SCHOOLS:

Performances

Workshops / Projects

Training

Contact Sophie:

Tel: 01332 840007

email:info@sophiesnell.co.uk

"Sophie soaked the children in stories and inspired them to write imaginative and exciting descriptive pieces. She also captivated a hall full of 4 to 60 year olds in our showcase to parents and friends.

"Sophie delivered a motivating staff meeting where she encouraged us to be bold with our use of language and highlighted the importance of telling children stories.

"Sophie was extremely professional throughout the entire project, and her manner, with the children and staff alike, was enchanting. We have already booked Sophie to come back in the Autumn Term to work with children across the whole primary age group and look forward to reaping the benefits of her visits."

Catherine Llewellyn & Jill Edmonds, teachers at South Wilford Primary School, Nottingham.

SCHOOLS

Storytelling is a wonderful medium for learning and expression. It is not just a starting point for reading and writing, but a key tool in teaching empathy, creativity, visualisation, spoken confidence, listening and communication skills - key life skills that have a direct impact on learning in all areas.

What better way to tap into a student's creativity, excite their interest, curiosity, fire the imagination, visualise scenarios, teach the factual stuff but with a twist that is memorable, developing concentration, memory retention and recall. How to make connections, see the bigger picture and cross the curricular boundaries.

Storyelling is the perfect way to learn all this in such an entertaining format without even realising! You don't need to be academically gifted or brilliant at writing and spelling either - it suits all ability levels. It's about listening, getting caught up in the story, speaking, language play and finding the words to express not only the tale itself but the emotions of the characters, the situations. Standing up and having a go, voice, volume, being heard - confidence!

"I wish I had known half of what I have since learnt from storytelling, when I was at school and later in my 20's at work..." Sophie.

Sophie's work in schools includes (click the headings for more detail):

Performances

With rotating storytelling sessions throughout the day to various classes or groups. Or a specific show performance, perhaps to a year group or assembly.

Workshops

Longer, highly interactive sessions with exercises and games based around storytelling techniques. Often designed around the school's specific brief.

Projects

A programme of visits tailored to the school's budget, combining storytelling sessions with workshops and training to exploit the full benefits of storytelling.

Staff Training

Inset days, twilight CPD sessions, or working alongside teachers in the classroom, demonstrating how storytelling works, how to employ its techniques with a range of settings and cohorts, and practical tips and guidance on how to "tell" stories.



"I am a great believer in not dumbing down the language - even with little ones. Young children have an enormous capacity to soak up language - they may not understand every word, but with rhythm, repetition, context and a thirst to know what happens next, they pick it up without realising. If they don't hear longer and more interesting words, they won't learn them and play with them."

The same is true of "gifted and talented" and less able children. Evocative words, that sound and feel different, lyrical stories that ebb and flow, exciting, dramatic, fun and silly - all the tricks of the trade to engage, and educate through the experience of storytelling.

For more information on specific performances for children see the Performances - Children page.

"The Foundation Class teacher still speaks
about your visit and how successful it was."

Anne Wright, Teacher, Dry Sandford
Primary School, Oxfordshire.