THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES  TRAN THI KIM LIEN USING STORYTELLING TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY FOR THE PUPILS OF GRADE AT QUYET THANG PRIMARY SCHOOL (Sử dụng kể chuyện nhằm tăng vốn từ vựng cho học sinh lớp Trường Tiểu học Quyết Thắng) MASTER THESIS RESEARCH Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 THAI NGUYEN - 2018 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES  TRAN THI KIM LIEN USING STORYTELLING TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY FOR THE PUPILS OF GRADE AT QUYET THANG PRIMARY SCHOOL (Sử dụng kể chuyện nhằm tăng vốn từ vựng cho học sinh lớp Trường Tiểu học Quyết Thắng) MASTER THESIS RESEARCH (APPLICATION ORIENTATION) Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Dr Bui Thi Huong Giang THAI NGUYEN - 2018 DECLARATION The writer fully declares that this research paper is composed by the writer herself, and it does not contain materials written or having been published by other people, and that from other references A THESIS USING STORYTELLING TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY FOR THE PUPILS OF GRADE AT QUYET THANG PRIMARY SCHOOL Submited by: Tran Thi Kim Lien Approved by Supervisor, Dr Bui Thi Huong Giang i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The thesis on “Using Storytelling to Improve Vocabulary for the Pupils of Grade at Quyet Thang Primary School” came to completion On this occasion, the writer would like to thank all those people who have contributed to the completion of this research report The deepest gratitude and appreciation are extended to Dr Bui Thi Huong Giang, the supervisor who has given her continuous guidance, helpful correction, moral support, advice and suggestion, without her valuable support it is doubtful that this thesis came into completion The writer’s deepest thank also goes to the following: Mrs Tran Thi Sau as the principal of Quyet Thang Primary School, who has permitted and given the opportunity to the writer to carry out her study at the school Mrs Dinh Thi Lien as a teacher of English at Luong Ngoc Quyen Primary School in Thai Nguyen City, Ms Vu Thi Ngoc Anh as a teacher of English at Quyet Thang Primary School, who have willingly shared their time to conduct the treatment and collect some data needed for completing her study The teachers and students at Quyet Thang Primary School, especially students in Class 4A and 4D at the academic year 2017-2018 who have participated in this study All of the lecturers of The English Department of School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University, who have guided and shared their knowledge during her academic years Mrs Nguyen Thi Xuan as a teacher of English at Thai Nguyen High School for the Gifted, for her support, critic and guidance Her beloved parents and her younger brother and her best friends Ha and Xuyen for their endless love, support and encouragement ii The writer realizes that this thesis is still far from perfect She therefore will be glad to receive any constructive criticism and recommendation to make this thesis better Finally, the writer expects that this thesis will be useful to the reader who wishes to learn something about teaching methods, especially using Storytelling in teaching English Thai Nguyen, October 2018 ABSTRACT This study aims at improving primary pupils’ vocabulary by using storytelling and find out the impact of using storytelling on young learners’ learning English vocabulary It also describes students’ perception and feeling after experiencing Storytelling method This research is action research which was conducted in Quyet Thang Primary School in Thai Nguyen City in the second term of the academic year 2017-2018 It consists of planning, implementing the action, observing and reflecting The data were gained through tests, observation sheet, questionnaires and interviews The data attained from those instruments were analyzed using formula to calculate mean, target of study, questionnaire percentage The data then were interpreted descriptively The result of study shows that storytelling can improve young learners’ English vocabulary during teaching and learning process In addition, it also improves students’ marks in the learning process Furthermore, according to students, this teaching method is considered as a fun, good, stress-less method that helps them to memorize English words easily and makes their learning easier Key words: storytelling, vocabulary, young learners TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ABSTRACT iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF CHART viii LIST OF DIAGRAMS ix CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 Background of the study 1.2.Objectives of the study 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 The scope of the study 1.5 Organization of the study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical Framework 2.1.1 Teaching and learning a foreign language in elementary schools 2.1.2 Characteristics of Young Learners 2.1.3 The importance of vocabulary in teaching and learning foreign languages 2.1.4 Storytelling in the classroom 10 2.1.4 Storytelling in teaching vocabulary 11 2.1.5 The Steps to Implement Storytelling 12 2.2 Previous studies on the use of storytelling to improve vocabulary for young learners 14 CHAPTER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 20 3.1 Research Questions 20 3.2 The study design 20 3.3 Participants .21 3.4 Materials .21 3.5 Teaching Procedure 22 3.6 Research Procedure 23 3.7 Data collection instruments 26 3.8 Data analysis 27 3.9 Indicators of Success 29 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 31 4.1 FINDINGS 31 4.1.1 Observing .31 4.1.2 The Questionnaire Findings 36 4.1.3 The Semi-structured Interview Findings .42 4.2 Discussion 42 4.2.1 Students’ Activities 42 4.2.2 Students’ Grade .43 4.2.3 Discussion of the Result of the Questionnaire and Interview 44 CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 47 5.1 Conclusion 47 5.2 Suggestions 48 REFERENCES 51 APPENDIX I APPENDIX IX APPENDIX XI APPENDIX XV APPENDIX XVI APPENDIX XVII APPENDIX XVIII APPENDIX XIX APPENDIX XXVI LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Pupils’ activities in the teaching-learning process 31 Table 4.2 Students’ grade achievement in the pre-test 33 Table 4.3 Students’ grade achievement in the post-test 35 Table 4.4 Pupils’ perception and pupil’s feelings of personal enjoyment after experiencing Storytelling method .37 vii LIST OF CHART Chart 4.1 Pupils’ activities in the teaching-learning process 32 APPENDIX TEST MATRIX 0.25 marks /1 question S ki ll s Li st en in g E v al u Li st en Li st en Li st en R R ea ea di dR n g ea d R ea d an d W L rit o in o g k L o o k S G pe et ak ti in nTa g lk in gD e s T c ot al L L L L Le e e e e v v v v 1 qs qs q s qs qs qs 1 1 qs qs qs qs 1 qs qs q s 1 qs qs qs q s m a q s qs qs qs qs qs T ot al q qs 1 1 qs qs qs qs m a r8 q s m 8a 1 qs qs qs qs qs qs 1 23 1qs 32 0 0 q s m a r k 18 APPENDIX PRE-TEST Thai Nguyen Office of Education and Training TEST Quyet Thang Primary School Subject: ENGLISH Name: School year: 2017- 2018 Class: Liste ning Time: 40 minutes Readin Writ g ing S T QQ Q Q Q Q Q Q p o M e t a r k PART I: LISTENING (15 minutes) (3 points) Question 1: Listen and match There is one example (1pt) Example: You hear : - Hello My name is Miu the cat Nice to meet you! A B C D E Question Listen and number There is one example.(1 point) Example: You hear What is the rabbit doing? 19 - It’s running The answer is (E), so number (0) on (E) A B C D E Question Listen and complete the conversation There is a word in each blank There is one example (1 point) Example: You hear What day is it today? So you write “What day is it today”? Miu: What (0)…day… is it today? Chit: It's (1)……………… Miu: And what's the date today? Mary: It's the (2)………… of October Miu: Oh! It's Maurice's (3) ………….today! Chit: Is he having a (4)……………… ? Miu: Yes, he is! PART READING AND WRITING (20 minutes) (5 points) Question 4: Look and read Write the correct words next to their descriptions There is one example (1 point) a cook orange juice rabbit zoo Tortoise 0/ It’s a kind of drink orange juice 1/ The person who prepares and cooks food 2/ It is an animal with long ears 3/ It is an animal with a thick and hard shell 4/ You can see animals there _ Question Read and tick () TRUE or FALSE There is one example (0) (1point) There was a beautiful forest Many animals lived happily in the forest Tortoise and rabbit also lived in the forest But one day they had an argument about who was faster They decided to go on a race to find who was better Finally they went on a race in front of all the animals The rabbit ran very fast but the tortoise walked slowly After sometime, rabbit looked back and the tortoise was far behind The rabbit decided to take rest for some time and run again The rabbit slept The tortoise walked slowly and crossed the rabbit The rabbit woke up suddenly and saw that the tortoise was nearing the winning post The rabbit started to run But, the tortoise won the race TRUE There were two forests FASLE v Tortoise lived in the forest The rabbit and the tiger went on the race The tortoise walked slowly The rabbit won the race Question Read and select a word from the box to fill each gap You don’t need to use all words in the box There is one example (0) (1 point) 0) Hello, I’m Mary I’m from (1) I can (2) I like (3) around my house Yesterday was Sunday It was my (4)_ Hello I had a lot of fun America Birthday Walking Play the guitar Laughing Question 7: Look at the pictures and the letters and complete There is one example (0) (1 point) (0)birthday 1.Bl_nd m_n’s Bl_ff C_k_ w_ _ e up _n _ ck Question 8: Look at the pictures and the words Write the sentences There is one example (1point) is/Monday/It/today/ It is Monday today play/ can/ Mary/ guitar./ the bed/ too/ spongy/ This/ is XXII 3.gnawed/ The/ ropes/mouse/the/ lost/ rabbit/ The/ race/ the/ ……………………………………………………… PART SPEAKING (5 minutes) (2 points) Part 1: Getting to know each other The examiner asks questions below: What’s your name? Where are you from? Part 2: Talking about a familiar topics The test taker is given a carton box in which there is a set of questions with the picture about the topic that students have learnt The examiner tells the test taker to pick one strip into the box and answer the following questions (“Please open the box and take one strip.”) What are the cats doing? What are they playing? Do you like playing games? Why? Why not? Part 3: Describing the picture The students look at the pictures in the stories “Cat and Mouse” and answer the teacher’s questions or say about the pictures’ actions What Miu can do? What day is it today? === The end ==== ====Good luck to you===== 23 TAPE SCRIPT FOR LISTENING SECTION Question 1: Listen and draw the lines There is one example.(1 point) Example: You hear : Hello My name’s Miu the cat So the answer is (B) Miu: What can you do? Mary: I can play the guitar Miu: What day is it today? Chit: It’s Monday Miu: Hello, I am Miu Mary: Hello,Miu I’m Mary Nice to meet you! Miu: What nationality are you? Mary: I am American Question Listen and number There is one example.(1 point) Example: You hear : -What is the rabbit doing? - It’s running Maurice: Today is my birthday Miu and Chit: Happy Birthday Maurice! Miu: What can you do, Mary? Mary: I can play the guitar Miu: What are they doing? Chit: They are playing games Miu: Let’s go to the zoo Chit: Great idea! Question Listen and complete the conversation There is a word in each blank There is one example (1 point) Example: You hear What day is it today? So you write “What day is it today”? Miu: What day is it today? Chit: It's Monday Miu: And what's the date? 24 Mary: It's the fifth of October Miu: Oh! It's Maurice's birthday today! Chit: Is he having a party? Miu: Yes, he is! ANSWER KEYS Each right answer is 0, 25 points PART I: LISTENING (15 minutes) (3 pts) Question Listen and draw the lines (1 pt) E; D; A; 4:C; Question Listen and number (1 pt) A 2; B 4; C 3; D 1; Question Listen and complete( ) (1pt) Monday; fifth; birthday ; party; PART READING AND WRITING (20 minutes) (5 pts) Question 4: Read and tick .(1pt) B; B; A; B Question Read and tick () TRUE or FALSE 1pt) True; False; True; False Question Read and select a word from the box to fill each gap (1pt) 1-America 2-play the guitar 3- stamps 4-birthday Question 7.Look and write (1pt) Blind man’s bluff cake Wake up 4.knock Question 8: Look at the pictures and the words Write the sentences (1pt) Mary can play the guitar This bed is too spongy The mouse gnawed the ropes The rabbit lost the race PART SPEAKING (5 minutes) (2 pt) Evaluate pupil’s speaking skills based on the speaking activities Part 1: Getting to know each other (1 pt) Part 2: Talking about a familiar object (1 pt) Part Describing the picture (0.5 pts) Answer all questions correctly Speak fluently, confidently Good pronunciation 25 APPENDIX POST-TEST Thai Nguyen Office of Education and Training Quyet Thang Primary School TEST Subject: ENGLISH Name: School year: 2017- 2018 Class: Time: 40 minutes Liste ning QQ Q M a r k Readin Writ g ing S T Q Q Q Q Q p o e t PART I: LISTENING (15 minutes) (3 points) Question 1: Listen and match There is one example (1pt) Example: You hear: - Let’s go to the zoo? - Great idea! Let’s go together The answer is (a), so you match (0) with (a) A D B C E Question Listen and number There is one example.(1 point) 26 Example: You hear There was a beautiful forest Many animals lived happily in the forest The answer is (E), so number (0) on (e) A B C D E Question Listen and complete the conversation There is a word in each blank There is one example (1 point) Example: You hear Let’s go to the zoo So you write “Let’s go to the zoo!” Mary: Let’s go to the (0) zoo Miu: What (1)…….… you want to see? Mary: I want to see (2)……………….What about you? Miu: I want to see (3)……………… Why you like elephants? Mary: Because they are (4)……………… Miu: Really? Chit: Yes Miu: Yes, he is! PART READING AND WRITING (20 minutes) (5 points) Question 4: Look and read Write the correct words next to their descriptions There is one example (1 point) a musician lion Orange juice a cottage XXVII elephant 0/ It’s a kind of drink orange juice 1/ It has a long nose and large ears 2/ The person who is skilled in playing music _ 3/ It is a small house, usually in the countryside: _ 4/ It is strong and powerful with long fur _ _ Question Read and tick () TRUE or FALSE There is one example (0) (1point) There was a beautiful forest Many animals lived happily in the forest Tortoise and rabbit also lived in the forest But one day they had an argument about who was faster They decided to go on a race to find who was better Finally they went on a race in front of all the animals The rabbit ran very fast but the tortoise walked slowly After sometime, rabbit looked back and the tortoise was far behind The rabbit decided to take rest for some time and run again The rabbit slept The tortoise walked slowly and crossed the rabbit The rabbit woke up suddenly and saw that the tortoise was nearing the winning post The rabbit started to run But, the tortoise won the race T F 0/   Th 1/  M 2/   Th 3/   Th 4/  Th Question Read and select a word from the box to fill each gap You don’t need to use all words in the box There is one example (0) (1 point) It is (0) Thursday It is (1) today Linda is going to the (2)_ with her parents She likes to see monkeys because they are funny, but she doesn’t like (3) because they can (4) very loud 28 Drink Labor Day Zoo Roar Thursday Bears Question 7:Look at the pictures and the letters and complete There is one example (0) (1 point) (0)birthday 1.s_ e_p N_ _ b_ _ d _a _ _e Question 8: Look at the pictures and the words Write the sentences There is one example (1 point) I 1./ pi an o/ be d/ to fe ll/ tr ap to rt oi SPEAKING (2 points) Greeting & test taker’s name check The teacher says “My name is…It’s nice to talk to you today.” Part 1: Getting to know each other The examiner asks questions in the list below: What is your name?  How old are you? Part 2: Talking about a familiar object  The test taker is given a carton box in which there is a set of questions with the picture about the topic that students have learnt The examiner tells the test taker to pick one strip into the box and answer the following questions (“Please open the box and take one thing.”) Where is the monkey? Where is the rabbit? What animals you want to see? Why you want to see them? Part Describing the picture The students look at the pictures in the stories “Cat and Mouse” and answer the teacher’s questions or say about the pictures’ actions What Miu can do? What does Mary’s dad do? === The end === ======Good luck to you===== TAPE SCRIPT FOR POST-TEST LISTENING SECTION Question 1: Listen and draw the lines There is one example.(1 point) Example: You hear: - Let’s go to the zoo? - Great idea! Let’s go together The answer is (a), so you match (0) with (a) Chit: What does your mother do, Mary? Miu: She is a cook Mary: How much is the elephant T-shirt,please? Sales assistant: It’s seventy thousand dong Chit: What does your father do, Mary? Miu: He is a musician He plays in a band Miu: Where are they going? ? Chit: They are going to the beach Question Listen and number There is one example.(1 point) Example: You hear There was a beautiful forest Many animals lived happily in the forest The answer is (E), so number (0) on (E) There was a beautiful forest (0)Many animals lived happily in the forest (1)Tortoise and rabbit also lived in the forest But one day they had an argument about who was faster They decided to go on a race to find who was better (2) Finally they went on a race in front of all the animals The rabbit ran very fast but the tortoise walked slowly After sometime, rabbit looked back and the tortoise was far behind The rabbit decided to take rest for some time and run again (3)The rabbit slept The tortoise walked slowly and crossed the rabbit The rabbit woke up suddenly and saw that the tortoise was nearing the winning post The rabbit started to run (4)But, the tortoise won the race Question Listen and complete the conversation There is a word in each blank There is one example (1 point) Example: You hear Let’s go to the zoo So you write “Let’s go to the zoo!” Mary: Let’s go to the (0) zoo Miu: What (1) animals you want to see? Mary: I want to see (2) elephants What about you? Miu: I want to see (3) tigers Why you like elephants? Mary: Because they are (4) quiet Miu: Really? Chit: Yes Miu: Yes, he is! POST-TEST ANSWER KEYS Each right answer is 0,25 points PART I: LISTENING (15 minutes) (3 pts) Question 1: Listen and draw the lines There is one example.(1 point) E; D; B; C; Question Listen and number (1 pt) 5- C, 6- A, 7- D, 8- B Question Listen and complete (1pt) 1- animals 2- elephants 3- tigers 4- quiet PART READING AND WRITING (20 minutes) (5 pts) Question 4: Read and tick.(1pt) elephant; A musician; 3.a cottage; lion Question Read and tick () TRUE or FALSE (1pt) T F T F Question Read and select a word from the box to fill each gap (1pt) Labor Day zoo bears 4.roar Question 7.Look and write (1pt) sleep 2.net band taste XXXII ... SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES  TRAN THI KIM LIEN USING STORYTELLING TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY FOR THE PUPILS OF GRADE AT QUYET THANG PRIMARY SCHOOL (Sử dụng kể chuyện nhằm tăng vốn từ vựng cho học. .. 31 4. 1 FINDINGS 31 4. 1.1 Observing .31 4. 1.2 The Questionnaire Findings 36 4. 1.3 The Semi-structured Interview Findings .42 4. 2 Discussion 42 4. 2.1... 42 4. 2.2 Students’ Grade .43 4. 2.3 Discussion of the Result of the Questionnaire and Interview 44 CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 47 5.1 Conclusion 47 5.2