Oral Family History Project

Oral Family History Project

September 13, 2007

Apache Elementary School

Today was the first day that we met with the students. They all seemed very interested and excited in what they were going to be doing. Francis shared a very funny family story about thinking her there was a bear in her house, when in reality it turned out to be her father in her mother's fur coat.

When we broke up into groups with the students, it was neat to hear stories from the students. We were asking them question after question, but they were more interested in what our answers were. The three students that I was working with, all liked to read.

September 20, 2007

Today we were introduced to the Six Traits writing concept. The six traits include:

-Good Organization

-Sound Ideas

-Powerful Words

-Correct Conventions

-Smooth Fluency

-Individual Voice

We also talked about CUPS.

C-Capitalization

U-Usage

P-Punctuation

S-Spelling

I have already seen six traits done in another school, so I'm somewhat samiliar with it's ideas. I think it is a great way to get students motivated and more wanting to write. It allows students to have like a checklist when writing and know what is expected in good writing.

September 27, 2007

Apache Elementary

Today we finally were matched up with the students we will be working with. We were given time to meet with our students and get to know them, as well as them know each of us. I have a boy and a girl. I learned many things about each of them. One likes to talk and the other one is very shy and quiet. I found many things with both of the students that I have in common with them. We all like movies, the outdoors, and sports. I really enjoyed just talking and joking around with my students. I really look forward to working with each of them on a family story that will stay in their family for many years.

October 4, 2007

Apache Elementary School

Today we worked with our students to create a graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas for their family story. One of my students was not at school, but my other student and I had great ideas. He was really shy and couldn't think of any stories to share, so I had to ask questions that would lead into stories. I asked if he has went on any fun vacations, a special birthday, hobbies, his brother, and his Grandma. He decided that his Grandma in Arizona was special to him and he enjoyed going to visit her. From here we gathered many good facts about visiting his Grandma and we created a web about what he likes and does when he visits his Grandma. To help him visualize the idea, I did a sample web about visiting my Grandma. I also read him my "I Am From..." poem and shared some stories about when I would visit my Grandma. Together we wrote, talked, and drew pictures to support our ideas.

October 11, 2007

Apache Elementary School

Today, I worked with my students to begin writing their stories using their brainstorming graphic organizer. One student was absent last week, so I needed to play catch up with her. My other student did a good job of writing, but the problem is that I can't get him to include dialog into his story. Right now, he has a list of what he likes to do when he goes to his Grandma's house, but he has no story. After talking with some people about what to do, I have some good ideas to get him thinking and in the right direction.

This class is going to fast that I'm hoping my student will have enough time to complete his story by the publishing time. Next week we are working in groups to discuss the students' papers, so I think it will be good for him to hear some feedback from his peers.

October 18, 2007
Apache Elementary School

Today, we worked in writing groups to help the students revise and edit their stories. I worked with my student and two other students. Both of the other students had completed their stories and were working on new ones. My student had not completed his story and was at a point where it was hard to continue the story. I think from him hearing the others student's stories, he realized his needed work. This gave us a new direction to go in. Each student read their story and we used post-it notes to write stars and wishes.

October 25, 2007
Apache Elementary School

Since my student was in great need of a story, I decided to ask him questions about what he wanted his story to be about. We decided to get rid of the old story and start fresh. I started by asking him if he wanted his story to be scary, funny, sad, serious, etc, to see where he wanted his story to go. He decided in wanted it to be scary, so then I asked him where should the story take place and he said in a cemetery. As I was asking him story questions to get him thinking, I was writing what he was saying. This helped develop into a story, even though it was not a true family story.

November 8, 2007
Apache Elementary School

Today, I had his story typed up so that he could see it in a more professional light. He read the story for me and we worked on the ending of the story. After finishing the ending we went back to see if there was anything that needed to be reworded or revised. In the end, he was very excited about his story. Together we decided how the text was going to be placed on each page, so that there was room for illustrations. I read my family story and asked him for feedback and suggestions. We also worked on a biography for my student as part of a surprise for them when they read their stories on parents' night.

November 13, 2007
Apache Elementary School

I dropped off the final copy of my student's story, so that he could work on the illustrations by Thursday.

November 15, 2007
Apache Elementary School

Today was the final day to work on illustrations and last minute things. One UNM student was absent, so I had two other students to work with. We all practiced reading our family stories out loud, including me, so that we could become familiar with the words and the telling of the story. It is important for the students to be able to tell their stories rather than read it straight from the paper. The students then finished coloring and drawing their pictures. Looking back, I'm so proud of my student and his final story. We started out a little rocky, but in the end it all came together to make a great story.

November 29, 2007

Apache Elementary School

Today, we held a rehearsal for Family Night. Each student saw there completed story and many were very excited to see it finally published in a book. The group was divided in half and each student had the opportunity to practice reading their story in front of an audience. Some students were very nervous and others did an awesome job. The UNM students offered suggestions for good reading and storytelling to help them. Some UNM students modeled for the 4th graders what good readers do while reading a story to an audience.