Drawing from
family oral history as funds of knowledge, students legitimize their own experiences in the classroom setting. Their stories become the context for writing workshops with an authentic purpose as they become authors of their stories. As young authors claim and own their emerging voices and styles, they share their stories with an audience . As a culminating event, family members are invited to hear their child's story presentation. Chautauqua is introduced as a form of storytelling in the process. We begin with Chautauqua as a storytelling technique in the Fall and then write another family story that will be published in a literary anthology.
Stories are more meaningful to students and teachers than any standardized test.