When Pictures Do the Talking: Examining First Graders’ Narrative Diversity in Response to Wordless Picturebooks
Faculty Mentor
Sally Brown
Location
Russell Union Ballroom
Type of Research
Completed
Session Format
Poster Presentation
College
College of Education
Department
Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Abstract
This year-long qualitative study examines how first graders’ oral narratives about wordless picturebooks differ and how educators can value multiple narratives about the same story to reduce emphasis on standardization. Multiliteracies, narrative plurality, and critical literacy served as theoretical frameworks to inform an understanding of oral narratives in young learners. Illustrations are tools for meaning-making and engagement (Arizpe, 2013; Lee, 2024). Two wordless books, Daisy Gets Lost (Raschka, 2013) and Owl Bat Bat Owl (Fitzpatrick, 2024), were used as layered pre- and post-assessments. Rather than treating pre- and post-data as separate measures, the narratives were examined in relation to one another to illuminate developmental shifts and evolving narrative practices. The data subset focuses on six culturally and linguistically diverse first-graders in a public, Title I school. Between the pre- and post assessments, the students listened to read alouds to build their understanding of story structures and storytelling. Multimodal transcripts were analyzed to explore students’ use of talk, gesture, and visual cues from the picturebooks’ illustrations to construct meaning. Students’ narratives diverged, including features such as storyline, vocabulary, emotional recognition, dialogue use, and the integration of background knowledge and lived experiences, as they crafted richly varied interpretations of illustrations that reflected their linguistic repertoires and multiliteracies. The narratives became more detailed and elaborate over time when narrative plurality was embraced and valued. The findings challenge a single “correct” narrative and highlight the value of diverse ways of showing knowledge in early literacy classrooms. Implications emphasize the importance of pedagogies that honor multiple ways of meaning-making, validate diverse communicative practices, and move beyond standardized views of narratives.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-23-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 12:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Polk, Jessica and Brown, Sally, "When Pictures Do the Talking: Examining First Graders’ Narrative Diversity in Response to Wordless Picturebooks" (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 47.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026/2026/47
When Pictures Do the Talking: Examining First Graders’ Narrative Diversity in Response to Wordless Picturebooks
Russell Union Ballroom
This year-long qualitative study examines how first graders’ oral narratives about wordless picturebooks differ and how educators can value multiple narratives about the same story to reduce emphasis on standardization. Multiliteracies, narrative plurality, and critical literacy served as theoretical frameworks to inform an understanding of oral narratives in young learners. Illustrations are tools for meaning-making and engagement (Arizpe, 2013; Lee, 2024). Two wordless books, Daisy Gets Lost (Raschka, 2013) and Owl Bat Bat Owl (Fitzpatrick, 2024), were used as layered pre- and post-assessments. Rather than treating pre- and post-data as separate measures, the narratives were examined in relation to one another to illuminate developmental shifts and evolving narrative practices. The data subset focuses on six culturally and linguistically diverse first-graders in a public, Title I school. Between the pre- and post assessments, the students listened to read alouds to build their understanding of story structures and storytelling. Multimodal transcripts were analyzed to explore students’ use of talk, gesture, and visual cues from the picturebooks’ illustrations to construct meaning. Students’ narratives diverged, including features such as storyline, vocabulary, emotional recognition, dialogue use, and the integration of background knowledge and lived experiences, as they crafted richly varied interpretations of illustrations that reflected their linguistic repertoires and multiliteracies. The narratives became more detailed and elaborate over time when narrative plurality was embraced and valued. The findings challenge a single “correct” narrative and highlight the value of diverse ways of showing knowledge in early literacy classrooms. Implications emphasize the importance of pedagogies that honor multiple ways of meaning-making, validate diverse communicative practices, and move beyond standardized views of narratives.
