Renee Englot - Professional Storyteller


Preschool Elementary Character Education Language Arts Social Studies Science Math Holiday Programs Junior High Language Arts Science Holiday Programs Math Drama Senior High Math Drama	School Programs
	Below, you'll find a listing of school programs available, preschool through senior high. For each program, I provide follow up suggestions for classroom use. Ask about storytelling workshops for your class! Storytelling as a Literacy Booster These shows are performance based, with less discussion with the students than my curriculum based programs. Because of that I can accommodate large groups. The performance is great entertainment and a super way to introduce children to the oral art of storytelling, but I also provide follow up suggestions with literacy building activities, including retelling activities, discussion questions, writing prompts and links to children’s literature. PreK to Grade 2- Off the Page Some of children’s folktale favourites come to life with the Gingerbread Man and The Enormous Turnip. The North African story of the goats and the hyena will send children back to The Three Billy Goats Gruff to check how similar it is. And the story of the magic tree is a great lead in to study of similar picture book. Grades 3 to 6 - Tricksters Trickster stories are great fun. Meet tricksters from Ghana, Peru, Borneo and India. I’ll provide teachers with some comparative reading, some writing prompts, a musical suggestion and a neat art project or two! As I tell we can track our tricksters on a globe or map and graph the types of tricks performed. Grades 7+ - Riddle Me This What does it mean to be clever? Who’s the most clever? Campriano who tricks his way to wealth and freedom? The peasant girl who’s hard work and common sense win her the prince? The riddle loving princess? A young boy who outwits a greedy money lender? Or maybe, your students are the most clever. I’ll test them with some riddle stories. A great introduction to riddle writing and an opener for a debate on what it means to be smart.

	Preschool
	For preschool audiences, I recommend 30 minute sessions. We can do fairy tales, silly stories, or a library theme. I have holiday themed programs for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter. I am also available for family literacy events.

	Elementary School
	Character Education "Renee captivated our classes with her excellent story weaving skills. She carefully selected cultural tales and stories to exemplify various important character traits that we had been working on with our classes. Renee's gentle manner and use of voice and rhythm brought these stories to life for our children. She provided excellent teaching follow up activities for our staff, as well." Bonnie Terlesky, teacher at Grace Martin School Don't underestimate the power of a story to shape a child's moral imagination. Stories have been used as a gentle prod toward right behaviour for thousands of years. I'll make a monthly visit to your school to share a short folktale on the trait of your choice. I'll also provide follow up suggestions for teachers to use in the classroom. A series of nine monthly visits is $450 for 2009-2010, an excellent addition to your assemblies. Other arrangements are possible! Language Arts I have a wide and varied repertoire and can tailor a program to meet your needs. Some suggestions: Fairy tales Greek mythology Pourquoi tales Creation stories Trickster tales I provide follow-up suggestions for classroom use for all of my programs. For Div I, I recommend 45 minute sessions (maximum 60 students per session). For Div II and up, one hour sessions (maximum 60 students per session). Social Studies Grade 3 Specific Outcome 3.1.2 - What are the stories that connect the people to the past and to each other? How is identity reflected in traditional stories? Students will listen to several traditional stories from one of the focus countries and explore what those stories say about the people, their values, and their national identity. Book a one hour session on one of the four countries, or book the series of four sessions (maximum 60 students per session). Grade 4 This curriculum is perfect for storytelling! Book a one hour session of traditional stories about how our land and its human and animal inhabitants came to be, a session of historical tales about Alberta at the time of the provincial inauguration, or a session on Albertans who've made a difference, or go for the series. Science Storytelling and Scientific Inquiry Using story as a jumping off point, we'll explore some of the processes scientists follow, from asking questions to making hypotheses and designing experiments. This can be done generically or tailored to specific units: Grade 2, Small Crawling and Flying Creatures Grade 3, Testing Materials and Designs Grade 4, Waste and Our World Grade 5, Weather Watch Grade 6, Trees and Forests Grade 6 Sky Science Hear the stories behind the names of our constellations, not just the Greek and Roman stories, but also star stories from around the world. Your students will become better able to identify constellations and may be inspired to write their own constellation tale. Math Using story as a starting point, we'll talk about where we find math and what math is. Adaptable for all grade levels. Holiday Programs Halloween Pre-K to Grade 3: Story Spooktacular These interactive stories invite children to participate in the telling. We'll hunt for ghosts, be visited by a stranger, hear of a monstrous cat, and chant 'til our potion is brewed to perfection. Grades 4-6: Wicked Witches Encounters with witches: a rabbi works to free his town of witches, a young man fights a witch to save the girl he loves, a hunter has a strange encounter with an even stranger rabbit, all topped off with a witch’s brew. Christmas Pre-K to Grade 3: Holiday Hoopla Christmas fun perfect for wiggly youngsters. Children will help to tell the story of the gingerbread man, travel to the North Pole, get Santa unstuck from the chimney, and sort out a noisy Christmas party. Grades 4-9: Before there were Christmas Trees Using First Nations stories, Norse myths and more, we'll explore the ancient roots of some of our holiday traditions. Valentine's Day Pre-K to Grade 3: Friendship Tales Instead of romantic love, we celebrate the love of a good friend. Rabbit's generosity toward her friend brings rewards. Turkey's bravery saves her friend. Fox's loyalty saves his friend. Also great for a character education focus on friendship! Purim Esther's Story - adaptable to all ages Celebrate the Jewish festival of Purim with Esther's story. Easter / Spring K to Grade 3: Bunnies and Chicks Hear the stories of how a generous rabbit was rewarded for her kindness to a friend, how a foolish rabbit caused a panic, and how three rabbits were almost eaten by fox. Hear also about the downfall of a chick that refused to help others. Grades 4-6: Rabbit, the Trickster In many cultures, rabbits are considered very clever and are often trickster figures. Join in the laughter as rabbit outwits his foes!

	Junior High School
	Language Arts I have a wide and varied repertoire and can tailor a program to meet your needs. Some suggestions: Fairy tales Greek mythology Pourquoi tales Creation stories Trickster tales Science Storytelling for Scientific Inquiry Using story as a jumping off point, we'll explore some of the processes scientists follow, from asking questions to making hypotheses and designing experiments. This can be done generically or tailored to specific units. Environmental Tales One hour programs in which students will hear folktales about the folly of messing with nature's balance and make connections to modern society. Very well suited to the Grade 7 Interactions and Ecosystems unit and the Grade 9 Biological Diversity unit. Holiday Programs Halloween Grades 7 - 9: Jeepers, Creepers Creepy, make-your-skin-crawl stories, from strange eyes at the foot of the bed, to a goat man, a cursed handkerchief, and milk bottles at a gravesite, will leave listeners wondering. Math Stories for the Left Brained Test your wits and stretch your problem solving ability - entertaining stories hinged on mathematical problems. Can you solve the riddles? Bet your students will have fun trying. One hour program. Drama I will come in to teach your students storytelling skills and techniques. Book a series of classes, or one or more half day workshops. Choose from a variety of topics including: What is storytelling? Imaging a Story, Learning a Story for Telling, Overcoming Performance Anxiety, and Performing a Story.

	Senior High School
	Math Stories for the Left Brained Test your wits and stretch your problem solving ability - entertaining stories hinged on mathematical problems. Can you solve the riddles? Bet your students will have fun trying. One hour program. Drama I will come in to teach your students storytelling skills and techniques. Book a series of classes, or one or more half day workshops. Choose from a variety of topics including: What is storytelling? Imaging a Story, Learning a Story for Telling, Overcoming Performance Anxiety, and Performing a Story.


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:: Last Updated May 26, 2009