Learn about parenting and caregiving by crafting stories for young children.
To begin, learners were asked to share a storybook that they remembered loving as a child. In small groups, they discussed what they loved about the story: Was it the narrative that sparked their imagination or the illustrations? Was it their caregiver doing the voices, or the time spent with a loved one?
Learners then read a variety of children’s stories that reflected different types of parenting/caregiving styles and reflected a wide diversity of families. The teacher aimed to include examples so that each learner would have a story that reflected their experience in some way, while also ensuring that non-traditional families and Indigenous authors were included.
In small groups, learners read the stories to one another and noted their observations about the relationships between characters, the writing style, and the illustrations. Each group shared their findings with the class, leading to a larger discussion. In this discussion, learners drew upon their previous unit on child development to explore what age group they felt was the intended audience for each book.
In subsequent classes, the teacher facilitated lessons on the four parenting/caregiving styles: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved. At the end of each lesson, learners were asked to reflect upon a time and describe an example of when they had seen one of these parenting styles in action. They also considered if this was a parenting/caregiving style they would choose for themselves if they decided to become a parent or caregiver. This reflection aimed to help learners understand the parenting factors that shaped their identities. The learners then returned to the children’s stories they had read and categorized them by the parenting/caregiving style they felt was exemplified.
To better understand the parenting/caregiving styles that contributed to their own development, individually, learners developed questions to ask different caregivers in their lives. The teacher created mini-lessons on effective interview techniques and how to prepare good questions. YouTube examples of Vogue’s “73 Questions” were used as an exemplar of open-ended questions. The questions that learners created focused on culture, family history, lived experiences, and tradition. The teacher invited her own mother into the class and conducted an interview in front of the class to model, while also allowing learners to ask their own questions. Learners were required to interview two people, but many opted to speak with more.
After their interviews were completed, learners began planning their stories. The teacher provided a template to help learners plan for their audience; this is important information when writing, as a book for toddlers is written very differently than a book for nine-year-olds. Learners created outlines and presented them in small peer groups to receive feedback on their ideas. Feedback was required to be specific, prescriptive, actionable, referenced, and kind. The teacher provided direct teaching on the meaning of each of these areas and gave examples of feedback that fit the criteria.
The stories were very learner-centred: some wrote about a special family tradition, some a specific memory, others made more abstract connections to their familial relationships and how those impacted them. The feedback groups were maintained throughout the development of the children’s books to foster a comfort level that promoted relevant feedback and asking good questions. This allowed the writers to apply the feedback and return for further questioning. The class set targets for when first drafts, second drafts, and final copies were due, with feedback groups occurring before each of those dates.
This project’s focus was on writing and highlighting what learners knew about caregiving relationships, so learners were not required to illustrate the stories themselves. Learners were given the option to create AI-generated illustrations (appropriately cited) and/or mixed media illustrations. The teacher found that most of the learners chose to draw illustrations themselves and a few learners created collages with photo cutouts. When the books were complete, learners went to the local elementary school and shared their stories with younger learners.
Vogue. “73 Questions.” Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.
