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We Share A Story 2004:
An International Literacy Connection

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"We Share A Story 2003: A Pacific Rim Literacy Connection"
"We Share A Story 2002: A Literacy Connection"

We Share A Story 2004 is an international literacy project originating in Bellingham, Washington (USA) through cooperative efforts of the Bellingham Children's Library and the Bellingham Sister City Association.

We Share A Story 2004 envisions classrooms worldwide sharing stories and creating displays for schools, libraries, community centers and web sites.

November 2004, We Share A Story connects the world with an online version of "The Bridge of the Gods" - a tale of the Pacific Northwest Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Native cultures in the Pacific Northwest, such as the Salish and Klickitat Indians, called Mount St. Helens Loo-Wit Lat-kla or Louwala-Clough (fire mountain or smoking mountain). In their legends, a female spirit (Mount St. Helens) tried to make peace between two sons (Mounts Adams and Hood) of the Great Spirit who fought over her, throwing fiery rocks at each other and causing earthquakes. The warring of the sons destroyed the Bridge of the Gods that once crossed the Columbia River. These legends are undoubtedly referring to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that both frightened and awed the area's early inhabitants. From: Pringle, 1993, Roadside Geology of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and Vicinity: Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 88

A simultaneous sharing of "Bridge of the Gods" (Tale adapted by Bellingham Children's Librarian, Scott Blume) occured during USA Children's Book Week/International Education Week, on Tuesday, November 16, 2004.
At 9:15 A.M.Bellingham residents listened to the story on KAFE Radio FM 104.3.
At 10:00 A.M.(NSW time) Scott Blume read "The Bridge of the Gods" over Port Stephens Radio FM in Australia!
On Tuesday, 16 November, the tale was also shared with classrooms in Tateyama, Japan and Nakhodka, Russia.

We Share A Story 2005...
Port Stephens (Australia) Library System has offered to take responsibility for the story selection for the November simultaneous read.

Who tells a story?
We Do!
What is your story?
(Instructions on how to share your story!)

Stories! Stories!
Classroom Stories!
&
Responses

"The Bridge of the Gods"
Adaptation by
Scott Blume

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