Math and storytelling may seem like very different abilities, but a new study by University of Waterloo scientist Daniela O'Neill suggests that preschool children's early storytelling abilities are predictive of their mathematical ability two years later. The study has just been published in the June 2004 issue of the journal FIRST LANGUAGE.

In the study, three-and-four-year-old children were shown a book that contained only pictures and were asked to tell the story to a puppet. None of the children had seen the book before the study. The children were not prompted in any way and were free to say as much or as little about each page as they wished.

"Children were told the puppet had never heard the story before, and so this made it a fun thing for children to do. They really enjoyed telling the story to the puppet," explained O'Neill, a professor of developmental psychology.

"Having children tell the story on their own, without any adult prompting, also allowed us to better see what they were able to accomplish on their own and to get a more sensitive measure of their storytelling ability," she said.

O"Neill looked at several aspects of children's storytelling ability. Some aspects captured grammatical complexity, such as children's use of relative clauses or the length of their sentences. Other aspects involved more perspective-taking on the part of the child.

"In the story, a child brings his pet frog to a restaurant and lots of funny things happen as the frog begins to jump around and cause all sorts of mayhem, " O'Neill said.

"This made it possible to see how well children were able to talk about the feelings or thoughts of the characters in the story and how well children were able to talk about the different actions of the various characters and switch clearly from talking about one character to another," she said.

Two years later, the children were brought back to the laboratory and were given a number of tests of academic achievement that included a test of mathematical achievement. What O'Neill found was that those children who scored highly on the mathematics test had also scored highly on certain measures of their storytelling ability two years earlier.

"It was only certain aspects of storytelling that were related to later mathematical ability. Most strongly predictive of children's mathematical performance was their ability to relate all the different events in the story, to shift clearly from the actions of one character to another, and to adopt the perspective of different characters and talk about what they were feeling or thinking," explained O'Neill.

This study suggests that building strong storytelling skills early in the preschool years may be helpful in preparing children for learning mathematics when they enter school.

"Almost all children experience the world of storytelling before they begin their journey into the world of mathematical thinking, and there's an intriguing possibility that providing children with experience with storytelling may later enhance their ability to tackle problems in the mathematical arena," said O'Neill.

Given these findings, O'Neill is continuing in further studies, also funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, to explore more precisely what aspects of storytelling are linked to aspects of mathematical ability.

"There is a lot more to know about how these two domains of thinking are related. Both storytelling and mathematics involve many different abilities and we are trying to determine what the overlapping abilities are that might explain why being better at certain types of storytelling skills might help when tackling certain types of mathematical problems," O'Neill said.

- Merrill Badger, Principal

Happening This Week:

Friday, October 1st
join us for our morning Tea Garden from 7:45 am to 8:30 am.

Monday, October 4th
is the Rosemary Kindergarten parent meeting from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

Tuesday, October 5th grades 1st—5th at 11:00 am to PFA “Singing Safari”.

Wednesday, October 6th
Half day.

CPR and First Aid Classes

SCHOOL NEWS

String Notes
From Miss Barbara

BE YOUR YOUNG VIOLINIST’S BIGGEST FAN!!

This year’s crop of 4th grade beginning violinists look GREAT!
Each child is quickly becoming a Master of the Bow Hold and now we are working on becoming Masters of the Bow Stroke, that is, the very first bow pattern that we play on the strings!

HOME PRACTICE!

Most of the children have established good home practice habits and are bringing in their weekly practice sheets to “gather acorns” toward their first hundred which will earn them their “stars” to proudly display on their violins. 5 days of home practice a week will keep your violinist’s growing skills on track.

Just a few minutes of your busy day to watch and listen to your child demonstrating new musical violin skills will result in a proficient and happy child with the skills and joys of playing this beautiful and venerable instrument, the heart of the orchestra, the VIOLIN!

Just check off each skill and day of practice and remember to sign it before getting it back to school each Tuesday. (Yes, late practice sheets are always welcome!)

Don’t forget to show your appreciation of your young violinists’ efforts by praising them and clapping for them at home!!

The following is a nomination letter of our Board President,
Tracie Himes for the “Yavapai County Joy of Giving Campaign”

Many of you may not know just what kind of undertaking Tracie took on this past year and entire summer. The judges will be making a decision of their choice nominations in mid-October, hold the light around our nominee or if you have connections start pulling some strings! Just kidding people!!! We know regardless of outcome who our winner is. After you read the following and if you are so moved, take the time and show your gratitude: take Tracie out for a meal, send her flowers, bake a sweet treat, write her a note, give her a hug or simply shake her hand.

Reasons for Nomination: In recognition of her strong determination and courage, innovative vision, inspiring leadership, hard work and unwavering faith, the Mountain Oak School Community is pleased to nominate parent/volunteer Tracie Himes for the Joy of Giving Philanthropy Award. As rare as it is to earn a gold medal, so too is it to witness the unceasing devotion of an extraordinary individual serving her organization. We will show you how Tracie utilized those qualities to play a pivotal role in the continued growth and development of one of the most unique and free educational opportunities for children in Yavapai County. An education that honors the protection of childhood and provides an arts-based curriculum that educates and enriches the whole child, traditionally available only in a private, tuition based school.

Tracie began her journey at the Mountain Oak Community as a parent, then a board member and on to Board President. Before taking her role as a board officer three years ago, Tracie demonstrated her quiet brand of courage and conviction when faced with the Board of Directors decision to discontinue the after school program. She pleaded successfully and took financial responsibility for the continuation of a program that serves many families by providing a caring and safe place for those children who needed extended hours. The program is now state certified and many parents express their appreciation each year. As president, Tracie was faced with the growing pains of a young school: exhausted federal funds, lack of growth in enrollment, teacher shortages and a troubled administration.

At this crucial time the school required a leader who could demonstrate innovative solutions to current challenges and the implementation of them. Expansion was the solution, but neither funds nor adequate student enrollment were in sight. Many doubted the feasibility of such a move. Faith was Tracie's only companion as she moved ahead with plans to develop a middle school and add a second kindergarten class. For over a year, Tracie planned and developed the expansion project. The present facility required additional space. Tracie personally labored all summer, day after day, breaking down walls, building new ones and overseeing every aspect and detail of the facility's new expansion. In addition, Tracie acquired buildings adjacent to the present facility, oversaw major construction, painted walls, donated construction supplies and secured licensing and fire code compliance.

Even in the midst of this incredible undertaking, Tracie remained true to her character: approachable, gracious, kind and patient (well, maybe only 99% of the time). The end result for the children of Yavapai County is a beautiful middle school and second kindergarten. We now have an experienced Educational Director/Principal to steer and strengthen all aspects of the educational process, a full faculty of state certified teachers, and increased enrollment by 65% for the 2004-2005 school year. In an effort to serve even more of Yavapai Counties Children, Tracie's current focus is the acquisition of a larger site and the development of additional resources.

Her extraordinary commitment to youth continues on a personal level. She and her husband parent foster children as well as two of their own and are building a transitional group home for young adults. Please give close attention to this nominee, for we are extremely proud to nominate "big hearted" Tracie Himes. Through her heroic efforts and selfless commitment, she has secured the continuation of an enriching arts-based education for the benefit of all the children in Yavapai County, regardless of their parents' income bracket. She has left an everlasting impression on those who bear witness to her unforgettable volunteering spirit.

Do you want to decide where some of your
Arizona State Tax money goes?

You can. The AZ Tax Credit program allows you to take as much as $250. per year and give it to Mountain Oak INSTEAD of paying it to the State with your regular state taxes. This is not a donation, it is a tax credit which will reduce your tax obligation to the state. Please see Beni in the office for Tax credit forms, or feel free to contact Albert at 443-7712.

TEACHER TRAINING

The Arizona Red Rock Teacher Education Center is hosting another session at MOS from October 8-11. Student candidates and faculty will be looking for housing accommodations. Please see the attachment to this issue of the 'TUESDAY' if you are interested and return to DeeAnn Morgan.

VOTER REGISISTRATION

A voter registration booth will be set up in front of the school campus next week and catered by MOS parents to assist community members with registration forms for the upcoming
November election.

PARENTS & PARENT REPRESENTATIVES

“Waldorf in the Home”

9th Annual Conference October 23-24th at Shinning Mountain Waldorf School in Boulder, CO. Visit the parent resource room to get the details on this upcoming Waldorf education opportunity for parents.