As language learners, our students also learn culture, and often prefer to do so with authentic material such as that from National Public Radio (NPR). The mission of NPR’s StoryCorps is “to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs” (www.storycorps.org) through short interviews. This article addresses how to use StoryCorpseffectively in ESL classes, what teachers should consider when choosing which interviews to use, and what students can learn from this resource.

THE INTERVIEWS

A new StoryCorps interview can be heard every Friday morning on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” program, and all interviews are archived on the StoryCorpsWeb site. Each interview is 2 to 4 minutes long and is usually of one person being interviewed by a friend, family member, or loved one. Different ages, races, and backgrounds are represented, and although a few celebrities have been interviewed, most interviews are of “regular” Americans on a variety of topics touching on U.S. history and/or culture. Some topics I have used in my high-intermediate listening and speaking class include the following:

• If a parent can and should also be their child’s friend
• Adopting children, and whether adoptions should be “open” or “closed”
• The success of an international student in becoming a U.S. public school teacher
• A successful marriage of 61 years
• How an oncology nurse deals with work among the dying

CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHOOSING INTERVIEWS

There is a huge archive of interviews at StoryCorps.org, so teachers may want to consider the following when choosing appropriate interviews for their students:

· Is the theme one that the students will be interested in?

· Is the theme one that the students will want to speak/write about?

· What aspects of culture does the interview address?

· Is the theme one that the teacher and students will be comfortable discussing if students want to do so in class?

· How quickly are the people speaking during the interview?

· Are the accents easy or difficult to understand?

· Do the speakers use a lot of advanced vocabulary?

· Do the speakers use a lot of slang?

MORE THAN LISTENING COMPREHENSION

As StoryCorps interviews are mostly of Americans by Americans, they can be used to teach English vocabulary, idioms, and elements of U.S. culture. In addition to using these interviews for listening comprehension (see the example lesson), I use these interviews as springboards for class discussions and as models for an interview students will conduct later as part of the course. They could also serve as writing prompts.

THE STRUCTURE OF EACH ASSIGNMENT

While class lessons could certainly be organized around a StoryCorps interview, my StoryCorps assignments are always done as homework, giving students a few days to complete them. I grade them for accuracy and completeness. On the assignment, students are instructed how to find the interview and told to listen as many times as they need to. Before they listen, students do a vocabulary exercise and/or study some words and idioms from the interview. Questions include those for main ideas and details as well as those that encourage critical thinking and relate the topic to the students’ lives. After the assignment is submitted, students often ask to discuss the topic of the interview―either in small groups, as one large group, or both. These discussions tend to lead to comments and questions about U.S. culture and other cultures. Teachers can also reinforce vocabulary and idioms from the interviews during class.

The Web Site for Teachers to Use

I recommend that teachers choose the interviews from the StoryCorps Web site at www.storycorps.org. On the left side of the Web site, click “Listen to Stories;” then, on the right side of the new page, open the drop-down menu under “Browse by Category.” Clicking on one of the categories will provide a list of all the interviews that relate to that topic and a link for listening to each interview.

The Web site for Students to Use

Although the StoryCorps Web site is ideal for teachers to gain access to each interview, the site is not as good for the students because there is no introduction to the interview, and thus, little context is provided. As such, students should gain access through www.npr.org, as the Morning Edition announcers introduce each interview, providing extra information about the people or topic involved and helping to activate the schema of the students. On the assignment, I instruct my students to go to the Web site, and in the Search box, to type the names of the people in the interview; the result of the search will be a link taking the students to a recording of the interview with the introduction by the announcer. Note that students may have to sit through a 15-second ad or public service announcement before they hear the interview.

FURTHER INDEPENDENT USE FOR STUDENTS

At the end of the course, I share the StoryCorps Web site with the students so that they can listen independently to more interviews if they so choose. A new interview is archived each week, so the Web site can be a resource for a long time to come. I received evidence that some students listen to StoryCorps after the course ends from a student who had finished the course a year previously and wrote in her e-mail: “I still like to hear stories from NPR. It is so helpful to me to understand more American culture.”

CONCLUSION

Students and teachers often prefer to use authentic materials in language classes. NPR’s StoryCorps interviews are a wonderful resource to teach vocabulary, idioms, and various aspects of U.S. culture. Teachers can choose appropriate interviews for their classes by visiting www.storycorps.org, and students get extra context if they listen to the interviews through www.npr.org. Teachers may use the interviews in class, as homework, as discussion or writing prompts, or as models for student interviews. After the course, by providing the students with the StoryCorps Web site, students can continue to listen independently to the interviews.

AN EXAMPLE LESSON

Note: Leave more space for answers when creating a handout.

Name:

StoryCorps Interview 5: Nancy and Frances

1. Go to www.npr.org.
2. In the Search box, type “Nancy Wright.”
3. This is an interview about a woman and her relationship with her mother. After the vocabulary exercise, read the questions and listen to the interview. You may listen as many times as you want to.

Vocabulary: Write the definition and part-of-speech of these words. Then, write your own sentence with the word.

e.g., appalled adjective. It means “shocked” and “disgusted.” I was appalled when I heard that my neighbor had stolen money from a poor man.

1. adolescence
2. defiant
3. formidable
4. miserable
5. to slam

B. Other expressions you’ll want to know:

1. to criticize = to say what is wrong with something/somebody in a negative way
2. to deal with = to manage a difficult situation
3. to go downhill = to become worse
4. to grate on someone’s nerves = to irritate someone
5. in a row = consecutively; without interruption; following in order
6. judgment-laden = full of criticism
7. a screen door = a door with a screen on it so that insects cannot enter

C. Comprehension questions: Listen for the answers to these questions.

1. How tall was Frances? [find out how many centimeters is the same]
2. Nancy says that her mother was “defiant” and she gave an example of something that happened in the class room when her mother was young. What happened?
3. How old was Nancy when she told her mother that she needed a friend, not a mother, anymore?
4. How did Frances react when Nancy told her that?
5. What did Nancy expect after she saw her mother’s reaction?

These questions ask you to write your opinion or to tell me about your life or situation.

1. When Nancy told her mother to stop criticizing her, Frances replied, “That’s what mothers do.” Do you agree with Frances? Why/why not?

2. Are your parents also your friends? Do you think that our parents should be our friends? Why/why not?

3. Why do you think Nancy started to cry at the end of the interview?

Sherry Rasmussen, an ESL instructor and teacher-trainer for 20 years, currently teaches full-time at DePaul University in Chicago.