For 26 years, Fox has been collecting letters of recommendations and referrals. Here are several from teachers, students, principals, librarians, theater directors, conference organizers, and parents. Feel encouraged to contact many of these people for a personal recommendation.

• Teachers
• Students
• Principals
• Librarians
• Theater Directors
• Parents
• Museums

Reviews of specific shows:

• John James Audubon

Here is what the press has said:

Telling Tales

Nancy Rollings Saul, The Courier, January 31, 2002

 

Students Get a Taste of Drama in Reading, Writing

Jessi De La Cruz, Lansing State Journal, January 17, 2002

 

Brian 'Fox' Ellis: Peoria's Storyteller

H. Wayne Wilson, Peoria Metropolitan, July 2001

 

Celebrating Family Literacy through Family Stories

Arts Alive – January 2001

 

Add Creepy Tales to Your List of Fun Things to Do for Halloween

Gary Panetta, Peoria Journal Star, October 2002

 

Students embark on flights of fancy to weave stories

STORYTELLER - IN - RESIDENCE (Sample Schedule)

This schedule is designed to give you a template for planning my week with your students. Please feel free to adapt the particulars to fit your gym, art, music, lunch, and other scheduling concerns. Important elements that must be included are: A) A performance the first day to build excitement and introduce key concepts;
B) Three workshops with each group that include,

• 1) creative writing,

• 2) basic storytelling skills, and

• 3) putting it all together with each student telling their story to the class.

C) We also need time for selected students to rehearse and
D) A performance on the last day for students to shine.

With the opening performance, three workshops and the closing program, every student will receive five contact hours with the artist-in-residence.

Follow this link for a PDF of a Sample Schedule

Here is a list of the answers to most frequently asked questions:

• Performances usually run 45 minutes to an hour depending on the age range of the audience.

• For workshops I prefer a full hour; the more time I have, the more depth and breadth we can cover. I can work within 45 minute periods but prefer an 80 minute block.

• For performances, a large audience is not a problem. I often perform for groups of 300 - 500 students.

• I bring my own sound system.

• Generally, I prefer to keep workshop groups small, 25-50 students. A single classroom is ideal.

• If you have two or three classes of each grade level we can put them together if I have the active participation and support of teachers. (My pet peeve is a teacher who grades papers, leaves the room in the middle of a presentation, or somehow considers this as time off. Usually this situation does not occur because most teachers are ardent supporters of the art of storytelling, willing and eager participants. If you could please remind teachers of the need for their active involvement I would greatly appreciate it.)

• If you have four or five (or more) classrooms of each grade level we may need to schedule a two-week residency or choose two or three grade levels to participate in the workshops. We will need to work out a similar solution if you have a K-8 building. I can work confidently with all grade levels, so I will let you decide who to select. I believe everyone should be included in performances and / or I could visit the other grade levels for one basic storytelling workshop. We will need to be inventive if this is a concern.

• If you have AM and PM kindergarten, we may need to schedule a single workshop period for each group.

• For themes, I am willing to cover a wide range of material. My preference is to present different types of stories and writing exercises for each grade level or classroom workshop. My goal is to support the classroom teacher and to cover the curriculum you have chosen. If teachers could send me information about what they are teaching just before or while I am in residency, I would be happy to tell stories and teach creative writing with their curriculum in mind. This works better if I am reinforcing, not introducing a theme. For example: if the older students are covering American History, the middle students are studying the rain forest and the younger students are exploring fables, I can tell stories and teach creative writing with that content as our guide. This also means that performances on Friday have a livelier mix. If you could please send a list of topics one month before the residency this would give me plenty of lead time to prepare.

• Depending on what we have negotiated as far as fees and responsibilities, I like to include a teacher training workshop and an evening PTA meeting. I believe in the integrity of the school community and promoting a love of language in the home and classroom after I am gone. I have several programs that I have developed along these lines. Please see the enclosed workshop outlines. It is best if the teacher workshop is earlier in the week so they can better prepare for my visit. Whereas, the parent night is better later in the week so I can include some student performers in the line up.

• For lunch I prefer a large salad, or sandwich, some fruit, juice, or something else that is light, all natural and fresh. Though I am not a strict vegetarian, it is my preference. I call myself a conscientious omnivore. I occasionally eat fish or fowl, but will not eat red meat, except wild game. School lunch is an option, especially if you have a salad bar. I am more flexible than all of this may appear. Though I have preferences, I will eat most anything.

• While on the subject of refreshments, I will need an ample supply of water throughout the week. I prefer bottled water, but tap water will do if the EPA has deemed your supply a safe one. I also like a cup of coffee in the morning, but this should be easy, knowing how teachers like coffee in the morning.

• For room and board I prefer a cozy bed and breakfast near the school. A local motel or chain hotel is also an option. If finances are limited, I am comfortable staying with a teacher or PTA parent who has an extra guest room. (I do feel uncomfortable bumping Johnny from his room and sleeping in a child's bed. I just have to draw the line somewhere!) For dinner I prefer eating a few meals on my own. But if teachers or parents wanted to invite me to their home or out for dinner a couple of nights during the week, I am willing. My goal with all of these details is to be flexible, make your life easy, and keep your costs and my expenses to a minimum. You will find that I am an easy going and self-sufficient guest.

• If you have further questions please call me at (309) 689-8000.

A STORYTELLING RESIDENCY (3-12)

The following lesson plans are an overview of the activities I will be leading with your students. These are general guidelines; I will choose the specific stories told and the theme of the creative writing with the help of the grade level team. One of my primary goals with every artist-in-resdence is to support the classroom teachers and help them to meet state mandated goals. If there is something specific that is in your school improvement plan or curriculum goals, please let me know, and I will custom design your residency accordingly. In past residencies, I have helped students to write a musical with an emphasis on family history; we have focused on the ecology of Illinois and planned lessons for the outdoor classroom; I have helped students put together a book on local geology and the "Stories Stones Could Tell"; and we toured the world with folktales from many lands woven with songs in other languages. These are just a few of the variations on a theme that the following lesson plans can be adapted to fit.

THE PERFORMANCE

On the first day of the residency, there will be several large auditorium performances to build excitement and introduce several key concepts that will be developed through the week.

STORY WRITING

1. Review the writing process (pre-, free, and re- writing, editing, and publishing.) Discuss the ingredients of an exciting tale. (Character, setting, and plot.)

2. Guide the class through the writing process, allowing time to daydream possibilities, discuss ideas with a partner and create a rough draft of their story. Emphasize the three elements of a story: characters (description, dialogue, and action), setting (time and place), and plot (problems, solutions, foreshadowing, suspense, irony, etc.). (Please see that each student has 2-3 sheets of paper and a pen or pencil ready.)

3. Coach them through the rewriting process by asking them to make a second draft of the same story. Emphasize adding new ideas or subtracting things that would make it a better story. These stories need to be finished before the third workshop session.

4. As an optional follow-up activity, ask the students to illustrate their stories. For preliterate students you may want to take dictation and script their stories for them. These can then easily be put together into a book format.

STORYTELLING

1. Begin by telling a short, funny story that exemplifies a variety of storytelling techniques and invites the audience to participate. (The Big Mouth Frog.)

2. Lead the class through several exercises that teach various skills to improve their ability to dramatically interpret a tale. These include voice and mime exercises, theater games and guided imagery, with each isolated skill integrated into the art of telling a story.

3. Tell a short, easily remembered story that exemplifies (exaggerates) these same techniques. (The Two Friends.) Ask the students to pay attention to how the voice changes and how the body and hands are used to tell the story. Ask the students to use their imagination.

4. Retell the same story, inviting the students to stand up and tell the story simultaneously. Everyone is speaking and acting out the story at the same time, following the storyteller's lead.

5. Ask the students to choose a partner and take turns telling the same story to each other. The one telling the story should be standing, and the listener should be sitting to facilitate classroom monitoring.

6. If time permits, or as a follow-up activity, allow a few students to take turns telling this folktale to the entire class. Emphasize the use of body language and voice inflection, while encouraging individuality of expression.

TELLING OUR STORY

1. Begin by reviewing the performance given early in the week, with special emphasis on how the stories were told. The key question is: How do you use your hands, body, voice, and imagination to tell a story? Also, review rewriting strategies and challenge students to perpetually ask themselves, "How can I make this a better story?" or "How can storytelling inform the writing process?"

2. Pass out the stories the students wrote in the first session. Give the students three opportunities to practice their story before they tell it to the class.

   • A. First, they will tell it to themselves with an emphasis on their voice: character voices, sound effects, inflection, pacing and volume. (Allow time for rewriting and editing emphasizing the voice of the author.)

   • B. Again, they will tell it to themselves, but this time they will stand up and act it out, emphasizing gesture, body language, and facial expression. (Allow time for rewriting and editing emphasizing action words, verbs and adverbs.)

   • C. Finally, they will choose a partner and take turns telling their story to each other; the one who is telling the story is standing while the listener is seated to facilitate classroom monitoring. (Allow time for rewriting and editing, emphasizing constructive feedback from their partner.)

3. As time allows, give several students the opportunity to entertain the class with their original tales. Students may be allowed to compliment their peers, but no criticism is permitted! Over the next few days every student should be given the opportunity to perform before the entire class.

THE STORYTELLING FESTIVAL

The residency will culminate in a storytelling festival where the students will perform before their peers. Each teacher is asked to choose one student who is loud, entertaining, uses good gesture and a clear voice, and send him or her to a special coaching session the day before or the morning of the festival. The students and teachers will again gather in the multipurpose room to be delightfully entertained by these aspiring storytellers. It is also important for students to see other adults telling stories; this is a good chance for a teacher, the principal, janitor or secretary to build rapport with the students.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR TEACHERS

Your support and involvement is greatly appreciated. Feel encouraged to answer questions, make suggestions, and participate along with the students. It is necessary that you assist in classroom management, help students to stay on task, and help monitor student behavior, especially when they are working individually or in small groups. Be sure each student is wearing a nametag. Please have the materials ready in advance.

These lessons and ideas are meant to be a starting point, not the end. Please reuse or recycle any of this material and encourage your students to continue to write and tell stories. Also note the use of higher level questioning and follow-up questions, and the balance of individual and small group work. One of my goals is to support and assist you in the teaching of your content areas. The themes and objectives are designed to meet the core curriculum requirements spelled out in state mandated goals. Clearly, this is an important learning opportunity for you, as well as your students. Allow me to thank you in advance for your cooperation.