David Novak

storytelling

About the Artist

David Novak is an award-winning storyteller, author and actor, performing on the main stage at the nation’s top storytelling festivals and as a featured storyteller at the prestigious National Storytelling Festival. David develops arts integrated curriculum as a North Carolina A+ Fellow and is Teaching Artist for The Wolf Trap Institute for Early Childhood Learning. He visits classrooms and stages from Hawaii to New York, and in countries around the world including 2019 tours in Poland, Australia, and Singapore. Prized for his vocal pyrotechnics and dynamic physicality, he brings ancient tales, classic myths, and original stories to life, captivating audiences of all ages.

"Students were much more engaged in the writing unit because they were able to see Mr. Novak do the things that our lessons only talk about. Mr. Novak's presence brought the concept of storyteller's voice to life."

-Betts Conti, Elementary School Teacher

 

RESIDENCY OFFERING: a telling experience

performance storytelling

k - 12th grade

An exploration of performance storytelling from original and traditional sources in which students will learn and practice public speaking, acting, and creative self-expression. David customizes each experience to meet teacher and student need. He can lead workshops and alternative residencies in addition to the residencies within the catalog.

Timeline

Artist Contact Hours: 6 hours, twice weekly for 3 weeks
can adapt to teacher scheduling needs

Week 1

  • Day 1: David Novak, presents A Telling Experience, a storytelling presentation for grades 3-5, followed by a talk-back with students.

    Goals: Introduce oral tradition, model effective storytelling, demonstrate different story types (folktale, personal story, creative), demonstrate different styles (finger play, string story, etc.)

    Homework: Identify a story event.

  • Day 2: Setting the Scene: Notice and describe details about a place.

    Goals: Share experience, use descriptive language, create listener involvement
    Homework: Students identify a sequence of events (plot) that unfold in a remembered place.

Week 2

  • Day 3: The Storyline: a tally of events

    Goals: Sequence events, discover details, create surprise

    Homework: The Story String

  • Day 4: Beautiful People: adding personality

    Goals: Create character voice, create character body language

    Homework: Students create storyboards

Week 3

  • Day 5: Relating to others: finding the main idea

    Goals: Finding relevance with simile, comparison and context, finding meaning, creating a satisfying ending

    Homework: Compose narrative

  • Day 6: A Telling Time: sharing our stories

    Goals: Effective listening, confident speaking, fluency

Learning Targets:

  • Students will learn to improvise engaging descriptive language.

  • Students will learn gesture and mimicry.

  • Students will tell and retell original stories.

Apply now!
 

Residency Offering: A world of stories

Pre-k

A telling experience of exploration and discovery in which students find and share beautiful, imaginative stories connecting to the world around them.

Timeline

Artist Contact Hours: 4 hours- 30 minutes per class for 8 days
can adapt to teacher scheduling needs

Week 1

  • Day 1: Listening to Stones: the sources of story, part 1. (A traditional Seneca story relates that the first stories came from Grandfather Stone)

    • “Show & Tell” prop play with natural objects: sticks and stones

    • Dramatizing stories from nature: sticks, stones, and water drops

  • Day 2: Listening to Stones: the sources of story, part 2

    • “Show & Tell” prop play with natural objects: string and cloth

    • Dramatizing stories from nature: sticks, stones, and water drops

  • Day 3: A Spider’s Story: the details, part 1

    • “Show & Tell” with the finger play of Itsy Bitsy Spider

    • Once more with feeling: exploring the emotions of the story

    • “Show & Tell” with Itsy Bitsy’s web: catching new details.

  • Day 4: A Spider’s Story: the details, part 2

    • “Show & Tell” with Itsy Bitsy’s web: catching new details

Week 2

  • Day 5: Over The Mountain: the story line, part 1

    • “Show & Tell” with a craft paper mountain

    • The Bear Went Over The Mountain song and story

  • Day 6: Over The Mountain, part 2

    • “Show & Tell” tracing the bear’s path on the paper mountain

  • Day 7: Season’s Cycles: beginnings, middles, and ends, part 1

    • Show & Tell the 4 Seasons

    • Make a story for Spider in the Summer and Bear in the Winter

  • Day 8: Season’s Cycles: beginnings, middles, and ends, part 2

    • Float like a butterfly: a paper-cut story

Apply Now!
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