Storytelling and Storymaking in an Urban Preschool Classroom

Abstract

This article builds an argument for broadening the way educators and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) evaluate children's narratives by presenting two approaches to narrative analysis: content and event analyses. Both analyses are applied to the cultural and social knowledge underlying narrative production in three African American preschoolers. Results suggest that use of alternative approaches broadens understanding of the repertoire of narrative structures among African American children. Finally, suggestions are offered for building collaborative bridges from home to school culture to enhance emergent literacy among preschoolers.