COACHING COMPREHENSIONNURTURING NARRATIVES

(PERSONAL NARRATIVES)

Bonnie Jean Johnson10-3-2014

Outline I. Discuss briefly:

What is Coaching ComprehensionWhat are Personal Narratives?Why do we want to work on Personal

Narratives with our children?

2. How to Prepare and Teach our Children to Tell

Personal Narratives and Examples3. Ideas for Activities for Picture Taking4. Questions and Wrap-up

Three parts to Coaching Comprehension - Creating Conversation:

-Joint Attention

-Event Sequences/Story Retell oftailored stories

-- Personal Narratives

What is Personal Narratives?A part of a Narrative Based Language Intervention

Program targeting children who have complicated language problems developed by Lauren Franke, Psy.D., CCC-SP

Focused on improving a child’s understanding of the spoken word and the child’s comprehension of simple event sequences

While encouraging the child’s ability to relate personal narratives with adults and peers

Through using event sequences familiar to the child shown in sequenced picture cards/photographs.

The child is part of the Learning Process.

The Rationale:To help our children begin to develop the ability to tell us what they did or experienced.

To develop basic conversation skills

To understand and have an interest in what others talk about

Research has shown that working on Narratives is important for social, linguistic, and academic development. - Strengthens autobiographical memories- Helps the child learn that what happens to them matters- Improves joint attention- Teaches the child to share emotions- Increases turn-taking abilities- Improves language understanding- Improves expressive language skills (vocabulary & syntax)- Develops organizational and sequencing skills- Teaches the child to better maintain the topic of conversation- Helps the child learn to think about his/her conversational

partner- Helps develop the skills needed to engage in reciprocal

conversation and to develop social relationships

Why “Personal Narratives”Relating a narrative is the context of the lesson

and is the goal for the lesson.Narratives have importance and relevance in our

lives. Narrative is an important “cognitive tool through

which all human beings in all cultures make sense of the world”..we organize experience into narrative form” Sue Lyle 2002

“Children tell narratives to organize their experience and share their knowledge and to communicate that knowledge to others.” Engel 1995

Getting StartedFocus on activities that are familiar to the child and of

the child’s interestConvey keen interest in your child’s activityWhen you talk about the event show visual

representations (photos) of the event/activityKeep your language at the child’s level of understandingComments 80% and Questions no more than 20%As long as the child is enjoying the activity, you can

continue to practice of the storyIt is preferable to help the child have a simpler story

he/she can tell independently than a more difficult one that requires another’s help

The “Hows”Personal Narratives need three people: a facilitator, the

child, and a communication partnerThe facilitator is the parent or caregiver who has

experience or knows about the eventThe facilitator (parent/caregiver) helps find meaningful

motivating events/experiences to target (the child can participate)

The facilitator takes photos of the event as it is happeningTakes 3-5 photos Takes a photo for each step of the eventThe photos are explicit so that few assumptions are

needed

The “Hows” continued The facilitator (you) emails the photos sequence to La Tierra: Send them as an email

attachment with your child’s name (Please also include information about the event; names, details of the activities, etc.)

To view the WEB Pager on Coaching Comprehension Creating Conversation including Personal Narratives with monthly event ideas: Go to SVUSD Home Page Click on Staff Web Page Enter your teacher’s name

Try to send a set of photos for your child’s Personal Narratives every two weeks.

The facilitator can share the photos with the child in the correct order and talk about what to say for each photo/practice the story. The words used should reflect the child’s vocabulary & language ability.

Use “expectant pausing” when helping the child retell the story

Gradually help the child tell the event when prompted by only a leading comment or question This will help the child be prepared to tell the narrative to the staff at school (the communicative

partners) that may have no knowledge of the event. The communicative partners will also be telling their personal narratives so the child will learn to listen to other’s retelling.

The Long Term GoalEventually the staff at school can facilitate

the experience and have the child share the school experience with peers and/or with his family at home.

Sharing the personal experience can be with photos or pictures. The long term goal is for the child to share his experiences without any visual supports.

Examples……………………………

Ideas of Activities for Photo Opportunities

Thank you for

all you do!