The retextualization process from the fable genre: a participative research with 3rd graders in elementary school

Abstract

This paper presents research results on Portuguese teaching with 3rd graders at a public school in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Based on the theoretical framework of cohesion and coherence, oral and written discourse, it focuses on the retextualization processes from the theoretical perspective of Text Linguistics. A didactic sequence was developed upon the tale “The locust and the ant”, from Esopo, which directed the pedagogical activities. The principle of qualitative action-research guided our research methodology, through which the teacher investigates his own practice, based on a corpus of written oral narratives produced by the students. Data analysis evidenced some difficulties in the retextualization process, mainly by virtue of the students’ lack of knowledge of the proper devices for the written mode. Due to this lack of knowledge they used oral resources familiar to them. The most recurrent retextualization problem was the punctuation marks. The didactic sequence proved to be efficient and productive as it contributed to the development of the students’ writing skills.