Stone soup

Università degli studi di Firenze. Scienze della Formazione Primaria .Laboratorio di Inglese (IV anno). Professoresse Ilaria Giachi, Laura Innocenti e Manuela Kelly Calzini

Stone soup

(telling by me)

(Simona Conti 3650450)

Target Fifth year of Primary School Why this story? This story appeals to the pupils sense of humour, it's amusing and memorable. The illustrations are attractive and colourful and support children's understanding. The story is very useful for a recap of the vocabulary children learned in the third and in the forth year of primary school (about food, daily actions...). It also allows pupils to familiarize with language structures (to be, degrees of the adjective...). Finally it provides a starting point for follow up roleplay and drama activities. .

Something about Stone Soup Story The Stone Soup story is an European folk story. There are many versions of it. In some of them hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys. In other versions, a tramp convinces an old woman that he will make a tasty stone soup for both of them if she just adds a few ingredients for the garnish. I adapted the story for a classroom use, choosing different parts from different versions of it. Bibliography The pictures are by Val Biro. They're taken from the periodical C'era una volta, n. 8, 1985, Gruppo editoriale Walk Over .

A way to start the storytelling time...

Teacher shows to pupils a lot of boring exercises, saying that there will be soon a very difficult test and they have to study a lot for this. She starts writing the exercises on the blackboard... but she stops almost immediately and pretends to ear a voice. She says something like "Oh no. Not now. There's no time for a story now. My children have to study. No, no, no. I said no". But she takes a hat from her bag and wears it, pretending to fight to avoid doing so. Wearing the hat, she seems to calm down, but now she's a different person and she starts talking with a deeper voice.

Stone soup

Hi guys! I'm sorry I take your teacher place.. she will be back soon... but now, I have a story to tell you. A very interesting story, because it is a story about... ME. So listen! When I was younger I was very poor, but I was smart. So, imagine me as a young man, with an old hat, old shoes... alwais hungry! There's no work in my country and I need a job for earn money and buy... food!!! So I leave my home, my family and my friends and I walk.

I walk through a deep forest. I walk and I walk. I walk all night and I walk all day.I'm tired and hungry, so hungry! When I come out of the forest I see a little cottage, with smoke rising from the chimney.

I knock on the door, the door opens and an old woman looks at me suspiciously. "Who are you? And what do you want? I've nothing to give. So, you just go away!" she says. (She is not so nice, is she? Not even her cat is nice!... and behind her I can see many good things to eat... But - remember!- I'm smart, very smart. ) So I answer: "Oh, I just need some water! I have everything I need. I'm going to cook a hearty stone soup and there will be enough for you too, if you like". "A stone soup?" "It's the most delicious soup you will ever taste!"

"I may have some water". I build a roaring fire and put a cooking pot on it, filled with the water the woman gives me. Then I add a large stone. The woman looks at me from behind the courtains. Soon the soup is boiling busily. I dip in a spoon and taste the liquid. "Not bad... It is a pity I don't have a little salt". I say out loud. "Now that I come to think of it... I may have some salt" she comes and say. "How lucky!" I say and I put the salt in the pot. Then I taste the soup again. "Mmmm... much better!"

The soup bubbles. I taste it. "Not bad... of course, stone soup with beans is even better". "Oh! I just found a can of beans in the back of the cupboard!". You guys can guess the rest! The soup bubbles. I taste it. "Good... Of course stone soup with carrots is better still!". And she comes with carrots. The soup bubbles. I taste it. The smell of soup, meanwhile, fills the air. "Very good... but with..."

"...some mushrooms..." "...a few potatoes..." "...a turnip...

"...stone soup is better still!" And she brings me everything!

The old woman sets the table and we eat a wonderful soup."It's the best lunch I had in my whole life!" she says. "Your stone is fantastic!". "You can have it. It's a gift!" I answer. "Oh! This is the most beautiful gift I've ever had: now I can invite people for lunch everyday and... for free! I'll prepare stone soup for everyone!". "Yes, but don't forgive to add some salt... and beans... and onions..." "... and mushrooms, potatoes, cabbage... I will remember! Thank you!" And I walk away again.

A way to end the storytelling time... and start activities!

Teacher pretends to "come back" and to be disappointed for the interruption. She takes off the hat and asks children to tell her about the men and the story he tells. Activity 1 All together pupils try to tell the story to the teacher. She asks pupils comprehension questions, pretending she doesn't remember anything.

Activity 2 Pupils work in pairs. They cut the pictures and paste them in the correct order. Then, using these, they try to tell the Stone Soup story each others.

Activity 3 Teacher shows pupils some examples of Stone Soup recipe. She identifies with pupils the principal keywords and expressions. As homework children have each to write their own recipe.

Università degli Studi di Firenze Scuola di Studi Umanistici e della Formazione Corso di Laurea in Scienze della Formazione Primaria A.A. 2020/2021 - II semestre Laboratorio di recupero di Inglese IV anno Professoresse Ilaria Giachi, Laura Innocenti, Manuela Kelly Calzini Lavoro individuale di Simona Conti (3650450)