Implementation of a didactic sequence using a story-based methodology to teach english as a foreign language in a young learners’ classroom

Abstract

The objective of this research is to improve the four basic language skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing in Third grade 8-9 year old learners at a private school in Cali through storytelling as an alternative to teach English as a foreign language. The work reviews some concepts such as the characteristics of young learners, the use of short stories as an educational tool in the language classroom, and some approaches to teach English to young learners. As a result, students from the participant group improved significantly their reading and speaking skills by the end of the school year. Among the conclusions it is stated that the use of short stories in the EFL classroom provides students with opportunities to use language in a meaningful way.