Generative Literacy: The Basket

Helen from Miramar Kidz Corner, Wellington, shared this story.
Sam began collecting things. Collecting treasures in his basket that had meaning to him.


The nursery rhymes were of great interest to Sam, so treasures related to the nursery rhymes became part of the basket collection; favourite books, Incy Wincy handmade creatures... anything that reminded him of his favourite books.


The basket belongs to Sam. It must go in a safe place when he goes to sleep and when he leaves for the day.

What is happening here?

The basket is the physical representation of the ownership Sam has for his learning. Sam is building learning links or memory links, associations that will help him remember abstract things like images and text. Text which, at present, are squiggles on the page. He is using other sensory experiences and tactile objects that will prompt his memory. All this happens naturally and happily. All the teacher needs to do is help with the housekeeping and extend the experiences. He will have lots of ideas. He just needs help to grow his collection from these experiences and help to keep his memories and basket safe.

A literacy experience can be finite or infinite. It can happen once as a nursery rhyme is chanted from a poster. Or the experience can be infinite and happen over and over as the same nursery rhyme is read from a poster, book or ebook. But more than this, it can be acted out, props can be added, like the Hickory Dickory clock, allowing further dramatisation. It can be sung and the Hickory Dickory mice can be made and everyone can dance to the rhythm  of the rhyme. Imagination, now too, is aiding memory.

With each action the literacy experience  deepens. The chance of remembering the rhyme and the patterns of the language is greater. The literacy experience has become generative. A foundation has been laid down for future learning and the evolving literacy.

Noeline Anderson,
Director of Pixelhouse
www.pixelhouse.co.nz
www.pixelhouseonline.com
027 472 9193

Embedding Literacy: Creating Our Clock

This Learning Story was written by Helen, a teacher at Miramar Kidz Corner, Wellington.

Our interest in nursery rhymes at the centre is getting more and more exciting. Today we made a huge clock so that we could act out Hickory, Dickory Dock. This is one of the favourites at the moment.

Here we are painting busily painting.
It was a big job, but what fun we had.



While the children were all sleeping the teachers taped the boxes together and added a clock face to the front. Jasmine got busy making mice to run up and down the clock. We were so excited and had to wait
for everybody to wake up and come and play.


Oscar and Sam were the first to wake up.They looked and pointed at the clock. They were quiet for a while until Sam finally said, “ Hickey, Dickey Dock."

Then they tried out the new mice and ran them up and down the clock.









Oscar carried on playing with the clock for a long time. “Tick, tock, tick, tock.” Oscar chanted to himself as he played. Sam sang "Hickory Dickory Dock" as he ran his mouse up and down the clock. Then he ran to get his book so he could read his story too.

 The mice and the clock look amazing. We hung the mice from the top of the clock for safe keeping. Everyone had a great time and we will leave the clock out so we can keep playing.


Pixelhouse came across this story on a follow-up visit to the centre. We were wanting to know how our Nursery Rhyme resource was going. We are so excited by these outcomes for Sam and the possibilities for others to develop literacy skills, using this resource.

Sam's Story: A Literacy Learning Story

We were so lucky. We got some new nursery rhyme books. Sam you just loved them. You wanted to read them over and over again. There were lots for you to choose from but you soon found your favourite ones.

After a while of reading your favourites you were able to identify the books by their  pictures and tell us their titles.You would bring the book to me and say “Humpy Dumpy ”or “Hickey, Dickey Dock”. You are so clever Sam. I can’t believe how fast and how keen you are with your learning.

After a couple of days you discover that all the rhymes are pictured on the back of each book. Sam you show me what you have noticed and are able to name most of the rhymes and point them out to me.“There was a Crooked Man” was the only rhyme you were not sure of. When you found this picture you said “Oh no.”  I laughed, you were not happy that you didn’t know that one. Sam I gave you the title and you now call this one “Man”.  Great job Sam, you now know all the nursery rhyme titles.

This Learning Story was written by Helen who is a teacher at Miramar Kidz Corner, Wellington, an Early Childhood Centre.

Pixelhouse came across this story on a follow-up visit to the centre. We were wanting to know how our Nursery Rhyme resource was going. We are so excited by these outcomes for Sam and the possibilities for others to develop literacy skills, using this resource.