Walking Dead Literacies: Zombies, Boys, and (Re)Animated Storytelling

Increased emphasis on standardization in primary grades can stifle spontaneous literacy play. The authors argue that allowing playful, collaborative, multimodal literacies into primary classrooms and specifically in writers’ workshop can expand and enliven the way we see students’ literacy strengths. The authors look closely at the unique storytelling processes and final performance of a grades K–1 collaborative storytelling group, the Zombie Boys. This group worked over several weeks during workshop/playshop to produce an original story line rich in special effects, music, synchronized dance, puppets, backdrop, and props design and delivered a meaningful and entertaining play performance. The authors also demonstrate possibilities in expanded, equitable literacy assessment for primary grades by using a multimodal checklist and story line graph to gauge narrative complexity and story shape, tracking the group’s minilesson uptake, and describing how peers and teachers received the group’s story when performed for feedback.