(by Don Meador, Allen County Schools, 10-19-18)
All children love a good
story; Tuesday, kindergarten and first grade students at the Allen County
Primary Center not only heard good stories but also learned about the art of
storytelling through a hands-on interactive workshop.
“I am doing a workshop for kindergartens that is a literacy-based workshop in the tradition of oral storytelling,” explained Heather Burns, the outreach director for the Commonwealth Theatre Center in Louisville. “We use activities to engage all of the students’ focus skills---their eyes to look, their ears to listen, and their brain to think about what we are working on.”
Not only did Burns tell an
exciting story to the kindergarten students, she involved the youngsters.
“We used some games and activities that will focus on those focus skills,” Burns said. “I tell a story in the oral storytelling tradition and I will involve the kids in some sound and movement so that it can be participatory. It’s a rich experience for exploring a story in another way.”
Burns also introduced the kindergarten students to their “actor’s tools” which are the body, the voice, the imagination, and their courage. While Burns explained and demonstrated the “actor’s tools” to the kindergarten students, Commonwealth Theatre Center educators Gracie Taylor and Omicah House took first grade students into a more in-depth workshop experience. Taylor and House asked the first graders to use their “actor’s tool” as a pair of stories were being told. The experience involved listening, following instructions, and the incorporation of expression and movements in support and enhancement of the story.
For example, House shared the story of a journey through the ocean. As he shared about encounters with whales, sharks, eels, and even the waves, the students were asked to their “actor’s skills” to add character to the story.
Taylor told the story of the “The Painter and the Elves”---a narrative about a painter who falls asleep in her studio before putting her painting supplies away. This leads to mischievous elves---without permission--finding their favorite paint color and then using their hands, feet, head, elbows, and feet to turn the art studio into a colorful collage. Taylor’s story not only asked the students to act out the elves’ movements but also learn the morals of the story. In this case, the lessons to be learned included always asking permission before borrowing something and to pick up and put away your
things before falling asleep.
House adds that his hope
is that the interactive learning experience will help the young students
develop creative and colorful imaginations and the courage to express
themselves and accomplish their dreams.
“I hope these kids understand that its okay to play and make up stories and be creative,” House said. “I hope they will think about becoming anything they want to be. They can use their imagination. We also teach courage and believing in yourself and the courage to try. That’s important lessons for these kids.”
The workshop was made
possible through the educational component of the Southern Kentucky Performing
Arts Center in Bowling Green. Funding for the workshop was made possible
through an arts grant to Allen County Schools from the Laura Goad Turner
Charitable Foundation.