StoryMaking: The Maker Movement Approach to Literacy for Early Learners

by Michelle Kay Compton, Robin Chappele Thompson

Overview

Learning® Magazine 2020 Teachers’ Choice℠ Award for Preschool winner!
2019 Midwest Book Award Winner in the Education category!

After studying the current research on literacy learning for young children, delving into the beliefs and schools of Reggio Emilia, and discovering the Maker Movement, the authors created StoryMaking. With great success, they implemented it in their diverse and large public school district. StoryMaking shares the processes, first steps, next steps, uses for materials, and lessons learned so teachers can implement their own versions in their classrooms. The book shares practical suggestions, student samples, photographs, anchor charts, and other forms of documentation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605546032
Publisher:	Redleaf Press
Publication date:	08/14/2018
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	435,743
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

As an educational consultant, Michelle Kay Compton has been in the educational field for 16 years and specializes in inquiry practices throughout the content areas with early learners up to children in the middle school years. She holds a master's degree in varying exceptionalities from the University of South Florida, and endorsed in gifted as well as reading and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). For the last 10 years, she has worked to design curriculum aligned to state and international standards. Michelle provides training to teachers within the district of Manatee County, FL as well as at the state, and national level related to reading and writing instruction, inquiry practices, and content area literacy.

Robin Chappele Thompson, PhD, has worked in education for 25 years. She has a master's degree in elementary education, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement, certification in K-12 reading, certification in preschool education, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in childhood reading and language arts. She has been a teacher, a literacy coach, a curriculum coordinator, and an instructor at the University of South Florida. Currently, Robin works as the director of early learning in the school district of Manatee County, FL where curriculum design and implementation for PreK—2 has been a focus area for her work.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction
Our Wonderings
Our Day Job
Our Journey
Layout of the Book
Our Wonderings
What Does it Look Like?
What Does the Research Say?
Voices from the Field
Special Rights


Foreword

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: What is StoryMaking?
Our Wonderings
What Does StoryMaking Look Like?
21st Century Learning
What does the Research Say about StoryMaking?
The Maker Cycle in StoryMaking
Imagine
Play
Make
Inquire
Tinker, test, and iterate
Seek out resource
Hack and repurpose
Express intention
Develop fluency
Simplify to complexify
Share
Share
Summary
Voices from the Field
Special Rights


Chapter 2: An Environment Made for StoryMaking
Our Wonderings
What Does an Environment Made for StoryMaking Look Like?
Making an Environment for StoryMaking
Making Time for StoryMaking
Materials for StoryMaking
How Children Engage with Materials during StoryMaking: Maker Cycle
Imagine
Play
Make
Share
Tips
Spaces for StoryMaking and Corresponding Materials
Blocks
Sculpting
Housekeeping / Dramatic Play
Art
Collage
Weaving
Tools
Tips
When Do I Begin Teaching StoryMaking?
Voices from the Field

Chapter 3: Creating a Culture of Inquiry
Our Wonderings
An Inquiry Story in the Making
What does the Research Say about Inquiry
Rituals and Routines for Building a Culture of Inquiry
What does a Culture of Inquiry Look Like and Sound Like
Curious learners notice
Curious learners examine materials closely
Curious learners explore
Curious learners experiment and try new ways
Curious learners persist
Curious learners collaborate and contribute
Curious learners search for new answers
Curious learners reflect
Curious learners feel joy in making discoveries
Phases of Inquiry
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3

Chapter 4: A Culture in the Making
Our Wonderings
What Does A Culture in the Making Look Like?
What are the Parts, People, and Interactions in a Culture of StoryMaking?
What are the Parts of a Culture for StoryMaking?
StoryMaking Happens in all Parts of the Day
Who are the People in a Culture for StoryMaking?
Phase 1
Teacher
Choose a Real Event that the Class Experienced
Provide a Beginning to Set the Scene
Make the Story Sequentially
Child
Family
Phase II
Phase 2
Teacher
Child
Family
Phase 3
Teacher
Child
Family
What are the Interactions between the Parts and the People: Maker Cycle
Having
Making
Doing
Being
Thinking
Knowing
Sharing
Summary


Chapter 5: How to get Started with StoryMaking
Our Wonderings
Make Break
What does a Beginning Lesson Look Like
What does the Research Say about Effective Instruction
How do I Get Started?
StoryMaking Lesson: Introduction
StoryMaking Lesson: How to Be a StoryMaker
How do I Introduce a New Material?
StoryMaking Inquiry Lesson: Introducing Collage
What if the Materials do not Inspire my Children Yet?
Where do Story Ideas come from?
Tips for educators with ESE, ESOL or nonverbal students
What to expect during phase 1 of your first unit?
Summary


Chapter 6: Next Steps in StoryMaking
Our Wonderings
What does the next step of StoryMaking look like?
What does the Research Say about Effective Instruction
Next steps with StoryMaking
What new materials or areas should we include or change to re-engage the learners?
StoryMaking Lesson – New Materials in our Maker Station
How to Stay Organized
StoryMaking Lesson – Introducing StoryMaker Folders
Making a Play
StoryMaking Lesson – Imagine Before You Play
What Books Could help us Teach StoryMaking?
StoryMaking Lesson – How to Start Your Story
StoryMaking Lesson – Illustration Study on Adding Details
Tips for educators with ESE, ESOL or nonverbal students
What to expect during phase 2 of your first unit?
Summary
Make Break?

Chapter 7: Ways for Children to Communicate Their Learning
Our Wonderings
What does the Sharing Look Like in StoryMaking
What does the Research say about Communication
Maker’s Talks
Tips for a Successful Maker Talk
Responding to Each Others Stories
Sharing our Stories through Writing
StoryMaking Lesson – Taking my Story to Paper
When is it Time for my Children to Write their Stories on Paper
StoryMaking Lesson: How to Publish
Broaden our View of Publishing to Share with Others
We Must Celebrate!
Tips for educators with ESE, ESOL or nonverbal students
What to expect during phase 3 of your first unit?
Summary
Make Break

Chapter 8: The Role of Assessment
Our Wonderings
What is Documentation?
What does Documentation Look Like?
How do I learn to Document and Begin to put it into practice?
First Steps
Deciding to document.
Exploring Technology Use
Next STeps
Observing
Recoding
Sharing
Voices from the Field
Summary
Appendices

Editorial Reviews

Steeped in the philosophy and practices of the schools of Reggio Emilia, the StoryMaker framework is built on the belief that children are intelligent, creative, and resourceful and express their ideas, interests, and understanding through many different languages—in art, music, science, math, games and physical activities. These languages, and the individual differences they represent, give teachers a multitude of observation, planning, and assessment tools. . . a worthy system for integrating learning goals in all developmental domains.” —Texas Child Care Quarterly

“The makerspace movement has gained traction in K–12 education but less in early education due in some measure to a lack of practical resources and ideas. This book looks to combine principles of story making and makerspaces to provide a foundation for STEAM learning in preschool settings. The StoryMaker cycle of imagine, play, make, and share supports the ability to conceptualize, brainstorm, create, and collaborate, which are critical to success in any area. . . a good resource for early education teachers looking for ways to expand their STEAM lessons.” —Booklist

"This approach uses story retelling, story creation, STEAM, and loose parts to encourage inquiry-based play to develop literacy.” —Learning

“This unique text introduces StoryMaking as an approach to oral language development, learning, and pedagogy. It artfully blends children’s natural desire to tinker and make sense of their world by connecting provocative learning spaces and intriguing loose parts; time to invent, create, imagine and intentional moments to share stories with others. Rich with examples, the authors provide an accessible insight into creating an inclusive culture of StoryMakers.” —Lisa Daly, professor, early learning consultant and coauthor of the Loose Parts series

From the Publisher