λόγος;)
a. Ἡρῴδης ὁ μέγας ἑκλήθη
b. ἐκλήθη Ἡρωδιὰς ἡ θυγάτηρ τοῦ Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως
c. Ἰησοῦς μόνος ἐκλήθη
d. οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐκλήθησαν
e. σύ γε ἐκλήθης
f. ἐκλήθην ἐγὼ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τὸν γάμον
g. πάντες συγγενεῖς τοῦ νυμφίου ἐκλήθησαν.

[Mark Lightman]

I like the PDF very much. Nice use of repetition and switch-outs. You provide some easy Greek which people are always looking for. You provide a way to get deeper into a given text by going outside and around it. ευγε! ευχαριστω σοι ποιησαντι τουτο. γραφεις καλους μυθους. συ ερωτᾳς καλα ερωτημα.

[Jonathan Robie]

This is really very helpful - and not miles away from the approach I'm trying to work out. You're a few years ahead of me ;-> I very much appreciate sharing this kind of concrete lesson plan, and will use ideas from it to improve my own planning.

If we really want to see communicative approaches become viral, we have to provide resources that allow someone who is not yet Randall Buth to teach a class with less effort that is now required. Materials like this are wonderful for that. Copying Paul Nitz's teaching techniques in his youtube videos is another way to get very concrete lesson plans. The more concrete lesson plans we have to compare, the more we will learn from each other.

[Thomas Dolhanty]

καλώς Louis· Very well thought out and laid out - as usual. μακάριοι οἵ τε μαθηταὶ σου οἱ δεχόμενοι πάντα τὸν καρπὸν σου κόπου φιλοπόνου·

Thank you for making the teachings available.

[Jonathan Robie]

Using this approach, can you give me some idea of the rate at which you work through a text?