Sherry Norfolk,        
  Literacy Programs

Sherry Norfolk helps teachers, librarians and parents discover how to take advantage of the important relationship between storytelling and literacy. Her extensive experience in designing and implementing award-winning emergent and family literacy programs provides the foundation for inspiring, creative workshops and projects. Link to printable flyer

Empirical research reveals:

• "The relationship of storytelling and successful children's literacy development is well established....this process [storytelling] enhanced children's development of language and logic skills."
  -- Cliatt & Shaw (1988)
• "Each study documented that storytelling enhanced literacy....Storytelling was an effective learning tool that linked literature to content and experience."
  --Mello (2001)
• "Storytelling is at least as effective as reading aloud for language arts development."
  -- Hanson (2004)

Storytelling ...

• Builds expressive and receptive vocabulary (children will never read well if they don’t understand the meaning of words)
• Enhances visualization skills (comprehension requires visualization)
• Facilitates myelination of neural pathways through hearing, learning and re-telling stories
• Broadens general knowledge (increases comprehension skills)
• Strengthens the corpus callosum by employing both sides of the brain to make meaning
• Provides a framework for children to learn through many modalities
• Motivates reading by making the connection between joyful experiences and language / literature.

Prior clients include the Southeastern Library Network, Inc., Northeast Florida Library Network, Southwest Florida Library Network, Montgomery ( AL) School System, Satilla Regional Library, DeKalb County Schools and DeKalb County Public Library.

Sherry Norfolk's Literacy Workshops

Prime Time: A Family Literacy Program
Sherry is trained and experienced in the award-winning Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities / ALA Family Literacy initiative Prime Time, in which low-literacy, low-income families gather in libraries to read award-winning children's books with storytellers and scholars. Prime Time fosters high academic expectations for children and encourages parents to read and discuss books with their children.

Building Blocks to Literacy Workshop
“Once Upon a Time!” is the beginning of adventure -- and the beginning of learning. When children hear stories, they are learning vocabulary and syntax, beginning-middle-end, and cause and effect. They are detecting patterns. They’re building brain power. And that’s only the beginning of what happens when a child hears a story! In this fast-paced, hands-on workshop, teachers, parents and librarians learn how to create storytelling magic for small children -- what to tell, how to tell it, why it’ll work -- and what to do when all else fails!

What Struggling Readers Need and How We [parents, teachers, librarians, storytellers] Can Help: Research-Based Approaches
Recent research has provided startling and encouraging new insights into how to develop proficient readers. In this workshop, we’ll explore the research findings and how they apply to the public library, then create practical strategies for fostering a love of reading and helping kids develop the skills they need. Don’t panic -- this workshop is NOT about teaching kids to read. It IS about the very heart and soul of what we do as children’s librarians and parents: bringing kids and books together in meaningful ways. Be ready to ”think outside the box” -- we all may need to accept some new roles and acquire some new skills in pursuit of that goal!

Before the Skills: Motivating Readers Workshop
Motivation leads to skill development which leads to student achievement; without motivation, children simply don’t learn. We will look at why motivation needs to be a priority, how it can be achieved, and ways that teachers, parents and librarians can collaborate towards that goal. In the process, brain-based research relative to why and how to achieve motivation will be discussed. We will provide theory, inspiration and practical applications.

Storytelling Performances
Listening to stories helps children develop vocabulary, increase comprehension skills, understand story structure, recognize cause and effect and learn to predict outcomes. And best of all -- they have FUN with language and story -- the best kind of motivation to read!

Sherry's early childhood programs are constructed to engage the whole brain by providing lots of options for participation in a variety of folktales, literary tales, poetry and songs. Children become an active part of the stories as they sing, chant, move, listen, watch and learn!

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