Teaching devices - group storytelling
Storytelling with a group of deaf children requires a different approach to one-to-one reading – maintaining the attention of a group of deaf children can be challenging because they do not have the stimulation of voice.
Before you start reading, there are things you can do to generate interest in books, clarify difficult issues in the story and ultimately enhance their understanding of the story: .gif)
Getting children to draw or paint scenes from a book is a useful way of reinforcing ideas and vocabulary before storytelling. If the story is likely to arouse strong emotions in the children, it can be useful to discuss this first. Deaf children can have trouble identifying and naming their emotions so it might be useful to explore these and give the children the words and the signs to use.
Getting children to draw or paint scenes from a book is a useful way of reinforcing ideas and vocabulary before storytelling. If the story is likely to arouse strong emotions in the children, it can be useful to discuss this first. Deaf children can have trouble identifying and naming their emotions so it might be useful to explore these and give the children the words and the signs to use.For example, before reading a story about fear you could discuss what it’s like to be scared. What other vocabulary is there that relates to being scared – frightened, fear, nervous, anxious...? You’ll see in some stories that we’ve added extra subtitles in red to enhance the story and bring the pictures to life. For example, in Noah’s Ark we make reference to the food and animals in the ark. In Owl Babies we make observations on how dark and scary the woods are. And in Chimp and Zee we answer some of the questions posed in the text. This is common in storytelling with British Sign Language. It’s good to ask your own questions and make your own observations when reading stories with children. 
Try to use visual aids to bring the story ‘out of the book’ – like a puppet or a doll.
Deaf children have a heightened sense of the visual and will concentrate better when they are engaged in looking for things in story pages – pointing out the characters, animals and scenes they recognise while you’re telling the story.
You’ll see in some stories that we’ve added extra subtitles in red to enhance the story and bring the pictures to life. For example, in Noah’s Ark we make reference to the food and animals in the ark. In Owl Babies we make observations on how dark and scary the woods are. And in Chimp and Zee we answer some of the questions posed in the text. This is common in storytelling with British Sign Language. It’s good to ask your own questions and make your own observations when reading stories with children.