In November, 2006, a new, innovative, and teacher-friendly book came on the
market. The Storytelling Classroom was conceived, written. and
edited by storytellers and teachers to provide easy, replicable, tried and true
activities to go along with stories. The stories and activities are tied into
curriculum standards. To encourage teachers to use the ideas presented in this
book, Marilyn Kinsella is offering one to two free copies of the book ($35.00
value) to any school that hires her for an in-school workshop. See more details
below.
”The
Storytelling Classroom
will be a boon to teachers, to storytellers in classrooms,
students, and to parents who wish to add fun and
learning to children’s lives.”
Review by Mary Garrett, Storyteller and former high school teacher.
Consisting of a series of essays written by storytellers who work in the
classroom, as well as teachers who use storytelling in the classroom, this
title addresses specific curriculum areas, and includes practical, easily
replicable lesson plans. Also included is a review and explanation of the
current research on the value of storytelling in the classroom in teaching
the "whole brain" using the multiple intelligences and the integration of
thinking in the left and right brain. It makes valid connections to
educational standards in curriculum areas. Topics addressed are from the
dual viewpoints of storytellers and educators.
Workshop Proposal
This workshop can be a one-hour to three-hour presentation depending on the
needs of your school. Keep in mind that storyteller and former classroom
teacher, Marilyn Kinsella, is qualified by the state of Illinois to
provide CPDUs, if requested. She is also listed on the
Illinois Arts Council's ArtsTour Roster. See below for a breakdown of
prices and how to get a free copy of The Storytelling
Classroom.
One-hour - A presentation on the use of the book in the classroom:
After a short review on current research on the value of storytelling in the
classroom that is covered in the book, Marilyn will tell the story "Tiki-Piki,
Boom-Boom" and actually do some of the related activities (math, language arts,
science, arts, and social studies) with the teachers to model its usefulness in
the classroom. Example of activity: Language Arts - Mad-libs...Flip chart with a
portion of the story pre-written with blank spaces for parts of speech. Ask the
teacher for nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc and write them on the flip chart in
appropriate blank spaces. Read the Mad-lib. Questions and answers.
Two to Three-hour - Presentation as above. Plus: After telling a different
story, the teachers will divide into disciplines - Language arts, Math, Science,
PE, Social Studies, Art. Each group will be challenged to develop activities for
their classrooms that are tied to the story. Since there probably will be
different age levels represented in each group, there may be several ideas
developed specifically for a particular age.
The story, itself, has to be one that transcends age levels. A good
example is "Lazy Jack" or sometimes called "Obedient Jack." One group will be
designated as "The Science Activity". As a group, they will discuss any
scientific principles that can be culled from the story - why does milk change
into butter, how does curing meat preserve it, etc. Using that information and
what is "curriculum required" each teacher will develop an activity for his/her
classroom.
After a sharing of ideas, Marilyn will collect the ideas and (with permission
from the group) post it with her "Useful Study Guides" pages on her website.
Breakdown of Workshop Costs
One-hour presentation - $175.00 - That includes mileage within a 50
mile radius of the St. Louis Area and a free copy of The
Storytelling Classroom. But, see below on how you can reduce this fee.
Two to Three-hour workshop - $300.00. That includes mileage within a
100 mile radius of the St. Louis Area and two free copies of The
Storytelling Classroom. But, see below on how you can reduce this fee.
*Note from Marilyn: Currently, 2006-2007, I am listed as an artist on the
IL Arts
Council's ArtsTour Roster. Come and visit my page by clicking
Marilyn on ArtsTour. With enough leeway (at least 8 weeks), we can work
together on a very simple grant to have a portion of my fees paid - up to
one-third. When I come to a school, I charge $600.00 that includes four
storytelling performances - two 45-minute performances in the morning and two in
the afternoon. Usually, I can see a whole school in four performances. It also
includes a one-hour workshop! Sometimes I come for a reading night, a parents'
workshop or a teachers' workshop. So...if you apply for the grant, you will get
all this for $400.00!!! Such a deal...and remember the free book
for your school library. I would need to charge more for the day, if it includes
the 2-3-hour workshop, but it would still break down to be a great deal.
Original price - $800.00 (4 performances, a 2-3 hour workshop, and two free
copies of the book) minus the IAC grant makes your cost $536.00.
I am always looking out for my friends in very small schools with very small
budgets. So, if you can co-ordinate with a nearby school, you can divide those
fees in half! I will see one school in the morning for 2 performances and the
other in the afternoon for 2 performances. The workshop would be open to the
teachers at both schools at one location. We could do this with one grant
application to the IAC.
You may not be able to have me come to your school for one of these proposed
workshops. So, for a limited time, I am offering the schools and teachers an
opportunity to acquire a copy of the book from me for the at-cost price of
$25.00. You must contact me, if you want a copy at this price. Just email me at
markinsella19@hotmail.com
or call me at
618/397-1377.
