(PERSONAL NARRATIVES) Bonnie Jean Johnson

Outline I. Discuss briefly: What is Coaching Comprehension What are Personal Narratives? Why do we want to work on Personal Narratives with our children? 2. How to Prepare and Teach our Children to Tell Personal Narratives and Examples 3. Ideas for Activities for Picture Taking 4. Questions and Wrap-up

Three parts to Coaching Comprehension - Creating Conversation: - Joint Attention - Event Sequences/Story Retell of tailored stories - - Personal Narratives

What is Personal Narratives? A part of a Narrative Based Language Intervention Program targeting children who have complicated language problems developed by Lauren Franke, Psy.D., CCC-SP Focused on improving a child’s understanding of the spoken word and the child’s comprehension of simple event sequences While encouraging the child’s ability to relate personal narratives with adults and peers Through using event sequences familiar to the child shown in sequenced picture cards/photographs. The child is part of the Learning Process.

The Rationale: To help our children begin to develop the ability to tell us what they did or experienced. To develop basic conversation skills To understand and have an interest in what others talk about

Research has shown that working on Narratives is important for social, linguistic, and academic development. - Strengthens autobiographical memories - Helps the child learn that what happens to them matters - Improves joint attention - Teaches the child to share emotions - Increases turn-taking abilities - Improves language understanding - Improves expressive language skills (vocabulary & syntax) - Develops organizational and sequencing skills - Teaches the child to better maintain the topic of conversation - Helps the child learn to think about his/her conversational partner - Helps develop the skills needed to engage in reciprocal conversation and to develop social relationships

Why “Personal Narratives” Relating a narrative is the context of the lesson and is the goal for the lesson. Narratives have importance and relevance in our lives. Narrative is an important “cognitive tool through which all human beings in all cultures make sense of the world”..we organize experience into narrative form” Sue Lyle 2002 “Children tell narratives to organize their experience and share their knowledge and to communicate that knowledge to others.” Engel 1995

Getting Started Focus on activities that are familiar to the child and of the child’s interest Convey keen interest in your child’s activity When you talk about the event show visual representations (photos) of the event/activity Keep your language at the child’s level of understanding Comments 80% and Questions no more than 20% As long as the child is enjoying the activity, you can continue to practice of the story It is preferable to help the child have a simpler story he/she can tell independently than a more difficult one that requires another’s help

The “Hows” Personal Narratives need three people: a facilitator, the child, and a communication partner The facilitator is the parent or caregiver who has experience or knows about the event The facilitator (parent/caregiver) helps find meaningful motivating events/experiences to target (the child can participate) The facilitator takes photos of the event as it is happening Takes 3-5 photos Takes a photo for each step of the event The photos are explicit so that few assumptions are needed

The “Hows” continued The facilitator (you) s the photos sequence to La Tierra: Send them as an attachment with your child’s name (Please also include information about the event; names, details of the activities, etc.) To view the WEB Pager on Coaching Comprehension Creating Conversation including Personal Narratives with monthly event ideas: Go to SVUSD Home Page Click on Staff Web Page Enter your teacher’s name Try to send a set of photos for your child’s Personal Narratives every two weeks. The facilitator can share the photos with the child in the correct order and talk about what to say for each photo/practice the story. The words used should reflect the child’s vocabulary & language ability. Use “expectant pausing” when helping the child retell the story Gradually help the child tell the event when prompted by only a leading comment or question This will help the child be prepared to tell the narrative to the staff at school (the communicative partners) that may have no knowledge of the event. The communicative partners will also be telling their personal narratives so the child will learn to listen to other’s retelling.

The Long Term Goal Eventually the staff at school can facilitate the experience and have the child share the school experience with peers and/or with his family at home. Sharing the personal experience can be with photos or pictures. The long term goal is for the child to share his experiences without any visual supports.