Literacy & Self-Expression Thru 4th Grade Personal Narratives w/ Dodge & Wasmer Elementaries

"Learning how to tell your story — I shared with them that 'your stories matter'. Because maybe some kids think that their stories are too small or unimportant and it all matters how you tell it.  Your voice matters." 

Literacy is a gateway to, well, pretty much everything.

As we’ve shared on this podcast before, literacy is more than just reading.

And in 4th Grade at GIPS, students start the year by diving into writing Personal Narrative projects as part of their literacy curriculum. 

Mrs. Leah Starner, 4th Grade Teacher at Dodge Elementary, and Miss Katie Zuelow, 4th Grade Teacher at Wasmer Elementary, join the podcast to share as a veteran teacher and as a new teacher how they seek to unlock students' voices through crafting personal narratives.

Mrs. Starner & Miss Z unpack how students explore different storytelling devices, the topics kids like to share, and why writing personal stories connects to lifelong skills.

Along the way, a crew of 4th Grade students (two from Dodge; two from Wasmer) jump on the mic to read their own personal narratives that they crafted during the unit. 

Because it's about empowering every student to feel confident expressing themselves. 

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GUESTS: 
Mrs. Leah Starner - Dodge Elementary 4th Grade Teacher
Celene & Sabriin - Dodge 4th Graders
Miss Katie Zuelow - Wasmer Elementary 4th Grade Teacher
Sophia & Galvin - Wasmer 4th Graders 

HOST:
Mitchell Roush - GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/