Storytelling Residency
Overview

Overview
The Storytelling Residency is a three-five day program that fosters creative teaching practices both at school and in the home by involving faculty, students, and parents in oral storytelling experiences. During the residency, students learn to tell stories. The residency includes performances for all students, faculty training, student workshops and a parent program for whole school involvement.

The Storytelling Residency program positively impacts school culture by reaching all members of the school community. Teachers learn best when observing the response of parents, students, and other teachers. Students learn best when teachers are actively involved as learners. Parental involvement creates stronger support for cultural enrichment in the school and at home. By offering instruction and cultural experiences to teachers, parents and students, the residency creates momentum for positive change toward more effective teaching through enhanced language arts strategies. In addition, the residency enhances school community by strengthening the bond between teachers, students, and parents -- bonds that are essential for an optimal school environment.

Design
1) The Faculty Education Tier offers observation experiences during performances and student workshops. To make the most of these observation experiences, the residency includes one 20-minute after-school in-service session on storytelling as a tool for teaching.
2) The Student Storytelling Workshop offers two selected classrooms in grades 3 - 12 a chance to develop language skills through the art of oral storytelling. The Workshop offers language enrichment for students of wide-ranging abilities. The Workshop offers observation opportunities and training experiences for teachers.
3) The Performance Tier offers students in all grades a full-length storytelling performance. Performance Sessions offer guided observation experiences for teachers.
4) The Parent Education Tier offers a Family Night program that emphasizes the importance of reading aloud and of making quality one-on-one (oral language) time with children. The program includes performances from students in grades 1 and up.

Outcomes
Teachers will:
* Observe the value of storytelling in a whole school context.
* Observe the ways in which oral storytelling enhances creative thinking in students.
* Observe the ways in which oral storytelling enhances classroom community.
* Learn that oral language is the best foundation for all language instruction.
* Learn to tell a story.
* Learn basic ways to begin integrating oral language into the classroom.

Students will:
* Demonstrate enjoyment and appreciation for oral storytelling.
* Learn to see themselves and their teacher, parents and classmates as storytellers.
* Learn to tell a story or sing a song.
* Have an opportunity to enjoy a performance experience through the Family Night program.
* Have an opportunity to develop supportive listening skills.
* Receive extension writing and reading invitations.
* Receive motivational involvement to do their best classroom work.
* Learn new information about history, literature, science and/or themselves.

Workshop students will:
* Serve as positive role models for younger students.
* Demonstrate and "de-mystify" the art of storytelling for teachers.
* Learn to tell a story by developing skills in expressive language.
* Develop greater confidence in public speaking.
* Develop a creative and individualistic response to a story.
* Develop skills as supportive listeners and classmates. 
Parents will:
* Demonstrate increased appreciation for the art of oral storytelling.
* Receive information on the hazards of excessive television-viewing in the home.
* Receive useful ideas on ways to encourage oral language in the home.
* Demonstrate support for cultural arts programming in their child's school.

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