About me
I am from Lethbridge Alberta and I attended the University of Lethbridge to complete my combined degree. I chose history, geography and women & gender studies as my three main focuses of study for my disciplinary streams. One of my passions is art and I like to do watercolor painting in my spare time. I also enjoy traveling with my family, and in 2016 I got the opportunity to visit Bali. Below are photos I took while there. The photo on the right is the view I had after climbing the volcano Mount Batur.
Contact info
interest areas in Early childhood education
Storytelling in the Classroom
Summarizing Quotes:
“It [is] not necessary for young students to write everything down before performing…children are already storytellers without capturing print versions of their stories on paper…children who tell stories multimodally but have not yet mastered print literacies can get recognition for their storytelling strengths if we expand our assessment tools to include both”(Wessel-Powell et. al, 2016, p.177).
“Whether it is a whole-group response to a story, a re-enactment in the play area, or a play created by a small group of students on their own, it is inevitable that dramatic play will emerge in the early years classroom as a natural response to learning” (Coffman, 2015, p.7)
“The child is engaged through voice, expression, visual images, visual creations and body actions during dramatic storytelling” (O'Neill et. al, 2016, p. 97)
“Respect for language diversity can promote acceptance of diverse cultures through listening to stories and having learners participate in storytelling. They [students] can follow that all learners have a unique way of communicating and cultural tolerance can be taught” (O’Neill et. al, 2016, p. 97).
“The roles of storyteller, audience, and actor provided children with many opportunities to participate observe others and contribute to the [classroom] community” (Wright et. al, 2013, p. 200 ).
References:
O'Neill, B., Banoobhai, M., & Smith, C. (2016). Teaching literacy through dramatic storytelling in Foundation Phase. Australasian Journal Of Early Childhood, 41(2), 95-102.
Wright, C., Diener, M., & Kemp, J. (2013). Storytelling Dramas as a Community Building Activity in an Early Childhood Classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(3), 197-210. doi:10.1007/s10643-012-0544-7
Wessel-Powell, C., Kargin, T., & Wohlwend, K. E. (2016). Enriching and Assessing Young Children's Multimodal Storytelling. Reading Teacher, 70(2), 167-178. doi:10.1002/trtr.1491
Lawrence, R. L., & Paige, D. S. (2016). What Our Ancestors Knew: Teaching and Learning Through Storytelling. New Directions For Adult & Continuing Education, 2016(149), 63-72. doi:10.1002/ace.20177
Tompkins, G. (2015). Literacy in the early grades: A successful start for Pre-K Readers and Writers (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Edition.
Loyie, O. L., Spear, W. K., & Brissenden, C. (2014). Residential schools: With the words and images of survivors. Brantford, Ontario: Indigenous Education Press.
Coffman, E. (2015). Dramatic play in the early years. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke Publishers.
- Collaboration with students, teachers and guest storytellers
- Small group work
- Hands on work (creating actions, movement ,props, sets etc.)
- Students working with different peers regularly
- Peer discussions before, during and after storytelling
- Students taking on multiple roles (actor/ performer, listener/ audience member, director, script writer, prop maker)
- Students providing their peers with feedback
- Teachers doing daily checklists that provide formative assessments of student comprehension and understanding of the elements of stories
- Help your students feel confident sharing with others by allowing time for them to students to practice and receive feedback
- Keep the process student oriented and give them lots of choice in the stories that they learn, write about and work with
- Primarily take on the role of facilitator and monitor student engagement
- Give your students opportunities to model different aspects of storytelling
- Provide students with examples of excellent storytelling, found in pop culture, the media , print texts and guest storytellers
- Not My Girl by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
- Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
- I am a Story by Dan Yaccarino
- Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud
- Dramatic Play in the Early Years by Elizabeth Coffman
- Residential Schools: With The Words and Images Of Survivors by Larry Loyie, Wayne K. Spear and Constance Brissenden
- Storytellers’ Encore: more Canadian Stories to Tell to Children by Irene Aubrey, Louise McDiarmid and Lorrie Anderson
- Norman Rockwell : Storyteller with a Brush by Beverly Gherman
- Caroline Feller Bauer's New Handbook for Storytellers: With Stories, Poems, Magic, and More by Caroline Feller Bauer
Summarizing Quotes:
“It [is] not necessary for young students to write everything down before performing…children are already storytellers without capturing print versions of their stories on paper…children who tell stories multimodally but have not yet mastered print literacies can get recognition for their storytelling strengths if we expand our assessment tools to include both”(Wessel-Powell et. al, 2016, p.177).
“Whether it is a whole-group response to a story, a re-enactment in the play area, or a play created by a small group of students on their own, it is inevitable that dramatic play will emerge in the early years classroom as a natural response to learning” (Coffman, 2015, p.7)
“The child is engaged through voice, expression, visual images, visual creations and body actions during dramatic storytelling” (O'Neill et. al, 2016, p. 97)
“Respect for language diversity can promote acceptance of diverse cultures through listening to stories and having learners participate in storytelling. They [students] can follow that all learners have a unique way of communicating and cultural tolerance can be taught” (O’Neill et. al, 2016, p. 97).
“The roles of storyteller, audience, and actor provided children with many opportunities to participate observe others and contribute to the [classroom] community” (Wright et. al, 2013, p. 200 ).
References:
O'Neill, B., Banoobhai, M., & Smith, C. (2016). Teaching literacy through dramatic storytelling in Foundation Phase. Australasian Journal Of Early Childhood, 41(2), 95-102.
Wright, C., Diener, M., & Kemp, J. (2013). Storytelling Dramas as a Community Building Activity in an Early Childhood Classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(3), 197-210. doi:10.1007/s10643-012-0544-7
Wessel-Powell, C., Kargin, T., & Wohlwend, K. E. (2016). Enriching and Assessing Young Children's Multimodal Storytelling. Reading Teacher, 70(2), 167-178. doi:10.1002/trtr.1491
Lawrence, R. L., & Paige, D. S. (2016). What Our Ancestors Knew: Teaching and Learning Through Storytelling. New Directions For Adult & Continuing Education, 2016(149), 63-72. doi:10.1002/ace.20177
Tompkins, G. (2015). Literacy in the early grades: A successful start for Pre-K Readers and Writers (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Edition.
Loyie, O. L., Spear, W. K., & Brissenden, C. (2014). Residential schools: With the words and images of survivors. Brantford, Ontario: Indigenous Education Press.
Coffman, E. (2015). Dramatic play in the early years. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke Publishers.
Credentials
Degrees