Wordless picture books trigger conversations at primary level of education

The aim of the paper is to demonstrate the methodology behind the forthcoming wordless picture book Monsterland and its accompanying methodological manual. Together these resources are designed to support the development of foreign language vocabulary and social-emotional skills in young learners aged six to eleven. The picture publication is divided into eleven teaching units that align with topics from the primary school curriculum. Each unit contains emotionally colored pictures representing selected vocabulary, which invite young learners to a spontaneous conversation between the teacher and the other learners using basic grammatical constructions. All the images and story examples were created by the young learners who will use the book. The publication also includes a six-language dictionary. The picture book together with the methodological manual presented in the form of sample lesson plans corresponding to each teaching unit will be piloted in selected primary schools. Observation and self-reflection tools, the structure and content of which are outlined in this paper, will be used for the evaluation of the project. / Keywords: Monsterland, methodology, vocabulary, social-emotional development

Conversation · Foreign language · Picture books · Primary education · Vocabulary · Vocabulary development · Digital Storytelling and Education · Educational Methods and Media Use · Themes in Literature Analysis