SUSAN PEPPER
Susan brings together the skills of the storyteller and those of the
literature
teacher to explore story in a way that is educational and entertaining. A
childhood spent listening to radio serials gave her with a lasting
interest
in
stories as they are heard. Her way of presenting stories encourages active
listening as well as exploration and reflection. A writer of non-fiction books, Susan educates as she tells, giving
background
information on, among other things, the stories told, character types,
story
structure, and the traditional role of the storyteller.
She has had considerable experiencing teaching students with a learning
disability how to tell stories to enhance their verbal communication
skills
and
express their creativity in fun and empowering ways. Susan is close to completing a Masters in Creative Arts Therapy at RMIT, a
course she undertook because of a particular interest in using story
therapeutically. She can develop programs to suit particular groups of
people,
of all ages.
Susan creates an enchanted story space where the imagination plays and
spirits
soar. Available for workshops and seminars in all schools and professional
development
sessions.
WHERE?
Susan will travel to the North and East and West of metropolitan
Melbourne. COMMENTS This was Susan’s second visit to our centre and
this time the “workshop” mode allowed the children
to interact and contribute ideas. Since Susan’s visit
the children have collaborated on several stories. Wonderful
inspiration.
Darlene Leach, Yarralea Children’s
Centre Susan’s selection of stories was great, entertaining
and educational. We felt it was a quality experience for our
Year 7s and 8s and would recommend Susan to other schools.
Ross Vanner, Korrumburra Secondary
College. The Year 7s enjoyed listening to Susan’s stories
and would recommend her as a storyteller.
Hank Bolton, Korrumburra Secondary
College. We enjoyed the stories. Preps, 1/2s were captivated.
All grades rated the performance very highly. We have had
general discussion and report writing following the storytelling
and thought that the stories were appropriate to the age levels.
We would recommend The Storytelling Garden as the storytellers
were very professional.
Judy Vardy, Lara Lakes Primary School We enjoyed Susan's "Thinking Smart" fantastic
stories and puzzles from around the world. We expecially liked
the phrase: 'And that is the end of that <clap> <clap>'.
Because it is the grade 6's last year at primary school, we
were hoping for a brilliant time with a storyteller, and it
was! We thought that the 'thumb piano' was really intresting,
expecially when some people got to try it afterwards. One
of our favourite stories was the storyt about the Lion and
the other one about the Woman on the Hill. Once aain, we would
like to thank you so much for coming to our school and telling
stories to all age groups and classes. We all reall enjoyed
it!
From Kim and Samantha on behalf of Grade
6 and everyone at Resurrection House Primary School Susan told stories as part of the 2001 Library and Information
Week "National Simultaneous Storytime". This was
a very successful event at our branch, with a group of Prep
students from a local primary school enjoying the presentation,
which included music, props, and puppets and suited the group
very well. Her previous library/teaching experience was clearly
evident. I would certainly recommend her for other storytelling
sessions.
Anne Markovec, Branch Youth Librarian, Whitehorse
Manningham Regional Library Corporation Thank you for your presentation at the "Sharing the
Journey" Conference, City of Casey Children's Services.
We received a great deal of positive feedback from conference
participants who rated your workshop highly. We recognise
that this is a direct reflection of the calibre of your skills.
Thank you for contributing to the success of this event.
Wendy Metcalfe & Bronwyn Roche, Conference
Convenors, City of Casey Thank you for the wonderful session you provided. All
the staff found it very worthwhile and we are now looking
forward to incorporating more storytelling into our programs
with children. Participants' comments include: "One of
the best training sessions HMVRL has provided. The workshop
was wonderful, I enjoyed it! Excellent. I am enthusiastic
about the ideas and I will tell more stories in my Storytime.
Trainers were very interesting and covered all areas of storytelling.
The trainers were obviously passionate about storytelling
and the benefits it can bring to everyone, they managed to
make us aware of the importance of what we do. Could we have
a full day workshop?"
Paula M. Smith, Youth Services Librarian,
Hume-Moonee Valley Regional Library Susan's warm and gentle storytelling style is most captivating.
She tells her stories as a person who truly loves, and believes
in, the power and beauty of the story.
Rev. Gordon Bannon, St. David's Uniting
Church, Abbotsford I love Thursday mornings because your stories make me
feel so happy. And then it's Friday and I feel sad because
I have to wait a whole week till the next one.
Sarah, Grade 2, Clifton Hill Primary School Susan has a gift for telling diverse and interesting tales.
Susan's stories are a unique and stimulating approach to generating
thought and reflection.
Dave Clarke, CEO VICSERV Thank you for your wonderful Dragon Stories. Your talent,
ability to bring your tales to life and your obvious love
of telling a yarn, impressed both staff and students! You
were a fabulous addition to our Dragon Festival!
Stephanie Scott, Cranbourne Secondary College There were three storytellers that told different types
of stories and all of them were enjoyable.
Tammy, 7SB, CSC I think the storytellers were really good and interesting.
I think the stories were good and enjoyable to listen to.
Natalie, 7SB, CSC I thought they were very expressive the way they told
the stories. It was really funny at the end.
Shannon, 7PT, CSC I thought the storytellers really made the stories come
to life. They also wove our parts of the story in wonderfully,
Fiona, 7E, CSC PROGRAMS
PRIMARY SCHOOLS These themes can be adapted to any age level with more
participatory stories for the younger children, and more challenging
tales for older children.
P - 2
Stories
45 minutes
Years 3 - 6
Stories
60 minutes The Magic Carpet Ride: around the world in story
Hop on the carpet and hold on ... you'll meet tricksters and
shapeshifters, fools and sages ... hear wisdom tales, contemporary
stories, creation myths and legends ... and more as we travel
the world. The program can be tailored to 'visit' your choice
of continents, or explore a particular theme. Flying High
Stories about taking flight ... whether you were planning
to or not! Wings, cloaks, kites, planes - how do you like
to fly? What price would you pay to be able to fly? And where
would you go? A collection of tales about taking flight literally
and metaphorically. Once upon a wish
If you had just one wish, what would you wish for? A collection
of tales that explore our dreams and wishes - and the consequences
of getting what we think we want! Thinking Smart
How would you escape from a lion? How did the jeweller escape
from the jail? Could you trick a king out of 5 baskets of
gold? Entertaining tales with an in-built puzzle that encourage
active listening and lateral thinking. Tigers here, zebras there, cats and dogs everywhere
A collection of participatory stories, especially for young
listeners. Differently abled
Everyone has their special gifts and talents to bring to the
world. These stories explore the strengths and insights that
arise from appreciating the differences between people.
WORKSHOPS Prep - 2
45 minutes
Can a story have 50 creators? In this workshop Susan shows
that it can - everyone has a chance to participate. A story
to focus the children is followed by a discussion of the elements
of a story, and what we want in 'our' story. Then Susan creates
a story weaving in the suggestions of the children as she
goes. The story belongs to the group - afterwards they can
write it down, act it out, retell it, create illustrations,
or make up a sequel. A final story or two rounds out the session. Grades 3 - 4
60 minutes Grades 5 - 6
75 minutes
This workshop has lots a storytelling games to allow the children
to enjoy playing with language as they make up new stories.
It also explores the elements of story - what makes a good
story? Is it the plot? the characters? or something else?
At the end of the workshop each child should have the making
of several stories they can continue to work with in the classroom.
SEONDARY SCHOOLS Concert: Exploring past cultures
The SOSE curriculum is rich with opportunities to enrich lessons
with stories. A program can be developed to suit the needs
of the curriculum eg by focussing on a specific period of
history, or region of the world. Also available is a collection
of stories with an environmental theme. Concert: Exploring the world of oral literature
Explore myths, legends, folktales, pourquoi tales as they
were meant to be experienced - as told tales from many times
and places with their unique characters, such as tricksters
and shapeshifters, and solutions to the challenges of life. Concert: Who am I?
What gifts do I have to bring to the world? What will I do
with my life? How do I know? When do I get to find out? A
collection of traditional and contemporary stories that explore
identity, uniqueness and integrity to provoke thought and
discussion. Workshop: Finding & telling personal stories
A two hour highly experiential workshop richly illustrated
with told personal stories in which participants find their
own storytelling voice while exploring traditional storytelling
techniques. LIBRARIES Grades P-6
Stories
45 minutes
These themes can be adapted to any age level with more participatory
stories for the younger children and more challenging tales
for older children. The magic carpet ride: around the world
in story
Flying high
Once upon a wish
Thinking smart
Tigers here, zebras there, cats and dogs everywhere Grades P-6
Workshops
60 minutes
This workshop has lots of storytelling games to allow the
children to enjoy playing with language as we make up new
stories together. As well, there are plenty of stories for
the children to enjoy listening to. Creating new stories together,
exploring the aspects of a story, allowing the children to
experiment with various ways of story making - this workshop
has it all.
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