Storytelling
“The world isn’t made up of atoms, it’s made up of stories.” Muriel Ruckeyser
Have you ever wanted to share a story with an audience? Whether your target venue is Carnegie Hall or the bedside of your grandchild, this supportive participatory workshop gently guides you through the steps of presenting a story. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is. The course will appeal to writers who wish to read and ‘perform’ their own writing more effectively or to those who would simply like to explore this exciting genre.
Come with a favourite tale or choose from those offered.
Come ready to enjoy yourself.
Organization: This can be a half day, full day or weekend workshop. It can also be organized as a weekly class.
Storytelling: Writing Story, Telling Story
It is through story that we discover and shape our sense of self and our knowledge of others. Using a combination of written and oral exercises, participants are supported to mine their experience, imagination, and passion to create stories that sing to them. Focus is on maintaining audience attention through the use of lively spoken language, clarity, and emotional accessibility.
Organization: This can be organized as a full day or weekend workshop, a series of full day or weekend workshops, or as a weekly class.
What people are saying . . .
“Helen Mintz’ storytelling class is an exciting and deeply creative environment in which it is safe and inspiring to share your stories. . . Helen is gifted in helping you find true value in your life experiences and transforming them into oral narratives.” Annie Lanteigne.
“Thank you again for such a great class. I really got a lot out of it and I feel like I pushed myself outside my comfort zone and found out something great about myself.” Bonnie Sims.
“I thoroughly enjoyed this class and learned a lot. Helen, you are wonderfully encouraging, an inspired teacher with so much depth and knowledge about the craft.” Carol Nakonechny.
“By far the best course and best instructor I’ve ever had. Developing storytelling skills has enriched my ability to share my vision and passion with others in a way that makes fundraising not a matter or arm-twisting, but of mutual caring.” Rick Juliusson, Executive Director of ACCES – the African Canadian Continuing Education Society, Surrey, B.C.
Multilingual Storytelling
Many of us share stories that found their first voice in languages other than English. When we tell these stories in English, we find that something important has been lost.
In this workshop we will share tales, moving between the language of our audiences and the source language of our stories. We will play with different ways of transmitting the nuance, meaning, and sounds of the source language; drawing inspiration from diverse sources including bilingual orthodox religious service and Canadian sound poets.
Multilingual storytelling is also an excellent way both to teach a foreign language and to begin storytelling in a new language
Organization: This can be organized as a half day, full day, or weekend workshop, a series of half day, full day or weekend workshops, or as a weekly class.
From Text to Telling
This workshop is for anyone interested in learning to transform written text into a dramatic presentation. We will explore sources including essay, historic memoir, poetry, and fiction. We will discuss the great gold mine of contemporary story: the internet. We will look at copyright law to establish what we have permission to tell as well as what we have permission to edit. Workshop participants will work with specific texts, transforming them. What does a text need to sing as spoken story?
Bring your own material or work with material offered.
Organization: This can be a half day, full day, or weekend workshop. It can also be organized as a weekly class.
STORYTELLING IN THE SCHOOLS
Teacher workshop – Storytelling
Storytelling is an enjoyable way for students to develop, creativity, language skills, and confidence. Students with diverse levels of language fluency and literacy skills can support and learn from each other.
This participatory workshop equips teachers to run a successful storytelling program either in a full classroom or in a resource room. Teachers will learn how to help students select stories. We will look at how to gradually increase both the language complexity of tasks as well as the degree of risk. We will model confidence building exercises as well as techniques for students to offer peer support. And we’ll have fun.
Students can use folk or fairy tales, stories they have written themselves or they can develop monologues using curriculum materials.
Organization: This can be a half day, full day or weekend workshop. It can also be organized as a weekly class.
Teacher workshop: Breathing life into well known characters
How do we help students to breathe life into current events, history, and literature? How do we help students to see themselves as dynamic forces in shaping their own experience and history?
The objective of this workshop is to give teachers a storytelling experience that will equip them with confidence and skills to elicit stories from their students. Storytelling and the dramatic monologue are powerful tools for discovering, shaping, and sharing personal narratives. We will discuss active listening and peer support. We will look at personal stories, dramatizations of experiences from history or from other cultures, and monologues extrapolated from literature.
N.B. This can also be a workshop for high school students.
Organization: This can be a half day, full day or weekend workshop. It can also be organized as a weekly class.
Storytelling for Students
Helen Mintz uses storytelling to enhance confidence, creative expression, and language skills while students enjoy themselves. Building on the strengths of each student and modeling peer support, Helen guides each student to choose a story and then successfully perform this story for an audience.
Story choices can either be open ended or focused on a particular curricular theme.
Appropriate levels: 8 years old to 90
Organization: This can be a full day workshop, a series of half or full day workshops, or a weekly class
What people are saying . . .
“Both the homeroom teacher and I were surprised by the enthusiasm with which students participated in the oral language activities. Ms. Mintz presented activities which put the students at ease so they had fun at the same time that learning took place.” Violet Uyeno, Project teacher.
Full Letter
“The response to Helen’s storytelling workshop was unanimously very positive. Teachers found the workshop both entertaining and useful, saying, “There was a perfect balance of teaching and experiential activities.”
Gloria Wieland Vancouver Coordinator – District Professional Development
Full Letter
“Not only is Helen able to teach storytelling techniques, she develops self confidence, courage, and encourages fun.”
Miki Maeba, grade 4 teacher.