Workshops
Workshops
Randel McGee is the artistic director of McGee Productions and the main presenter and keynote speaker. He has thirty years of extensive work with children and the arts. He has been an artist–in-residence with the California Arts Council and Idaho Commission of the Arts. He has served as a consultant with the California State Library System. He has taught for CSU- Fresno and the University of Phoenix. He is an internationally recognized storyteller and children’s performing artist. He is the author of a new series of paper craft books for elementary school children.
Marsha McGee is the managing director and education liaison for our company. She has a master’s degree in Creative Dramatics and a California teaching certificate. She has been an elementary school teacher and reading specialist. She has taught education and liberal studies classes for Chapman University for the last 20 years. She was the director of several children’s performing arts programs.
Motivating children to read is one of the greatest challenges of education. We believe that children need to be involved in the whole process of language– hearing stories, reading, writing, and sharing their own stories with others. Our workshops focus on this whole process of involvement in language, from the speaking to the reading and writing. We want to help teachers and students experience stories and make them a part of their own world.
Here are a few samples:
“Storytelling Magic with the OHP (Over Head Projector)!”
The Overhead Projector can be one of the most useful tools in the classroom for involving students in retelling stories or creating and writing their own. One of our most popular workshops, we demonstrate simple, inexpensive, yet visually amazing techniques for bringing stories and plays to life with shadow puppets and other lighting effects using the common Overhead Projector. Some of these techniques are easy enough to use with kindergarteners, while some are exciting enough for professional performances.
The workshop can be one and a half hours for a demonstration and information or a full day with hands-on activities. Teachers can customize materials to take back to their classes for immediate use. Appropriate for K-2nd or 3rd-8th grade teachers. It can also be appropriate for high school arts programs. This can also be adapted for student workshops.
“I am an Author!”
Using familiar stories and picture books, students are involved in exciting storytelling games and activities that help free their imaginations and use their language skills to create their own stories. Stories used include, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”, “Imogene’s Antlers”, “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick,” and others. Appropriate for students in grades 2-6.
“Hi-diddle-dee-Die Cuts” – Storytelling adventures with Die Cuts”
Need quick and easy visuals for telling a story or having students retell stories? We explore ways to use die cut figures and characters to create several types of puppets, flannel board figures and scenery and props for use in storytelling activities. Very applicable for student projects and presentations or for teachers, especially for the primary grade teacher. Workshop can be a demonstration for one and a half hours, or all day.
“Storytelling in the Story Theater”
Stories take on new excitement when children see a story unfold on the small stage of the Story Theater. In this class we demonstrate how story theaters are used, how to make a simple theatre, and the puppets to go with them. Compact and easy to use in a classroom, it can be a stimulating means of involving students in creating or retelling familiar stories by performing them on a story theater stage. Appropriate for K-6. Workshop is one and a half to two hours. It can also be adapted for working with students.