Story Workshop – Materials as Thinking Tools

Teaching Preschool Partners is a non-profit that has partnered with Parkrose schools since 2017 to offer support to the preschools as well as helping guide a practice known as Story Workshop, which uses materials (such as clay, paint, drama, or blocks) to supplement language development and to encourage children to see themselves as storytellers and authors. In order to use materials as thinking tools, the Kindergarten, First Grade and ELD teachers at Russell and Sacramento needed consumable and non-consumable art materials to use during their classroom writing times. The Parkrose Educational Foundation provided $1,250 in grant funding to help bring this program to the remaining elementary schools.