Connie Dierking is the co-author, with Sherra Jones, of Oral Mentor Texts. Their book presents new ways to use the power of oral language to reinforce comprehension and help writers internalize narrative structures. In a special blog for Heinemann, Connie explains that the beginning of the school year is the time for celebrating story. (click here to read an earlier blog from Connie Dierking on What is an Oral Mentor Text)
I just received the annual conference issue of NCTE’s The Council Chronicle and was thrilled when I saw the conference theme: “Story as the Landscape of Knowing.” Program chairman Kathy Short writes, “Story is the landscape within which we live as teachers and researchers—our knowledge is ordered by story.” It is exciting to see the importance of story held in such high esteem.
The first days of school, when students are practicing fire drills, learning the rules of the cafeteria, enjoying the shade of the big tree outside, or learning how to share and listen with a friend, are the seeds for stories to come. These simple events can and should be the stuff of shared class stories. While building community through story, we are also building a foundation for literacy. According to Jerone Bruner, “Proficiency in oral language provides children with a vital tool for thought. Without fluent and structured oral language, children will find it very difficult to think.” It all begins in September.
Elaine Reese, in her The Atlantic article “What Kids Learn From Hearing Family Stories,” writes, “Family stories can be told nearly anywhere. They cost us only our time, our memories, our creativity. They can inspire us, protect us, and bind us to others. So be generous with your stories, and be generous in your stories. Remember that your children may have them for a lifetime.” School can be a wonderful place to support and develop the oral language skills necessary for telling a story, whether children come into the classroom having had rich family storytelling and literacy experiences or not. In the early days in a primary classroom, we are beginning to know all our students. While the literacy road ahead may seem dauntingly long (for some students more than others), there is good news: we can create wonderful story experiences in this very classroom.
Click here to read a sample chapter of Oral Mentor Texts
References
Bruner, Jerome S. 1985. Child’s Talk: Learning to Use Language. New York: W.W. Norton.
Dierking, Connie, and Sherra Jones. 2014. Oral Mentor Texts: A Powerful Tool for Teaching Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
National Council of Teachers of English. 2014. The Council Chronicle, August. Urbana, IL: NCTE.
Reese, Elaine. 2013. “What Kids Learn From Hearing Family Stories.” The Atlantic, December 9.