Program Details
In Destination: INSPIRATION, the Kids Are the True Stars of the Show! Award-winning author Jason Edwards reviews the elements of story crafting, but then has children put them to use right there on the spot! KIDS LEARN BY DOING as they create characters, choose settings, advance the plot, and make up lines of dialog. Slapstick humor abounds when Jason acts out the story that he and the audience produce together. Every child regardless of age or grade level gets to show their skills, and no two performances are ever the same!
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Children will learn the basic elements of all stories – Characters, Settings, and Plot, as well as the magic ingredient that makes them great : INSPIRATION!
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They will practice using these elements to collectively produce a story together.
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All materials and props are provided by the program performer – The presentation portion of the program is available as either a PowerPoint presentation or as a series of placards and posters.
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PowerPoint presentation
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‘Essentials of Storycrafting’ Poster
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Story Elements placards
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easel
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‘Magic StoryCrafting Bag’
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assorted story props
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1) : Set up of program props, placards, posters, and (optionally) PowerPoint presentation will take place.
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2) : The author will greet the children and tell them that they will learn all about story crafting from a great storyteller. He will then introduce the children to great storytellers – themselves!
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3) : The author will demonstrate how every child is a storyteller. In the process of doing so, the group will review the essentials ingredients of any story and the author will show how everyone uses them. He will then share his magic ingredient for making stories great – INSPIRATION, and help them tap its secret source.
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4) : To prove that they all can be great story crafters, the group will set about creating one together. The author will supply the genre, and then provide prompts, hints and encouragement to help the participants create characters, choose settings, and determine the course of the plot.
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5) : The author and group will begin the adventure, and the author will narrate and act out the story. The author will use props and slapstick pratfalls to keep the story entertaining. The improvisation will continue until the program time is nearly spent, at which time the author will tie up plot points and bring the story to its conclusion.
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6) : The author will congratulate the children for their storytelling skills and conclude that he has proven that he was indeed correct : each and every one of them can be a great storyteller!
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The students’ successful participation in producing the story together will mark their completion of the program’s objective. Alternately, the story can be left open-ended during the assembly, and the children can mark their success as story crafters by each creating their own conclusion for it.
Follow-up writing workshops, in which each child creates his or her own story, are available. Additionally, the author remains a FREE ongoing creative writing resource for the school even after the program is done. He is available by appointment to confer with groups of children and adults alike via Zoom or email.
In this madcap adventure, children don’t just listen to an author telling them about how to craft great stories : they create one together right there on the spot!