The
Storytelling Classroom:
Applications Across the Curriculum
by Sherry Norfolk, Jane Stenson, and Diane Williams
The Storytelling Classroom is an inspiring, practical
and immediately applicable collection of preK through eighth
grade lesson plans for and by teachers who use storytelling
in the classroom and storytellers who work in the classroom.
Each lesson plan is linked to National Standards in Language
Arts, Social Studies, Math or Science and accompanied by
an essay which provides a glimpse of the alchemy that occurs
when students, teachers and stories are brought together.
The results are greater student engagement and classrooms
that are alive with students thinking and learning!
Order your
copy of The Storytelling Classroom: print out the order
form.
Or
visit the web site: http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/LU3055.aspx
From the beginning
of time, storytelling has been the means by which cultures and
societies have preserved and celebrated their memories, passed
on their values and belief systems, entertained, instructed and
reported. Long before there were written records, storytellers
taught through the oral tradition.
Today, teachers can employ this age-old educational tool with the assurance
that it still works! In fact, recent brain-based research supports
intuitive belief in storytelling with empirical evidence. In Making
Connections: Teaching and the Human Brain (Addison-Wesley, 1994),
Renate and Geoffery Caine state, "There is strong reason to believe
that organization of information in story form is a natural brain process...We
suggest that the brain research confirms that evidence and begins to
explain why stories are important."
Storytelling is a power tool for education. Everything we do in the
modern world is connected to story and the more adept we are at telling
stories, the more connected our society will be as it relates to all
forms of communication.
New!
Billy Brown and the Belly Button Beastie
Every night when Billy Brown's mother puts him to bed, she tells him to keep the covers on his bed so he doesn't catch cold. And every morning when she wakes him, he has kicked the covers off the bed. Knowing how proud Billy is of his belly button, his mother tells him that if he doesn't keep the covers on the bed, the Belly Button Beastie is going to pay him a visit and steal his belly button. Billy makes a critical error when he disregards his mother's advice.
Read a Picture Books review of Billy Brown and the Belly Button Beastie.
Visit
the August
House Publishers website for more
information on Billy Brown and the Belly Button Beastie and
more of your favorite tales of Anansi the spider who is too clever
for his own good!
The Anansi Tales
Sherry and Bobby Norfolk
take a lively new look at Anansi's many adventures! Anansi
and the Pot of Beans, Anansi Goes to Lunch and Anansi
and the Tug 'o' War are part of August House's exciting
new Story Cove series with illustrations by Baird
Hoffmire.
"Story Cove is a series of
very highly recommended stories and folk tales from around the
world for beginning readers that combines charming and colorful
artwork with simple, easy-reader texts ideal for children ages
4 to 8. These 32-page picturebooks emphasize different character
traits and values such as courage, sharing, citizenship, fairness,
and resourcefulness, and are further enhanced with a Story Cove
website offering series related movies, games, and more. The series
titles would make particularly good choices as school and community
library reading program incentive prizes."
-- Book Review from Children's
Bookwatch of the Midwest
Anansi and the Pot of Beans
by Sherry and Bobby Norfolk
When Anansi's
natural greed and cleverness lead him to disobey Grandma Spider,
he loses his dignity along with his hair! Bobby and Sherry retell
this Ghanaian folktale with playful rhythm and style.
Read more about the book & place an order
here.
Anansi and the Tug 'o' War
by Sherry and Bobby Norfolk
In this trickster
tale from Africa, Anansi proves to Elephant and Killer Whale
that in a battle of wits, brains definitely outdo brawn. Downloadable
lesson plans are available.
Read more about the book & place an order here.
Anansi Goes to Lunch
by Sherry and Bobby Norfolk
In the third book in the series, Anansi is invited to three parties. He wants to attend them all, so he ties a rope around his waist and gives each of his hosts a rope to tug when the food is served. His plan puts him in a tight squeeze!
Read
more about the book and place an order here.
The Moral of the Story:
Folktales for Character Development
By Bobby and Sherry Norfolk
Throughout history, traditional cultures have
recognized the role of storytelling in teaching values to children.
Yet existing curricula indicates most educators have not fully
capitalized on the connection between storytelling, folktales,
and character education. The Moral of the Story provides a user-friendly,
hands-on approach to using storytelling and folktales in character
education. In addition to providing a rationale for this approach,
the Norfolks include twelve stories that are fun, time- and audience-tested,
and accessible to a wide range of listeners, from preschool to
high school. Each tale is followed by suggested activities or
informal lesson plans for extending and enhancing the character
education experience. Extensive bibliographies lead the reader
to additional sources of folktales suitable for such curricula.
The Moral of the Story shows that, through the use of folktales
and storytelling, character education can be fun, enjoyable,
non-didactic and remarkably effective.
Haunted Hearts:
Tales of Love and Tragedy
By Sherry Norfolk
Simple, potent, and direct to the heartstrings,
this mix of traditional and original tales draws the listener
into a transformational journey. The selfless love of the mysterious
suitor in "Song of the Shepherdess" transforms him from wolf
to man and back again; "Woman of the Wood" is brought to life
by creativity, beauty and intelligence, but given happiness when
she is allowed free choice. The six tales are woven together
by traditional and original hammer dulcimer music, setting the
emotional tone from one tale to the next. The stories and music
lead the listener on a voyage of discovery, pursuing the elusive
but priceless treasure of perfect love.
HOW TO ORDER:
Link to:
August House Publishers website.
You may also call August House Publishers at
1-800-284-8784.
