Research Hypothesis and Soliloquy (Abstract) Livro Aberto Set (Context)

1. The Language of Theatre September 2010 By Sarah Clarke with Professor Stephen Rupsch St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, USA and Professor Luís Madureira University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA Products Research Hypothesis and Soliloquy (Abstract) Livro Aberto Set (Context) Characterizing Theatre as a Tool for Fostering Literacy Using Reader’s Theatre Forum Theatre Blocking (Best Practices) Engaging Caregivers Sequel (Raising Questions) Fellow Actors (Sources)

2. The Language of Theatre • How can Livro Aberto engage community adults while fostering children’s literacy in Costa do Sol? • Research Hypothesis • Livro Aberto can engage community caregivers when they interact with their children and peers in sensory-rich activities such as theatre. • Soliloquy • In January 2010 the researcher used five years experience working for education in rural Mozambique to introduce Livro Aberto’s pilot project of mobile libraries to Costa do Sol. The following presentation describes Reader’s Theatre as a tool for fostering children’s literacy and Forum Theatre as a potential technique for encouraging adult participation. • Livro Aberto (Portuguese for “Open Book”) invites children and their caregivers to participate in weekly mobile libraries. Engaging, sensory-rich activities such as theatre are tools to foster literacy skills. • When children see literacy modeled at home or in their communities, they will easily engage in literacy activities. MB The best learning engages communities and this characteristic fosters a lifelong passion for learning. Theatre and language acquisition are synergetic with a common objective of communication. Theatre makes literacy come alive. • The simplest and least expensive techniques are often the most powerful. Mozambique has a strong oral tradition and storytelling has a natural connection with theatre. Many children in Costa do Sol have home languages that differ from the language expected in schools. Theatre is an active method for fostering Portuguese language acquisition. Reader’s Theatre could be especially helpful for Mozambican children struggling to learn with teachers whose single year of training came from a traditionally didactic educational culture. Now motivated teachers can help their students create a production while illiterate caregivers become models for literacy. • Forum Theatre is a formidable tool used internationally to evoke audience participation. A group such as Livro Aberto could use Forum Theatre as a strategy to promote adult involvement in a rural Mozambican context. • Projects promoting active learning may be obviously beneficial for a Mozambican child who speaks a local language at home with illiterate caregivers. However, many lessons learned in Mozambique are applicable worldwide. • Livro Aberto is struggling to engage adults. The average caregiver volunteering with Livro Aberto has withdrawn within seven weeks. Understanding the value system in Quarterão #8 is the first step in helping communities take ownership for their children’s education and see literacy activities as a worthwhile investment. • Specialists in the fields of education, sociology, information management, literacy and theatre in Mozambique suggest the most important products of this preliminary research are creating a document teachers can use, creating a dialogue or forum among grassroots leaders in literacy and proposing a sequel. • A field-tested baseline survey could provide statistical evidence about home literacy. Questions discuss local language, access to literacy materials and models of literacy. • Writing this note in September 2010, security in Maputo is diminished. Rioters choose to violently protest the increased costs of basic needs. Conceivably, Forum Theatre or Livro Aberto’s mobile libraries may inspire a child who learned to enjoy storybooks at an early age to one day use language to make a creative difference in the stability of her country. 2

3. Set • The1992 Rome Peace Accords ended a brutal, decade-long civil war preceded by Mozambique’s war for independence from Portugal from 1964 to 1975. During this time Mozambicans concentrated on day to day survival. • Many were not able to attend or complete school because of the wars. • The Mozambican literacy rate in Portuguese for adults over 15 is 44%. UN Portuguese is not the home language for many adults. • Progress in school does not guarantee of success. Even after third grade, 50% of students haven’t developed grammar, writing or reading comprehension skills at a second grade level. UN Unfortunately fifth grade is the final year of formal education for many students. • Livro Aberto is a Mozambican association hoping to reverse this trend and help children achieve success with literacy. • Livro Aberto works in Bairro Costa do Sol, population 16,850, BP a rural farming and fishing community on the northern outskirts of Maputo, the capital city. • Costa do Sol has 92 quarterãoes (neighborhoods), each with a Chefe (community leader). • The predominant home language in Costa do Sol is Changaan. • In January 2010, a group of local representatives from Costa do Sol selected three Chefes to host Livro Aberto’s pilot project. One was Chefe Elana in quarterão #8. • A shade tree in Chefe Elana’s backyard hosts Livro Aberto’s mobile library. • Chefe Elana is well known for raising funds to build a local primary school with a group of fellow seamstresses. • This type of initiative is quite rare. Well intentioned international aid following Mozambique’s two wars may have resulted in a culture taught to rely on donations rather than take action. “Aranha, Aranha” (Spider, Spider) Reader’s Theatre is an integral part of Livro Aberto’s mobile libraries. Costa do Sol Maputo, Mozambique 3

4. Livro Aberto Livro Aberto (Portuguese for “Open Book”) invites children and their caregivers to participate in weekly mobile libraries in quarterão #8. Engaging, sensory-rich activities such as theatre are tools to foster literacy skills. • Livro Aberto focuses on children ages three to eight. Internationally accepted evidence shows the foundations set in the first few years of a child’s life are indicators for for lifelong cognitive, behavioral ,and health outcomes. IS • Livro Aberto’s models good nutrition for learning. The first mobile library session showed that children were coming to classes with empty stomachs or snacking on non-nutritive food. Now children receive a small cup of peanuts, dried fruit and coconut. • When handed an upside down book on the first day of mobile libraries, a baseline evaluation shows an average of 13% of children orient the book, page through the book and looking at the pictures. Only one child of 45 pretended to read the story. Six weeks later all children knew what to do with the book. • About twenty families in quarterão #8 send their children to Livro Aberto’s mobile libraries at least twice a month. About 60 children participate weekly in mobile libraries and Livro Aberto has worked with over 100 children in Costa do Sol. • Livro Aberto is dedicated to reaching a cross-section of community children because some of the poorest do not attend school. While the Mozambican government provides free schooling and books through grade seven, families must buy uniforms, pencils and book bags. A choice to send a child to school also means the child is able to provide less help on the farm or catching fish. • Livro Aberto helps keep children’s minds active all year, even during school breaks. This could be an opportunity for schools to use Livro Aberto as a hands-on training center for their teachers and librarians. Many of these professionals are in the classroom after just one year of training. • Children at mobile libraries come from a variety of backgrounds. One deaf and mute girl especially enjoys hands-on activities. Other children come with a younger sibling on their backs and appreciate the opportunity to take a break from chores for an hour. One child comes from a family caring for a mentally and physically handicapped teenager, others have fathers with more than one traditional wife. Some children have experienced the death of a parent to aids. Others stay with relatives. Quite a few children are from single parent homes and mothers may turn to prostitution. • Some families are fortunate to have a plot of land they farm, or a fishing boat. Other caregivers buy and sell fish or produce to earn a living. • Livro Aberto strives to include primary caregivers and older siblings as partners. While children participate in Livro Aberto’s mobile libraries only one or two hours a week they spend the majority of their time with their families. The International Reading Association affirms that although many experiences contribute to early literacy, no other single activity is regarded as important as the shared book experience between caregivers and children. SN Readers theatre has the added benefit of appealing to various modalities. • Livro Aberto uses a bilingual model, presenting new material first in a local language to ensure comprehension. A daily calendar, songs, games, and daily hands-on time with books fosters Portuguese language acquisition. 4

5. Characterizing Theatre as a Tool for Fostering Literacy • When children see literacy modeled at home or in their communities, they will easily engage in literacy activities. MB The best learning engages communities and this characteristic fosters a lifelong passion for learning. Theatre and language acquisition are synergetic with a common objective of communication. Theatre makes literacy come alive. • Theatre Strengthens Listening Comprehension • The repetitive nature of rehearsing and listening to performances promotes listening comprehension. When a student hears a repeated phrase while consistently observing certain actions the student will more deeply understand a phrase. While responding to a command using the tool of Total Physical Response, a student associates the imperative words with the appropriate actions. Total Physical Response asserts that language is simpler to develop if we concentrate on listening rather than speaking. • Theatre Builds Vocabulary and Encourages Foreign Language Acquisition • Many of Livro Aberto’s students speak Changaan as their home language. Livro Aberto’s technique for foreign language acquisition starts by reading a repetitive story in Changaan. Students are then exposed to vocabulary in the national and academic language of Portuguese. Livro Aberto employs techniques appealing to visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, and verbal/linguistic learners. By the time the teacher reads the original story in Portuguese, many illiterate students can already predict words and sentences. Finally, theatre puts words and sentences from the now familiar story in an active context to aid comprehension. • Theatre Enhances Speaking Fluency • While rehearsing spoken lines and listening as an audience member students are building connections in their brains that help them speak more fluently. Practicing phrasing, intonation, inflexion and pronunciation develops speaking fluency. • Theatre Promotes Word Association • Word association is an important process in the transfer from oral to written language. Hands on time with books from a young age fosters lifelong reading. Reader’s Theatre makes the connection between ideas in a story and pages of a book. Theatre using books for a script assists readers to realize that each page always carries the same message. Here students begin to understand the systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. BA • Confidence on Stage Carries Over to Speaking and Writing • When students practice acting out a story they are they are more likely to begin memorizing their lines. This builds confidence about reading for both readers and nonreaders. Because she is engaged, a student feels confident about acting. This confidence is transferred to her speaking skills. Speaking skills, listening, reading and writing skills are interconnected. Writers’ ideas are inspired by performances they have taken part in. Writers’ sense of organization is more astute as the scripts they have experience with show logical sequencing. Exposure to different styles of scripts can encourage students to be creative with the voice and word choice in their writing. Sentence fluency and conventions (at least in English) stem from writing modeled after speaking. • Theatre is Engaging • Kids are excited about life. Education should strive to maintain a natural sense of curiosity. MB Theatre, when approached with a fresh perspective engages students on stage and in the audience. As a transdisciplinary experience, theatre is a useful tool for building connections! IB 5

6. Using Reader’s Theatre The simplest and least expensive techniques are often the most powerful. Mozambique has a strong oral tradition and storytelling has a natural connection with theatre. Many children in Costa do Sol have home languages that differ from the language expected in schools. Theatre is an active method for fostering Portuguese language acquisition. Reader’s Theatre could be especially helpful for Mozambican children struggling to learn with teachers whose single year of training came from a traditionally didactic educational culture. Now motivated teachers can help their students create a production while illiterate caregivers become models for literacy. • Musicals may be the best form of performance, combining acting and singing. Why not sing lines? • Choose simplicity! Use limited movement! • Choose simplicity! One personal prop makes the difference between a girl and a princess! • Choose simplicity! Use limited hand or set props (touched by actors), wall hangings or carpets. • Choose simplicity! Especially for the youngest readers, choose repetitive stories consisting predominately of dialogue with a linear storyline. • Choose simplicity! Inexperienced students can begin acting while they are sitting in a line of chairs where the storyline moves from left to right.. MB • THE TEXT, ACTORS AND AUDIENCE ALL PLAY A PART IN CREATING MEANING. • Practicing vocabulary using techniques that appeal to a variety of modalities is beneficial. • Referring back to the text visually reinforces that the reading performance follows a script. • Rehearsal and MULTIPLE RENDITIONS with students trying out a variety of roles promotes exploration and interpretation of the text. AS • Keep it interesting! Try using hand puppets or creating a radio broadcast! • Keep it interesting! Move the stage to an outdoor location or different venue! • Keep it interesting! Once students are comfortable, find a new audience! • Keep it interesting! Include guest actors or children from other classes or grades! • Keep it interesting! Introduce solo performances, performances in pairs, • Keep it interesting! Try miming, acting only using feet or facial expressions and gestures. • Keep it interesting! Have students design the prop list and bring props from home. • Keep it interesting! Students can direct a younger class or a group of their peers. • Keep it interesting! A Writer’s Workshop could precede Reader’s Theatre. • Students lead! Ride the wave of enthusiasm. If the kids are still interested, let them keep working. Kids will let teachers know when they are finished. TH • Students lead! When working with inexperienced actors it can be helpful for teachers to model the performance one time. Subsequent interpretations should always include student actors. • Students lead! With the youngest readers one teacher can prompt action or words while another teacher reads the lines from a book. Once a child can read from memory or from a text they should perform as many lines as possible. 6

7. Forum Theatre Forum Theatre is a formidable tool used internationally to evoke audience participation. A group such as Livro Aberto could use Forum Theatre as a strategy to promote adult involvement in a rural Mozambican context. • Theatre exists in Mozambican memory. International aid organizations sponsored professional and amateur troops to use theatre as a tool to encourage refugees to return to their homes and play an active role in rebuilding their war-torn country. These plays were rarely preserved and the culture of theatre does not exist in many Mozambican communities. • Mozambicans do have a strong connection with traditional healers, ancestors, and religions, all forms of live performance. • One program idea to promote adult participation is Forum Theatre. Here, Livro Aberto could help community adults write and perform or improvise their own stories based on events in their lives. • Augusto Boal became famous for describing Forum Theatre, in Theatre of the Oppressed, published in Portuguese in 1974. His work is influenced by that of another Brazilian, Freire, and his Pedagogy of the Oppressed, published in 1970. • Boal was working to foster democracy following two military coups in the 60’s. When he visited with rural farmworkers, Boal realized that a propagandistic play is “revolutionary only in theory.” Here he found an opportunity to assist people in discovering solutions to their problems.MS • The common thread among groups practicing Forum Theatre is the idea of Spect-actors collectively “rehearsing for social change”. • In forum theatre audience members become actors when they create or actively observe part of a scene where a protagonist is failing to achieve a goal. Spect-actors are called upon in to stop action as they see fit and improvise new endings for an existing problem. • The Joker is the most important actor of Forum Theatre, tasked with creating a safe space for people to exchange their stories and find solutions to their collective problems. • As LuísMadureira has seen with Alvin Cossa’sTeatroOprimido, Mozambique’s most well established Theatre of the Oppressed group, Forum Theatre is much easier in theory than in practice. LM • Grounded in her work as a consultant for Mozambican development, NéliaTaímo attests that seventh grade is a general indication of ability to comprehend and readily make use of new information. NT Grade seven may be a result of economic status, proximity to educational institutions as well as the value a family placed on children’s education. Many caregivers in Costa do Sol have not had an opportunity to complete primary school. • Implementing Forum Theatre in Costa do Sol will require a large investment of time and patience. • As with any educational or cultural initiative, implementers should give specific attention to adapting Freire’s Theatre of the Oppressed to a specific cultural context. If implemented appropriately, Forum Theatre may have the potential to become integrated into Mozambican culture, impact the value placed on literacy or make a difference in the way communities solve problems. • Theatre may also be a way to level the playing field among men and women. In a male dominated culture women tend to play a subservient role. However, when asked to perform an improvisatory role play, women tend to stand out as stars. NT 7

8. Blocking How can we adapt an initiative with worldwide success such as Forum Theatre to a rural Mozambican context? Projects promoting active learning may be obviously beneficial for a Mozambican child who speaks a local language at home with illiterate caregivers. However, many lessons learned in Mozambique are applicable worldwide. This checklist is based on lessons learned from leaders for development in Mozambique. Maintain Personal Connections Good things are generally time consuming… plan time for informal interaction Get to know students and their families. Call people by name. Nametags are one technique and have become the first sight word for many children in Livro Aberto’s target communities. Can be store-bought or homemade It is important to keep in contact with volunteers outside of work days. Volunteers are inspired when they see other people valuing their contribution. Get permission from government authorities and traditional leaders. One technique to having a request for permission is to ask also for co-sponsorship of the event. Often people will say their budget does not permit a donation, but if a group can find funding they can go ahead. The success of a project generally depends on the involvement of one key individual Volunteers need to know they are appreciated and the best way to do that is by keeping in contact with them at least weekly. Understand the obstacles for children and their caregivers to access available services Maintain Energy Must be engaging for all involved… coordinators, kids, adults. MB Break things up, be surprising and stop before people are tired! Strive for hands on activities, conversations and maximum possible participation from the community children and adults in the class Ongoing “on the job” training is often the best option as it saves time and is less theoretical. Messages stick better when they are felt/ heard/ seen/ have emotional impact. Go with the flow. Don’t get stuck on one particular idea. Keep the positive component but throw out ideas if they are no longer useful. Focus on positive results even if smaller than or in a different form than what was originally hoped for. Look out for and share these success stories. Remember the positive ripple effect of even one child’s education. Education is the key to long-lasting change. GM Make sure participants are warm. Livro Aberto lends capulanas, the local wrap, in the winter. Make sure participants have eaten recently. The world looks a lot brighter with a full stomach! Focus on the Positive within a Community Project Storytelling is not common as an art, but the Mozambican tradition is definitely oral Use known to introduce unknown. A reader’s theatre production can be set in a market. A convenient location is one way to increase involvement. Maintain a Feeling of Ownership It probably makes sense to ask people pay a symbolic/ token entrance fee if for no other reason than to avoid people asking a project to pay them for coming or volunteering Does the idea for the project come from the community? If not, create a different type of project and gradually increase the time spent on the original idea if it is well received. Maintain Community Involvement Community caregivers are important because they are the modes children know and with whom children spend the majority of their time. Focus on the primary caregivers and mothers as they are the teachers in the home. They set the rules and norms about a child’s daily life. HC Insist on involvement of caregivers. Techniques of intimidation or repetition are detrimental. Find positive things the community does value if organizers are certain of a project’s importance but know it is not yet high in the value system of the target community. Have a ready answer for the question of payment/ stipend/ honorarium/ encouragement/ gifts. Salaries are only temporary solutions. Focus on eliminating obstacles to accessing services. 8

9. Engaging Caregivers • Livro Aberto is struggling to engage adults. The average caregiver volunteering with Livro Aberto has withdrawn within seven weeks. Understanding the value system in Quarterão #8 is the first step in helping communities take ownership for their children’s education and see literacy activities as a worthwhile investment. • Chefe Elana, the community leader, synthesizes the responses Livro Aberto has heard from volunteers. People in rural Mozambique live from day to day. In order to have a meal for their family in the evening, they have to sell things during the day and are worried about loosing one hour where they could have used to sell part of their daily quota. Therefore incentives, stipends, tokens, honorariums or remuneration in the form of money or foodstuffs are often mentioned as the missing link in community participation. • Grandmothers are not available as volunteers because those who don’t die young (life expectancy in Mozambique is 42 UN) often have the full responsibility of raising grandchildren. • Quarterão #8 Does Not Value Books or Writing • The community as a whole does not value books. We see this when we see pages from newspapers, magazines, and books used as toiled paper. HC • Even though Mozambique has a strong tradition of oral storytelling, parents do not commonly share stories with their children. • Schoolchildren often grow up in homes with no scrap paper for writing or drawing. HC • What does Quarterão #8 Value? • People value money, food, gifts, and fun. • People value television’s perception of Western culture. People spend disposable income on televisions and with extra time they watch soap operas. Viewers see people see people on television watching television substantially more than they see them reading. • Valuing Literacy Intrinsically and Emotionally • In order to increase access to books, Livro Aberto is helping kids make their own books using recycled materials. Families enjoy these books. Books are valued most when a photo is included and children are included as authors or illustrators. • A punch card system could help children and caregivers earn books through participation. • Ideally Livro Aberto could buy phone credit in the form of ‘messages’ to allow community volunteers to respond more easily to a text message. • A fair promoting stories will send the message that literacy is a worthwhile investment. Caregivers may begin to see literacy as a stepping stone to success . • Ideally caregivers would see literacy activities as a worthwhile investment in and of itself. • An adult literacy program would give caregivers an opportunity to continue their education. • Food is culturally symbolic and can be a tool to model nutrition, Why not occasionally model nutrition by providing a hot lunch rather than a handful of trail mix? • LibrosparaNiños worked successfully with lending book bags and books in Nicaragua. After presenting the idea to a new community the organizers were quiet. People who were truly interested came forward asking to borrow books, and slowly numbers grew. MA • Livro Aberto could ask caregivers for a token payment for their child’s participation in the mobile libraries. HC If this would place strain on the family’s budget the participation of a family member could replace the coin. If this idea is not successful the number of children will decline. • In 2010 KutsembaCartão began publishing using recycled materials to maintain a low purchase price. The local market would be an ideal spot to sell the books. LM • Just about the only thing considered more valuable than money is fun with a group. HP • Theatre is engaging and helps people find a voice. If theatre helped people to create solutions to their problems, adults would come back for more because Forum Theatre simply ‘works’ for them! This would require quite a bit of planning but would likely be worth it! 9

10. Sequel • Specialists in the fields of education, sociology, information management, literacy and theatre in Mozambique suggest the most important products of this preliminary research are creating a document teachers can use, creating a dialogue or forum among grassroots leaders in literacy and proposing a sequel. • Opportunities for Sharing Ideas • The researcher is assisting students from the American International School of Mozambique to plan a fair to promote literacy in costa do sol. This fair will send the message that literacy is a worthwhile investment. • The researcher would like to present some key ideas of this research at the US Office for Public Affairs in Maputo. Here a couple of dedicated folks may be inspired to collaborate to find opportunities (and possibly funding sources) for further research related to Forum Theatre or the baseline study. • The researcher would also like to cite more sources and submit an article in collaboration with Livro Aberto to the International Reading Association. • The researcher would like to expand would like to attempt to creating an exhaustive list of Mozambican actors in literacy. • The next step may be reading up on case studies and best practices with Writer’s Workshop, Reader’s Theatre, and Forum Theatre throughout Africa. • Opportunities for Action • The researcher would like to develop a list of suggestions for linking existing school and community libraries with activities such as Writer’s Workshop and theatre and dealing with the issue of bilingualism. • The researcher would like to consider the possibility of a comparative study in similar communities in Costa do Sol. This study could use control group to compare to a group exposed to Forum Theatre, for example. • Questions Raised • Could Forum Theatre be the tool that could increase adult participation and motivation for caregivers to analyze the importance of functional literacy in the lives of their children? • What are the obstacles for collaboration among organizations with a focus on literacy? • Why are the obstacles preventing Mozambicans from spending money on inexpensive books from KutsembaCartão? • Is it possible that if the book were interesting enough people might buy • Is it strictly a financial problem? • What would be the cost (in terms of time, money, and guidance) for a community who were interested in theatre to start a guild? • How does a group begin Forum Theatre having never done it before? • What is the progression of forum theatre from ELC to adult/ inexperienced v. experienced adult • How could radio serve as a tool for beginning community theatre groups? • How could radio serve as a tool for fostering home literacy? • How could Livro Aberto use theatre and bookmaking to stimulate inquiry/ creative/ abstract thinking? • Anecdotal evidence says most caregivers don’t know the impact of talking with their children • How could Livro Aberto stimulate conversations in the home? • It would be interesting to record stories about the people in Costa do Sol or throughout Mozambique that are in the 10% or 1% that really step away from what they know (likely a combination of positive and negative) and create something new. 10

11. Sequel p.2 • Ideas for Further Conversations • There are very few theatre groups that exist in Mozambique, haven’t heard of any that are/ evolved to be grassroots from a rural or urban community. Do they exist? • What are the best sources for internationally accepted evidence about theatre for kids? • What are the best sources about literacy in Africa? • What resources talk about children’s theatre in Mozambique? • What are essential documents talking about Forum Theatre? • What are case studies of young communities and rural communities taking steps toward Forum Theatre? • The information I have is that no organizations in Mozambique are using theatre as a tool for children’s literacy. Who may have more info? • What international orgs use theatre as a tool for literacy? • Anecdotal evidence? • What would be helpful? • Ideas for Further Interviews • Associação Progresso. A Mozambican NGO based in northern Mozambique working with adult literacy and community libraries and producing books in local languages. • Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs • Brooks Lüscher. Master’s Thesis on multiple intelligences • Caroline Davis. A working paper on publishing in Mozambique for Save the Children • Schoolteachers at EscolaPrimaria- Triompho in Quarterão #8 • Dona Elana, Chefe (Community Leader) of Quarterão #8. She sewed to raise money to build the local school EscolaPrimaria- Triomfo. • Children’s Rights to Develop by YlvaEllneby. TunaTryck AB, Eskilstuna, Sweden, 1993. • SR Rupsch, Stephen. Professor of Theatre and Department Head of Theatre Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, USA.. • Alvin Cossa. Director of TeatroOprimido, Mozambique’s most well established TO group. (824325330) • Puppet shows in Mafalala. Kids are talking about social issues such as child trafficking, sexual abuse in school and living with aids. • American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) • ERIC Education Resources information Center http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal. • International Reading Association reading.org • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCxVEeljTdo • RafoDiaz, a Purovian actor and writer in Mozambique for two years (O Mar do Maputo) • Director of TheatroAvenida • Denis Chembene at LuArte (827000161) • Centro de Produção e Artes (Paulo 844266590) • Ivan Lanjera with Mafalala (824180314) • Angeline Neves a Mozambican author • Research by Patricia Barcass • http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2010/09/gareth-malones-extraordinary-s.shtml • USAID is beginning to put a great deal of money into education 11

12. Fellow Actors Sources cited in this presentation represent community members, Livro Aberto coordinators, and leaders in development projects in Mozambique. BA Ambruster, Bonnie B, Fran Lehr, and Jean Osborn. Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (Kindergarten through Grade 3). Comp. National IInstitute for Literacy. Ed. C. Ralph Aldler. 3rd ed. 2006. Pdf file. MA Armani, Mary Jo. Personal interviews. 11 June 2010. (Mary Jo is the Founder of Books for Kids- Africa. www.booksforkidsafrica.org.) PB Barcass, Patricia. Personal Interview. 3 Sept. 2010. (Patricia is a consultant for educational development and specialist in information management living 12 years in Mozambique.) AS Black, Allison, and Anna Stave. A Comprehensive Guide to Readers Theatre: Enhancing Fluency and Comprehension in Middle School and Beyond. Ed. International Reading Association. 2007. N. pag. PDF file. AB Boal, Augusto. Games for Actors and Non Actors. Trans. Adrian Jackson. 1992. MB Brown, Mindy. Personal interviews. Winter 2010. (Mindy founded Livro Aberto, Portuguese for Open Book, and is the Speech, Language and Behavioral Specialist for WaKula, her private practice. Mindy is living 12 years in Mozambique). EM Elana Machel. Personal interviews. Winter 2010. (“Chefe Elana,” the traditional leader of Costa do Sol’s Quarterão #8, hosts Livro Aberto’s mobile libraries under a tree in her backyard once each week. She has provided insight to the lack of participation from caregivers of the children attending mobile libraries.) TH Haygaru, Trina. Personal interviews. September 2010. (Trina is the Literacy Specialist at the American International School of Mozambique.) IB International Baccalaureate Organization. Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education. Cardiff: Peterson House, 2009. Print. LM Madueira, Luís. Personal interviews. Winter 2010. (Luís is a Professor of Theatre, Portuguese and Literature at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. He and his wife, Saylín Álverez, founded Kutsemba Cartão, Portuguese for Cardboard Hope. The grassroots publishing house uses recycled materials to produce inexpensive, reading material for a Mozambican market. www.kutsemba.org. Luis was born in Beira and lived in Mozambique for 15 years.) GM Mortenson, Greg. Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: Viking Adult, 2009. Print. 12

13. Fellow Actors p.2 BP Panguane, Benjamin. Personal interviews. 7 Dec. 2009. (As Secretario do Bairro, Benjamin holds the highest administrative position in Costa do Sol.) HP Petra, Hilda. Personal interviews. Winter 2010. (Hilda is from Zimbabwe and communicates with women in Livro Aberto’s target communities using a local language. Hilda has helped Livro Aberto understand that communities do not value books. Hilda is living 7 years in Mozambique.) IS Springate, I., Atkinson, M., Straw, S., Lamont, E. and Grayson, H.(2008). Narrowing the Gap in Outcomes: Early Years (0–5 years). Slough: NFER. MS Schutzman, Mady, and Jan Cohen-Cruz. Playing Boal: Theatre, Therapy and Activism. . New York: Routledge, 1994. Print. NT Taímo, Nélia. Personal interview. 6 Sept. 2010. (Consultant for Mozambican Development living 25 years in Mozambique.) UN "Country Report: Mozambique. Including 2000 Education for All Assessment." United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. 2003-2008 ed. Web. 18 Sept. 2010. 13

14. Field-tested Baseline Study • A field-tested baseline survey could provide statistical evidence about home literacy. Questions discuss local language, access to literacy materials and models of literacy. Chefe Elana and her son Silvestre Machel, 20 years old, assisted with field-testing this questionnaire. They assisted in modifying sentence structure, developing prompt questions and translating from Portuguese to Changaan, the local language in Costa do Sol. EM Silvestre is an ideal candidate for conducting the survey as he is well known as a positive role model in the community. Both Silvestre and Chefe Elana have volunteered with Livro Aberto’s mobile libraries and are becoming familiar with pre-literacy goals. • Economic indicators are most accurately separated in three groups. Low economic standing means survival, living from day to day. Families have sold valuable possessions and sometimes borrow food from family knowing they will likely never repay the loan. Middle level economic standing means the family has a reliable income source. Families may own chairs for visitors, a small garden, a television or have a chicken. High economic standing is rare and is characterized by free time and fashionable clothes during the day. Families may own a fishing boat or a farm. • 1)*Interviewer makes introductions • a) *Interviewee’s name • b) *Date • c) *Time • 2) What adults live at home? • Home Language: What languages do you speak at home?  • *Interviewer notes language in which interviewee is most comfortable. • Functional literacy level: Interviewee self discloses her ability to read and write. 4a) How do you feel about reading and writing in (home language)? 4b) In Portuguese? • Models of Literacy Activities: *Interviewer notes examples of ‘last time’ or ‘favorites’. • 5a) Does anyone in the family enjoy telling stories? • 5b) Does anyone in the family enjoy reading? • 5c) Does anyone in the family enjoy writing? • Access: 6a) Do you keep any reading material at home? 6b) May I have a look? *Interviewer notes number for child or adult. *On the back of the page, Interviewer notes titles, dates and genres (schoolbooks, magazines, newspapers, other) • 6c) (If yes) Who reads this? 14

15. Field-tested Baseline Study p.2/6 • 7) Materials available for scribbling? • 8) Intrviewee’sídeas of their children’s interests: What do your children like to do? • 9a) Have you heard about Livro Aberto? • 9b) If yes, what have you heard? • 9c) If yes, what do you think about Livro Aberto? • 10) Children in the family: • 11 11a) Economic standing? Low Medium High • 11b) Interviewer comments on dwelling and notes other economic indicators. • *Interviewer notes interesting things about the family and information source. • *Interviewer asks to take a picture, thanks family, presents gift and notes time: 15

16. Field-tested Baseline Study p.3/6Português • 1)*Intravistador faz-se introduções. • a) *Nome • b) *Data • c) *Hora • 2) Quais adultos vivem em casa? • Lingua Materna: Quaislinguasfalemem casa?  • *Silvestre anota: Qual e a lingua quefazmais confortable a paraconversar? • Nivel de literacia: Elafalasobresimesmo a abilidade de ler e escrever. 4a) Como se sentesobreler e escreverna (lingua materna)? 4b) EmPortuguês? • Modelos de Actividades da Literacia: *Silvestre anotaexamplos do “o ultimo vez” ou “favoritas”. • 5a) Tem alguemnafamiliaquegosta de contarhistórias? • 5b) Tem alguemnafamilaquegosta de ler? • 5c) Tem alguemnafamiliaquegosta de escrever? • Acesso: • 6a) Guardasalgums material de leituraem casa? 6b) Pecover…*Silvestre anota o numero e se sãoparacriançasouadultas. 6c) *A tras Silvestre anotaostitlos, datas e tipos (ivrosescolares, revistas, journais, outros) 6d) (Se sim) Quem é quecustumaler? 16

17. Field-tested Baseline Study p.4/6 • Materaisdisponíveisparadesenharouescrever (“scribbling”)? • Percepções das interesses das crianças: • O que é queosseusfilhosgostam de fazer? • 9a) Jáouviufalarsobre o Livro Aberto? • 9b) (Se sim) O que é queouviu? • 9c) (Se sim) Qual é a suaopiniãosobre o Livro Aberto • 10) Criançasnafamilia: • 11) 11a) Silvestre anoasituacaoeconomica. BaixoMedio Alto • 11b) Silvestre anotatipo da casa e descreve outros indecadoreseconomicas. • 12) *Silvestre anotacoisasinteresantessobre a familia e o fonte de informação. • 13) *Silvestre pedefoto, agredece a familia e apresentabrenda e anota a hora. 17

18. Field-tested Baseline Study p.5/6Changaan • 1)*Intravistador faz-se introduções. • a) *Nome/ Vito • b) *Data/ Sieo • c) *Hora/ Nkama • 2) Quais adultos vivem em casa? • Lingua Materna: A tindzime, ta chilande me khanelaka lane kaia? • *Silvestre anota: Qual e a lingua quefazmais confortable a paraconversar? • Nivel de literacia: Elafalasobresimesmo a abilidade de ler e escrever. • 4a) Swakutsakisa a kutsalanikudondza a chilande? • 4b) A chilungo? • Modelos de Actividades da Literacia: *Silvestre anotaexamplos do “o ultimo vez” ou “favoritas”. • 5a) Kunelweie a zandzakakuslhaya a me karingana/ historias? • 5b) Kunelweie a zandzaka a kudonza? • 5c) Kunelweie a zandzakakutsala? • Acesso: • 6a) Swikoneleswe u swebekakakaia u tsukaka u swedondza lane kaya? 6b) Pecover…*Silvestre anota o numero e se sãoparacriançasouadultas. 6c) *A tras Silvestre anotaostitlos, datas e tipos (ivrosescolares, revistas, journais, outros) 6d) Hi mane a tsukaka a dondzakokuulenahona? 18

19. Field-tested Baseline Study p.6/6 • A swilounganaswuparakutsala? • Percepcoes das interestes das criancas: • Inpwineyaswezandzakakuentcha? • 9a) U tsama u ingelavakanela hi Livro Aberto? • 9b) (Se sim) Loku u sweinguelile, ipwine? • 9c) (Se sim) Ipwine u pimisaka hi Livro Aberto • 10) A vanakamachaka: • 11) 11a) *Silvestre anoasituacaoeconomica. BaixoMedio Alto • 11b) *Silvestre anotatipo da casa e descreve outros indecadoreseconomicas. • 12) *Silvestre anotacoisasinteresantessobre a familia e o fonte de informação. • 13) *Silvestre pedefoto, agredece a familia e apresentabrenda e anota a hora. 19