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GOAL 1: Students will demonstrate the ability to comprehend and evaluate written, visual and oral information; discover and evaluate patterns and relationships in information, ideas and structures.
Sherry’s storytelling programs are WHOLE BRAIN experiences, allowing children to process, organize and retain information through all modalities -- all while having joyful, memorable language and literature encounters!
Cultures the world over tell tales of how the sun got to be in the sky. These stories bear striking resemblances to each other -- patterns which young listeners can detect and build upon. In this interactive program, children hear how-and-why sun tales from around the world, then participate in a group writing experience to create a brand new story, which Sherry immediately performs on-stage!
Stories from a wide variety of North American native cultures are shared, introducing listeners to the values, traditions and intellect of our First People. Each program is carefully tailored to the individual audience.
Tales of the Ozarks reflect the origins of the people who told them: many of the stories came to the Ozarks from the hills of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, and often parallel European stories in theme and content. Sherry shares these stories that celebrate the animals, people and traditions of the Ozarks with humor and affection.
Motivating kids to read is the key to lifelong learning -- and this upbeat, highly interactive book-based program is designed to make students run to the bookshelves! Sherry brings books to vibrant life, using voices, sound effects, action and audience participation to help children strengthen important emergent literacy skills such as visualization and vocabulary acquisition while learning that books are reading are FUN!
These stories could come from anywhere in the world! Sherry draws from a repertoire of Beautifully-crafted folktales from six continents in this fast-paced interactive romp. The stories highlight the people, animals, habitats and customs of diverse cultures, allowing listeners the opportunity to recognize the ways in which we are all alike, and appreciate and celebrate our differences.
A variety of slightly scary poems, literary tales, folktales and original stories are explored while young children get the shivers as well as the giggles! These highly interactive stories employ all “ways of knowing” through rhythm, stimulating language, kinesthetic and oral responses and vivid visual imagery. Stories for older students are also drawn from a variety of genres, providing a high-interest introduction to folktales, literary stories, urban legends and poetry that will engage even the lowest-interest learner!
Folktales to develop character: here’s how to teach caring, teamwork, respect, etc. -- without preaching! Students reflect on good and bad character traits as they listen to entertaining and interactive folktales. Character-based lessons are embedded in stories, allowing children to recognize positive and negative role models, interpret stories from varying perspectives, and develop an understanding of the ways in which each individual’s decisions and actions affect others.
Tricksters appear in every culture: those characters who are often lazy, sometimes greedy, but clearly clever -- who use their brains rather than their brawn to solve problems, get out of trouble, and help their friends. These fun-filled folktales provide listeners with plentiful opportunities to observe and analyze the problem-solving skills of the protagonists. Everyone is invited to join in determining whether those characters are heroes or villains during brief but thought-provoking group discussions.
How and why stories from around the world “explain” the characteristics of animals, plants, sun, moon, stars and landforms. Since the beginning of time, man has tried to make sense of his world through story. These folktales from world traditions demonstrate the humor, imagination and insight of our ancestors. (Note: if requested by presenter, Sherry will help students recognize the pattern of these stories and lead them in developing a group story of their own, which she will immediately tell on-stage!)
Arctic regions, seas and deserts, swamplands and rainforests, woodlands and mountains are explored in these highly participatory folktales that highlight the distinctive animals and plants of each habitat. Stories can feature a specific habitat or an assortment of your choosing!