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Kevin D. Cordi – Children Telling Stories by Giving Children a Voice

Kevin Cordi, storyteller, is speaks about storytelling wiht children.

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Interview #010 Kevin Cordi

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Children telling Stories; Giving Children a Voice.

Kevin Cordi writes…
Nationally known Professional Storyteller and Story Teacher Kevin Cordi invites you to join with him and Eric as we discuss, challenge, and encourage discussion concerning how we can provide a voice for children with storytelling and proven storytelling practices. Kevin is the co-author, with Judy Sima, of Raising Voices: Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes and according to the National Storytelling Network, “the first full time high school storytelling teacher in the country.” He has a Masters Degree in “Using Storytelling as a Primary Means of Educating Students” and is currently a PH.D Candidate in “Dramatic Inquiry and Narrative Storytelling” at The Ohio State University. He also has led a successful award-winning youth storytelling troupe called Voices of Illusion for 11 years and is the founder of both Voices across America Youth Storytelling Project and the Special Interest Group now called Y.E.S. (Youth, Educators, and Storytellers.)

What is most important is that when he was a teenager he found his voice with
storytelling. For awhile he was alone in his pursuit to be Read more »

Coaching Youth Storytellers by Kevin Cordi

Kevin Cordi tells stories in a school.

By Kevin Cordi

As you continue to work with students they will to come to you to help them with their stories At this point you take on the role of the student’s “coach.” However, unlike a football or volleyball coach where he or she is concerned about the team, the storytelling coach gears their session based not on a group’s need, but the teller. The term coach can also in some cases illicit bad memories of someone who berated another for their inability or inexperience. This is not the role of the Storytelling Coach. A Storytelling Coach assists the teller in finding Read more »

A Smaller Voice Can Make A Loud Sound by Kevin Cordi

Kevin Cordi has organized tellabration for over nine years.
By Kevin D. Cordi

For Peggy O’Sullivan. As a producer for over nine Tellabrations I want to share with you what has lately spiced up our Tellabrations. It is the sound of little voices with larger ones, in others words, I have had the privilege of helping direct a completely student organized Tellabration.

For the last three years we have made our Tellabration thematic. Our theme last year was “From the Trails to the Tales, The Gold is still in California.” Over 200 student performers and five adult professional storytellers share in the celebration of the stories of California. We had a four-year-old open the Read more »

Storytelling in Summer Camp Settings

Brother Wolf telling stories at Free Spirit Nature Camp as camp storytelling.

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Interview #009 Kate Fox, Ellyce Cavanaugh & Zayanne Thompson

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Camp directors talking about storytelling with children at camp.

Post written by Zayanne Thompson, Ellyce Cavanough and Kate Fox. These camp directors.
How have you used storytelling in camp settings?
Zay Thompson Answers –
Stories are a natural for camps. Camps offers an opportunity to create a meaningful and memorable connection to the outdoor environment. Educational research suggests that this connection to the outdoors creates a highly charged environment that facilitates learning. This emotional value of the camp experience opens the gateway for Read more »

Stephen Hollen – Improvisational storytelling with children.

Stephen Hollen talks about improvisational storytelling with children.

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Interview #008 Stephen Hollen

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Improvisational storytelling with children; Creativity and Children.

Stephen Hollen writes….
Improvisational storytelling is a teaching tool that is a cross between storytelling that I have been doing for years and improv techniques I learned in my college days. Instead of aiming at oral tradition, it goes into the creative writing classroom to put “meat” on the three “Ps” – Person, Place and Problem plus one “P” of my own – Props.

By using these 4 “Ps” I help children in 3rd-5th grade unlock their creativity and develop the basics of Read more »

Tall Tale Event Rescheduled as RAIN DATE: Sunday – July 8th at 7PM.

1) See the Best Liars of Yellow Springs!
On Thursday, July 5th local storytelling professionals and amateurs will compete for the prize of a Ham Sandwich and a golden shovel in the first ever Yellow Springs Liars Contest. Contestants include Brother Wolf, Harold Wright, Lisa Homes, Carolion Grailbear, Henry Cruise and Shane Dickey. Read more »

Jim Flanagan – Storytelling and Writing are Intertwined.

Jim Flanagan demonstrating that art happans to the best storytellers

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Interview #007 Jim Flanagan
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Teaching writing to children with storytelling and working with state benchmarks.

Jim Flanagan writes…
To tell a story, you must write it down.
Before you tell it, you must have a point of reference, an outline, and hen scratching a script.

After you tell the story, you refine, and you refine your written story too.

Writing a story leads the teller to be able to see if the tale flows, if it makes sense,

The writing defines the beginning, middle and end. You look at the words and play with the vocabulary and the phrases. You see where in the story, you will have to add emphasis. (You might even insert the directions to change your voice)

I would suggest you read it to someone, they act it out. This acting helps you see what you left out or the jumps in the story.

You tell the story and see how it relates to the written tale. If you revise or change a part put that into the written story. Read more »