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FAQs

What is Story Making?

Story Making is a new way of learning and remembering stories. It is about telling stories together rather than reading from books. Story Making builds children’s confidence and helps to improve their speaking and writing in fun, creative ways. Stories are told with actions. These are fun and help children to memorise new words and patterns in the story.

Repetition is important and stories need to be retold at different times and in different places (walking to school, bedtime, travelling in the car) Remember, children learn through imitation so tell the stories in a rhythmic way using expression and funny voices. Soon your child will start to join in with the story and you can enjoy telling stories together.

Enter the FAMILY ZONE to see Story Making happening.

Why is repetition important?

It is important to retell favourite stories a number of times so that they become well known. At first, you will lead the storytelling but in time your child will join in and take over the story. Repetition will help new words and language patterns in the story move into long term memory. Your child will draw on these well rehearsed words and patterns when speaking and writing.

Why are actions used?

Story actions will help you and your child to memorise the stories. They involve carrying out a movement in response to different words or patterns in the story. This may involve an action for ‘Once upon a time…or ‘He ran and he ran and he ran…’ It’s fun to make up actions with your child for different characters or objects in the story. It is helpful if the actions for some common story words and phrases are the same from story to story. See the Family Zone for some examples of story actions.

What is a story map?

A story map is a series of pictures showing what happens in the story. It is drawn as a simple flow chart with arrows showing the main sequence of events in the story. Story maps provide an important visual aid for retelling stories. Picture prompts are popular with children and helpful for visual learners. It’s fun to draw a map with your child, display it in your home and use it to help you tell the story. Children love maps!

How does Story Making help to improve writing?

Within each story children will encounter new words and language patterns. For example, they will come across rhyming words, simple sentences and different ways of joining ideas and events in a story (for example, so, but, then, next, finally). Through repetition, children will memorise different words and sentences and later draw on them when telling and writing their own stories.

How old does my child need to be to start Story Making?

From the earliest age children will enjoy the rhythm and patterning of familiar stories. Actions will add an element of fun. Babies and toddlers will copy your actions and be responsive to stories with animal noises and musical sounds. Story toys, objects and puppets provide tactile experiences and will support understanding.

How can I find out more about Story Making?

The International Learning and Research Centre is currently leading on a number of Story Making programmes. These include the development of Story Making in Children’s Centres, pre-school settings and primary schools across the south-west. Story Making in French at Key Stages One, Two and Three is underway and an international project to develop the role of parents and grandparents as language learning partners is now in its second year. For further information about Story Making programmes and consultancy please visit our Centre web-site: www.ellnet.org

What is the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation?

The Esmee Fairbairn foundation is one of the largest independent grant-making foundations in the UK. It aims to improve the quality of life throughout the UK by funding the charitable activities of organisations that have the ideas and abilities to achieve change for the better. The Foundation’s primary interests are in the UK’s cultural life, education, the natural environment and enabling people who are disadvantaged to participate more fully in society. For a fuller picture of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation’s work visit www.esmeefairbairn.org

Is there any useful background research?

The short answer is yes, a considerable amount of research has been conducted which looks at the impact of parents and children learning in partnership. The benefits are irrefutable – ‘parental involvement in their child’s literacy practices is a more powerful force than other family background variables such as social class, family size and level of parental education.’ (Flouri and Buchanan, 2004) This view is endorsed by Mullis, Mullis, Cornille et al, ‘research also shows that the earlier parents become involved in their children’s literacy practices, the more profound the results and the longer lasting the effects.’ The long lasting benefits of parents and children learning together and recognition that ‘outcomes continue into the teenage and even the adult years’ are further outlined by Desforges and Abouchaar in their 2003 research, ‘The impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment’. A really good starting point and one which gives a very full background to research in the field of literacy and family engagement is the National Literacy Trust web-site: www.literacytrust.org.uk