The Big Fresh April 27, 2013 Stories

I point to different sections of the page, asking gently “What’s this?” each time. Bree says her word carefully — sun, Barbie, moon, Gabby. Finally I ask, “Would you mind if I told you a story about this picture?” Bree smiles and nods affirmatively as I begin. “Once upon a time there was a little girl named Bree. One day she climbed up in her beautiful tree house. She climbed and climbed all the way to the top with her friend Gabby, watching the sun come up. They played with their Barbies all day long, till the sun started to go down. So they climbed all the way back down, out of the tree house, and skipped home as the moon rose. Then they lived happily ever after.”

I know — not exactly Shakespeare, right? Yet Bree claps her hands and exclaims, “Tell it again!” I retell the story one more time, compliment Bree on specific elements of her detailed drawing, then leave the table to visit other preschoolers who are happily chatting, drawing, and writing.

A few minutes later, I see Bree walking to another table with her drawing. I can hear her in the distance, telling the story to another child. She comes back to me a few minutes later and asks, “If I make another picture, can you tell another story about it?” I realize Bree’s English is fine — she is just a little quiet with strangers at first.  I explain I will be leaving the classroom soon after my morning visit. “But that doesn’t matter — if you draw another picture, you can tell another story. It’s your story anyway, not mine.”

I learned many years ago about the natural progression of drawing to labeling to storytelling with young writers, yet it’s still magic to see the moment any writer realizes their sketches and words are stories.  In all my years visiting classrooms, this is the first time I’ve appropriated the storytelling from a child, yet it felt right, especially after Bree immediately reclaimed the story to share with classmates. The story was there, just waiting to be told by someone.

This is the time of year when we’ve passed through beginnings and middles of the stories children will carry from our classrooms, and we’re rushing towards the finish line of the school year. What is the story (or stories) you want students to remember most from your classroom this year? Photos, blogs, and keepsake books can record the memories for students to carry away. But nothing replaces the value of sitting together quietly for a few minutes before the year ends and having each student begin with the words, “What I will remember most about this year is . . .”

This week we’re highlighting resources for shared reading. Plus more as always — enjoy!