Telling Stories: Enhancing Cultural Literacy in the Primary Classroom

Abstract

This paper draws on theory and educational policy about creativity and literacy; it includes an analysis of short stories composed orally by boys and girls aged 8-11 years. Data was collected during two small scale exploratory projects conducted in British Primary Schools, one in the North of England and one on a Hebridean island off the coast of Scotland. A consideration of literacy, which relates here to the pupils’ treatment of theme, character, setting and structure, will help to develop an understanding of their ability to access the imagination, express original ideas and compose a coherent, whole text. This discussion will explore how story telling may enhance children’s sense of identity and cultural literacy; it also points to some routes for practical implementation of creative teaching and learning.