For notes on this workshop, please visit our blog entry http://metrowestnews.blog-city.com/cewholebrain06.htm
Photos from this workshop are posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrowest/sets/72157594295426182
(C) Sherry Norfolk, Storyteller
888 Vera St., Atlanta, GA 30316 © (404)627-7012 © shnorfolk@aol.com
reposted with permission
Audience Response
Probably the most natural way to involve listeners is by asking questions that call for a response...i.e., "What do you think he saw?"
Example: "Coyote's Crying Song" in Twenty Tellable Tales by M.R. MacDonald
Sound Effects
Audience joins in with appropriate noise, animal sounds, etc.
Examples: Bertie and the Bear by Pamela Allen
The Big Sneeze by Ruth Brown
“Frog’s Rain Song,” by Joe Hayes in Here Comes the Storyteller
“Coyote and Horned Lizard” in Joe Hayes’ Coyote &
The Woman Who Flummoxed the Fairies by Heather Forest
Songs and Chants
Songs and chants are easy to teach within a story.
Example: The Foolish Frog by Pete Seeger
Maui Goes Fishing by Julie Stewart Williams
“Tipingee” in Wolkstein’s The Magic Orange Tree
Tiger Soup by Temple
Sody Sallyratus by Teri Stout
The Gunniwolf by Wilhelmina Harper
Rhythmic Response
Clapping, tapping, drumming, etc., are natural ways for kids to join in.
“The Crossnore” in Just Enough to Make a Story by Nancy Schimmel
Repetitive Phrases
Audiences pick up on repeated words and phrases with alacrity.
Example: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
“Little Rooster and Turkish Sultan” in M.R. MacDonald’s Twenty Tellable Tales
“Jazzy Three Bears” (script provided)
Actions
Hand and body motions add another dimension to the story experience and allow children to expend that kinetic energy in a controlled way.
Example: The Squeaky Door by Laura Simms
“Grandmother Spider Brings the Light,” in More Ready-to-Tell-Tales by David Holt
The Eye of the Needle by Teri Stout
Two Ways to Count to Ten by Ruby Dee
Sign Language
American Sign Language not only extends the story to the hearing impaired, but makes all children aware of the beauty and fun of signing.
Try These: I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Nadine Westcott
“The Bear Went Over the Mountain” folksong
Creative Drama
Acting out the story helps builds on kinesthetic and interpersonal intelligence, and helps children synthesize the story while having a great deal of fun!
Examples: “Why Koala Has No Tail” in Look Back and See by Margaret Read MacDonald Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Great Big Enormous Turnip by Domanska
Creative Drama with Puppets
Puppets help shy children participate within the group, and help children remember their parts!
Examples: “Three Billy Goats Gruff”
“Three Little Pigs”
“Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”
Are You My Mother? by Eastman
Dance
For the more energetic storytellers, getting the kids dancing will inviting enthusiastic response!
Examples: “Marsh Hawk” in M.R. MacDonald’s Storyteller’s Start-Up Book
The Frog Who Wanted to Become a Singer by Linda Goss
Dance Away by George Shannon
Moles Can’t Dance by Richard Edwards
The Dancing Granny by Ashley Bryant
Improv Slots
Some stories are structured in such a way that the storyteller can let the children supply some of the ideas to continue the story -- and allow you to put your creativity to work! Example: “The Singing Turtle” in M.R. MacDonald’s Shake-It-Up-Tales
Star Thief by Andrea Dinoto
Cued Response / Call-and-Response
King of the Woods by David Day
Slithers by Syd Hoff (script provided)
“Red Riding Hood Rap” by Naomi Baltuck in Crazy Gibberish
Rhythm Instruments
Percussion instruments can be used for sound effects or to create a "sound collage" - a sound representation of the story or poem.
Examples: What the Moon Saw by Brian Wildsmith
The King, the Mice and the Cheese by Nancy Gurney
Actions and Options: Resources
Sherry Norfolk, Storyteller
888 Vera St., Atlanta, GA 30316 (404)627-7012 shnorfolk@aol.com
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