Adventures in Podcasting - Storytelling, Grades 6-7
Redefining Oral Storytelling in the Modern Era
8 class sessions, 1.5 hours per class (12 hours of instruction)
January 15 - March 5
Thursdays, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. PST
Course Description:
Did you know that storytelling is an activity that has existed for as long as humans have known language? It’s true! In the years before books, movies, and video games, storytelling was an important way to keep people entertained. Beyond that, stories were also used to share information and pass along family histories. Because writing came later, stories were originally told orally.
This course is going to be a modern-day oral storytelling. Students will have the opportunity to create their own narrative piece, practicing skills like creative thinking, outlining, paragraph structure, drafting, and editing. Once their story is written, they will turn it into a podcast episode (or multiple!), which will allow them to practice skills like oral expression and public speaking. They will then have the opportunity to learn to edit and refine their podcasts, adding elements like cover art and sound effects to make the product uniquely their own.
Course Objectives:
Instructor Biography:
Taryn Williams has been working in the field of education in a variety of ways for the past 15 years and thinks learning should be both engaging and fun as well as impactful. She received both a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Pennsylvania. Following this, she was a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace in the School of Spanish at Middlebury College and was in the inaugural cohort of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education’s Strategic Leadership in Education program. A recipient of both a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany and a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to India, Taryn has taught students in a variety of K-12 settings across the U.S. and world. She most recently served as the Head Teacher at a small school in the Alaskan Bush and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Irvine.
Did you know that storytelling is an activity that has existed for as long as humans have known language? It’s true! In the years before books, movies, and video games, storytelling was an important way to keep people entertained. Beyond that, stories were also used to share information and pass along family histories. Because writing came later, stories were originally told orally.
This course is going to be a modern-day oral storytelling. Students will have the opportunity to create their own narrative piece, practicing skills like creative thinking, outlining, paragraph structure, drafting, and editing. Once their story is written, they will turn it into a podcast episode (or multiple!), which will allow them to practice skills like oral expression and public speaking. They will then have the opportunity to learn to edit and refine their podcasts, adding elements like cover art and sound effects to make the product uniquely their own.
Course Objectives:
- Practice the elements of narrative writing (character, setting)
- Understand and practice story mapping
- Explore different types of narrative writing
- Refine drafting, editing, and revising skills
- Learn how to structure a story in a logical but engaging way
- Foster a love of writing through engaging activities
Instructor Biography:
Taryn Williams has been working in the field of education in a variety of ways for the past 15 years and thinks learning should be both engaging and fun as well as impactful. She received both a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Pennsylvania. Following this, she was a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace in the School of Spanish at Middlebury College and was in the inaugural cohort of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education’s Strategic Leadership in Education program. A recipient of both a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany and a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to India, Taryn has taught students in a variety of K-12 settings across the U.S. and world. She most recently served as the Head Teacher at a small school in the Alaskan Bush and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Irvine.