Workshops

Jenifer workshops Jenifer combines sixteen years of teaching and storytelling experience to offer a variety of workshops with specific outcomes but they all have one common element…STORY.

Workshops can be one hour, one day or one week, but each workshop is designed to help participants use story to enrich their lives.

So…

Do you want to hear stories, tell stories, write stories, or record family histories?

Do you want to teach, guide and help others more effectively?

Do you want to communicate better, understand your own story better, or connect with others by listening more deeply to their stories?

Do you want to combine art, music theater improvisation or poetry with story?

Do you want to market your business, sell your product or help your staff members work together effectively?

Jenifer will create a workshop to meet your needs, or you may find what you need in the workshop descriptions here.

Turning Points™

Participants will be introduced to a Personal Narrative Model that starts with an accumulating series of self-explorative activities. After choosing an impacting life event or Turning Point, participants use a model of overlapping story elements to record the framework of the story, and then engage in a process of inquiry with partners to develop the important details. Storytelling is used in the planning or pre-writing stages. Partner and group feedback is an important part of the process. Oral revision and editing techniques will be presented. This workshop offers oral and written workshop outcomes (also available as a Writing Residency).

Learn more about Turning Points™.

If You Can Tell It…You Can Write It!

Years of teaching experience proved that if students could tell their stories, they could write them. Jenifer has developed workshops specific to grade levels, and a number of genres, from small moments and memoirs, to folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, mysteries, realistic fiction, and a special genre known as “blender tales” where two traditional tales are mixed, allowing for creative problem solving and surprise endings.

Storytelling Across the Curriculum

Current brain research tells us that humans, think, learn and retain information in narrative, or story. During ten years of teaching, Jenifer discovered that Storytelling was a powerful tool for teaching within and across curriculum. In this workshop, learn how to use storytelling to motivate learning, improve retention and inspire writing.

Storytelling: A Natural History and Interpretive Tool

This workshop is for teachers, camp counselors, natural history guides, trip leaders, and environmental and outdoor educators
As a former environmental educator, wilderness trip leader, and performer for the Michigan Culture Tour, Jenifer will share storytelling as a tool to add value and richness to outdoor experiences for campers, students, wilderness travelers and tourists.

Story Slam Improv

Participants will be in involved in a series of activities designed to stimulate the creative story process, culminating in a Story Slam! This is a program designed for teens.

G and T!

Jenifer has designed a variety of stimulating workshops for Gifted and Talented students that require discussion, problem solving, group cooperation, and story creation. Outcomes vary, but can involve art, poetry, journaling, story telling and story writing.

Creative Story Play

Take your natural Storytelling ability to the next level!
Join Storyteller, Jenifer Strauss for a fun-filled Story Arts Workshop.
We will be using theater improvisation, and storytelling games and props to find our way to original written work. During this workshop, you will be making your own Story Stick, puppets, and journals, so you can continue to tell and write stories long after the workshop is over. (1-4 week involvement)

Finding It…Shaping It…and Getting It Out of Your Mouth

We are all Storytellers!! Some of us just need a little encouragement to do a whole lot more of it! Be prepared to talk, laugh and learn about choosing, creating and learning stories that are right for you. Explore the tools of the trade: voice, gesture, pause, props and participation. Empower the storyteller you already are.

Connecting Imagination to Education with Story

This is a workshop about the power of storytelling in a media saturated culture.
Jenifer will present the current research on the Imagination Deficit Disorder™ and the isolating effects of excessive media use on our children, and then give participants the opportunity to get comfortable with their own storytelling ability. “Use-It-Now” ideas, techniques, and resources will help you use storytelling in all aspects of your work with children, parents, and coworkers. Storytelling is interactive. So is this workshop!

Storytelling as a Marketing Tool

Storytelling is a powerful form of communication, and can be an extremely effective marketing tool. Participants will be provided with guidelines and templates to enlist storytelling in sales, the creation of promotional materials, on your website, and within your workplace.

StoryArts Workshops!

Participants will hear and learn stories that are matched with a creative arts project, and go home with a unique storytelling prop. Choices:

Make A Story Stick and Find Your Story Voice! Learn about an ancient Storytelling tradition called the Story Stick. In this workshop, participants will make a Story Stick, and learn a variety of way to use it to tell stories in groups. Start your own Storytelling tradition at home, or with friends.

Sock Puppets! Puppets don’t have to be expensive. Jenifer will show you how to make a simple sock puppet and start telling your own stories. Participants will take home their own sock puppet to start creating and telling stories.

Turtle Puppets! Make a Turtle Finger Puppet and learn a turtle story. You will find yourself creating new Turtle Stories with your new turtle friend.

Australian Didgeridoos! Jenifer will tell and teach a story about How Didgeridoos came to be. Participants will decorate their own Didgeridoo and take it home to play!

Funding is available for Jen's programs through the

Michigan Touring Arts Directory

For application go to: www.michiganhumanities.org