Chapter 12. Using a storytelling/story-acting practice to promote narrative and other decontextualized language skills in disadvantaged children
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Ageliki Nicolopoulou
Abstract
This study examined whether a peer-oriented practice of child-initiated storytelling and group story-acting, integrated as a regular component of the preschool curriculum, can serve as a powerful context for promoting the development of narrative skills and a broader range of decontextualized language skills in young children from low-income and otherwise disadvantaged backgrounds. This storytelling and story-acting practice (STSA) was introduced into one Head Start class of 3- to 5-year-olds for an entire school year, with a similar class in the same Head Start center serving as a control group. Results indicated that participation in the STSA significantly promoted the development of both narrative and productive vocabulary skills. These findings help corroborate the claim that young children’s narrative skills form part of an interconnected cluster of decontextualized oral language skills whose early mastery is a key foundation of emergent literacy. They also highlight the need for researchers to recognize that the social contexts promoting children’s learning and development are not exclusively restricted to adult-child interactions.
Abstract
This study examined whether a peer-oriented practice of child-initiated storytelling and group story-acting, integrated as a regular component of the preschool curriculum, can serve as a powerful context for promoting the development of narrative skills and a broader range of decontextualized language skills in young children from low-income and otherwise disadvantaged backgrounds. This storytelling and story-acting practice (STSA) was introduced into one Head Start class of 3- to 5-year-olds for an entire school year, with a similar class in the same Head Start center serving as a control group. Results indicated that participation in the STSA significantly promoted the development of both narrative and productive vocabulary skills. These findings help corroborate the claim that young children’s narrative skills form part of an interconnected cluster of decontextualized oral language skills whose early mastery is a key foundation of emergent literacy. They also highlight the need for researchers to recognize that the social contexts promoting children’s learning and development are not exclusively restricted to adult-child interactions.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of contributors xi
- About the authors xv
- Introduction to narrative, literacy and other skills 1
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Part I. The importance of oral narratives for literacy, language and socio-cognitive skills
- Chapter 1. The developing language foundation for reading comprehension 21
- Chapter 2. Storybooks to promote emergent literacy in kindergarten classrooms 43
- Chapter 3. Do children’s oral retellings of narrative and informational texts predict scores on a standardized reading comprehension test? 69
- Chapter 4. Does emotional narrative context influence retention of newly learned words? 91
- Chapter 5. Enhancing mental state language and emotion understanding of toddlers’ social cognition 109
- Chapter 6. The effects of bookreading with and without mental state themes on preschoolers’ theory of mind 129
- Chapter 7. Using narrative thinking in argumentative writing 151
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Part II. Promoting narrative skills
- Chapter 8. New frontiers in facilitating narrative skills in children and adolescents 173
- Chapter 9. Precursors of narrative abilities 201
- Chapter 10. Enriching parent-child discourse during book sharing 223
- Chapter 11. Investigating the effectiveness of the Our Story App to increase children’s narrative skills 245
- Chapter 12. Using a storytelling/story-acting practice to promote narrative and other decontextualized language skills in disadvantaged children 263
- Chapter 13. Promoting narratives through a short conversational intervention in typically-developing and high-functioning children with ASD 285
- Subject index 313
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of contributors xi
- About the authors xv
- Introduction to narrative, literacy and other skills 1
-
Part I. The importance of oral narratives for literacy, language and socio-cognitive skills
- Chapter 1. The developing language foundation for reading comprehension 21
- Chapter 2. Storybooks to promote emergent literacy in kindergarten classrooms 43
- Chapter 3. Do children’s oral retellings of narrative and informational texts predict scores on a standardized reading comprehension test? 69
- Chapter 4. Does emotional narrative context influence retention of newly learned words? 91
- Chapter 5. Enhancing mental state language and emotion understanding of toddlers’ social cognition 109
- Chapter 6. The effects of bookreading with and without mental state themes on preschoolers’ theory of mind 129
- Chapter 7. Using narrative thinking in argumentative writing 151
-
Part II. Promoting narrative skills
- Chapter 8. New frontiers in facilitating narrative skills in children and adolescents 173
- Chapter 9. Precursors of narrative abilities 201
- Chapter 10. Enriching parent-child discourse during book sharing 223
- Chapter 11. Investigating the effectiveness of the Our Story App to increase children’s narrative skills 245
- Chapter 12. Using a storytelling/story-acting practice to promote narrative and other decontextualized language skills in disadvantaged children 263
- Chapter 13. Promoting narratives through a short conversational intervention in typically-developing and high-functioning children with ASD 285
- Subject index 313
