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

My Teaching Experience High School Graduate from Uvalde High School Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Sul Ross State University Currently seeking a Master of Arts Degree in Bilingual-Bicultural Studies at the University of Texas in San Antonio 20 Years of experience to include all grade levels k-6 (except 1 st grade) Teaching experience in Hawaii, El Paso,Texas and Germany (DODDS) Currently teaching 5 th Grade at Fort Sam Houston Elementary

My School Fort Sam Houston is part of the Fort Sam Houston Independent School District Fort Sam Houston Elementary School Grades PK-6, 728 students Robert G. Cole Junior High School Grades 6-8 Senior High School Grades 9- 12, students Children of military personnel residing on the military reservations of Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis are eligible to attend Fort Sam Houston schools.

“When I approach a child, he inspires me in two sentiments: tenderness for what he is and respect for what he may become.” Louis Pasteur

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

Only One Day When the family came across to the United States it was a game of survival not prestige or education. For this reason he was never enrolled in school and it seemed like a far fetched idea for someone like him. It was a cold December day when a friend was passing by his house and told my Abuelito that he should accompany him to the one room schoolhouse down the road. Tomorrow would be a special day for everyone at school. It was the last day before Christmas break and the teacher would be giving away gifts to all the children. My Abuelito had never received a present before and so naturally this sparked an interest. He decided that he should go and see what was really going on over there. He went to sleep dreaming of what it would be like to go to school and to receive a present. Was this real? Was the teacher really going to give all the children a gift? Would he learn to read and write? He remembers thinking he had nothing to lose by going there for this one day.

The next morning he and his friend walked to the school house. My great-grandmother had packed him a lunch of frijoles and tortillas. He remembers the old wooden stove in the corner of the room and the teacher ringing the bell to let the students know it was time to come inside. He felt apprehensive yet eager as he walked in and found a seat near the boy he came with. Although he doesn’t remember what he did, how many children there were or if he learned anything on that day in 1914, he does remember that at the end of the day the teacher handed him a package neatly wrapped in paper. In fact she did indeed give every child a gift. These little tokens were nothing fancy by today’s standards but none the less it was a present, his first gift. He remembers smiling and looking up at the teacher and saying thank you. Years later when he would recount this story he mentions that he can’t recall what was wrapped in that paper. He cannot remember what the gift was but his smile and the twinkle in his eyes told me that the material thing that he received that day was not important. The important thing was that he attended school for that one day and received a small package. I can imagine my Abuelito at the age of five and how he must have put his special treasure inside the shoebox container that Christmas feeling content and accepting of his world as it was back in those days.

Do You Have a Cuento? Writing Activity-Take the next ten minutes to think about a story that belongs to you or your family. Take this time to write your own Cuento.

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 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.

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