In A Faraway Land
Michael Berman, UK
ISBN: 978-1-84694-302-7
Price: £14.99 / $29.95
Publishing on: 28 May 2010
Pages: 260
Format: Paperback
Category: English as a Second Language
Author: Michael Berman
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About the book
About the author
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The book consists of a collection of 60 traditional and contemporary tales, graded Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate or Advanced. These come with photocopiable worksheets, as well as an answer key that contains notes for teachers with pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening tasks.
Stories not only entertain; they can also alter our experience so as to facilitate growth and change, and the tales included in this book have all been chosen with this aim in mind. Storytellers, unlike folklorists, who make statistical samplings of all the stories they have gathered, choose in the end those stories they believe in. However, at the same time, in selecting which tales to include, their length was a factor and also their subject matter. Stories have been chosen that deal with topics that tend to be featured in course books so they can be incorporated into an integrated programme.
Michael Berman works as a teacher and a writer. Publications include The Power of Metaphor for Crown House, The Nature of Shamanism and the Shamanic Story for Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Shamanic Journeys through the Caucasus for O-Books, and All God’s Creatures: Stories Old and New for Pendraig Publishing. ELT publications include A Multiple Intelligences Road to an ELT Classroom and On Business and for Pleasure (a self-study workbook). For more information please visit www.Thestoryteller.org.uk
The truly international collection of stories it contains will transform the learning environment of your classroom.
From: Wayne Rimmer Director of Studies, International House, Moscow
For me your gift is in the telling, in the reading, in the being with a group in a very special way that I cannot properly define. If you were to do a storytelling session like you did at Cesky Tesin [in the Czech Republic] I could see people flocking to your session
From: Mario Rinvolucri Author and Senior Teacher, Pilgrims
Michael Berman, alias the Storyteller, is back with a new collection of stories from all over the world. The carefully selected thought-provoking tales contain a rich vocabulary and provide language learners of all age groups with hours of inspiring and motivating listening experiences. For the language teacher, there is an excellent introductory section on how to use stories in the classroom and, as a welcome time-saving bonus, the tales come with photocopiable worksheets that contain various kinds of exercises and discussion points designed to practise and develop learners' listening and speaking skills. As an alternative worthy of consideration, non-native teachers who feel uneasy about reading out stories aloud in class can of course use the material for reading comprehension purposes. A very recommendable book!
From: Rolf Palmberg teacher and teacher trainer, Finland
Michael Berman's book makes good use of traditional tales and stories which students of different nationalities and of all ages can relate to. The concepts lend themselves to conversation and successfully engage students in numerous activities. It's an easy book to use with some very practical, hands-on ideas to assist teachers, and there are useful comments as insights into the stories. The book also incorporates a variety of activities including guided visualisations, lettergrams and questionnaires and in so doing caters for different learner styles. A book which teachers will no doubt find an indispensable part of their teaching, and which students will find both entertaining and rewarding. This is yet another one of Michael Berman's masterpieces and its originality is a breath of fresh air in the classroom.
From: Makkie Malyari BA, Cambridge DELTA , teacher and teacher trainer, Greece
I receive mountains of books. Some I keep but never use; others I merrily give away after reading and reviewing. Every now and then, though, a title drops through my letter box which I review, recommend to colleagues and then firmly promise myself never to lend (because teachers are dreadful at returning anything… but don’t tell anyone I said that). In a Faraway Land easily falls into the latter category: it’s one I know I’ll use and return to. Why? Unlike many ELT titles, which come in different sizes and colours but all say the same things, or teach grammar in an allegedly ‘revolutionary’ way, Michael Berman has put together a gem – one that provides lessons in life as well as teaching English. Who would deny that we all need a bit of that from time to time?
From: Wayne Trotman in the EL Gazette May 2010.
Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.
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