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Ready-Go-Read!Page Contents
STORYTELLING ADVENTURES...premieres!
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STORYTELLING
ADVENTURES
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Activity: Get Touchy Feely
While most adults are stuck in the
intellect, children still learn naturally from all
their senses, Encourage this by offering kids items that
relate to the story in some way (either directly or
indirectly) Let them see, touch, hold, listen to,
taste, talk about...
Joanne explains: "When I showed this group the seashell, I was holding it straight up. I asked what it was and they all said, "An ice cream cone!" So I went ahead and tasted it!
There is no ice cream cone in Go Barefoot, but this is how the moment allows us to explore the lesson at hand. From that moment of imagination, a playful tone was enjoyed throughout our session,"
Follow Up Activity:
Stretch their imaginations by taking an object with and
interesting shape and asking -What else could this be? Pass
it around allowing each child to hold it and pretend/
demonstrate. e.g. A seashell could be an ice cream cone, or
a telephone!
We listened to the Go Barefoot Read Along CD. Let's listen and turn the page everytime Panman rolls his tenor! Can you hear the rhyming words?
Activity:
Rhyme & Rhythm:
Let the children join in as you initiate old
familiar rhymes. Ask for and help recite their favorites:
Twinkle Twinkle, Humpty Dumpty etc.. Allow kids to 'show
off' if they feel brave.
- Point out the sound of the rhyming words and find
others that MATCH/ sound similar: Hand - sand - land -
band Do silly words too! zoo rhymes with do, you, and
moo moo (say it like a cow) or alakazoo (wave your hand
like a magician)!
- Hand out musical instruments to those who feel inclined (don't force anyone). Shake the shak-shak/ bong the drum/ twist the rain stick/ toot the flute to the beat.
Pre-Scoolers love to help and practice manners. This little girl used the tray and gracefully collected all the play items. Saying please and thank you was also part of the activity.
At this age it is important to respect that for little ones ( the youngest was a bright and confident 2 year old!) - just the trip in a bus from school to a new place called the library is a Life lesson in itself.
Spend lots of time finding things to congratulate them and compliment them about.
Joanne spent twenty minutes allowing each child to come to the front of the group and introduce themselves: -My name is _______. -I am __ years old. -I like to _______.
Encourage them to speak in full sentences saying the words for them and having them repeat after you. Give them permission to use their BIG, BOLD, BRAVE voices - as loud as they feel!
Then
each child took a FEEL GOOD bow!
Ta-Da!
and received a gift bag from Nestle.
Those in the audience learn to offer attention - they listen and clap for those 'on stage'
Practice confidence and self-esteem building in this way with the youngest of children. Again, do not force but encourage them.
One child felt very brave before coming up and then could say nothing at all. Joanne whispered with him and hugged him. That was enough!
Thanks to Nestle Klim, for a GREAT start to our Storytelling Adventures!
Thursday 23rd March, 2006 - DAY #2
Joanne Gail Johnson and other Caribbean Storytellers
Sally Leads the Way...
Sponsored by Nestle KLIM
Photos courtesy Akeisha Ross
The three sessions on Thursday were nothing less than thrilling for me. Reading goes together with thrilling? Yes, absolutely!
I must preface this entry of our Storytelling journeys by expressing my appreciation for the friendly, helpful and modest yet exuberant professionals of both Nalis and Nestle.
I began partnering ventures with NALIS in 2005. Since then, whether at the National Library in Port-of-Spain or in community libraries around the country, without exception, every interaction rehabilitates any build up of "Oh gawsh Trinidad!" frustration. If only for that reason, I wish more and more of our people would flock to their neighborhood libraries where they will find an oasis of respectful experience to inform them, and a world of books to delight!
The tasteful presence of Nestle's KLIM at the sessions fills me with a feeling of being well supported and recognised too, for what I do. Their crews are relaxed, involved, efficient and on time. Who could ask for more?!
Our first session on Thursday at Tunapuna was delightfully new for me. I read Sally's Way to a group of hearing impaired children. Marsha, in white, signed for me as I spoke and read - more slowly, and intuitively than I would normally. This was very instructive in teaching ME how to be more deeply attentive as I interact with any audience, and others in general. (See Tunapuna librarian Stacey, in peach. Thanks, Stacey!)
At the beginning of the story, Sally enjoys feeling the pounding water of the gushing stand pipe on her back. I often focus on what characters are feeling since it is a vital but mostly ignored aspect - of our living, and by extension our writing and reading experience.
Children get a chance to use their sense of feel to gather information and identify objects. One teacher from the School for the Deaf told me after the session how "bang on" these activities are for the kids.
The children all said their favorite part was when Sally surprised her grandmother. Then they received a surprise of their own: an individual copy of the book! Thanks Nestle!....
I did a google search to inform myself a bit beforehand about a subject of which I knew nothing: 'reading for the deaf'. I have to admit I was somewhat nervous and uncertain. Would I be able to connect? Would they be interested?
This session really opened me up to understanding how alike we all are. These children are some of the brightest, funniest and most friendly I've ever met. Reading for them helped me to let down some of my barriers. I noticed the stereotypes of my expectations before hand reflected fears that are not at all real.
I dare say this is now one of my most unforgettable experiences!
...And with more treats to take home too, hopefully they will remember it as well.
Another treat was to be introduced to R.O.S.E.C. Pre-School by Sarah Maharaj, Senior Librarian IV at NALIS. Her individual interest and enthusiasm has facilitated this tour. Thank you Sarah!
What can you hear inside a seashell?
Did you hear the sun yawn?!
Mrs. Perreira, teacher at R.O.S.E.C. helps the children with a game of "Guess what this is?"
Three teachers came from R.O.S.E.C bringing a larger group than expected - thirty-nine in all. Luckily I had extra Sally's Way books and the better readers took home a copy each. With the read along CD enclosed, (Thanks Audio Concepts!) the more mature youngsters will enjoy the story and pictures - and may even pick up a few new words! .....One last photo before you go!
Mt. D'or Government Primary at the San Juan branch was our last stop. I was told many of these children were 'under privileged' and 'slow readers'. I found them so disciplined yet expressive, co-operative and creative.
We began our session with some personal introductions, and then turned out the lights to enact a scene from The Scottish-Island Girl. While Tootan with torch in hand led Lizzy and Alex to see a giant turtle (curled on the carpet - smile) an orchestra played sensitively to fit the mood. One on drum, another with shak-shak, one on flute and another with rain stick. "Look! It's a giant turtle!" They instinctively knew to build to a crescendo and voila! a room full of children were eager to read the story from the book!
With this group I handed out the books as a part of the session and invited them to read along. ( These 'slow' readers turned out to be good readers too!)
One little girl kept asking, "This is mine? For me? You mean I get to keep it? To take it home? Forever?" "Yes, my dear child. It is yours to take home. To keep. To enjoy forever." They seemed to find it hard to believe that someone was giving them something for themselves, for FREE!
This may appear to be a routine part of a corporate sponsor's activity but for the kids and me it is far from the ordinary.
The love of reading can only come from focussing on the LOVE even more than the reading. Kids will, in time, learn the words and spelling, the grammar, punctuation etc. Unfortunately very few of us make it into adulthood with a LOVE for reading secured!
Thank you Nestle for facilitating these extraordinary community - reading experiences!
Monday March 27
Storytime - an anti-crime program?!
NESTLE/ KLIM presents
Joanne Gail Johnson and other Caribbean Authors...
FEEL GOOD STORYTELLING!
Photos courtesy Akeisha Ross
Yesterday, as I drove homeward through Santa Cruz at the end of our third day of the KLIM Story time, a police chopper hovered overhead. These 'security' toys are becoming more common place now in our Trini landscape than, well, books! It seemed totally incongruous however with all that I was feeling: bright, positive, joyfully weary, hopeful, delighted with Life within, and all around me.
That's when it dawned on me: The adventure of visiting and exchanging quality time, personal culture and creative gifts with communities outside my run-of-the-mill 6 mile radius, feels to be an effective anti-crime/ nation building program - I recommend it highly!
It was fun to visit the St. James library again - where I did a creative writing workshop last October during National Library Week '05. The friendly and helpful staff were very welcoming once again. (They say the library will soon be moving to new premises.) A group of attentive, enthusiastic and extremely well behaved 6-8 year olds from Mucarapo Girls' R.C. joined me for Storytime.
Activities: Word Detective & Bingo or "Lotto" is a more popular word these days!
Using the turtle colouring hand out page, (free downloads courtesy Macmillan from www.caribbeanchildren.com), children were guided to fold it in to quarters. (A fun activity in itself! Most are, depending on the tone with which we approach them. And "Miss" was glad to see how well her students knew their fractions too!)
A list of interesting words from the story book are written up before hand. Read them together. Kids see that the words they will hear in the story are already words they know, possibly with a few new ones mixed in. ( Include some everyday words - they/ can/ when etc.)
Ask them to choose four words from the list. They can choose words they like because they are small/ easy/ long/ new/ familiar/ unusual. They set their own criteria. Each child copies their words - one into each of the four quarters on their page. This is their Lotto Ticket/ Word Bingo card which they store until after the story.
During the story the children are asked to be word detectives. "See if you notice any of the words from our list as we read the story." (It's amazing how great their memories are! and this additional activity seems to deepen their concentration as well.)
Let's begin...
Using the the CD (thanks Audio Concepts!) we followed along reading the first four pages.
The children learn to listen, follow directions - (turn the page when PANMAN rolls his tenor) and beforehand they have been sensitized to the idea of accents. "Listen and you will hear Lizzy's Scottish accent is very different from Alex's Trini voice."
Beforehand we have also seen Scotland and Trinidad on the globe so they have a sense of the characters' origins when they hear the Scottish bagpipes and then of course the Trini steelpan.
Once the characters get to the beach I stop the CD and we create soundscapes to set the mood.
Then I continue the story by reading aloud myself.
Although this was the third time I've read The Scottish-Island Girl on this tour alone, I allow each group to intuitively suggest the flow of the session and which activities I will include. This keeps the reading fresh and alive for everyone. It's so easy to slip in to 'by rote' activity. We are not robots after all and children feel it if we come to them from a place of habit. They are great teachers for being in the present moment!
After the story "Miss" Sylvester called out the words from our Lotto list. The girls circled their words as they are called- (or X, or underline - deciding options like these helps the activity feel inclusive, and not merely 'handed down' to the children.)
The first to get all four of their words calls out: "I'm a Scottish-Island Girl!" (if only girls are playing - or any other word/ phrase from the story which the group agrees upon.)
A game of charades, acting scenes from the story, rounded off our play time. Here I whisper some help - kids often 'forget' when they come to the front as they feel nervous or shy. It's a good time to support them and bolster confidence - not intimidate them further!
It's a FEEL GOOD experience when someone in authority is 'on my side'!
Can we hug you now? The spontaneous rush surprised and delighted! My feet didn't leave the ground for a good five minutes.
The storytime nourished our minds and imaginations, Nestle promised to nourish bodies with milk and juice drinks and the Love shared nourished, above all - our hearts - How's that for a FEEL GOOD moment?! smile
DIEGO MARTIN LIBRARY
(Hey Trini residents! Have you driven the new highway into Diamond Vale/Blue Range?!)
A few of us played at "Let's Pretend"while we waited for the others in their class.
Activity: LET'S PRETEND
Rather than tell kids "Sush!" or "Quiet" (Which comes in handy some times to be sure!- smile) Without warning or preparation: Tell them something like "Duck, quick! Here comes a wave! Hold your breath and go under!"
If you have a percussion instrument handy in the classroom - something interesting and easy, like a rain stick or shak-shak - use it for sound effects. From there, the drama can go anywhere!
I was interested in exploring 'quiet' space so I invited the children to feel what it would be like to be a mere pebble on a beach. They felt the cool sand and water wash over them, then the hot sun came out and dried them.
Then we discovered they weren't pebbles at all, but tiny seeds that started to grow and grow - some grew in to coconut trees, others into animals- with even a whale among them!
FEEL GOOD aspects of Let's Pretend:
1. Kids finally get to be 'right' no matter what. Create some open ended, creative play space everyday, so children can experience 'expansion' into their environment. Much of our academic approach becomes imbalanced when we constantly and only ever enforce a feeling of 'contraction' / confinement/ restriction. We all need times when getting it right has many options and not only ONE answer.
2. Drama play engages children at varying levels of ability and age groups, gets them focussed and gives you, the teacher back the control without having to be controlling.
A group of 6-8 year olds from Diamond Vale Government Primary showed up. We were expecting a group aged 9-11 so I felt a bit nervous about the higher reading level of Sally's Way. The group turned out to be amazing!
They not only followed the story with keen interest but engaged in conversations about more abstract concepts:
Feelings - Sally felt embarrassed, Crystal and Sharon felt jealous. The children were able to give appropriate instances of times when they have felt the same.
Maths - Sally is a budding business woman. She earns and saves her money. The children were able to use real money five ones, two fives, two tens and a twenty to count and apply some of the arithmetic Sally needs in her business venture in the story.
Mrs. Clarke-Mano, their teacher, said to me after, "I'm glad to see all that Mental Arithmetic is paying off!" Story time and books for pleasure offer great opportunities for applying theory and rote work to real life situations.
When I complimented her on the great job she was obviously doing, she explained that she 'teaches UP" i.e. the children are routinely offered concepts and material that may be considered beyond their age or interest level with the understanding that they can and do live up (or down) to our expectations.
This is a valid and widely used principle. While kids in the West learn M-I-C-K-E-Y MOUSE, Japanese children of an equivalent age may be mastering Motzart on the violin.
All the children feel really good when they receive their gift packs and free book & CD. Thanks Nestle KLIM!
SANTA CRUZ SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
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Their ages varied from seven to seventeen at the School for the Blind. One of my goals as a children's author is to create stories that have a high interest level. The vocabulary needs to be accessible and for the most part familiar for young readers, while their intelligence and curiosity should be respected and stimulated. The Scottish-Island Girl, with the CD and related activities, touch on essential experiences and universal themes and captivated the teens as well as the younger ones. Some of the partially sighted students were happy to pore over the illustrations which I also described for the others.
ARIMA LIBRARY
St. Marks Educational Centre and
Arima Early Childhood Centre
Wednesday March 29
The Arima library was yet another spacious, comfortable NALIS venue and twenty-four pre-schoolers aged 3 to 5 years joined us from St. Marks Educational Centre and Arima Early Childhood Centre. I was also happy to meet Simone there; the library's resident storyteller who facilitates a weekly storytime at the Arima Library every Thursday! GO GIRL!
Seashell transport takes us to the beach - Mayaro! Manzanilla! Maracas! Toco! Here we come!
Let' s Pretend! Setting the tone for "Go Barefoot" we spend time imagining and pretending. Mmm your seashell - I mean ice cream - tastes delicious!
I solicit help to turn the page when Panman? rolls his tenor.
"I know the whole world is my friend!" We chant a FEEL GOOD line from Go Barefoot.
There's a brown girl in the ring...circle games depicted in Go Barefoot.
FEEL GOOD reading
TIP: Approach books with a fun, upbeat attitude. Tie in activities kids know and
love. Engage their senses by including related objects eg the seashell- they
feel it and listen to it. Stimulate them and then let them lead you in
conversation and see where you end up! Be alert for opportunities to Integrate
a book you've read together in everyday life. e.g. if you go to the beach say,
"Remember the little girl in that book Go Barefoot? She wrote her name in dots
on the sand. Let's write yours!" The texture of the sand creates a deeply
tactile experience of intellectual activity - letters, writing, reading.
You'll not only tie in reading but reinforce the letters in the name and the
early stages of writing- AND have fun doing it!
Activity: EASY READERS!
Phonics is a fundamental key to unlocking words, BUT remember to also
use young children's amazing memories to get them reading. Words, especially
big, unusual looking ones can be retained the way a "picture" can. With
this ten minute game most of the kids learned five new words, all of them
learned at least one.
HOW TO:
Write out five words from a book the children like to read. Do not choose words
like 'a' ,'to', 'the' . Even though they seem 'small' and 'easy' they are less
memorable. From Go Barefoot for example, choose: tomorrow trees barefoot happy
name Write each in a different colour. Make a separate flash card for each
one. Match the colour of the word on the list to the flashcard. At the very
least, kids can use colour clues to help themselves 'get it right'. The whole
point is to set up successful experiences related to reading.
Invite the children to match the flash card word to the word on the list, and tell them the word, have them say it out loud. In the first instance they are learning to see the word visually. The child can see that the lime green word with the letters h-a-p-p-y on the flash card is the same as the one on the list. They SHOW you that they can match it and YOU tell them the word. The feel good moment of accomplishment inspires them to remember the word they matched, and to 'learn' another.
They can pass the flash card to anyone they choose. Mix it eventually so that all five flash card are being passed around and matched up.
Remember to PLAY at this exercise and within in a few minutes most kids will remember at least one or two. By the time we wrapped this activity (less than 10 minutes) many of the children 3-5 years could read all five words from memory and were brave enough to try it out loud on their own!
Free Go Barefoot book & CD and snack pack goodies too! Thanks Nestle Klim!
Sangre Grande St. Francis R.C. School
FEEL GOOD READING TIP:
Keep a percussion instrument handy to get attention and spark imaginations.
Before I even introduced myself or Digger's Diner,
the book I would read, I invited children to close their eyes. I got out my rain
stick and I didn't have to say "Quiet" or "Shh" once. In fact, they kept each
other quiet since no one wanted to miss anything! For older kids creating drama
really gets them interested. I turned off the lights to get it really dark and
as I moved around the room I started telling a story - anything that came to
mind: One dark night (rattles of rain stick) a _______ I nudge a child to
continue: a rattle snake went hunting...etc. When I feel I have everyone
genuinely 'hooked' I wrap up this ice breaker with an unexpected twist. Instead
of eating his prey, this rattle snake was having a party! Surprise - I flick the
lights back on. By now all eyes are open, on me and delighted faces are eager to
see what will happen next!
Rather than read the entire book myself, I got children to act out a dramatic scene when Digger the dog hero spies Leary the thief creeping down the beach at night. Using all the Hollywood terms the children are so familiar with, I hire actors, lights and props crew etc. We stage the scene and children from the audience call: Action! Play it out a few times. On our third try it felt satisfactory to those on stage and those in the audience. By now, everyone wanted to know more about the book!
THE BEST TIME TO READ IS WHEN KIDS WANT TO!
We use the CD (KIDS today LOVE technology!) and they read along a few pages. Every child, without exception is glued. I chat with them about the main characters introduced and the setting. These children were great listeners and answered my questions easily.
Rather than finish the book with them I motivated them to read it at home by leading them to the conflict in the story and by asking suspenseful questions: Will Digger be put to sleep now that they've sent him to the pound? Can you guess why he was digging all those holes on the beach? He's a bit of a detective dog. I think you'll like how it ends.
"I can't wait to go home and read it all!" I hear them say. Spontaneously the children rush up and ask for me to autograph their books - Now for an author that's the best FEEL GOOD moment of all!
Shine Your
Light!
FRIDAY 31ST MARCH, 2006
Story time adventures continue at Chaguanas & Waterloo
It is increasingly impossible to ignore that Life unfolds with a Wisdom and Intelligence despite and beyond our human limitations.
I began my day looking for something black to wear in solidarity with my fellow citizens. Our silent protest against crime seemed the very, very least we could do. Black however, did not feel right. I was going to read for children who are alive and well; to delight, stimulate and entertain them.
I consciously chose my most cheerful, childlike white, puff-sleeved shirt with polka dots and made a dedication within my heart to celebrate Life more deeply and with greater awareness. In so doing I intended to join hearts with others in respect and honour of the life of six year old Sean Luke.
Reminded that we ask not too much, but too little, I allowed my inner embrace to prayerfully include every child AND adult children (for we all are!) on the planet; myself included.
Why, I asked myself again, are we (myself included) so willing to feel our own pain and compassion for others only when it is so horrific and unavoidable?
As I hit the highway I noticed an endless river of lights flowing past me heading north. In my rearview mirror I saw a stream of lights behind me as we headed south together. I remembered the call and turned my lights on as well.
I have, on few other occasions, felt so deeply connected to my fellow Trinis. It struck me that God is giving us opportunities ALL the time to unite in a human way that has nothing to do with race, creed, gender, economic status or individual interest - perhaps we only wait until it is a BIG deal to do so.
We feel these opportunities more and more now with national accomplishments on the world stage. We feel the pride of public victories. On the other hand we feel the growing pain too of our accumulated, collective neglect, pride, selfishness, fear, apathy.
Inevitably we are waking up,
but mostly through force and festivity.
At a profound level I felt truly grateful to experience the day on our hot, dusty roads with all the traffic. We were living Art, a metaphor of truth. Minshall could not have staged it better:
Individual lights traveling different paths yet essentially connected through the feeling of life's pains and pleasures. We did not know each other's names or destinations, yet, we do truly know The Other, just as we come to know sincere FEELING in ourselves.
The experience moved me to begin our next sessions with a pause, a breath, a silent moment and a heartfelt thought of prayer. I don't remember now exactly what I prayed - a thought of gratitude, an affirmation of protection.
I do remember thinking -
How come I haven't done this all along, before now? Not even on Monday,
when, en route to the Arima library a light pole fell literally a couple
feet ahead of and over my car, suspended and saved from falling only by
other electric wires!
Yesterday, as we arrived at our second destination, Waterloo Pre-School, "Aunty Judy" was unusually appreciative. "Wow, thank you so much for coming. We really need this today!" She explained that Sean Luke's school was the one just next door. The children (ages 3 to 5) had to be told something of what happened since they all knew him.
Little did we know that morning that our troupe was being guided to comfort a community in a time of extreme fear and grief. Humbled by the situation, I felt a deep acknowledgment for the work that we all do. I appreciated yet again - we were, not by our own efforts, allowed to do more that just read a little story and give away freebies.
I would like to pass on this experience of Divine encouragement then: Work with love and respect today not only for others, but for yourself too - wherever you are and whatever you do.
God is using each of us and every situation without exception. Work in faith even if you cannot see the evidence of this. There is no such thing as a small or big job.
Our effectiveness is not altogether up to our own doing or choosing - but work sincerely and you do open the channels for God to bless others.
Enjoy the photos!
Be blessed,
Joanne
CHAGUANAS LIBRARY
Esmeralda Pre-School
Esmeralda Pre-School were the liveliest most expressive group yet! Prinicipal, "Aunty Zita" explained that she uses "whole learning" techniques. Lots of reading, Art, Drama and creative projects from which 'formal lessons' springboard. The children read and write but are not being taught to read and write as such. By cultivating a love for learning and the ability to think creatively, this school is preparing a fertile ground for success in every area of life, including academics.
The children enjoyed learning new words. By focussing on building confidence Aunt Zita's students are unafraid to try and to fail, so their success rate is high! Confidence building extends beyond drama or 'on stage' applications, into all areas of activity.
For me?! I was blessed with a gift of home grown oranges and a hand made thank you card.
THANK YOU!
WE FOLLOW THE NALIS MOBILE LIBRARY TO:
WATERLOO PRE-SCHOOL
The Waterloo children live near to a beach. Their classroom has an extensive shell collection so they were very familiar with the experiences of the little girl pictured in Go Barefoot.
Even for toddlers, no subject need be off limits. Use adult vocabulary too. They will 'understand' in context even if they don't know the definition of the word. They will get much of what you mean from the tone you use and how they FEEL. If a word you use strikes a chord they will ask about it and you can develop their understanding and usage of it further.
These toddlers got a first geography lesson. This is a globe. It shows the whole world. We live on planet Earth. One little boy said, "I used to live in England!" so I took it a step further. This is England here. This is Trinidad where we are now. Even if they don't remember the word "globe" they will have a sense of familiarity next time they see a globe or hear the word.
Then we recited a line from Go Barefoot:
"I know the whole world is my friend!" an uplifting FEEL GOOD affirmation during
a challenging time.
Look for opportunities to connect life experience with whatever you're teaching, even if it's not in your schedule that day. Both parents and teachers can benefit from allowing the time together to flow organically between what we have in mind and what comes up for them. This creates an atmosphere of respect and c-operation. Almost all children respond in kind.
Monday 3rd April, 2006
THE FINALE - MAYARO MONDAY!
How did you spend your Monday?
I was fortunate enough to wrap up our Storytime adventures at the Mayaro library, within walking distance from the beach!
The 30 eight to ten year olds who came from Mayaro Government Primary - just next door - had their own case of Monday morning blues but surprisingly, after more than two hours driving I felt expectant, rather than exhausted....
Since I would be reading Digger's Diner, set on Grafton Beach, I came prepared - decked out in my 'tourist Annie' hat marked Tobago. It would do double duty - part comic ice breaker / costume FX and part sun shade when I hit the beach after the session!
My toddler Justin joined me on this tour. After all, the odds and ends/ props and musical instruments I had been using for the sessions were all his, so it was only fitting that he celebrate the tour finale with the rest of the crew from NALIS and NESTLE....
AND A FEEL GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!
Read Aloud Tip: WORD DETECTIVES!
Digger is a detective dog of sorts so I asked the children to play word
detectives! This activates thinking skills and interactivity with
young readers. Rather than read all the text on all the page(s) I'd
ask them from time to time to find out something/ what happens next.
Use your reading and thinking skills (it's not in the picture!)
e.g. to find out what flavors of ice cream Howie sells.
e.g. What treasure did they find in the ice cream containers?
e.g. Who was the thief? What was his name?
Interesting tidbits and key themes can be drawn out this way. This cuts down on reading time, but not on the STORY-telling and is useful for when the book you want to explore is longer than the session allotted.
Even if you don't read the whole book, by offering the story this way you may inspire the children to go back and read it more fully on their own.
The after party:
At the library we exchanged notes about our favorite sessions over the
past weeks while enjoying chocolate / pink marble cake (Justin's favorite) a sip
of juice / coffee.....Then, we were off to the beach!
This time Akeisha Ross got to be in front the camera. Thanks to her, I was able to capture the story time sessions and post them on my web site. Thanks Keish!
From Mayaro with love!
We'll go barefoot happy and free!
GO BAREFOOT!
STORY TIME WRAP UP AND FEEDBACK...
Some of the groups were a bit larger or smaller than the 30 we planned for, but we were able to be flexible and accommodate accordingly.
In all we touched fourteen schools in the six days and covered 12 regions in NALIS "North" zone:
Maloney, Tunapuna, Diego Martin, St. James, San Juan, Santa Cruz, St. Helena, Arima, Sangre Grande, Chaguanas, Waterloo and Mayaro.
This included nearly four hundred boys and girls from pre-school to primary, ages 2 to 11. The 'differently abled' were included as well - both the hearing and visually impaired. These groups included appreciative participants up to seventeen years old!
All the books/ stories and activities were well received. The use of the read along CD offered a natural bridge between electronic media and reading, for this generation of tech savvy children.
According to Cheryl Juanette, Librarian II of the North Region, the only problem has been that we could not have benefitted more children!
Librarian I at Diego Martin, Marvin Canterbury had this to say: Of all my years here at the library I have never seen such a well organised presentation. Ms. Johnson is very talented. Her ability to work with children and her range of expression is fascinating. The Nestle crew set up with ease and the bags were all packed and ready for distribution. Our community really appreciates what Nestle has done by facilitating this tour.
"(Joanne) .... your love for children and the work that you do are exceptional. You are an outgoing and bubbly person that will bring joy to any one's spirit that is down even if he pretends he is not interested. You wake him up like a shock of electricity! I like the way in which you put forward your stories in that even the smallest child will understand.... ... you have the know-how. Children these days need something more than television or even the computer. They need human interaction, where one can sit and communicate freely. Thank you for bringing this extra curriculum in education to our children. May God bless and give you the strength and wisdom needed to reach these children in whatsoever way He uses you to perform it." Janet Pierre NALIS
I WISH TO OFFER MY OWN SINCERE APPRECIATION TO AND FOR VANESSA SOODEEN, WITHOUT WHOM MY WORK AS A CHILDREN'S WRITER WOULD NOT NOW HAVE BEEN MADE MANIFEST.
THANK YOU VEE FOR SHARING YOUR LIGHT AND YOUR TALENT SO FREELY AND JOYFULLY!
MY HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO THE SUPPORT OF ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE JOY, SUCCESS AND BEAUTY OF THIS EXPERIENCE, WHETHER NEAR OR FAR, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.
THANK YOU GOD.
Joanne Gail Johnson
www.caribbeanchildren.com
More Photos from
Joanne's Storytelling Adventures
Photos by Dahlia De Freitas, Studio Works Ltd.
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