Inside stories - Susan Benton

"Inside Stories 3", the third book in this four-volume series, is concerned to assist students explore the nature and roots of story, the act of reading and their own critical response rather than to offer merely "comprehension-type" activities. It is geared to the needs of pupils working towards Key Stage 4 and it reflects, the needs of the teachers of such groups. The range of authors represents some of the best of modern story writers from several nationalities, reflecting the view that the range of stories presented in classrooms should be diverse, multi-cultural and include American and Commonwealth writers as well as translations. There is an attempt to promote an awareness of the roots of story such as those in fairy story, classical myth and legend, and the Bible. This volume also includes fables and parables which have their roots in the oral tradition. In common with the other books of this series "Inside Stories 3" is divided into two main sections. In each volume, Section A - Exploring Stories is a "teaching section" which focuses on specific aspects of storytelling or on types of story. Thus, for example, Section A of this volume offers teaching sections on fables, on parables and allegorical stories, and on fairy stories. The material on fairy stories asks pupils to articulate their implicit knowledge about the conventions of this genre and to consider some modern alternative views. Here we have been alert to the Cox Report and National Curriculum recommendations that pupils should be encouraged to think critically about stories, question authorial stance and intention, recognise that attitudes and beliefs expressed are not necessarily those of the author, and be aware of the choices made by writers with regard to vocabulary, imagery, genre, forms and style. Section B is a teaching anthology of stories loosely linked by theme into sections. Whilst acknowledging that any such sectionization is far from perfect, it does, we believe, help the teacher to present disparate material in a manageable fashion. Teachers should not feel bound by the sections, however, and would cut across these artificial boundaries - or introduce other material from outside - whenever it seems appropriate. Each story is accompanied by a teaching section - Inside the Story. The aim of this section is to prompt students to think more deeply about what they have read, about how it operates and about how they respond. In almost every case we have suggested pair or group discussion as a way into the text in the firm belief that one has to start with the student's own perceptions about the story before one can proceed further and that the sharing of such perceptions is, in itself, a valuable activity. The activities related to the text are wide ranging and are designed to further understanding of the structures and techniques used by tellers and writers of stories.