The Story Grammar Marker® is a hands-on manipulative tool that teachers and parents can use to model the discourse skills required for students to think, learn and communicate verbally and in writing. Comprised of a series of icons that represent the essential components of a story, The Marker prompts students to remember proper story sequencing. These elements are:

• Character
• Setting
• Initiating Event (Kick-Off)
• Internal Response (emotion of feelings)
• Plan
• Attempts
• Direct Consequence(s)
• Resolution

Additionally, The Story Grammar Marker® was designed to complement existing reading and writing teaching aides.

Why Is The Story Grammar Marker® Important Today?

For several reasons. First, there is an increased use of standardized educational testing at the local, state and national levels. Second, it is estimated that two-thirds of American children cannot read and comprehend up to grade level. Finally, a growing number of students are having difficulty comprehending text necessary for the information age. The Story Grammar Marker® is aimed specifically at enhancing student capabilities and success by linking language development to literacy. How does The Story Grammar Marker® Help Students to Succeed?

Research has proven that nearly 90% of what is read by elementary school children is narrative in form. Narrative skills:

• Unlock the keys to literacy, critical thinking, and reading comprehension.
• Connect speech and written language skills.
• Link the language of home and the classroom.
• Connect the reader to that which he or she reads on a personal level.

The Story Grammar Marker® builds essential narrative skills leading to academic and social success by helping students to grasp:

• Characterization
• Temporal Sequences
• Cause and Effect Relationships
• Problem Solving
• Plans of Action that Spring from Feelings

How does The Story Grammar Marker® Work?

The Story Grammar Marker® provides a tangible structure for students to organize oral and written language. The Marker's yarn braid, complete with a series of story telling icons, allows students to model personal narratives, literature responses and written narratives.

The Story Grammar Marker® is a proactive tool that teaches comprehension and written expression across all curriculums. The process of using The Marker connects language development to literacy.

What type of Learning Situations does The Story Grammar Marker® Fit?

Extensive experience demonstrates that The Story Grammar Marker® is suitable for all types of students and educational situations, including:

• Regular Education
• Special Education
• Learning Disabled
• Hearing Impaired
• Bilingual and Culturally Diverse
• Emotionally Handicapped
• ADDHD
• Pre-School through Adult Education

The Story Grammar Marker® is intended to complement any language arts curriculum. It is a flexible teaching tool based upon language development research.

Why is The Story Grammar Marker® So Successful?

The Story Grammar Marker® is successful because it is fun, easy to use and its icon system creates a platform for learning the narrative structure of a story.

Professionals for speech and language pathology, reading, linguistics, cognitive psychology and counseling have used The Marker and feel that it appeals to all learning styles because it is visual, tactile and kinesthetic.

Parents can use The Marker because it provides a simple methodology for analyzing and conveying elements of a story.

Children love The Marker because, as a toy, it can be held, played with and easily referenced.The Story Grammar Marker® redefines and expands the traditional story sequencing of beginning-middle-end by providing easy to use, easy to remember icons that help parents and educators facilitate the oral and written language development of students.

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