1-20-10 A teacher works with students to depict a Mardi Gras scene with masked revelers

Friends:

Today, I visited Quitman Upper Elementary. It was such a fun day! I did three Story Fest story theater workshops and a professional development workshop for the teachers at the end of the day.

1-20-10 4th & 5th grade portraying a mechanic fixing his car

My first and second assemblies consisted of 4th and 5th graders. I spoke to them about my method of story theater and explained that we would be doing role playing exercises to warm up. They did such an incredible job with their individual, partner and group exercises.

1-20-10 Monkeys climb a tree while hungry lions wait at the bottom

When I asked the students questions about what they learned from the Story Fest activity, a 4th grade girl named Jaden, responded, “You are never too old or too young to use your imagination.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, Jaden!

1-20-10 4th & 5th grade students portraying a king on a Mardi Gras float with parade revelers

With the third grade, I performed Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach in an assembly program. It was one of the most lively, interactive performances I have ever had of this story. When the roaches danced, the students not only sang, but added additional beats, creating an awesome hip hop rhythm for the story. It was incredible!

1-20-10 Dianne sneaks up on an unsuspecting teacher during Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach

After the story, I moved the 3rd grade group out to the gym floor and performed story theater exercises with them. It was well received. They had a blast!

1-20-10 A 3rd grade teacher works with a student portraying a mechanic fixing his car

My day ended with a professional development workshop with the teachers. Though most of them had seen Story Fest in action with their students, I gave them different roles to act out.

Then they rehearsed and performed a story theater piece: “The City Mouse and the Country Mouse. It was so cute and full of animated storytellers, a rhythmic chorus, scarves, and rhythm instruments.

1-20-10 Teachers perform story theater - The City Mouse and the Country Mouse

Quitman Upper Elementary loves integrating the arts. Just look at this gorgeous mural in the front office!

1-20-10 Quitman Upper Elementary front office mural - Wow!

I really enjoyed visiting the school. They had wonderful teachers, students and staff. Thank you to Tara Tucker, Amy Johnson, and Mr. Kelly for making my day superb! I loved my Mississippi school visits!

1-20-10 A MAC art project - The Mississippi State Seal made with natural materials

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-18-09 Performing Santa's Stuck for third grade

It was my last day of my Handmade Tales residency with Bissonet Plaza Elementary in Metairie, Louisiana. My first order of business was to stuff the classroom teachers’ mail boxes with my books, The Cajun Cornbread Boy and Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach. It was all arranged by Ellen Miller, the librarian. Thank you, Ellen!

12-18-09 Copies of The Cajun Cornbread Boy and Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach in the teachers' boxes

In the morning, I was able to watch the school play put on by the third grade and some drama students from 4th and 5th grade. It was awesome! They are so talented!

12-18-09 The Bissonet Christmas Play main characters

Then it was on to tell stories to all the grades during their P.E. period. I decided to do a holiday program since it was the week before Christmas. I told some new stories, including “The House That Santa Built,” which turned out to be such a good story!

12-18-09 Telling Pre-K students The House that Santa Built

I really enjoyed telling stories to the students. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, Bissonet Plaza Elementary! Thank you for another wonderful year! Enjoy the holidays!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-17-09 5th graders make string figures

Friends:

Today was a big day at Bissonet Plaza Elementary. It was the 9th day of my Handmade Tales residency and my 3rd through 5th grade classes performed in a grade level Story Fest celebration. I saw all of the grades during their P.E. period. First was 5th grade. Ms. Brumfield’s class performed “The Pesky Skeeter” with string.

12-17-09 Ms. Brumfield's 5th graders perform The Pesky Skeeter with string

Then students from Mr. Joyce’s class performed the draw and tell story of “The Emperor’s Drazgon.”

12-17-09 Students from Mr. Joyce's 5th grade class perform The Emperor's Dragon

Last but not least, Ms. McLeod’s class performed “The Magic Star,” a cut and tell tale. I was so proud of this class because my storyteller from this group told the story without a script! It was such a pleasure to teach 5th grade this year! They were such a delightful group of students. To reward their hard work, I gave all the students string and taught them the double star string figure. Yay 5th grade!

12-17-09 Ms. McLeod's 5th graders perform The Magic Star

After a planning period break, pre-K came in. I told them the story of “The Mouse’s Wedding” and they loved the story with the little mice made of bandanas.

12-17-09 Performing The Mouse's Wedding for Pre-K

3rd grade was a lot of fun. They did a great job performing their stories. Ms. Fury’s class performed “The Girl Who Used Her Wits,” a cut and fold tale.

12-17-09 Students from Ms. Fury's 3rd grade class perform The Girl Who Used Her Wits

Mr. Boone’s 3rd grade class performed “Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle,” a story that needs nothing more than your hands to tell the tale! Ms. Arnett’s class had two students to represent them. They told the cut and tell story of “Papa’s Teepee.” Alex, the storyteller, forgot his script and I didn’t have a copy so he told the story from memory! He did an absolutely magnificent job. I was completely impressed. It wasn’t just a couple of lines. It was the entire story!

12-17-09 Dianne with students from Ms. Arnette's 3rd grade class who performed Papa's Teepee

Ms. Frechette’s 3rd graders performed “The Ugly Duckling” with towels. It was precious!

12-17-09 Ms. Frechette's 3rd graders perform The Ugly Duckling

Eliana, my 9 year old daughter, came with me. She comes to Bissonet every year for one day and the students love her! She was such a big help! In fact, she took almost all the pictures I am using in this blog! She helped me with some draw and tell tales and even told stories by herself! Definitely a storyteller’s daughter! I love you, Eliana! Thank you for everything!

12-17-09 Dianne's daughter, Eliana, draws Pile It on the Pie a Mile High

Here is Eliana telling “Mr. Wiggle & Mr. Waggle” while I demonstrate the story.

12-17-09 Eliana tells the story of Mr. Wiggle & Mr. Waggle while Dianne demonstrates

With Kindergarten through 2nd grade, I told stories including “The Mouse’s Wedding,” a handkerchief tale.

12-17-09 Performing The Mouse's Wedding for 2nd grade

I even taught the 2nd graders a partner game from Singapore called “The Pearl.”

12-17-09 2nd graders learn a partner game from Singapore

Unfortunately, I missed taking pictures of 4th grade because all the cameras we brought (3 of them!) either ran out of memory (from the videos we took) or ran out of battery and I didn’t have the charger! I am so sad!! But my 4th graders did a PHENOMENAL job, especially Ms. Morrow’s class who put their all into their performance. I was awesome!!

12-17-09 Dianne performs for kindergarten

Tomorrow is my last day at Bissonet. I will be performing a holiday show for all the grades!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-14-09 Dianne creates a Mardi Gras star from string

Friends:

Today was the 6th day of my Handmade Tales residency at Bissonet Plaza Elementary in Metairie, Louisiana. My first visit was to Ms. Naugle’s 4th grade class. Unfortunately, Ms. Naugle had to run out for a meeting but the class and I had a great time. They created books from the story, “The King’s Advisor” then we rehearsed “Bandana Man” for their performance on Thursday.

12-14-09 Ms. Naugle's 4th graders make Bandana Man and rehearse for their performance

My second class was Ms. Bonnano’s 1st grade class. They enjoyed the string story, “The Stubborn Turnip” and the cut and tell story of “The King’s Advisor.” They created their books, becoming authors and illustrators.

12-14-09 Ms. Bonnano's 1st graders create books and become authors and illustrators

It was then on to Ms. Johnson’s Kindergarten class. They were awaiting my arrival with eager anticipation. I told my string story and even made a star for them. They loved it.

12-14-09 Dianne makes a star in Ms. Johnson's Kindergarten class

After, I shared “The King’s Advisor” and we created the books from the story. They were so enthusiastic about creating their books, drawing winter and holiday illustrations such as snowmen.

12-14-09 Ms. Johnson's kindergarteners create books

Ms. Leblanc’s 2nd grade class enjoyed the string story too. They created their books and had a blast, becoming authors and illustrators in their little 6 page books made from a single sheet of paper without cutting the paper apart.

12-14-09 A student in Ms. Leblanc's 2nd grade class works on writing her book

Ms. Fury’s 3rd grade class was next. After doing “The King’s Advisor,” we rehearsed their story, “The Girl Who Used her Wits,” for their performance on Thursday. They did a great job.

12-14-09 Students in Ms. Fury's 3rd grade rehearse The Girl Who Used Her Wits

Ms. Brumfield’s class was my last class of the day. I told the string story, “The Stubborn Turnip,” since they were working with string. 16 students mastered the mosquito string figure for the story, “The Pesky Skeeter,” so I rewarded them by letting them keep their strings.

12-14-09 Ms. Brumfield's 5th graders master the mosquito string figure

Afterward, I also taught them a new string figure, the double star. They were so excited!

12-14-09 Students in Ms. Brumfield's 5th grade class create the star string figure

Another great day at a great school! Thank you Bissonet teachers and students!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Friday was Day 5 of my Handmade Tales residency at Bissonet Plaza Elementary in Metairie, Louisiana. My first class was Ms. Morrison’s 4th grade class. I told the string story, “The Stubborn Turnip” and “The King’s Advisor.” Afterward, the students created 6 page books from the story. Then we rehearsed their story, “Catching a Pest,” a draw and tell story that two of the students will be performing during the gradewide Handmade Tales Story Fest next week.

12-11-09 A student in Ms. Morrison's 4th grade class performs Catching a Pest

Next, I went to Ms. Arnett’s 3rd grade class. I told “The Emperor’s Dragon,” “The Stubborn Turnip,” and “The King’s Advisor.” Then they made their books. They had a great time and loved the draw and tell story.

12-10-09 The Emperor's Dragon, drawn by a student in Ms. Arnett's 3rd grade class

I enjoyed visiting Ms. Hahn’s Kindergarten class. After telling “The Stubborn Turnip,” I told “The King’s Advisor” and we made the books from the story. Then they wrote and illustrated in their books. They were so cute!

12-10-09 Ms. Hahn's Kindergarten class creates books and become authors & illustrators

Then I visited Ms. Presser’s 2nd grade class. They loved the string story. Then I shared “The King’s Advisor” and they made the books from the story.

After lunch, it was on to Ms. Duhe’s class. They were enthralled with my string story, “The Stubborn Turnip.” Ms. Duhe absolutely loved the story, “The King’s Advisor,” a story that emphasizes the importance of books.

12-10-09 Ms. Duhe's 1st grade class creates books and become authors & illustrators

My last class was Ms. McLeod’s 5th grade class. On my way to class, some 5th graders from Ms. Brumfield’s class stopped me to show me that they had mastered their mosquito string story. A student, John, made strings from yarn and passed them out to his classmates and tutored them on how to make the string figure. I told the class that if at least ten students master the string story, they could keep the strings I let them use. They already have ten students on the list! Way to go, John!!

12-10-09 5th graders tutor each other to create the mosquito string figure

In Ms. McLeod’s class, I taught them how to create origami jumping frogs. They loved it!!

12-10-09 Ms. McLeod's 5th graders create a jumping origami frog

Then Ms. McLeod had the idea to have a frog jumping contest, just like they do every year in Rayne, Louisiana! All the students had a turn and it was so much fun!

12-10-09 Ms. McLeod's 5th graders have a frog jumping contest

Ms. McLeod’s class is performing the story, “The Magic Star.” Several of them mastered the fold and cut star and showed me their skills. 5th grade has been such a pleasure to teach this year!

12-10-09 Peace, love & happiness from 5th grade!

Thanks for a great day, Bissonet! See you on Monday!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today, I performed my “Jump, Jiggle & Jam” program for a PK-5 elementary school in the Metro New Orleans area. I had so much fun with the students. I saw about 600 students in two assembly performances in the gym. The show is a rousing and energetic performance of favorite folktales “remixed with rhythm, rhyme, and rap.” My first story was “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza,” a signature story full of humor and tons of audience participation. Both groups (PK-2 and 3-5) really enjoyed it.

Following that tale, I performed my original song, “Peanut Butter and Jelly Jam.” We build a “gourmet” PB&J. The sandwich begins with traditional peanut butter and jelly. Then there’s a twist as the other ingredients are added (apples & bananas, peppers & pickles, ketchup & mustard, and finally sardines & anchovies). By the end, the kids are really grossing out and laughing at the concoction. Here are some students helping me put that interesting sandwich together.

My last story was another signature story, “Rockin’ Three Billy Goats.” Kids love the “trippity trap” chorus and my rapping “Hoogedy Boogedy Woogedy” Troll. I never get tired of telling this story because every audience’s reaction to the story makes it fresh for me.

After my upper elementary performance, I had a Q&A session. The kids asked questions such as “Is it fun to travel to other countries and learn new languages?” “Where have you traveled?” “How do you remember so many stories?” I spoke to them about the importance of reading, writing, social studies, and taking learning seriously. I told them that when they are old enough to decide what they want to do in life, they will need to know as much as they can about the world around them.

When the students were filing out, they were high-fiving me, hugging me, and asking for autographs. One little boy exclaimed, “This is my first time meeting a millionaire!” They assumed that because I travel so much, I’m rich. Hahahaha!

It was a special day at school and they had other activities going on including a visit from the NBA Hornets Bookmobile. Parents were also in attendance at my show and I sold quite a few CDs. One of the 1st grade teachers returned with three of their students, who read me fractured tales from their writing journals. Wow! They were really amazing writers!

It was such a wonderful day and they told me they would be inviting me back again next year. Yay! (Thank you, Jeanne! Your school is wonderful – I love the teachers, staff and students!) I am really blessed to be able to do what I do for a living. Who wouldn’t want to have a job where you can be silly, have fun, and inspire children and teachers all at the same time?!! Thank you to all my clients and fans for helping me achieve my mission of “Connecting Children and Learning through the Arts.”

Boys and girls, if you are reading this, remember ~ keep reaching for the stars; sky’s the limit!

When I arrived home, I had more work to do (of course). I began preparing for my last two days at my Stories on Board Residency. I am going to tell a fun version of “The Three Little Pigs” and have the students play “Pigopoly.” (I couldn’t resist.)

My nieces are coming over to help me color the boards once again. (Thank you Eliana, Camrynn & Jasmynn!)

Next week, I finish my residency and then head to Dallas for the Texas Librarian’s Association conference. Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was my eighth day doing my Stories on Board Residency at a school in the Metro New Orleans, Louisiana area. Every day this week, the library has been hosting the Scholastic Bookfair. Of course, I can never get away from a book fair without spending any money. There was no shortage of top-notch books from which to choose.

My first and second classes were a bit of a challenge. I had first grade as my first class. Their teacher was out and there was a sub but the children were a bit unruly. I had to spend ten minutes at the end of class talking to them about their behavior. My second class, 2nd grade,  was also a challenge. Unfortunately, there are several students in the class that were very disruptive. I had to counsel them for ten minutes before I could begin my story. Once I began, they really enjoyed it.

Kindergarten was a delight. We had so much fun laughing and playing “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party” game. Their teacher, Ms. Anchissi, must wear a halo because she has the patience of a saint. She is so nurturing. I love watching her guide and counsel her students. She does it with such love.

My class before lunch is 3rd grade. I love going to Mr. Boone’s class. Mr. Boone is a fun guy and he LOVES taking pictures. Here is one of Mr. Boone with the game “Pizzalicious,” based on “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.”

Since the class is right before lunch, we are always salivating over pizza – I guess it’s the power of suggestion. Here is a picture of me instructing the 3rd graders on how to create their game boards and label their game spaces.

This is “Pizzaopoly,” a “hands-on” game!

Here is “Pizzalicious,” completed. This game is going to be so much fun to play.

After lunch, I went to 4th grade. Their story was “The Ant and the Grasshopper.” There were some great game titles such as “Working for Winter”  and “The Ant Hill.” This game is called “Working for Winter,” and is still in progress.

My day ended in preschool. When I first walked in, they were all napping. It didn’t take long to rouse them when they found out the storyteller was there! I love how attentive they are when I am telling my story.

I loved ending my day in Pre-K. They are so loving and sweet. One little boy said to me, “You are the best teacher ever and you are never leaving this classroom!” Another little girl came and just planted herself in my lap, like we had known each other forever and a day.  Though my day started a little rough, my day ended in enchantment.

On Monday and Tuesday, I get to see all the classes together during their PE period. It’s going to be fun and challenging to manage a whole grade at a time but I look forward to it.

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was Day 7 of my Stories on Board residency. Wow – what a great day! The work that was created today was absolutely amazing. My day began with 50 first graders in one room. Because my first grade class was canceled yesterday, we combined two classes. Though it was crowded, both classes really cooperated and had a lot of fun listening to “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and playing “Pizza Party.” We had as many as 8 children playing one game! Great job, Ms. Roos’ and Ms. Buras’ class!

My class with my second graders was interrupted because more than half of the students had to leave to shop at the school’s Scholastic Book Fair. I had 12 students in the class. So I went from an overwhelming 50 students in my first class to an intimate group of 12 in my second class. It was great because I was able to sit with a group and actually play the game with them. What fun!

When I walked into my Kindergarten class, the students began cheering and clapping for me, yelling, “She’s here!” It was such an boisterous welcome. The first picture above is a picture of me telling to the Kindergarteners. They are so cute and such  enthusiastic listeners – very participatory.

My third grade class had trouble quieting down at first because they were so excited about working on their game boards. But when they finally did work on their boards, they worked so well in their groups. Their story was “Sody Sallyraytus,” an Appalachian tale reminiscent of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” One of the students, Nicholas, came up with an ingenious board game design. The game is called “Don’t Get Trapped!” Wow! is all I can say…

In fourth grade, there was so much creativity in the air! Their story is “The Tortoise and the Hare” and they had some really cool board games. This one designed by Ajdan,  which is still in progress, will be titled, “The Hare’s Tale.”

Here’s another Hare board game design (again, still in progress), “The Hare Racing Adventure.”

Today’s fifth grade class was assigned “The Gingerbread Man.” I love this board game called “Gingerbread Man on the Run.” I can’t wait to play this game!

I am always in awe of the talent and creativity of the students. I just love working with them. High five to Ms. Massa’s class, Ms. Naugle’s class, and Ms. Brumfield’s class! You guys have done some incredible work! I’m so proud of you!

Tomorrow, I work with my last group of students creating board games. I look forward to working with my students and seeing what they have in store for me! Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was Day 6 of my “Stories on Board Residency.” What a day! In the 8 years that I have been the artist-in-residence at this school, never once have I been late. Today changed that record. There was a big accident that clogged traffic for miles, causing me to arrive at 9:00 am (first class is at 8:45 am). I frantically called the librarian, Ellen (who books me every year), explaining the situation. She reassured me that everything would be just fine and she would adjust my schedule.

Fortunately, there was a puppet performance in the cafeteria by Calliope Puppet Theater. Ellen cancelled my first class and sent them to the puppet show. Then she moved my second class to my lunch period. That enabled me to have some free time in the morning so I was able to watch the show. It was a great show, showcasing multicultural stories about music from around the world. Karen Konnerth, the puppeteer, is a friend and I loved how much educational content was woven into her show. The kids really enjoyed it. Here is the story of the Legend of the Marimba from Guatemala.

I ate lunch at 10:00am! Then I had five back-to-back classes with no break in between. Needless to say, at the end of the day, I was exhausted!

Though the day started off on the wrong track, my classes were great. I did have to handle some discipline issues in kindergarten and second grade but the rest of the students were fantastic. Here is a picture of some of today’s second grade class playing “Pizza Party,” based on my story, “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.” Hello, Ms. Leblanc’s class!

Again, I had a blast working with 3rd through 5th grade, creating the game boards. My third grade class’ story was “The Lion and the Mouse.” They came up with some creative titles and games including “Mouseopoly,” “Lion Limbo,” and “Lion and Mouse Land.” This is “Mouseopoly.”

This third grade group created “The Lion and The Mouse Game.” The third graders worked so well together – it was amazing. I really enjoyed their ideas and collaboration. They truly exemplified teamwork. Way to go, Ms. Ryan’s class! Woo hoo!

My fourth graders were assigned the story, “Jack Seeks His Fortune,” an Appalachian mountain tale. These students amazed me with their creativity. Some of their game board titles include “Jack and His Sack of Gold,” “Goldopoly” (notice how so many of the students love the “opoly” type of game?), “Go for the Gold!,” and “Not So Fortunate.” Ms. Morrow’s class, you did a fantastic job with your boards. I can’t wait to see them finished. Check out this board.

In fifth grade, they worked on the story, “Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby.” This group of fifth graders were planners and contemplaters, discussing their options in detail and consulting with each other on their game board designs. As a result, they worked a little slower and their board games did not progress as much as the other classes. Still, there were some impressive boards. This one is called, “The Carrot Trail.”

This 5th grade board game is titled, “Brer Rabbit’s Briar Patch.” I love the rabbit’s face! Fantastic work, Ms. McLeod’s class!

One of my fifth grade students from yesterday’s class, Samuel, really impressed me. He asked me if he could take a board home so that he could design his own board game. Today, he left the board in the library for me. It’s such an intricate design. I was so touched that he had the initiative to want to work on his own design. Samuel is such a sweet student. Every day, he carries my suitcase (filled with all my supplies – I call it my “Rolling Classroom”) down the stairs for me at the end of the day. Thank you so much, Samuel. You are awesome. This is Samuel’s board game design – he promised to fill it in and actually create the game too. Too cool!

So today, lemon turned into sweet lemonade. And there’s more to come! Until next time… best wishes!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was Day 5 of my Stories on Board Residency. For the lower grades (K-2), I told the story of “The Littlte Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and sang my original song, “Pizza Party.” Then the students played the game I created based on the story of “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” called “The Little Red Hen’s Pizza Party.” The above picture is of me telling the story to a kindergarten class. Here is a picture of first graders playing the game.

The students really loved the Pizza Party game. It was a lot of fun. I even played the game with my second grade class, though I didn’t win…

In Grades 3-5, they worked on creating the board games based on the story assigned to their class. Today’s third graders were assigned the story, “The Three Little Pigs.” Here are some of the game boards they created. This one is called “Inspiring Pig.”

I loved seeing the collaboration and group cooperation! It was amazing to see these students share ideas, give each other suggestions, and implement their plans. This 3rd grade group’s game is called “The Pig Escape.”

My fourth graders worked with the story, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” The creativity of this group was amazing. There was “Trollopoly,” “The Triumph Over the Terribly Treacherous Troll,” and “Go for the Grass!”

In 5th grade, the students were assigned the story, “Henny Penny.” The students were amazingly into their project. They wanted to continue working on their boards even when it was time to end the class. They created some really cool games. Here is “Chickenopoly.”

This is a picture of the game titled, “Super Chicken.”

I can’t wait to see how my other students’ board games turn out. It’s going to be sooo cool!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne