Storytelling Repertoire and Story Selection

One of the many strengths of oral storytelling is that is builds relationality. The story lives between the teller and the listener, as a vibrant co-creation, yet stories sometimes have a mind of their own. A storyteller may plan to tell a certain story, but on arrival may sense that these listeners need something different. Jenni has at times told a story that asked to be told, wondering why, only to discover that there was someone in the audience who really needed that particular story.

Like many storytellers, Jenni’s repertoire spans preschoolers to adults. While some stories only suit one particular age group, others can be adapted for any age. They just need to be delivered differently. With thirty years experience, Jenni aims to select and attune her stories for the age, energy level, gender, culture, interests and mood of her audience. In designing story sets, Jenni makes sure they are complementary in plot, style, type of protagonist, dramatic arc, rhythm and emotional tone.

With enough notice, Jenni is very happy to develop a story set to fit a particular theme the school is working on, if she has suitable tales in her repertoire. She may need time to dust some older ones off and re-weave them, or even weave a new one!

 Infants 45 - 50 mins

Interwoven with chants, participative actions, song, students could hear three of the following:

• The Wonderful Coat - Jewish folktale - told with felt board, similar to The Blue Coat but with gender neutral pronouns. Listen here.
• The Cap Seller and the Monkeys - Indian panchatantra folktale.
• Matryoshka dolls -  as props for a family story, personal.
• The Two Russian Goats -  Russian folktale - told with two students on stage as goats. Listen here.
• The Cracked Pot - (a Kamishibai or Japanese paper story).
• The Mermaid’s Shoes - original - told with a pair of shoes made from kangaroo and barramundi leather. Listen  here.  
• Long Long Long - Chinese dandling song - students join in through song and rhythm in an exciting adventure through a dark forest and two students up on stage as tigers.

 Lower Primary 50 - 60 mins

Interwoven with chants, participative actions, song, and a fun drama game, students will hear three stories chosen from the following, ending with Q & A:

• The Mulberry Tree - original - Jenni’s beloved childhood mulberry tree was ring barked, but now mulberry trees follow her wherever she goes. Listen here.  
• The Three Magic Charms - (a Kamishibai or Japanese paper story).
• Molly Whuppie - Scottish adventure tale with lots of fun sound effects and actions to join in with. Listen here. 
• The Mermaid’s Shoes - a simplified, shortened version for preschoolers of my ever-popular original story about the Mermaid of Byron Bay and my magical storytelling shoes, with participative refrains. Watch here.
• The Tale of the Wonderful Coat - Jewish folktale with gender neutral pronouns, the masculine version of The Blue Coat - watch  here.
• Matryoshka or nesting dolls - as props for generational family stories. Watch 5 min video here.

Upper Primary 50 - 60 mins

Interwoven with chants, participative actions, song, and a fun drama game, students will hear three stories probably chosen from the following, ending with Q & A:

• The Mulberry Tree - original - Jenni’s beloved childhood mulberry tree was ringbarked, but now mulberry trees follow her wherever she goes. Listen here.
• The Black Prince - Egyptian folktale.
• Molly Whuppie - Scottish adventure tale with lots of fun sound effects and actions to join in with. Listen here.
• The Monkey’s Heart - Indian panchatantra trickster tale - baby monkey and baby crocodile are good friends, until crocodile mother decides she wants a monkeys heart. Listen here.
• Jack and the Beanstalk - English folktale rewoven.
• The Three Magic Charms - (a Kamishibai or Japanese paper story) - a child monk outwits a monster with the help of his wise master
• The Haunted Boots - humorous Scottish folktale - told with a candle, a satisfying tale to end with!

Secondary 50-60 mins

Interwoven with introductions and explanations and discussion of metaphor and motifs in stories, students will hear three stories probably

chosen from the following, ending with Q & A:

• Goldenheart - original - the fable of a young man who throws away his heart and how it is returned to him - Listen here.
• The Mulberry Tree  - original - Jenni’s beloved childhood mulberry tree was ringbarked, but now mulberry trees follow her wherever she goes. Listen here.
• The Fisherman's Baby - Irish folktale - A young father makes an unwise choice and a seal keeps his baby safe in a storm. Listen here.   
• The Black Prince - Egyptian folktale -a tragic romance of love and loss with a theme of self acceptance.
• The Tale of the Wonderful Coat - Jewish folktale with gender-neutral pronouns, the masculine version of The Blue Coat. Watch  here. Told very differently for secondary students and adults.
• The Three Magic Charms- (a Kamishibai or Japanese paper story) delivers to provoke a discussion of metaphor, strong emotion and the visual literacy of Kamishibai theatre.

 Workshops

 Our brains are hard-wired to receive information encoded in a story, which is why storytelling is one of our oldest teaching methods. Oral storytelling has been called ‘Theatre of the Imagination’. It sparks creativity and enables holistic learning, engaging visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners. As a teacher, you can tell a story to pique your students' interest in a particular topic. Once students become emotionally and imaginatively engaged, lively discussions can follow and learning deepens. Listening to stories together engenders a sense of community and shared culture in the classroom. When students learn to tell stories themselves, they can express different aspects of themselves and build confidence. Sometimes students that do not shine academically, do shine in the realm of spoken word, drama and movement. Storytelling combines all three.
In her workshops, Jenni guides participants through fun, creative processes that stimulate imagination and get stories flowing. She gives permission for anyone to have a go at story weaving and storytelling. Jenni has been teaching storytelling since 2000 to primary, secondary and tertiary students. She has taught parents, teachers, librarians and environmental educators.

Write Your Story of Place

Hear Jenni tell her original story The Mulberry Tree, learn the simple process she used to develop it, then have a go yourself. Jenni has taught this fun, engaging method to primary, secondary and tertiary students and for staff in-services. It always ignites joy, conversation, enthusiasm and creativity.

WHO: Workshop for Years 3-10 OR teachers and parents

LENGTH:

• STUDENTS: 60 minutes 
• ADULTS: 2-3 hours for teachers or parents, to allow for more instruction and discussion.

SIZE:

• STUDENTS: Two primary classes at a time or one secondary class.
• ADULTS: Up to 20 teachers or parents. 

How to Tell a Story

Have you ever wanted to enchant your students or children with a well told story? Discover your inner storyteller in this fun, playful workshop. Hear a simple circle story, then retell it in small groups and discuss the process. Find out how to choose a story for telling, craft it, learn it, and tell it in a captivating way. Learn through fun, gentle, non-confronting activities, pair and group work. Participants will gain ideas and confidence.

WHO: Workshop for Years 3-7 OR teachers and parents

LENGTH:

• STUDENTS: 60 minutes 
• ADULTS: 2-3 hours for teachers or parents, to allow for more instruction and discussion.

SIZE:

• STUDENTS: Two primary classes at a time or one secondary class
• ADULTS: Up to 20 teachers or parents.

 Platform Speaker + International Womens' Day

The Original French Red Riding Hood: 'Le Histoire du Grandmere'
In 1697, Charles Perrault published "La Petit Chaperone Rouge". It was retold in Germany as “Rotkäppchen” and in England became "Little Red Riding Hood". But long, long before Perrault, a far richer version was told in the French countryside. In 'Le Histoire du Grandmere' or 'The Grandmother's Tale', the heroine is a trickster who outsmarts the werewolf (not wolf) and escapes unhurt with the help of three laundresses.
Jenni has dusted off this earlier tale, breathed new life into it, and left the original slightly sexy and grisly parts in. Come and listen, if you dare! Her performances of 'Le Histoire du Grandmere’ have been featured at the 2021 Australian Fairytale Conference in Sydney and the NSN 2020 Connected Virtual Conference and Festival.

LENGTH: Story 20 minutes + presentation and discussion on the story and its history 35 minutes = 55 mins