Storytelling from Russia on Skype for class 2

Once Upon a Story with Ms Nadezhda Ivanova.

The most powerful person in the world is the story teller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come Steve Job

On 16 July 2019, Ms Nadezhda Ivanova, a guest storyteller from Krasnoyarsk, Russia engaged the students of Class II-A using Skype the video calling programme!

A teacher of English at the Secondary School #5, Krasnoyarsk, Ms Ivanova brought alive the fabled Russian tale of the Turnip Repka for her young Indian audience.

In a mesmeric voice she unfolded the narrative of an old man who planted a turnip that grew big and sweet. Alone, he was unable to pull it out because of its size. He decided to take the help of others. Together, they were able to pull the turnip out. The moral of the story Unity is Strength imparted the message of friendship and teamwork to the enthralled listeners.

The keen viewers watched in rapt attention the illustrations held aloft by Ms Ivanova as she told them that the turnip used to be the staple crop for Russians in the olden days. The house in the story is called IzbA. The old man wore rural shoes called lapty made from the birch core.

The scintillating story telling session was followed by a question-answer round -How many characters are there in the tale? Who planted the turnip? What is the moral of the story? And such like.

The students in turn assuaged their curiosity by asking the guest story teller questions like-Why does Repka look like a pumpkin? Why did the characters pull each other? What other fruit and vegetables are grown in Russia? Etcetera. In the end, everybody averred that tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelons grew in both India and Russia!

Skype in the classroom creates a whole new world of learning for students by bringing them meaningful, real-world experiences. As a teacher, it was exciting and rewarding to see how interested and engaged the students were in all aspects of an amazing and relatable story.