ARLINGTON, Virginia—Remember the little girl in the red-hooded cloak who gets gobbled up by a wolf in grandma's clothing? This generations-old character of countless bedtime stories has managed to survive the competition of all sorts of contemporary superstar dolls and cartoon characters. But in Katharine Manning's kindergarten classroom, the classic folktales have been paired with today's best software. The resulting project melds tradition and technology for a powerful literacy lesson designed around research-based strategies.

In this dual-language immersion school, where kids spend a half-day learning in English and a half-day in Spanish, Manning draws upon the rich heritage of stories retold for generations in Europe. With help from the school's librarians, she's turned up as many as 20 versions of each of the classics "Little Red Riding Hood," "The Gingerbread Man," and "Jack and the Beanstalk."

Says Manning: "The children love all of them for different reasons—the characters, the action, the moral, the repetition of the refrains—'Grandma, what big eyes you have', or 'run, run, as fast as you can', or, 'fe, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman.'"

For the project, the kids create a computerized presentation based on their unique interpretation of the story. After hearing the multiple versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" read aloud in both English and Spanish, each child retells the story in their own words. "The retelling of a story is a powerful indicator of reading success," Manning explains. "The sequencing of what happens at the beginning, the middle, and the end are essential concepts in understanding how a story progresses."

The child then illustrates their story online, using a story authoring program designed for youngsters. Manning records the little voices as narration to accompany the child's graphics and pulls it all together in a multimedia presentation to parents, as well as a bound book for the classroom. "I am encouraging the children to view technology as one medium that can be used to tell a story," she says. "Learning the skills to do this project empowers the children so they feel in charge of the computer, as opposed to the other way around."

She says she encourages the children to take their time as they draw at the computer, reminding them to use the "uh-oh" (undo) button when they make mistakes. "One time," she recounts, "I asked a child if she really wanted Little Red Riding Hood to have a green face, and she said, matter-of-factly, 'Of course.' So we left it that way."

To work on the project, the kindergartners at this multi-ethnic school have access to computers in the school's well-equipped computer lab, as well as two terminals—very popular with the children—in their own classroom. Manning, a relative newcomer to the integration of technology and curriculum, is a believer in the power of technology to enhance learning, even for the youngest students.

"I couldn't even work a remote control device until two and a half years ago," she confesses. But when she was assigned the classroom next to the computer lab, she started experimenting. "One thing led to another and now I am seen as technologically advanced by my peers. I tell teachers if I can do this, so can they!"