Shurman: I use it simply. Telling stories in the classroom makes the experience of listening to a newly acquired language both pleasant and productive. Students enjoy listening to stories; they experience emotions, as they identify with characters and wonder if the hero will escape or be eaten. Listening to stories in a second language drives the listener to understand a plot, rather than individual words. The puzzle pieces easily fall into place. The best way to teach is not to impose teaching, but to allow the listener to become so involved in hearing a story that his "defenses" are no longer active. He is not bored. The listener is driven, prodded by his curiosity, imagining what may come.