Hello Friends,
I’m very happy to reach you with fresh news about our 2022 Literacy project that weaves Storytelling through the Arts.
In 2021 we launched our Visual Thinking through Stories & Art with great success, and in 2022 we are kicking off with Storytelling and Yoga, for kinder and grade 1.
We all know the power of a good story, how it enhances language learning and above all how it opens windows on universal themes in amusing and engaging ways. As always we believe in the resonance of the metaphor, and the longing of listeners to receive a tale, and complete it with their own internal worlds; we also believe in the power of the conversations that spice up our storytelling programme.
The project this year has some unique features. Our purpose is to offer a storytelling trail for K-7 that walks young audiences through different geographical regions and varied landscapes. In 2021 I had the honour to be selected to serve on the Notable Books for a Global Society Committee (International Literacy Association), an incredible learning curve for me that expanded my awareness of different cultures, ethnicities and gender orientations. This paradigmatic experience re-framed my way of looking at stories, and moved me into finding narratives that come from different localities, as well as diverse authors and illustrators who add the feel of their own cultural identities.
In addition, our inclusion of yoga in K-Gr 1 stories seeks to articulate literacy with a first-hand experience that connects mind and body to key twists in the chosen narratives. Activating the body through simple yoga poses easily brings recall of decisive moments in the stories; they also generate serenity and calm. Our quest for more holistic ways to approach storytelling was introduced in 2021 with a slow look at art and engagement with illustrations through our Visual Storytelling through Stories & Art, which gently grounds young audiences and primes them into a more receptive mode before listening to a good story. It is a great joy to see how active imagination leads children and the facilitator herself into fresh possibilities, making encounters richer and more transcending.
In 2022 accomplished artists Sofia Dunay and Matt Wray will take to schools our trove of stories and narrative ways. Our approach to storytelling is always in the shape of workshops, where stories create scenarios for facilitators and audiences to flow together in the construction of a unique storytelling moment.
If you wish to learn more about the projects mentioned above, you can follow these links:
2022 Visual Thinking through Art
2022 Notable Books for a Global Society
We really hope that our trip to your school will leave paths to rethink stories and fill your own boxful of resources to find in the power of the word food for thought and chocolate for the soul.
Warmly,
María Teresa Manteo
Support Learning Education
Founder Director
Notable Books for a Global Society Committee
International Reading Association
www.clrsig.org