To further the influence of the storytelling in the schools and to aid schools in establishing and/or extending their own storytelling festivals, we offer these storytelling workshops and residencies.

Workshops for Students

Storytelling ABCs: Where do I Start?
Beginning storytellers often have a lot of questions before they can get started. Where do I go to find a story to share? How do I know if I found a good one? Should I use a picture book or a folktale? Should I make up my own story? This workshop will give students a good start in what kinds of stories are out there, where one can be found and exactly what to look for in a tellable tale.

The Recipe for a Great Story: What’s In a Story and How Do You Put It Together?
Just like in a recipe, stories have two parts—the list of ingredients and a plan to put them together. Stories are made of three parts: places, people and problems. Once you have the pieces, how do you put them together to create a well-crafted story? This workshop will discuss the building blocks of a story and the framework to put them together.

I’ve Got a Story, Now What: How Do I Learn a Story?
Once you’ve selected a tale and put it all together, how do you remember all the parts so you can share it? This workshop covers several different story-learning techniques. No, not memorization, but learning the story so that it can be told from the heart—not just “by heart.” Visualizations methods, graphic reminders, outlining—different methods for different learners are all presented.

Ready, Set, Action! Storytelling Performance Do’s and Don’ts
What is appropriate on stage and what just plain doesn’t work? How do you build the pictures not just with your words, but your hands, face and whole body? Here are some great skills for bringing your audience on a story safari with you as the guide.

Workshops for Teachers

Teaching Teachers to Teach:It is usually pretty easy to spot a great story, but it can be a challenge to help a student make a really good story into a great one. Having coached budding storytellers for a total of more than 12 years, I am delighted to share some tips and tricks I have learned to help young storytellers really polish their stories to a high gloss! Teachers will learn how to help young tellers do their very best and taste success.

Teaching With Tales: How to Find ‘Em and How to Use ‘Em
Teachers already know the best way to teach is with a story, but sometimes it can be a real challenge to find just the right story to use. As Carl Orff (composer and music teacher) explained: “Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.” Few teaching techniques involve a student as completely as the vicarious experience of a well-told tale. This workshop will explore various sources for stories and how to use tales to most effectively illustrate difficult concepts and principles.

 

Setting up a School Festival
With experience gleaned from her own and other’s experiences, Cherie can help teachers, PTA’s or PTO’s start a Storytelling Festival in a school and explain how to open up this area for success to students who have not found any other place to shine.

 

Storytelling
The revival and preservation of storytelling in America is over three decades strong. The studies done on the benefits of storytelling include, but are not limited to the development of:

    •Imagination
    •language skills
    •respect for other cultures
    •passing on of tradition
    •history