Chain Story Activity

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Jo Cummins (Creativities)

(Photo taken from http://flickr.com/eltpics by @sandymillin, used under a CC Attribution

Non-Commercial license, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

This activity was inspired by a great blog post by Rachael Roberts on ELT Resourceful on
Collaborative writing activities. In the post Rachael mentions circle writing (or chain writing)
activities and states she is “not actually very keen on this activity. It can have some amusing
outcomes, but I wonder what exactly the students are learning, as the process rarely produces
a coherent or cohesive outcome.” I also had the same issue with chain stories, it was hard to
see the point to them! However, the students did seem to enjoy them, and it got even the most
reluctant writers getting something down on paper. So I decided to try and find a way to make
them work for me, and this is what I came up with. It is a simple solution but it has always
worked well for me.

Aim: The class will collaborate on several stories and then edit and redraft to come up with
(hopefully) coherent (although probably at times bizarre) stories. I like to use a guided chain
story with prompts which can be found in many photocopiable resource books (the Reward
series have a couple), or you can make up your own with the class.

Level: A2+

Task:

1. Carry out the chain story (I always remind the students to write clearly because another
student is going to have to read their sentences afterwards). Set a time limit for students to
complete the question before saying change and asking the students to fold the paper over and
pass it to the person on their right. Monitor as they do the activity to check they have
understood the questions and their sentences are answering them.
2. Once the last question has been answered ask the students to pass the paper one more time
to the right. Tell the class that the paper they are now holding is their story and they are
responsible for it.

3. Ask them to unfold the paper and read the story. If there is anything they don’t understand
encourage them to find the person who wrote it and ask them to explain.

4. Now explain that they are going to redraft this story into a text. The text must be connected
and logical. They can add information but they have to keep the facts of the story the same as
they have on their paper. Ask them to try and make the story flow. Set them a time limit to
complete the task.

5. When they have finished the stories it is nice if everyone has an opportunity to read them
since they have all contriuted to them. If you have a class webpage or wiki they could be
uploaded there, or you could stick them up around the walls of the classroom and the students
could go round and read them. You could even vote on which was the funniest, strangest, etc.

https://creativitiesefl.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/chain-story-activity-2/

Chain story telling

In this speaking activity the students tell personal stories which are prompted by pictures. The
activity is performed as a mingle.

 Cut up cards of different objects, activities, animals, etc. selected randomly.

 Place the cards scattered on the floor in the middle of the classroom.
  Tell the students to pick up a card from the floor which they think makes them
remember one of the following:(a) a memorable event in their lives(b) a positive or
negative past or recent experience or(c) a story about a friend/family
member/acquaintance/etc that they would like to share with others.
 Tell the students that they must find another in the class and tell them what the picture
makes them remember and listen to the other person’s story too.
 Each student must tell their story for about one to two minutes only.
 Students then must exchange pictures and find another student to talk to.
 Emphasise that they must ask the name of the person they were talking to before they
move on to talk to another one.
 Students must then talk to another student and tell him/her the story of the person they
last talked to.
 Students swap pictures again and move on to talk to someone reporting the story
they’ve just listened to.
 Round the activity off by asking individual students to report to the class the
interesting things they’ve learned about other people in class.

http://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/teachers/lessons-and-activities/activities/chain-story-telling

Grammar activities: Chain story

By Olga Stolbova

Level: Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper intermediate, Advanced Type: Extra

 Print
 Email
 Share
 Comment
 Rate

This activity can be used for practising conditionals, though its different variations can serve
for reviewing the vocabulary as well. It helps students to link sentences in one text.

I usually use this activity with intermediate students, though it may work with lower-level
students. Students enjoy it as it usually results in some funny story which tunes them in a
good mood for the rest of the lesson.

Procedure

 Put on the board the pattern “If we have free time, we’ll go to the party” and explain
that the students are going to make a story one by one using this pattern. The catch is
that every student needs to use the second part of the phrase said by a previous student
as the first part of his/hers.

Student 1 If we have free time, we’ll go to the party.

Student 2 If we go to the party, we’ll have fun.
Student 3 If we have fun, we’ll come home late.
Student 4 If we come home late, we’ll miss our test tomorrow. etc.
Variation 2

 For revising the vocabulary make cards with vocabulary words you need to revise, one
word or expression on each card.
 Put the cards face down on the desk in the center. A student who starts, draws the first
card and says the first sentence, the next student draws the card and says the second
sentence etc.
 Students are telling a story, using only one sentence each with one word at a time,
trying to make a story go smooth. (You may ask them to use a certain pattern, or may
let it go free).

Tip

If a class is big, divide it into two teams and make them create their stories simultaneously,
taking turns. It will be more fun if both teams have the same beginning.

Variation 3

Instead of (or in addition to) distributing cards with vocabulary items on them, give students
the cards with different conjunctions and linking words: and, as soon as, while, but, although,
though, however, etc. The students need to tell a story by adding their sentence with the help
of the conjunction written on the card. In this activity they are allowed to change the grammar
structure of the previous sentence.

http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/lesson-share/extras/grammar/grammar-activities-
chain-story/145279.article