INFANZIE NEL MONDO. Storie per favorire l’accoglienza e sentirsi a casa
CHILDHOOD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Stories about belonging and feeling at home

Lynn Mastellotto e Maria Teresa Trisciuzzi – unibz

Storytelling presents an effective approach to language and literacy development in the primary curriculum given the rich communicative function of stories in both linguistic and cultural terms. It is a powerful pedagogical tool in foreign language teaching since storybooks are a source of high-quality authentic language input and the dynamic, multi-sensory storytelling process engages young learners  in an interactive and co-creative act of producing narrative meaning. Recent studies have shown that narrative literacy is an important corollary to functional literacy for young learners. Storybooks can also be exploited in the multilingual and multicultural classroom in order to raise intercultural awareness and provide a framework for teachers to discuss racial, gender, ethnic and social diversity with children through a guided analysis of the books’ peritextual features, as well as the characters, plots and settings depicted. Through an analysis of several picture books by international authors, this workshop will explore how storybooks can help young learners cultivate cultural awareness, empathy and respect for diversity, thus helping to create a welcoming classroom environment in which everyone feels at home.