The power of stories: a text and key words
Stories do more than entertain us. A story can spark (start) our imagination and an interest in new things. When we feel with a character, we build empathy, the ability to understand how another person feels. Many stories end with a moral, a lesson about how to behave. A story can also make us more aware of other points of view. To read critically means to ask questions: Was this a good choice? What would I do? Is this true? There are various kinds of stories, and each can help us to think in a different way. When you read a text, find the main idea first (here: stories help us to feel and to think) and then the details, such as who tells the stories and what happens when he asks questions. Your book has an information text about stories on page 86: read it after this lesson and write its main idea in one sentence. Here we practise with our own text.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| various | of many different kinds | The library has various books. |
| moral | a lesson from a story | The moral is: be kind. |
| empathy | understanding how others feel | She showed empathy to the new boy. |
| critically | with careful questions | He reads the news critically. |
Every Friday evening, Grandfather Taha tells us a story. He knows various kinds: funny tales, adventures and old folk stories from the village. When he describes a hungry traveller walking through a cold night, the story sparks my imagination and I can almost see the road. I also feel the traveller’s tiredness, and this empathy makes me kinder to the people around me. Each story has a moral at the end, and Grandfather asks, “What do you think about the traveller’s choice?” so we learn to think critically and not only to listen. After many years of stories, I am more aware that every person has a different point of view.
Story and moral. Ask a grown-up to tell you a story from their childhood. Write the moral in one sentence. Then ask them one critical question about it (Was it a good choice? What else could the person do?) and discuss the answer.