This study examined the influence of instruction using English storytelling on the performance of adult English learners. Seventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to two different English classes for one semester in this study. Both reading comprehension tests and recall writings of the participants were administered for the purpose of comparison between groups. The findings indicate that storytelling instruction elicits increased student interaction; facilitates EFL reading and story-recall writings; and changes the nature of classroom discourse, providing for more scaffolding interaction. With regard to language development, there were statistically demonstrable differences favoring the storytelling group in terms of comprehending reading material and employing story structures in writing.