Pace: a story-Based Approach for Dialogic Inquiry about Form

11. Does the story frequently and naturally represent a grammatical structure on
which you will later focus?

12. Does the story lend itself to addressing some of the Goal Areas of the W-RSLL?
One of the best places to find stories is in the children’s section of a large public
library. Many libraries have well-illustrated children’s books (folktales, fairytales, fables, myths, legends, humorous tales, tall tales) in different languages. The Internet is also a rich source of authentic stories in your target language. However, when using the Internet, or when searching materials marketed by publishers of second language materials, remember that an authentic story is one written by a member of the target language community for purposes other than language instruction. Usually, the writer’s motivation is to tell an interesting tale, entertain, explain the human condition, or illustrate a moral or theme. Some websites and second language material developers offer texts that do not follow the above criteria. For example, some stories are translations containing illustrations and cultural references that have not been modified to match the cultures of the language into which the story has been translated. An authentic story worthy of being integrated into the curriculum should have the following characteristics:

● a compelling theme;

● characters with personality;

● a problem;

● a plot with stageable actions and events; and

● a resolution to the problem.

Fairytales are appropriate for PACE lessons. They are internationally known (e.g.,
Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood, Peter Pan) and find their origins in many different cultures.