This page is for
anyone working in Education who is interested in the workshops and
performances Sophie does for schools.
Sophie's
school and project workshops are carefully planned to promote creative
thinking and the enjoyment of reading, writing and poetry.
Stimulate a love of stories by listening to her tales. Explore
literacy concepts, language and classic works. Create a
classroom collaborative story CD - written and performed by the
children (with sound effects!). Or simply have a go at writing
and performing. Get everyone involved, boost confidence,
listening and spoken skills and have some fun with and beyond the
curriculum...
Why not email or ring Sophie for an informal
chat, references or more background information:
robandsophie@hotmail.com
Tel 01332
840007
So what are the
options?
Interactive
Performances
I perform a
range of interactive readings from my own portfolio of children's
stories, and combine this with more traditional story-telling.
Using a microphone, a small amp and CD player, the stories are
performed with sound effects, anecdotes and chat. The aim here
being to entertain, stimulate an interest in stories and language,
introduce literacy concepts appropriate to the age group and get the
children involved. So between stories I use the mic to encourage
the children to talk (karaoke effect - they love this!), generate
ideas, feedback and explore the stories, even the writing process.
With a tempting mic to speak into, you'd be surprised - even the
quietest soul will want to have a go and be heard. But it also
means the children know when it is their turn to speak.
Creative Writing /
Story-telling Workshops
After an
initial performance, time is given to develop creative thinking and
story-telling skills. Here the children are lead through a
process of oral story creation, building a classroom story, exploring
new ways of expressing themselves, finding great words and phrases,
creating memorable characters and exciting plots. With oral
story-telling there is no pressure to be academically brilliant at
writing. So the emphasis is on listening, thinking, creating and
performing and getting involved. Written work can be
incorporated as desired and time allows.
Classroom
Collaborative Story CD Project
A longer
project, this involves working with the class and staff to create a
classroom collaborative story CD. This would be written and
performed by the children (and staff!). Sound effects are chosen
by them and incorporated in the editing. The finished CD, owned
by the school, can then be copied for the children to keep as a
tangible product of their efforts - a really lovely way to remember
(and demonstrate) what they have achieved.
Planning
All workshop
planning is done
with the school's specific needs in mind. Depending on the
length of time booked, this will normally involve a pre-workshop visit
to the school to liaise on objectives, planning and practical issues.
Workshop
options range in time and depth according to the school's objectives
and budget and are always customised to the school's requirements.
Staff Presence
A member of
staff, preferably the children's usual teacher, will be asked to
remain present throughout any performance. For actual workshops,
the staff member will be asked not only to be present but to actively
participate!
