With each new set of students that we meet each year, one thing has become increasingly evident: oral language needs to be strengthened. This could be for a number of reasons: more screen time, meals on the go, less playtime (recess too), or other changes in a culture. But regardless of the reasons, as teachers we have to support language development. Without oral language skills, comprehension, writing, and math explanations are much more difficult. So what can we do?
My teammates and I have worked hard this year to infuse more oral language development into all aspects of our teaching and interventions. My eyes and ears are always on the look out for more interesting ways to engage students in talking, sharing, and "beefing up" their vocabulary. Two weeks ago little sirens went off in my brain, as David Wiesner shared his app, "Spot," at the Mazza Museum Weekend Conference.
David Wiesner creates imaginative worlds within his books that lend themselves so well to oral storytelling. This is because he leaves most of his books wordless, which allows the reader freedom to interpret and imagine. This is one example from his book, Mr. Wuffles!
And once you zoom in even farther, there is a desk. And this is where the stories begin! There are five imaginative, adventure areas waiting to be found. So I picked one and found a cat parade!! Then I could move left and right to explore stories that were unfolding.
But where do the stories come from? There are no words. David Wiesner is providing the platform and the images, yet the stories have to come from the reader. And this is where we, as educators or parents, can model and build oral language skills in our learners.
I don't think this is an app that can be quickly introduced and then students are released. To build the oral language and story telling skills, modeling and practice need to occur. There is an educator and parent guide to support this app. They include story prompts, questioning prompts, and other ideas.
Within the classroom, teachers could introduce thinking stems, story starters, and transition into story writing. Partners could also work together to explore one world and discover the possible stories that could be told. By sharing the stories with the rest of the class, comparisons and contrasts could be made. Students could analyze how they all interpreted the images differently and came up with a variety of stories to share.
I think the options for what can be done with this app are endless! A great platform for imagination, oral language, and writing has been created. And I would love to hear what you would do with it!
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