Presentations for Social Studies Teachers
Keynote: History... In Person!
Invite history’s greatest characters to your conference!
Invite history’s greatest characters to your conference!
Author and storyteller, Brian “Fox” Ellis steps into character to bring history to life. Over the years, he has developed more than a dozen monologues that allow participants to meet the movers and shakers of history. Fox has spent countless hours exploring the life story of these authors through primary source documents. The goal of this program is to explore the ideas and perspectives that have shaped our world. Often, Fox speaks in the first person when it suits his character, but occasionally he chooses to be ‘a friend of’ because this second person voice allows him to put the life of the author into the broader perspective of his time. Many of these programs come with extensive follow-up lesson plans in creative writing, history and science. Programs include:
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- Steamboatin’ Down the River with Mark Twain
- Wilhelm Grimm’s Fairy Tales
- Adventures with John James Audubon
- Lincoln Tales Tall and True
- Canoe Song: A French Explorer's Journal, 1673- 1690
- The Adventures of Lewis and Clark
- Indian Legends with Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
- Black Hawk’s View of American History
- Steamboatin’ Down the River with Mark Twain
Related Workshops:
His-story and Her-story, too! Storytelling as a Tool in Historical Interpretation: Learn to tell historical stories and collect family stories. Learn how to write good questions, prepare for and conduct oral history interviews to research local history, with an emphasis on people often left out of the history books. Learn library research skills and how to read between the lines. Learn how to turn "field notes" into dynamic literature. And learn to perform, share, or otherwise publish this work.
Stepping Into Character: Presenting First Person Interpretations: The stories of real people allow you to travel to distant times and places. Meet important characters from the worlds of science, literature and history, step into their shoes and learn to embody their story. The goal of this workshop is to help you bring to life the characters you connect with and tell their stories in a powerful performance. We will discuss research, choosing characters that fit, developing scripts, creating costumes, rehearsal, marketing and the performance skills you need to ensure success.
Storytelling, Multiculturalism, and Conflict Resolution: Conflict is an inevitable part of life and a crucial element in a good story. In this participatory workshop you will learn to use folktales to build cultural awareness and teach alternatives to violence. Learn to tell a tale and how to use stories to introduce cooperative games and activities that will help your students to solve problems creatively.
Brian "Fox" Ellis is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, historian and museum consultant who works with The Field Museum, The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and numerous smaller historical society museums to develop curriculum, write interpretive booklets and present staff training on storytelling as an interpretive tool. Fox has been a featured speaker at regional and international conferences including the Great Lakes Conference of Social Studies and the North American Prairie Conservation Conference, et al. Fox is also the Artistic Director for Prairie Folklore Theatre a unique theatre company that celebrates history through original musical theatre productions. He is the author of fifteen books including the critically acclaimed children’s picture book, The Web at Dragonfly Pond, (DAWN Publications, 2006) and his latest book for teachers, Content Area Reading, Writing and Storytelling (Teacher Ideas Press 2010). Many of his stories are also available on one of twelve CDs.
