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(Child) Do one side and then the
spider crawled up the house and then...

2
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<i>(Heather) Playful learning to me is
seeing the joy on the children's face</i>

3
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<i>when they're learning something new.</i>

4
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<i>So seeing them smile, seeing them
be able to use it in context</i>

5
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<i>when they're playing,</i>

6
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because they've learned it
through play from us.

7
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When I see them giggling and laughing,

8
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but still doing
what I've asked them to do

9
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I say: "Yeah, that's it. That's great."

10
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(Children voices)

11
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Storyland is oral storytelling.

12
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My students are learning
the basics of writing,

13
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but they're learning it orally

14
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which is where they need
to learn it in kindergarten.

15
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They need to learn the oral part of it

16
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before they can move into the written part

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as they get older.

18
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Once upon a time, tell me
about your beautiful house here.

19
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(Child) One day, a spider...

20
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<i>(Heather) I cover each table
with a tablecloth</i>

21
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<i>and it becomes that land.</i>

22
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So, you know, the land of fall,
the land of water, the land of snow,

23
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so all of those different lands.

24
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I change them up so that
they're not always the same.

25
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What we play with is nature-based.

26
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I had acorns, I have pine cones,
I have shells, I have pieces of wood.

27
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I do have animals out
so that they can add those in.

28
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I put out the baskets
with all the nature items in it,

29
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and then they come in very quietly

30
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and they gather the items
that they want to play with,

31
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and they bring it to their land of choice.

32
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And then they create
whatever they're making,

33
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the house, the trees, whatever it is.

34
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<i>And they start telling their story
to themselves,</i>

35
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<i>or sometimes with a partner.</i>

36
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(Child) I think this is actually real.

37
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This is real, so we tuck down...

38
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(Heather) And then I circulate

39
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and I walked around
and I make sure that I touch in

40
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with every child at least once.

41
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(Child) And then this ran away
and then they jump back up there...

42
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<i>(Heather) So then, as they play Storyland,
I'll go around and I'll say:</i>

43
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"Okay, what's the setting of your story?"

44
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<i>and then they orally tell
me what the setting is.</i>

45
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(Child) And this is the water
where he swims.

46
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(Heather) If we're working on characters,

47
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I'll say: "Okay,
who are the characters in your story?"

48
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(Child) It was birds flying
and some butterflies.

49
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(Heather) It was birds flying
and then their friends were butterflies?

50
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Right now, I'm trying to work on
more of a beginning, middle and end.

51
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And so when they get to grade one,
if they can orally tell the story,

52
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they can hopefully start to put
something down on paper.

53
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<i>It's magical to them and they love it,</i>

54
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<i>so that's a good way
for them to start their writing.</i>

55
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(Child) I make this goat never get
his chocolate peanut butter--

56
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(Heather) Oh, look, and I think
someone's at the door.

57
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(Child) That's a bear.

58
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(Child) Hello. Who's there?