Storytelling

Many argue that the best way to learn a foreign language is to move to that foreign place where everyone around speaks the language. Well, all of my students did. They all moved to Oakland from Central and South America, however, I can't say that they are truly surrounded by English speakers. The community they live in is very much sheltered in Spanish speaking. This is why, my teaching group is trying to find the 2nd best way to help them learn and improve on their English.

For the next 6 weeks, we will use the power of photography to help students create language, stories and imagination, so that hopefully, their English development will start emerging through this storytelling process. Below are some stories the students had come up with orally, and the teachers helped with recording.

Students were divided into 3 small groups, and each group was given one picture. In planning this lesson, 3 goals came to mind. First, I wanted to expose the students to the concept that pictures tell stories. Second, I wanted to use pictures as a way of producing language through the functions of making observations, describing details, and creative storytelling based on observations and details. Students were prepared for this during Opening Circle as we practiced describing details and drawing assumptions from these details using two different pictures I had brought in. The third goal for this activity was to stab at the idea that each photo was taken from a specific perspective, and it can only represent what is shown and not necessarily the entire 'truth'. I understand this is a huge idea that is even difficult for many adults to grapple with, but as we discuss and take more photos going forward, I think it is an important message that needs to be addressed at some point earlier on.

When reading the stories for each picture, notice how the stories and style of stories created by students change as the lense of each picture zooms out.



One day there was a little cat that was sleeping , because it was sick. Smeow, the cat was sleeping on a sofa with a red pillow. And then a dog growled at Smeow, and the cat got scared. And then Smeow found Ms. Niki laying on the bed. Smeow wanted to wake up Ms. Niki, and she did. Ms. Niki woke up and said, "Shoo! Scram little dog." And then Ms. Niki grabbed Smeow and let her sleep on her lap.

~ The End ~

One day a mommy cat had four baby kittens. One of the kittens was sleeping and the other kittens were drinking their mom's milk. The mom took three of her babies to Las Vegas to live there, and left one baby in Oakland, because this kitten didn't want to wake up. he was having a dream and wanted to keep dreaming. He was dreaming that his mommy was having another baby. When he woke up, he got really scared because his family was left.

In Las Vegas, a big monster truck crashed into the mommy, and she died. The babies found a new mom, and they lived together in Las Vegas.

~ The End ~
:(....

A baby cat is playing with a red yarn.

Another cat is sitting.

One cat is walking.

The big cat is the mommy. She is lying down. She might be sleeping.

The three cats are in the kitchen because of the seats, and table, and fire stove.
The walking baby cat might be looking for something.

One baby cat that is black and white.

Two other cats are brown with white.

This is a poor house with three cats inside. I think its a poor house because I know that the stoves now don't look like that. They look more new. And the floor is dirty.

No one lives in the house because there is not a lot of stuff, and no one is around. The cats are alone.

Wait, but maybe someone does live there, because there's a book. And maybe someone is making coffee. And the cats look too white to live in the street.

Maybe someone found these cats from the street and cleaned them.

Maybe the cats snuck in the house when no one was around.

Maybe they got in from a cat door.....

~ The End? ~