Data Review for the Storyteller Apprentice Program, Spring 2014

Data Review for the Storyteller Apprentice Program, Spring 2014

Abstract The link between oral language and literacy is well documented. Specifically, rich oral language experiences are shown to be foundational in developing the mental model for higher order reading comprehension, decoding and vocabulary. Students need repeated opportunities to practice organizing, analyzing, synthesizing, inferring and connecting information orally in order to be able to successfully map written language onto spoken (Shanahan and Lonigan, 2012). Given the importance of this link, how can schools create learning experiences that joyfully engage students in complex listening and speaking activities both at school and at home? This paper examines the efficacy of the Storyteller Apprentice Program in its initial stages of development to identify strengths the program offers as a method of Language Arts instruction in a balanced literacy setting. As well, it will offer next steps to further develop these strengths. The Storyteller Apprentice Program uses the art of multicultural, interactive storytelling to develop communication skills. The blended learning program takes place over 5 in-school sessions involving interactive performances and instruction with an interactive media component. The media component includes a dedicated website that connects the lessons of the program together with videos, photo galleries and pages for student work (art, writing, video journals, etc.) The program also interfaces with the Story Values Interactive online storytelling resource. During the 2013-14 school year, it ran in four inner city Toronto classrooms in diverse areas of the city working with students in: Grade 5 Combined Grade 4/5 Combined Junior / Senior Kindergarten (JK/SK) with Grade 3/4 Story Buddies Combined Grade 7/8 In 2012-13 it ran in a Grade 6 classroom. The Efficacy of the Storyteller Apprentice Program Initial anecdotal evidence from the Grade 6 classroom indicated that it was having a significant impact on students scores on a standardized reading assessment (CASI) and on their oral communication skills. Teachers reported specifically that it was helping English language learners (ELL) and students on the Autism Spectrum (ASD). As well, they felt it positively shaped classroom culture and promoted respect, empathy, cooperation and collaboration. During the 2013-14 year, the program has been meticulously documented through video. As well, baseline and summative Developmental Reading Assessments (DRA) were conducted on Kindergarten participants and compared with a class of students from the same school who did not participate in the program. In Kindergarten Twenty-three students in the JK/SK class were tested on May 6th and again on June 18th. 11 of these students were in Senior Kindergarten (SK), 12 in Junior Kindergarten (JK). One is an identified ELL student. Two are on the ASD spectrum. Prior to the start of the Storyteller Apprentice Program the students showed a mean DRA level of 2.8. Six weeks later, on June 18th: They showed a mean DRA level of 4.4 The mean increase was 1.5 levels 17 out of 23 students gained one DRA level or more Six out of eleven SK students achieved a level 6 or higher compared with only two on May 6th Data Review for the Storyteller Apprentice Program, Spring 2014 "1

The students in SK showed the greatest gains: Senior Kindergarten May 6th DRA Level The mean DRA level in the control group for Senior Kindergarten on June 18th was 4.3 indicating a 1.5 difference between the students who participated in the Storyteller Apprentice Program and those who did not. The students who benefitted most from the program were those who were already showing some success with reading. An SK student who was at level 14 initially moved to level 20 by the end. Another moved from level 6 to level 10. A JK student who was at level 14 to begin with moved to level 16. Interestingly these students demonstrated a high level of engagement in the program and collected all of their jewels for sharing stories on the website with their parents. As well, the teacher observed that all of the students made significant improvements in their ability to make inferences and summarize the text, skills not measured by DRA. Several of the JK students who were still only at the initial stages of decoding by the end of the program were able to tell interesting, complicated stories using only picture clues. The ELL student, for example, refused to even try to read on May 5th but on June 18th said: I no can read but you want me to tell you what is about? Is like the story Cheryl told of the Singing Snake only this bird here her wants to sing. Her is not a snake. She want, she want, she want (repeated for dramatic emphasis) someone to sing with her. Oh my She want someone to sing So she try the frog. He no can sing. She try all the other animals. This one here. That one there. They no can sing. They say, No Finally, she find this bird here. He can sing. He sing beautiful. They sing together and sing and sing. Just like the lark in the Singing Snake. They very happy sing together forever beautiful music. Her inferences were not only accurate, they were a much more embellished and connected telling than the story printed in the DRA reader for level A. Her readiness for reading - her mental model - has developed well beyond her decoding ability. This model will serve her well when she makes the jump into printed text. In conclusion, it would appear that the Storyteller Apprentice Program had a significant impact on the reading comprehension and decoding skills of the students in the JK/SK class. Further, it was able to help preliterate students develop the mental model requisite to breaking the code. In Primary, Junior and Intermediate Divisions June 18th DRA Level Difference Mean 3.5 5.8 +2.3 Median 3 4 +1 Mode 1 6 +5 The Kindergarten program involved Story Buddies, based on a Reading Buddies model. Students from the Grade 3/4 class joined the JK/SK class for all activities, supporting the Kindergarten students with writing and retelling activities. While baseline data for these students was not obtained, on June 18th all of the Grade 3 students were at level 44 or higher on DRA. As well, they wrote the Grade 4 CASI on the story The Day Gogo Went to Vote (teacher selected). Students read the story independently then drafted their answers on the CASI template. With the prompt, Do you have anything to add? the students were able to revise Data Review for the Storyteller Apprentice Program, Spring 2014 "2

their answers with verbatim scribing. All of the Grade 3 students achieved a level 3 or higher on the Grade 4 CASI assessment. In particular, their responses to Question 2 - the main idea - and Question 7 - making connections - were generally outstanding. These same students were in the low to mid 30s on DRA at the start of the year. When asked if they felt the Storyteller Apprentice Program helped them with their reading, student responses included: Yah. We talked about the big idea after every story. Sometimes I d never thought of the things kids said before but once you do it a bunch you start to get the big idea better. I hear the voices in my head better now, just like when everyone acted it out, so the story makes more sense. It made me like reading more. It used to be boring but now, there s all this stuff in it, like you know, about different cultures and about how you should be. In the four schools this year, the Storyteller Apprentice Program worked closely with eight educators. In examining the video documented interviews with educators, it became apparent that many of the gains students made through the Storyteller s Apprentice Program aligned with the Six Cs identified by Michael Fullan as the agenda for Ontario s Education: Character Education Citizenship Communication All eight educators interviewed reported an increase in self-confidence in their students Four educators reported observing an increase in empathy in their students Five educators observed greater perseverance particularly in the areas of writing and reading All eight educators observed greater respect for diversity in the classroom and in class discussions One teacher reported that a student who had previously been bullied in the classroom was more accepted and included Another teacher observed that two students on the Autism Spectrum not only demonstrated more pro-social skills but were also more respected by peers as a result of the program All eight educators observed significant gains in students oral speaking skills: Students increasingly varied tone, pace, pitch and volume to communicate their meaning They used non-verbal cues including facial expression, gestures and eye contact with increased efficacy They incorporated visual aids to enhance presentations with greater independence Teachers reported that these gains transferred to other subject areas including Science presentations, Drama, oral reading and classroom discussions Four educators noted that students were more engaged and interested in writing and were more committed to revising for content and word choice The students ability to demonstrate an understanding of oral texts and present their ideas digitally is well documented on svapprentice.com A significant success of the program, highlighted by six of the eight educators was its ability to engage parents in their child s education. One teacher reported that students were sharing their work on the website not only at home but with grandparents and relatives overseas in countries of origin. The ability for family to see and hear what their child is doing at school and the conversations coming out of that sharing provides a unique forum for repeated practice and consolidation of learning. Data Review for the Storyteller Apprentice Program, Spring 2014 "3

Critical thinking and problem solving Collaboration Five educators commented on the ways their students designed and managed storytelling activities using problem solving skills effectively. Four educators also observed that students transferred this learning when they approached other challenges in the learning environment Six educators also observed how the stories promoted greater critical thinking skills. These educators observed that their students were able to analyze more complex texts and one noted that his students increasingly made connections between the big ideas in stories from the Storyteller Apprentice Program and enduring understandings in other content areas All seven classroom teachers remarked on how quickly and effectively the students collaborated during the Storyteller Apprentice activities. One educator highlighted how exciting the potential is for online, inter-school collaboration. She also noted that students worked organically to peer edit and revise simply because the work was online and easily accessible. The Grade 3/4 and Kindergarten Buddies often hugged or high-fived when they first saw each other each time. Many students in both cohorts reported that what they liked best was getting to work with their partner. In the junior and intermediate grades, students worked in groups to write, direct and produce short movie versions of stories in two short 15 minute sessions, collaborating in highly productive teams. Three teachers observed that they had never seen their students work together so harmoniously. Creativity and imagination The best evidence for the students abilities to consider and pursue novel ideas is found on svapprentice.com. Specifically, the videos created by the students on the origins of their names, the film versions of the Magic Spring and comic book elevator pitches. One educator observed that the stories created a rich foundation for divergent thinking While more concrete assessment data is necessary, it is clear that the educators involved in the Storyteller Apprentice Program felt that their students were able to acquire higher-order thinking skills foundational to critical literacy and to future academic success. Next Steps The Storyteller Apprentice Program is still in agile development. This time around, Kindergarten students created personal dictionaries on cue cards which they kept in their story bags using the concept of generative words. They chose words from the stories that resonated. Those words became cues to retell the stories. As well, they worked with phonemes in identifying and recording the sounds animals make. The research from this class points to a need for increased direct instruction in phonological awareness and sight word identification for the students who are not yet making the jump to printed text. Specifically, students tested seemed to struggle with attending to the initial letters of words. Using assessment data like this, it would be useful to incorporate some high-yield instructional strategies in the activities following the stories. These could be incorporated on the website so that parents could practice at home with their child. Developing a repertoire of lesson plans for teachers that connect to each of the five steps of the program and enable greater tie-in between what happens in the Language classroom and the Storyteller Apprentice Program would also take things to the next level. The opportunities for formative and summative assessment need to be capitalized. Tools for teachers including checklists and rubrics should be added to the website to facilitate this. As well, the links to Ontario Data Review for the Storyteller Apprentice Program, Spring 2014 "4

curriculum expectations need to be mapped out to support focused reporting and to help clarify the strengths of the program. Finally, more research is needed. Specifically, it will be useful to acquire concrete baseline and summative assessment data for all students involved in the areas of Reading, Oral Communication and Writing. Larger test samples will also provide greater insight and validation. Conclusions The Storyteller Apprentice Program offers a uniquely engaging method of Language Arts instruction at the forefront of Michael Fullan s call to integrate pedagogy and technology, with the former as the driver (Fullan, 11). The stories which form the basis of the program are some of the most complex, intricate texts ever shared. Known as teaching stories though out the world, they hold the character education wisdom of nearly five thousand years. At the same time, the kinesthetic, interactive, performance-based presentation unique to the Story Values method engages students who might not initially be pulled in by reading the same story on the printed page. Over the five steps of the program, students have repeated opportunities to visual, analyze and synthesize ten of these multicultural artifacts, embedding the mental model that ultimately helps them become expert readers and thinkers. Reinforced by the online component of the program, students enthusiastically bring the program home, continuing to practise and refine this skill set. While there is still much work to be done to refine and further develop the Storyteller Apprentice Program, the preliminary data confirms that it is of significant benefit to students oral and print literacy and well worth developing. Works Cited Fullan. Great to Excellent: Launching the Next Stage of Ontario s Education Agenda. February, 2013. Web. Shanahan and Lonigan. The Role of Early Oral Language in Literacy Development, Language Magazine. October, 2012. Web. Data Review for the Storyteller Apprentice Program, Spring 2014 "5