The children are natural storytellers, eager to share their experiences with their community. Their buildings and structures have stories, their play has a story, the woods and the natural world have stories, too.
Our process of developing a culture of storytelling began on our first day, when we read storybooks about starting school and shared important parts of ourselves. It has continued every day when we tell stories at lunch or pretend to have a campfire on the playground and tell spooky stories. The children love to hear stories from when I was five and how I spent many thoughtful moments in the peace space. This week during writing workshop we began a new kind of writing; writing true stories.
It is important to practice thinking of one story and telling it to an audience. Writers think about something that happened and practice telling their story. We read and studied an assortment of stories written by Kindergarten students last year, noticing the characters in their stories, the sounds, and the feelings. We compared these stories to our teaching books; our teaching books gave information, but the storybooks we read had characters and shared feelings. The stories we read started with, "One day. . ." or "On a dark night. . ."
Using our developing noticings, the children practiced thinking of one small story and telling it like a storyteller. They told their stories to a partner and then practiced retelling their stories to the community in a story oval.
We turn off the lights and the storyteller holds a small tea light. They tell their story into the silent and dark classroom. Children practiced starting their stories by telling us when and where. They named the characters; my mom, my dog, my cousin.
With blank books they told the same story again, touching each blank page as they planned how their story will go. This foundational work is essential for learning how the parts of a story connect together. Writers think, share, and plan.
Some of the stories the children have been developing;
The time the fire alarm went off, but it was just burnt breakfast!
When we got our baby cow
Christmas morning with my family
When I went trick or treating
The time the fire alarm went off, but it just needed new batteries!
My mom's birthday party
The time the raccoons got our last chicken (don't worry, we will get more chickens in the Spring)
The time when our dog, Jack, ate all of the gravy off of our table!
When I woke my dad up really, really early!
The time my little brother ripped a library book
