Oral Strip Story - He Tūhonohono i tētahi Kōrero kua Tapahia
Oral Strip Story
He Tūhonohono i tētahi Kōrero kua Tapahia
Explanation
This technique is used to give practice in speaking and listening as well. It requires
students to use language for sequencing text and negotiating the order of text. The
aim is to re-sequence a piece of text without reading each others’ sentence, which
they find very tempting to do.
This technique can be used for any learning area by selecting text about the topic
being studied and suitable to the learning area. The key point is to select a text that
is able to be re-constructed from the clues in the text.
How to introduce a technique
Until students are familiar with any technique begin by:
 naming the technique
 explaining why the technique is being used,
 providing any important tips they need to remember or do to complete the task
successfully, and
 carefully explaining the procedure.
See How to introduce a technique or strategy for more information and an example
language frame for how to introduce a new technique or strategy.
1
He mea waihanga mō tētahi kaupapa a Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.
© New Zealand Ministry of Education 2010 – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.
Oral Strip Story - He Tūhonohono i tētahi Kōrero kua Tapahia
Procedure
1. Choose a story that demonstrates the type of language you are focussing on or
want to give your learners practise in.
2. Print the story and cut into strips of paper with one sentence on each strip. The
number of strips should correspond to the number of students. This could be
done in groups depending on the number of students and strips.
3. Ask students for, and write on the whiteboard, the language they will need to
know to talk about sequencing a text.
4. Students sit or stand in a circle.
5. Hand out the strips randomly – one per student (or place in a basket and
students take one strip each). They should not show their paper to anyone else.
6. Students then piece the story together by talking. They are not allowed to write.
7. From that point the teacher keeps out of the discussion, other than to help any
students who might be really confused by a word.
8. When the group is satisfied with the sequence, they each recite their sentence in
the agreed order.
Encourage discussion about why they have sequenced the story in a particular way
and any points of grammar or new vocabulary.
Student Instructions
1. This is a group activity. There needs to be [x number of students] in each group.
2. This is a text that has been cut up into strips. There is one sentence per strip of
paper. Together the sentences make a text.
3. You will each be given a sentence.
4. By reading your sentence and talking to the others in your group you are to
reconstruct the text so that it makes sense.
5. What language do you think you will need to be able to talk about sequencing a
text.
6. Sit or stand in a circle.
2
He mea waihanga mō tētahi kaupapa a Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.
© New Zealand Ministry of Education 2010 – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.
Oral Strip Story - He Tūhonohono i tētahi Kōrero kua Tapahia
Application – NZC Reo Māori Level 1
This technique is suitable to use at all levels of Te Aho Arataki Marau mō te Ako i te
Reo Māori. Select text (or write text) appropriate to the level required.
Write a short dialogue between two people greeting each other and introducing
themselves. Cut it up and have students re-sequence the dialogue using this
technique.
Application – NZC Reo Māori Level 6
This technique could be used with instructional text such as cooking, how to make
something, or how to get to a place (directions). Students might need a brief
overview of the text that is what the text is about before starting.
Language Support
This is a group activity.
He mahi ā-rōpū tēnei.
There needs to be [x number of
Kia [x] ngā ākonga ki ia rōpū.
students] in each group.
I have a text that I have cut up into
He tuhinga tāku, engari he mea tapatapahi
strips.
kia noho wehe ngā rerenga kōrero.
Together the sentences make a text.
Ki te tika te tuitui haere i ngā rerenga, ka
oti mai he kōrero whai kiko nei.
You will each be given a sentence.
Ka tohaina he rerenga kōrero ki tēnā, ki
tēnā ākonga.
By reading your sentence and talking to
Me pānui tēnā me tēnā i tāna rerenga, ka
the others in your group you are to
whakawhiti kōrero ai ki ana hoa, kia pai ai
reconstruct the text so that it makes
te waihanga mai anō i te tuhinga.
sense.
What language do you think you will
He aha ngā tūmomo kōrero ka hiahiatia
need to be able to talk about
sequencing a text.
Sit or stand in a circle.
(Taki) noho mai ki te porohita./ (Taki) tūtū
mai ki te porohita.
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He mea waihanga mō tētahi kaupapa a Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.
© New Zealand Ministry of Education 2010 – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.
Oral Strip Story - He Tūhonohono i tētahi Kōrero kua Tapahia
Language Support (for the student)
The table below could be copied and given to students as language support while
they are carrying out this activity.
Tēnā kōrerotia mai anō.
Say that again.
Tēnā, kōrerotia mai anō (tāu). / He aha
Tell me yours again.
anō tāu? / Tēnā anō. / Whakahuatia mai
anō.
Ko tāku kē pea te mea
I think mine comes first/second/third.
tuatahi/tuarua/tuatoru.
Ko tā Hōhepa pea te mea tuatahi. / Ko
I think Joseph’s one is first.
tā Hōhepa pea ki mua.
Āe, e whakaae ana au, nā/i te mea ....
I agree because…
Āe, kei te tika pea tēnā, nā/i te mea ...
I think so because
Kāo, kāore au e whakaae (ki tēnā), nā/i
I disagree because…
te mea ...
Kāo, kei te hē tēnā, nā/i te mea ...
No. I don't think so because...
Ki a au nei ko tā J ki mua, ko tā M ki
I think that J's one comes after M's one
muri, nā/i te mea ...
because...
Kāore pea i te tika te noho mai o tāu ki
I don't think your one goes there
konā, nā/i te mea ...
because...
Kei a wai te mea whai i muri ake?
Who's got the next one?
Me pānui pea, ka whakarongo ai.
We should listen to it now.
Kei te tika? / Kei te tika te raupapa?
Does it sound right?
He rerenga anō me neke?
Do we need to change anything?
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He mea waihanga mō tētahi kaupapa a Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.
© New Zealand Ministry of Education 2010 – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.
Oral Strip Story - He Tūhonohono i tētahi Kōrero kua Tapahia
Comment
This task can be varied in several ways. For example:
 Give them 1-2 minutes to memorise the sentence instead of allowing them to
hold their sentence to read. The strips are then taken away.
 Create a competition between groups to see which group gets closest to the
correct version.
 If being used with groups, get each group to write their version of the oral story
on to overhead transparency or onto a powerpoint slide - encourage use of
paragraphing and punctuation. Project each story and the original up on to the
wall and get students to compare each group’s version to the original. Students
could decide which version is the “winner” and why if there is no clear winner.
 This technique can be adapted as a reading and writing task e.g. for sequencing
paragraphs.
Acknowledgements
This technique by Gibson (1978) was cited in Nation, I.S.P. and Thomas, G.I.
Communication Activities. Occasional Paper No.13. Wellington: English Language
Institute, Victoria University of Wellington.
References
Gibson E.M. (1978). The strip story: A catalyst for communication. In E.G Joiner and
P.B Westphal (Eds). Developing Communication Skills: General Considerations and
Specific Techniques (pp130-135). Rowley, Massachussetts: Newbury House.
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He mea waihanga mō tētahi kaupapa a Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.
© New Zealand Ministry of Education 2010 – copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.