Storytelling: A tool for facilitating children’s emergent literacy skills Ozlem Cankaya, PhD Child and Youth Data Laboratory (CYDL)

Outline Emergent literacy skills Importance of early exposure Children’s learning profiles in Canada Storytelling as a literacy tool

Emergent literacy refers to the knowledge children have about reading and writing before they can actually read and write.

Emergent Literacy – Components Print Motivation Vocabulary Print Awareness Narrative Skills Letter & Alphabet Knowledge Phonological Awareness

Importance of Emergent Literacy Skills in Early Years Early vocabulary  Grade 4 reading skills Better reading comprehension (Sénéchal, 2012; Sénéchal, LeFevre, Hudson, Lawson, 1996; Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2002)

Importance of Emergent Literacy Skills in Early Years Children who are behind in literacy during Grade 1 will remain behind when they reach Grade 4  More likely to drop out of high school (Coyne, McCoach, & Kapp, 2007; Sénéchal, 2012; Sénéchal, LeFevre, Hudson, Lawson, 1996; Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2002)

Children have unique learning profiles in Canada: Different languages and literacy cultures exist at home and in school. (Ball, 2009; LeFevre, Clarke, & Stringer, 2002; Sénéchal, 2012)

Compared to non-First Nations children, First Nations children in Canada on average: Have poorer reading skills Lower school achievement Lower high school completion rates (Ball, 2009; Janzen, 2000; Janzen, Saklofske, & Das, 2013; Richards et al, 2010)

All young children should be exposed to literacy activities before they begin school. (Ball, 2009; Sénéchal, 2012)

Literacy-related activities in different cultures

Storytelling can be used as a literacy tool to bridge children’s cultural, linguistic, and age-related divides.

Storytelling Research How does storytelling and story reading influence language development and story comprehension? (Isbell et al, 2004; McIntosh et al., 2011; McKeough & Sanderson, 1996; Wellhousen, 1993; For a review Ball, 2010)

Storytelling Research Eliciting and examining children’s storytelling (a) tell an original story with no prop (b) tell a story from a single picture (c) draw a picture and tell a story (Wellhousen, 1993; Isbell et al, 2004; McIntosh et al., 2011; McKeough & Sanderson, 1996)

Storytelling Research with Aboriginal Children Moe the Mouse Program A culturally responsive speech and language intervention Story Thinking Programme Children are helped to create cohesive stories individually and in groups. (McIntosh et al., 2011; McKeough et al., 1995; See Ball, 2010)

Storytelling Research with Aboriginal Children Aboriginal Head Start On-Reserve Implemented storytelling and other elements into the curriculum. (Ball; 2009; Health Canada, 2010; McIntosh et al., 2011)

Storytelling promotes early literacy skills, in particular vocabulary and comprehension. (Ball, 2009)

(Craig et al., 2001; Miller & Pennycuff, 2008)

Take home message Expose young children to a variety of literacy activities, particularly to storytelling.

Questions? ocankaya@research4children.com

haathi ki mitratha

Storytelling

Letter & Alphabet Knowledge Emergent Literacy – Components Print Motivation Being interested in and enjoying books Vocabulary Story Telling Skills Print Awareness Sound Awareness Letter & Alphabet Knowledge

Letter & Alphabet Knowledge Emergent Literacy – Components Print Motivation Vocabulary Knowing the names of things Story Telling Skills Print Awareness Sound Awareness Letter & Alphabet Knowledge

Letter & Alphabet Knowledge Emergent Literacy – Components Print Motivation Being able to describe things and events to tell stories Vocabulary Story Telling Skills Print Awareness Sound Awareness Letter & Alphabet Knowledge

Letter & Alphabet Knowledge Emergent Literacy – Components Print Motivation Vocabulary Story Telling Skills Print Awareness Noticing print Knowing how to handle a book Knowing how to follow words on a page Sound Awareness Letter & Alphabet Knowledge

Letter & Alphabet Knowledge Emergent Literacy – Components Print Motivation Vocabulary Story Telling Skills Be able to understand how words are made up of sounds Print Awareness Sound Awareness Letter & Alphabet Knowledge

CAT [kat] CHILD [chī(-ə)ld] For Example: Letter C

Letter & Alphabet Knowledge Emergent Literacy – Components Print Motivation Vocabulary Understand letters are different from each other Know the letter names and sounds Recognize letters everywhere Story Telling Skills Print Awareness Sound Awareness Letter & Alphabet Knowledge

Some Storytelling Activities Initiate a story and stop in the middle ask questions ask the child to continue the story Encourage children to talk about same experiences with two different audiences tell younger siblings vs. parents Chose a character and build a story

Adopted from Sénéchal, M. (2012) Adopted from Sénéchal, M. (2012). Language & literacy development at home. In B. H. Wasik (Ed.) Handbook on Family Literacy (Chapter 3). New York: Rouletge.

Child & Youth Data Laboratory (CYDL) Links and analyzes administrative data from Government of Alberta ministries.

CYDL’s Longitudinal Project Service-Use Data from 2005 to 2011

Two million individuals 0- to 30-year-olds five ministries

Educational Achievement Ministry of Education School - Grade 3 Educational Achievement Ministry of Health Hospital Birth weight What is the relationship between birth weight and educational achievement?