The Tale and Creative Writing Techniques: Developing Critical Literacy

Sofia Koufou1 , Panagiotis Kakavas2 , Konstantinos Kakavas1 ,

(1. University of Patras, Greece; 2. Guglielmo Marconi University, Greece)

Abstract: The current paper seeks to present Creative Writing techniques that were implemented to students attending grades 3-6 of a Greek rural primary school. These techniques were based on the book of Gianni Rodari “Grammar of fantasy” and their aim is to cultivate critical literacy. This attempt was made within a cultural program that had as its topic the “European and folk tale”. Thus, the tale was used as the main material and the backbone upon which the whole program was supported as it was closer to the children’s experiences and because of its widely- acknowledged pedagogical character. The outcome of the program seems to be encouraging, since the students showed particular interest in the whole sum of the activities and lived up to the expectations of the objectives that were set to a satisfying degree. Therefore, the techniques presented are suggested as an alternative instructional approach towards the development of a critical literacy and it is regarded as beneficial for them to be used even in the first grades of primary school with the purpose of creating mature and critical, reflective citizens.

Key words: critical literacy, creative writing, fairytale