Judy's Workshops

Winners! • Books Kids Will Sit Still For • Selecting Books for Children • Literature and Library Skills • Booktalking & Reading Aloud • Multicultural Books • Once Upon a Time • Storytelling • Hi Ho Librario • Keynote Speeches • Parent Programs • Musical Booktalk • BER Seminars

ONCE UPON A TIME: Storytelling, Creative Dramatics, & Reader's Theater for Grades PreK-6

Judy's second annual "Once Upon a Time" Workshop is scheduled for Friday, October 17, 2008 at The Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. Go to http://lu.com/onceupon/ for information or to register. If you can't make it, the next best thing is to get a copy of Judy's spiffy new handbook that she wrote to go with the program: Once Upon a Time: Using Storytelling, Creative Drama, and Reader's Theater with Children in Grades PreK-6. A Workshop Sponsored by Libraries Unlimited

"Telling stories? Isn't that hard to do? I love to read aloud to my students. Isn't that enough?" say overworked teachers and librarians. Find out what's been missing from your literary landscape and make reading come alive with Judy Freeman's energetic one-day storytelling, creative drama, and Reader's Theater workshop. Explore techniques in storytelling and drama so your students do more than just READ books and stories-they LIVE them. Take students further into the heart of literature, using storytelling, where they envision, in their mind's eye, the stories you tell to them; creative drama, where they act out the stories you've read aloud or told; and Reader's Theater, where you hand out scripts for them to dramatize. Storytelling encourages children to use their mind's eye to visualize stories and think deeply about them. Drama changes lives, giving even shy children the opportunity to leave behind their quiet demeanors and become assertive. Use creative drama for retelling the sequence of a story, interacting with other story characters, and bringing a story to life with creativity, imagination, and improvisation. Reader's Theater incorporates elements of creative drama, but, with a proscribed script to follow, it also helps children develop as readers. When we incorporate drama with our read-alouds, children don't just see the story, hear the story, and read the story-they become the story. You don't need scenery or costumes or props, unless you want to memorize your scripts and put on a play. What can we, as educators, do to encourage our children to face an audience and speak or sing in a loud, clear voice; to interact with other speakers; and to become more comfortable giving reports and other presentations? Like it or not, they'll be doing those things throughout their lives; if it feels natural from an early age, they won't be terrified of it when they're older. What we can do with them is as effective as it is enjoyable: we can tell them stories. We can allow them to act out stories, scenes, poems, songs, and situations using creative drama and Reader's Theater. We can foster a love and appreciation of language and literature. Judy Freeman's hands-on, show-and-tell day is packed with easy-to-learn stories, poems, and songs. Her fast-paced workshop will offer scores of basic storytelling techniques and practical "tricks of the trade" you can use right away to make folklore and language come alive for your students. Watch reading skills and comprehension soar when you allow children to bring literature to life. Judy's program will feature a wide range of storytelling and drama styles and techniques including: Stories to hear today and tell tomorrow Object stories Draw-and-tell tales Stories with music and chantable refrains How to make a story your own Ways to adapt stories for choral reading, creative drama, and Readers Theater Script-writing techniques for children and adults Literature extension activities incorporating storytelling and drama across the school and library curriculum Strategies to keep your kids humming and playing with language using book-related songs, chants, poems, puzzlers, and wordplay

Judy's modeling of storytelling and drama techniques will leave you inspired and ready to use these successful, easy-to-use strategies with your students.

10 KEY BENEFITS OF USING PERFORMANCE ART IN THE CLASSROOM OR LIBRARY:

Introduce and reinforce vital skills, including listening, comprehension, and higher level thinking Reinforce concepts of character education, boost self-esteem, and get your students working together in harmony Explore story structure, characters, setting, plot, theme, and voice Recall sequence and details through retelling, and make text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections Develop writing and illustrating prompts that foster children's creativity and response to literature Enhance students' presentation and public speaking skills Explore practical doable ways to motivate and excite even your most reluctant readers and writers Inspire your students to read aloud or read alone with comprehension, expression, fluency, and joy Rejuvenate, expand, and make memorable new connections with your current book repertoire and exemplary new children's books Find unlimited reasons to fall in love with children's literature and stories all over again

A Message from Program Presenter, Judy Freeman We teachers and librarians are the gods and goddesses of great books and stories. Our job to turn children into readers is never done. In my new workshop, we'll look at time-tested strategies to get children personally involved with language: storytelling, creative drama, and Reader's Theater. For each book and story I select to share with you, I look for the Book Hook - that mysterious, magical lure that will pull you in and get your own creative juices flowing. We'll examine some of the latest, best books, and learn some stories so old and perfect, they're certified antiques. We'll get excited about ways to use stories to get our children reading, writing, illustrating, and responding to literature across the curriculum in classrooms and libraries. I'll show-and-tell lots of examples of children's responses to the books and stories we explore. We'll stay practical: What's the best way of getting kids to read or tell stories with expression, comprehension and fluency? What books will fire up children and get them to want to read more? Throughout our day, filled with activities, songs, storytelling, reading aloud, and an irresistible mix of wonderful children's books both old and new, I'll demonstrate down-to-earth, easy-to-use ways of making books and stories come alive for children. You want your students to test better? If you tell them stories and involve them in hands-on literature activities, they will test better. And read better. And live better. Watch your reading scores soar while children think they're just having a great time. Tell your children stories they'll remember forever, and they will become the storytellers for the next generation. I can't wait to meet you and share my favorite thing in the world: Children's books, stories, and the many creative ways to get children reading and loving them. Sincerely, Judy Freeman P.S. Bring a smile and a sense of fun. Let's get together and have a blast exploring old and new ways to share stories with our kids.