Reading Reflection Blog #5

 Reading Reflection Blog #5

International Audiences

    International audiences is a topic that is near and dear to my own heart! I lived in China for 5 years and taught at an International school. I had students from America, Canada, the UK, Germany, South Korea, Zimbabwe, China, Hong Kong, Colombia, Mexico, Romania, Singapore, and Taiwan. I have spent time teaching children in Ghana and the Philippines, and leading teacher trainings in India and Ghana. 

Reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar in Ghana

Teacher Training in Khorda, India 

I feel that my international teaching experiences have given me a unique glimpse into cultures around the world. I have been able to interact with, learn from, and be a part of some amazing cultural experiences, and I have loved the experiences. 

I was excited to hear the video of Diane Ferlatte sharing at the International Storytelling Conference in 2013 this week. She is a dynamic speaker, and I love how she brought culture, music, rhythm, and history into her stories. Here is another dynamic video of her storytelling for the story Brer Rabbit, if you are interested in watching: 

In the research done and reported in the article, Children Encounter Each Other Through Storytelling, I thought it was interesting that the children's intercultural stories followed the same patterns:

  

1. Telling to entertain
2. Telling to challenge
3. Telling from real life experience
4. Telling from shared expereinces
5. Responding sensitively
6. Responding defensively 

 The first 5 ways showed a cultural understanding, reciprocity, and openness to interacting with different cultures. This specific Storycrafting experience was able to forge intercultural connections among students from around the world, and I was please to see that a small minority of the involved students were unable or unwilling to interact openly with different cultures. (Piipponen, O., & Karlsson, L. (2019)  I loved that this research was based on celebrating the craft, rather than judgement, and children are the perfect way to demonstrate this. I have found that they are much more openminded, willing to listen, and less critical of differing cultures than many adults. 

Image from Smart Parents

    I was also interested in the article that focused on digital storytelling as a means to connect global citizenship learning for middle and high school students. Because technology is developing and changing at such an astonishing rate, our students have a unique access to peers around the world. They have a unique opportunity to interact with others around the world in meaningful ways, and learn about the world and other cultures as no prior generation has before. I loved that the focus of global citizenship education is to "equip learners with the knowledge, skills, and values to navigate and live together in an increasingly interdependent world and to work collectively towards solutions to the planet's pressing problems." (Truong-White & McLean, 2015). 

I loved that the students were able to share their lived experiences with one another through digital storytelling, blending together culture, technology, and interconnectedness. Many students were also able to integrate multi-modal technology, such as video clips, music, voiceovers, and more to share their unique stories with other students around the world. 

Programming 

"A successful storytelling program requires. careful planning, flexibility, and creativity." 

-Greene & Del Negro

    One of my favorite articles about programming this week was Books, Children, Dogs, Artists: Library Programs for the Entire Family. I think it is so powerful to integrate animals into medical programs, to assist children and their families as they go through so much. As an adult, I often go out of my way to interact with any dog I see, so I know that children are over the moon when given the opportunity to read to a listening dog, and participate in Paws to Read programs. I think that therapy animals are an incredible resource for students of all ages, and they facilitate reading opportunities with no pressure or judgment. 

Image from K9 Reading Buddies 

This reminded me of the many articles I have seen, such as from K9 Reading Buddies, where dogs come to schools, or students are able to go read at animal shelters. That just completely tugs on my heartstrings! I was able to find this link from the Pierce Library Read to a Dog Program, located in Washington state, and I think it is an incredible addition to library programming.

    I also loved the video about creating special programming for children with autism. I loved that parents were able to collaborate with the library staff to give ideas, and help them know what would work best with their children. I was encouraged to hear the librarian say that the library should be accessible for everyone, and the space should be nonjudgemental and welcoming for all children. It was also special that they invited students with special needs, sensory needs, and physical difficulties. It was incredible that the silver lining from that was that the parents were able to connect with other adults that completely understood what their experiences were! They were able to talk, share ideas, and empathize with one another. 

    It reminded me of this wonderful article, Storytime for the Spectrum, and the ways that this librarian adapted her programming to incorporate children with special needs. Many of the suggestions were similar: including hands-on felt or flannel pieces, having a visual schedule, providing safe spaces for children, and reading out to parents. 

Non-fiction Readings 

Disgusting Hagfish by Meish Golish 

Tell Me Why? Zebras Have Stripes by Susan H. Gray

Top 10:Oddities by Virginia Joh-Hagan

Gemstones by Patrick Perish

The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle by Anne Renaud and Milan Pavlovic

References

Cottrell, M. (2016, June 1). Storytime for the spectrum. American Libraries Magazine. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/03/01/sensory-storytime-spectrum-libraries-add-services-for-children-with-autism/ 

Greene, E., & Negro, J. D. (2010). In Storytelling: Art and technique (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Haver, M. K. (2014). Books, children, dogs, artists: Library Programs for the entire family. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 33(2), 211–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.897523 

Pierce County Library Systeminformation & Imagination. Pierce County Library > Read to a Dog. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.piercecountylibrary.org/kids-teens/read-to-dog.htm 

Piipponen, O., & Karlsson, L. (2019). Children encountering each other through storytelling: Promoting intercultural learning in schools. The Journal of Educational Research, 112(5), 590–603. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2019.1614514 

Truong-White, H., & McLean, L. (2015). Digital Storytelling for Transformative Global Citizenship Education. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne De L'éducation, 38(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.2307/canajeducrevucan.38.2.11 

YouTube. (2013). International Storytelling Conference (2013) Many Stories but One World . YouTube. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iduMoffZ_54. 

YouTube. (2014). Sensory Story Time: A program designed for families of children with autism. YouTube. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwAT88XQsK4. 

Blog Share: Carly & Adam STEM Blog

    A blog that I have recently found and LOVE is called Carly & Adam STEM. Even though this isn't a traditional library blog, my school's library has a Maker Space and an emphasis on incorporating technology, so I searched on Instagram for ideas. This lead me to their blog! They are a husband and wife duo, and have been teaching STEM since 2015! This led them to creating, developing, and sharing resources for other teachers! 

    I love their blog because it is honestly ideas that you can implement right away in your classroom or library! I feel nervous about being responsible for the technology portion of my new job, and this really helps me feel better prepared to integrate STEM into my lessons for students of all ages! Most of the things they suggest are just reading a book & then doing a meaningful activity that ties to it. 

    They have incredible ideas for incorporating science, technology, engineering, math, and play into the classroom. Some of my favorite posts of theirs are about which picture books they would use as anchor texts for STEM projects! They have activities ideas for coding, celebrating holidays and diversity, and different events! These are some examples of their many, many blogs! 

They even partnered with Peter Reynolds & other notable children's authors and hosted a STEM Teacher Summit called the Joy of Stem, available to anyone that becomes a member of the STEM Teacher's Club.  The teacher club is $15 a month and looks like an incredible resource, too. 

They also have a TeachersPayTeachers store  and sell many of their lessons, plans, and activities they have created. 

One of my favorite ideas from their blog is a STEM choice board!  These are so versatile and can be used in so many different ways! The ones they created are monthly and have a QR code to a mentor text in the center, and then lots of activities students can choose from that go along with the book! In the library, I could see them used as early finisher activities, a free choice day, or with many different themes! This gives students choice in what they create while they are learning! These could also be sent home to create a connection between the library and parents! 

My Readings for this Week: 

Ghost Stories

• Ghost Cat by Kevan Atteberry 
• Smelly Ghost by Isabel Atherton
• I'll Haunt You: Meet a Ghost by Shannon Knudsen 
• Ghost in the House by Ammi-Joan Paquette 
• Ghoulia by Barbara Cantini 

Poems 

• "Old, Cold Fish" from Ocean Soup by Stephen R. Swinburne
• "Collecting Words by Pat Mora
• "A Writing Kind of Day" by Ralph Fletcher
• "The Table and the Chair" by Edward Lear 
• "Yellow" by Brian P. Cleary 

References:

Carly and Adam LLC. (2022). Carly and Adam. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://carlyandadam.com/ 

Free Choice Blog

Puppeteering 

    I honestly have never incorporated puppets into my storytelling, and after this week's videos and readings, I feel like it really inspired and encouraged me to try with my younger students. I have always been hesitant because I am by no means a ventriloquist. I think of this incredible girl, Darci Lynne from America's Got Talent, and there is no way I would ever be able to recreate what she does! 

    I think seeing Storytelling with Puppets and Alina Celeste performing on YouTube made it seem really doable. They don't worry about being perfect, not moving their lips, being a ventriloquist, etc. They just have fun, embody the character, and do fun voices! I already try that when I am reading a book, so I think that incorporating puppets into storytelling would just add a more interactive part to draw in the students. 

Shadow Puppets

    I also thought the Sleeping Beauty Shadow Puppet video was gorgeous. It's such a really beautiful, visual art form and I think it would be incredible to try. I was reminded of a performance I saw while teaching in China, and I even have some of the shadow puppets put away somewhere special. This is such a fun story, and I think you would enjoy watching The Great Zodiac Race. It's a story that tells the origin of the Chinese Zodiac and why the animals appear in the order they do. And it also explains why cats like to chase rats! 

    

Storytelling

    This week I loved reading the article Storytelling for Fluency and Flair by Campbell and Hlusek. I could just imagine the fun and excitement building in the third grade students as they each prepared, practiced, and performed their own stories. What an incredible opportunity for the students to take something they have seen and heard modeled and be able to adapt it and make it their own! I love that they rewrote scripts, modified language, created props and costumes. This was a great example of putting learning into the hands of the students and allowing them to guide their own fluency, reading, and writing skills! 

    I was curious about the initial story that was used as a model, so I found a video of the Nutmeg Princess as mentioned, told by the original author, Richardo Keens-Douglas. He was a very fun and entertaining storyteller, and I loved his enthusiasm, voices, and excitement telling the story. 

    As a developing storyteller myself, I could really feel his love for the story he was telling. I also loved this list from the article that they used with the students. I think they're applicable for all of us, as well! In thinking ahead to the story I will tell with no props and no book, I know how much I will have to practice and practice and practice! 

Readings: 

Myths

The Jade Emperor: A Chinese Zodiac Myth by Anita Yasuda

The Monkey King: A Chinese Monkey Spirit Myth by Anita Yasuda

Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale by Gerald McDermott

The Golden Flower: A Taino Myth from Puerto Rico by Nina Jeff

Stolen Fire: A Seminole Trickster Myth by Anita Yasuda 

Parables

(All from the Bible) 

Wise and Foolish Builders from Matthew 7:24-27

Salt of the Earth from Matthew 5:13

The Growing Seed from Mark 4: 26-29

Mustard Seed from Mark 4:30-32

Lamp Under a Bowl from Matthew 5:14-16

Tall Tales 

Johnny Kaw: A Tall Tale by Devin Scillian 

Tumbleweed Baby by Anna Myers

My Pet Rattlesnake by Joe Hayes

American Heroes and Legends: John Henry by Brad Kessler

Miss Sally Ann and the Panther by Bobbi Miller 

References

Campbell, T., & Hlusek, M. (2015). Storytelling for fluency and Flair. The Reading Teacher, 69(2), 157–161. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1384 

YouTube. (2020). The Nutmeg Princess. YouTube. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX3imy5sBww. 

YouTube. (2013). Puppets in the Library. YouTube. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyUQhmSj66s. 

YouTube. (2021). Vip Puppets Shadow Puppet Show: The legend of the Chinese Zodiac. YouTube. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_yoiUexl7U. 

Storytelling Experience #1 Reflection

 Storytelling Experience #1 Reflection

    In order to prepare for this first storytelling experience, I read through several Mo Willems books to find one that I thought would be fun and captivating for students! I tried to approach this storytelling like I would for reading any book to my Kindergarten students. I knew I wanted to go over the characters, author and illustrator, and parts of the book. Those were things I always emphasized with my students. I practiced reading through the whole book one full time out loud before reading it on camera. I also knew I didn't want to spend extra time trying to edit it and piece it together, so I tried really hard to just get it all in one take! With my students, I wouldn't worry about being absolutely perfect when reading, so I did not want to pick apart each mistake I made. I made sure to get out my Piggie, Gerald, and Pigeon plushies because my students absolutely love seeing and holding the characters they know and love! 

    I think that my first storytelling experience went well, overall! I think that I was very animated and did different voices for the characters well. I was excited through the book, and I do truly enjoy reading Mo Willems books. They are so engaging and funny for kids! I asked thoughtful questions through the book, and noticed things for the kids, just like I would do in a classroom. I was happy to share about more Mo Willems books that the students could look for in the library. I think this really gets them excited to read, and helps them look for something specific when they go to the library! 

    To improve for next time, I would probably make a list of what I wanted to go over in the beginning of the book- it seemed a little scattered, so if I have a list to follow, I think it would flow more smoothly. For example, I threw in that there was an award right when I was about to begin reading, and that seemed like an add-on because it was! Also, I wish I would have held the book to the camera more, so that listeners could clearly see each picture. Sometimes I wasn't as cognizant of the recording because I was so focused on reading it, and did not zoom in to show all of the illustrations. That's a difficult part of reading on camera instead of in person.

If you are interested, here is an incredible resource all about Mo Willems!  It has videos, activity sheets, tutorials for drawing the characters, links to all of his wonderful books, posters, teacher guides, fun facts about the author, and engaging descriptions for each of his beloved characters! Students and teachers would LOVE exploring this resource! 

Here are my readings for this week: 

Reading Reflection

 "Stories have power, and the stories we tell today do just as much to try to explain our world as did the myths of so long ago." -Wayne R. Cherry, Jr. in The Importance of Story and Storytelling in the Classroom

Storytelling: What is it? 

    According to our textbook, Storytelling: Art and Technique, storytelling is considered both the oldest and newest art form. It was originally used as a way to pass on history, legends, lessons, tales, and morals, but now has developed into a captivating magic that people everywhere know and love. From the original bards and musicians in Asia, Africa, and Europe, to our modern day writers and poets, to speakers and pastors, storytelling is a part of our past, present, and will continue to impact our futures. 

    "The storyteller is someone who appreciates literature as a whole, and knows good language, form, and substance." (Greene & Del Negro, 2021). As a storyteller, we must have an appreciation for diverse stories, literary works, such as fables and fairy tales, histories, and lessons. We must also see it as an art form, and recognize that it takes training, preparation, and practice to become experienced. There are many ways to be a storyteller, and each is as unique as the stories themselves. Storytelling is not just about memorizing a story word for word and regurgitating it in front of people. It should be an experience, and you should truly know and love a story, and want to share it with others so they can come to know and love it, too. 

    I think it is beautifully stated in our text, "Storytelling is an individual art, and that each storyteller will bring a special kind of appreciation, imagination, and interpretation to the telling. Extensive reading and building of background are necessary, for the storyteller must think of the story as a part of a whole literature to which it belongs, and of the storyteller as the medium through which the story comes to life." (Greene & Del Negro, 2021). 

Storytelling: Why?

    In both articles Language-Rich Early Childhood Classroom: Simple but Powerful Beginnings and The Early Catastrophe, we can clearly see the most important why in storytelling: our students. According to these articles, children from lower socio-economic families enter into kindergarten with a huge language and vocabulary deficit. Students that are born into professional and working class families experience the rich language and vocabulary of their parents, and therefore may have up to a 30 million word advantage over their peers. (Hart & Risley, 2003). 

    As teachers and librarians, we can utilize storytelling to help mitigate that barrier for our students that need it most. We can intentionally choose stories that will positively impact our students, provide them with language-rich environments they may not experience at home, and give them opportunities to use the language they acquire. We can teach our key language related specifically to literacy while also integrating new vocabulary, syntactically complex sentences, communication skills, meaning-making strategies, and collaboration. (Flynn, 2016). 

"Language-rich learning environments provide opportunities for children to use and hear language in the kind of extended turns associated with language learning." -Flynn

    Another key part of why we should use storytelling with our students comes from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. They have identified six early literacy skills that are critical for students to be able to learn to read. Those skills include: print motivation, phonological awareness, vocabulary, narrative skills, print awareness, and letter skills. Librarians and teachers are able to naturally incorporate these paramount skills into their storytelling experiences at the library and at school, and can model the way for parents to also practice them at home. (Albright, Delecki & Hinkle, 2009). They state, "It is necessary to incorporate early literacy information and developmentally appropriate practices into a story time not only to benefit the children, but also to encourage the caregiver to use these techniques outside of the library." Storytelling gives us an opportunity to bridge the gap between the library and home, and can help mitigate the substantial vocabulary deficits many students experience. 

Storytelling: How?

    

    A big part of storytelling is choosing special stories that children will love. Del Negro and Greene note that the characteristics of a great story are: 

1. A single clearly defined theme

2. A well-developed plot

3. Style

4. Characterization

5. Faithfulness to source material

6. Dramatic appeal

7. Appropriateness for listeners 

    Several of the articles this week focused on how we can tell a great story by embodying the heart and spirit of a true storyteller. I loved reading Srividhya Venkat's unique perspective as an
international author, writer, and storyteller. She recommends using "repetitive phrases, rhymes, songs, and/or music (whether or not included in the book) make storytelling more enjoyable and give listeners a chance to participate." She uses her culture and experiences growing up to write her own stories. 

    Additionally, Wayne Cherry makes note of incorporating The 4 C's into storytelling:

1. Critical Thinking
2. Communication
3. Collaboration
4. Creativity

He encourages students to take ownership of their own stories, the stories of important events and people from history, and the stories of grandparents that could otherwise be forgotten. 

In this video, Karrie shares 5 key tips for storytelling! 

    The most practical advice for the how of storytelling came from the article Bringing Storytime Alive With Acting and Storytelling Techniques. Christine Underdown-DuBois relates storytelling to a magical performance for children. You should make use of your entire body, change your voice for characters, add inflection and gestures, make eye contact, and incorporate movement. To really engage the audience, focus on bringing the characters to life, and consider the author's purpose in writing the story. 

"By not being afraid of 'making a fool of one’s self', a librarian can open a world of possibilities, letting go of preconceptions and becoming more comfortable in front of a group of any age." -Christie Underdown-DuBois

Fables

    Fables are short stories that generally have animals as main characters, and they convey an important message or moral. These are some of the fables I chose to read this week! I love the unique perspective and retellings of fables. I also did not realize how many fables there are within the collected works of Aesop! There were probably a hundred, and many of them were new to me! 

Fairy Tales

    A fairy tale is a children's story that incorporates magic. For these, I chose to read a new take on each of these classics using Epic. Wiley Blevins wrote a new series called Scary Tales Retold, and he incorporated something scary or spooky into each of these traditional fairy tales. I loved the creativity, and I will definitely be able to recommend these short stories to my students that want something different! 

Picture Books

For picture books this week, I was trying to think ahead of the book that I will record myself reading, so I decided to re-read some of my most favorite Mo Willems books to see which one would be best. I absolutely adore this author, and his books are incredibly engaging for students. They are funny, silly, and have the best characters! 

References

Albright, M., Delecki, K., & Hinkle, S. (2009). The Evolution of Early Literacy. Children and Libraries, 13–18. 

Cherry, W. (2017). Our Place in the Universe: The Importance of Story and Storytelling in the Classroom. Knowledge Quest, 46(2), 50–55. 

Del Negro, & Greene. (2021). Storytelling: Art and technique. Libraries Unlimited. 

Flynn, E. E. (2016). Language-Rich Early Childhood Classroom: Simple but Powerful Beginnings. The Reading Teacher, 70(2), 159–166. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1487 

Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (2003). The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3. American Educator, 4–9. 

YouTube. (2015). Storytelling Tips with Karrie Korroch. YouTube. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dLWG-uQVUM. 

YouTube. (2017). The magical science of storytelling. YouTube. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj-hdQMa3uA. 

Underdown-DuBois, C. (2011). Bringing Storytime Alive with Acting and Storytelling Techniques: an Interactive Article. Tennessee Libraries, 61(2). 

Venkat, S. (2020). Using Oral Storytelling Techniques in Reading Sessions. Knowledge Quest, 48(5), 54–56.