Retelling of original stories (pp22)
'Children are always eager to retell a story they have just read or heard and often want to work on the one told at the start of the session. They should be encouraged to select favourite stories from books they have read in the past. This can include any stories read to them by parents, teachers and librarians, or those they have experienced in their personal reading.There are many advantages of allowing children to retell traditional or contemporary stories, including:
- Children initially select old favourites which can be recalled immediately
- The familiarity which children feel with the known structure of previously shared stories enhances their confidence in their choices
- making a retold story their own by creating a personal interpretation based on their experience of the story'
- Can we tell more about the learner by the way they re-tell a story?
- As far as autism is concerned, can we ientify what stage of the spectrum they are at by their ability to retell a known story? (assessment through storytelling, perhaps)
- Can we assess the ability to communicate through the child's re-telling? Do they 'put on' the act of a storyteller, away from their own persona?
- As far as the project is concerned, should a story be selected for the child to retell, or should it remain open? Should they retell a story personal to them, from their own life?
Personal Experience Stories (pp18)
'Children have an instinctive feel for story, blending instances and episodes from their own experiences into oral narratives, therefore these personal anecdotes are natural items in a story-telling session. Exchanging personal experiences with peers is authentic because childeren identify with the similarity of events in other children's lives.
- Should the project be done with more than one child at a time?
- Should the opportunity to 'feed' off each other's stories be given?
- Should the story being told be collaborative?
- Will there be as much similarity of experience with children with autism, or is it more personal / centered?
- Will there still be a clear oral culture of speaker / listener if it is done with a group?
