Storytelling and Puppetry

In my recent workshop with teachers of Clayton Learning Center, I had the fun of sharing with them Handkerchief Man! It's great for puppetry and storytelling. There is a special story of it which I learned from my dear friend Dianne DeLas Casas - a jazzed up version of The Gingerbread Man! With not one, but two and more Handkerchief Men, teachers can make and take many tales into their own classrooms and have fun while learning literacy skills!

@titazeeh7

Puppetry and Storytelling Workshop 💜😊💜 with Clayton Learning Center Teachers

♬ original sound - TitaZee

With Clayton Learning Center Teachers and Lampara Publishing House

@titazeeh7 Thank you Clayton Learning Center! Thank you @Lampara Books ♬ Creative - Vin Music

Storytelling at Clayton Learning Center

@titazeeh7 #storytelling #storytellingworkshop ♬ original sound - TitaZee

Learning from Dianne De Las Casas

As homage to my dear friend and mentor,

Dianne De Las Casas

, we will have an Author Chat on her legacy -- the stories she shared and told, the literacy projects she cooked up and served, and the books she wrote. We will focus on one of her more popular books which is a manual (that's far from dry and boring) on storytelling, Handmade Tales. The book has tips and instructions on how to tell stories using paper tearing/cutting, draw and tell, Kamishibai, strings, handkerchiefs and hands!

Learning from Dianne was an adventure in itself. Thank you to Dear Books for initiating a blog write up to remember Dianne last August 21, 2020.

I will be demonstrating selected stories and techniques from the book as part of a pocket workshop on storytelling. It will be on Zoom on Saturday, August 29, 2020 at 10 AM to 11 AM. The link to Zoom is below.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7235085819?pwd=am5aa2lOcytYVzFkdlZhNy9YVEpRZz09

Meeting ID: 723 508 5819

Passcode: ChatZarahG

One tap mobile

+13462487799,,7235085819#,,,,,,0#,,8050123032# US (Houston)

+16699006833,,7235085819#,,,,,,0#,,8050123032# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 723 508 5819

Passcode: 8050123032

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdoS3M8rVO

See you online!

Workshop: Storytelling for Growth and Healing

Summer Workshop 2: Imagine! Play! Wonder!

We are AUTHORities!

We received our notice of acceptance from the National Book Development Board as presenters and facilitator in the 9th Philippine International Literary Festival (PILF)!

Session 1: Out of the Books Storytelling Techniques

Format: Workshop

Tentative Venue: Little Theatre (30: pax capacity)
Moderator: Melanie Ramirez
Date and Time: April 19, 2018 10:50am - 12:00nn

Session 2: Project LEARN

Format: Forum 

Tentative Venue: Main Theatre Lobby (200: pax capacity)

Speakers: Zarah Gagatiga, Darrel Marco, MJ Cagumbay Tumamac 

Date and Time: April 19, 2018, 4:05-5:05pm

The 9th PILF will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on April 19-20, 2018.

Imagine! Play! Wonder! Storytelling Workshop 2017: 10 Reasons Why This Workshop Matters

Imagine! Play! Wonder! Storytelling Workshop by Zarah C. Gagatiga from Zarah Gagatiga

Imagine! Play! Wonder! With Zarah C. Gagatiga

Here is the official poster of Imagine! Play! Wonder! A Storytelling Workshop with Zarah C. Gagatiga.

Storytelling Workshop: Imagine! Play! Wonder!

Imagine! Play! Wonder!
Storytelling for Growth and Healing
A Workshop in Developing Literacy Skills and Life Skills

Workshop Facilitator: 
Zarah C. Gagatiga

Blogger. Librarian. Author. Storyteller. Teacher.

 Date and Time:
 December 2, 2017
Saturday, 9AM - 3PM

Venue:
Lampara House Showroom
Sto. Domingo, Quezon City
Landmarks: Sto. Domingo Church and Angelicum College

WORSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Storytelling opens up opportunities that stretch the imagination,  the provision for play, and develops in the listener, a sense of wonder! It is through imagination, play and wonder  where children, even adults, learn at their best.  Imagination, play and wonder develop creativity and compassion.

The workshop is latched on three themes namely, Imagination, Play and Wonder. Three concepts on storytelling will further be taken up in relation to the three themes. These are:

a. Storytelling idea 1: Storytelling follows a sequence of order and organization.
b. Storytelling idea 2: Storytelling fosters dramatics and the performing arts.
c. Storytelling idea 3: Storytelling is creative learning!

A workshop kit and a storytelling starter packet will be given out to the participants of the workshop.

Participants: Open to all interested; students in Senior High School and College levels; Maximum of 50 pax, minimum of 30 pax.

Fee: 600 for adults; 400 for students

Contact information: lamparapublishinghouse@gmail.com / zarahg815@gmail.com

*This workshop is partly sponsored by Lampara Books.  To book Zarah Gagatiga for workshops, talks and consultancy, get in touch with her via zarah.gagatiga@gmail.com and/ or 09209672884.

Lampara Annual Seminar: Storytelling Is Truth Telling

Storytelling Truth Telling Lampara Seminar 2017 from Zarah Gagatiga

Storytelling: Take a Little Walk Bear

Throwback video. During the 3rd Philippine Literary Festival, I conducted a Storytelling Workshop with Darrel Marco and Audrey Anday as co-facilitators. The workshop was sponsored by my publisher, Lampara Books. Thanks to Chris Danger for the video!

I first heard Take a Little Walk Bear from Margaret Read McDonald back in 2002 during the 2nd Storytelling Conference in Singapore. I tell this story to end a storytelling session and to bid participants goodbye.



Want more stories like this? Come join us on August 25, 2017 at the San Beda Library, Alabang. Storytelling Now!

Storytelling Now!

Join me and a host of librarian storytellers tell stories in different ways and techniques on Friday, August 25, 2017 at the Senior High School Library of San Beda Alabang.

The seminar workshop will feature a Storytelling Rigodon; a look at stories and storytelling from creators and tellers of tales; exercises to bring out the inner storyteller in you; and strategic storytelling activities for K-12 students.

Here's the link for the invitation.

Invite: https://www.slideshare.net/ramospnulisaa/storytelling-seminarworkshop-august-25-2017?utm_source=slideshow&utm_medium=ssemail&utm_campaign=post_upload_view_cta

The Annual Lampara Books Seminar 2017

Librarians as Community Developers

I started a read aloud demo.

Last week, I was a witness to the important role librarians and libraries play in building community. The story begins like this.

In March 2017, DepEd Cabuyao Superintendent Jonathan Forelo Bernabe wrote a letter to the Philippine Librarians Association Inc., (PLAI) requesting for a workshop on library development. The letter reached PLAI President Mike Pinto in mid-April. Mr. Pinto, through PLAI Secretariat, got in touch with DepEd Cabuyao with a recommendation to contact Mr. Rene Manlangit, current regional representative of PLAI Southern Tagalog Region Librarians Council. These two gentlemen, once they established linkage, immediately worked together to set up a three day training workshop for teachers on school library development.

DepEd Cabuyao took charge of all logistics, operational costs, DepEd requirements and the mandate of having 91 K-12 teachers and principals present in the workshop. PLAI STRLC made sure to create and design a training workshop on school library development 101. When Mr. Manlangit got in touch with me on this endeavor, it was too difficult to turn down.

I remember what I wrote in the blog about librarians and libraries building communities of learners and readers back in 2015 :

For librarians who are helping teachers, community developers and people in Non-government organizations set up libraries, remember to begin with the knowledge of the community and their experience of libraries. We are creating learning spaces and avenues of thinking. The books and formats of information we organize must be contextualized to a philosophy and a culture. That culture and philosophy is in part found in the community to which the library belongs to.

My participation in the 3-day workshop was to conduct a four hour storytelling workshop with the participants. But, I included activities in my workshop that would help teachers look at the bigger role of libraries as community centers where learning and thinking takes place.

Sharing time: I like listening to insights of teachers.

I reflect on this experience and if I get involved in another workshop like this, I will:

a. Consider, first and foremost, the context of the K-12 teachers as builders of knowledge through by facilitating critical and creative thinking skills activities;

b. Apply differentiated activities for participants, especially for K-12 teachers as they are teaching learners from different stages of development;

c. Conduct more reading into writing activities that focus on the creation and communication of knowledge and ideas;

d. Use local knowledge and history as resources for workshop activities.

And so, I pray for good health and a kind and forgiving heart. I feel I have so much more to do for others. I know I will get by with a little help from my friends.

Storytelling Workshop at DepEd Cabuyao

My storytelling workshop with teachers and principals of DepEd Cabuyao last week was another engaging encounter. For four hours, participants listened, joined in the games, worked in groups, created story flashcard and told stories! Here are some photos of the fun we had!

During the workshop, teachers illustrated their own story flashcards.

Selfie and photobombers!

Happy teachers at work!

Teachers told stories during the workshop using story flashcards which they made earlier.

I thank the organizers of the workshop, DepEd Cabuyao and the Philippine Librarians' Association Inc., Southern Tagalog Region Librarians Council (PLAI STRLC) for putting together this training session for teachers. We hope to see their efforts and initiative grow in the near future.

Back to Beacon Fair: Storytelling Workshop

Storytelling at the Philippine Literary Festival 2015

I stumbled upon this video of a participatory storytelling technique I used in my workshop during the Philippine Literary Festival last August 30, 2015 at the Raffles Hotel. Participants of the workshop were teachers and my co-facilitators were Audrey Anday and Darrel Marco.



Here, I enjoined participants to play roles in the storytelling of The Day Juan Went Off to Seek His Fortune. Thanks to Christian Paul for posting the video on YouTube.

Celebrate the Teacher With In! Happy World Teachers' Day! Part 2 of 2

The storytelling workshop I conducted during the A Day with Weavers of Magic wouldn't be a complete success if not for the participation of Michelle Agas, Miko Manalo and Jerson Capuyan. Once upon a time, I gave their class a mini-workshop on storytelling. Teacher Portia Padilla was their teacher then and I was a willing resource person. A few good years after, they graduated and are now professional teachers. All three led the breakout sessions to demo a storytelling style and technique of their own choosing.

Two librarian friends, Ann Grace Bansig and Darrel Marco, were storytellers too at the workshop. Both have education background since they took cognates in Reading in the UP REGALE program.

Teachers and librarians weave magic!

We were joined by teachers and librarians who volunteered to monitor and facilitate in the small group discussion and breakout sessions. Thank you very much to teachers MJ Tumamac, Amadeus Pagente and librarians Audrey Anday, Jing Hernandez and Mennie Ruth Viray. Your presence made the afternoon truly meaningful indeed.

I look back at this wonderful event where teachers and librarians come together to weave magic. On World Teachers' Day, I reflect and see more collaborative opportunities for librarians to work with teachers and for them to assume teaching roles.

Storytelling and Basic Puppetry Workshop in Lucena City

Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!

My workshop in Lucena City last June 30 with 50 day care workers was a lot of fun!

We started out with a group game that got everyone talking in no time. I love a room that is functionally noisy! The game afforded the participants some time to loosen up and relax. In groups, they continued on working for their group cheer. When they presented their group cheer, it was about "things" Lucena is known for: Tinapa or Smoked Fish; Chamy - regular, special, tamis-angjang (It is a local noodle dish, pancit as we call it in Tagalog) Perez Park, Buena Vista; Pasayahan. It was during this activity when I learned that Lucenahin is what they call people who were born and who grew up in Lucena.

The morning session rolled on with input sessions on Storytelling and why we tell stories; the four macro skills in communication arts and how storytelling contributes to its development; different strategies and techniques in storytelling; and puppetry. During lunch break, I had an opportunity to sign books courtesy of Lampara Books, publishers of my books: My Daddy! My One and Only; A Tale of Two Dreams; Dear Nanay; and STAR (Start Right Reading) Kindergarten Series.

Easy to do puppets for busy teachers and day care workers.

In the afternoon, we had workshops on the different strategies in storytelling. From read aloud sessions, participative storytelling, kamishibai, draw and tell stories to group storytelling like Readers Theatre, the participants of the workshop plunge into each activity like children, ready to learn and to have fun.  But I can tell that participants had the most fun in the puppetry workshop. They had a wonderful time creating their own puppets. The easy to do puppets I showed them can be used for small to medium sized groups of children. Plus, the materials we used were also easy to find and inexpensive.

Head Librarian of Lucena City Library, Miled G. Ibias

The workshop was made possible by the librarians of the Lucena City Provincial Library. It was the library's 63rd founding anniversary. Two years ago, the Lucena City Provincial Library was awarded as the best in the country. Sadly, I had little time to stay in Lucena that I missed to visit the library.

Now, this gives me reason to return to Lucena.

The Lucena provincial librarians were also in full force that day. Finally, I met face to face friends in FB like Ms. Ria Salvador. I appreciate the help they gave me during my workshop.

These librarians  support the day care workers by not only providing books and reading spaces for children in day care, but also empowering them to read and engage these children in literacy activities, like storytelling and puppetry. Thank you to Miled G. Ibias and her team of librarians for making me a part of their project! Mabuhay tayong lahat!