Cuentos Project Connecting the Past to the Present Through Family Stories By Nora Gonzalez SAWP Teacher Consultant San Antonio Writing Project Conference 2009

What is the Cuentos Project? Cuentos are tales or stories. It can be story that is heard often through oral conversations. It can be a story that someone wants to preserve. It can be a story that has been passed on from one generation to the next. According to Steve Zeitlin’s words, “any incident retold by one family member about another over a period of years.” (1982:10) According to Linda Winston, “Family expressions, sayings, customs, keepsakes, photographs, holidays, recipes, and celebrations also belong here.” (1997:3)

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here. Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees

Student Opportunities The Cuentos Project allows the students to interact with family members. It gives the students the opportunity to preserve their family stories. It allows the students to connect to the past and create a heritage chain. For ELLs it provides the opportunity to validate their identity.

Different Versions There is more than one way to preserving Cuentos: Retelling an old story-La LLorana. Capturing that retold story-the one that you have heard at every family gathering. Interviewing an older person in your family.

My Version Oral History Interview Students were asked to interview the oldest member of their family. Students were provide a list of possible questions to ask their family member. Students were asked to bring the answers to class within a one week time period.

My Version Letter written to principal to explain the Cuentos Project and to share how it would fit into our state curriculum. Examples of how to turn the questions into a story were modeled and explained. Rough draft, editing and final copy was typed. Mini-lessons on grammar, punctuation and sentence structure were taught as needed.

Displaying and Sharing The role of the art teacher was to help create a scrapbook type display. Students had the opportunity to read and display their work at the Pony Express Grande Finale at Fort Sam Houston in December. Ten student stories were chosen to be displayed at the Institute of Texan Cultures.

Student Examples

Soldier U.S. Army

Works Cited Campano, Gerald. Honoring Family Stories. Educational Leadership, October Faurot, Kimberly K. Books in Bloom : Creative Patterns and Props That Bring Stories to Life. New York: American Library Association, Fiderer, Adele. 25 Mini-Lessons for Teaching Writing. Scholastic Books. "Library of Congress Learning Page: Using Oral History: Lesson Overview." American Memory from the Library of Congress - Home Page. Sept Norfolk, Sherry, Jane Stenson, and Diane Williams. The Storytelling Classroom : Applications Across the Curriculum. Danbury: Libraries Unlimited, Incorporated, Rothchild, Sylvia. Family Stories for every generation. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State Universtiy P, Routman, Regie. Conversations : Strategies for Teaching, Learning, and Evaluating. Chicago: Heinemann, San Antonio Writing Project. Fall Stone, Elizabeth. Black Sheep and Kissing Cousins. Publishers: Transaction, Winston, Linda. Keepsakes : Using Family Stories in Elementary Classrooms. Chicago: Heinemann, 1997.