Hello Andrea.
. We absolutely adored your combination of structured ingredients to story writing and active movement to learn the CHIPPS. Earlier today I rewrote the grant fand applied for your workshop for next year!!! Thanks so much for motivating the children to write more!!!
Cheryl
"We'll definitely have you back again next year for our sixth graders. This was a great program!"
Vice Principal Jim Spillane , Galvin Middle School Canton
"THANK YOU so much for visiting St Paul School. I heard wonderful things about your time there, especially how you kept the children so focused. My son is in 4thgrade so was in your class on how to tell a slam dunk story. I asked him about it that night and he brought up this memory from a special summer we had a few years ago in Germany. I hadn’t thought about that situation for a long time so it’s funny how things get lodged into your children’s brains and come out at moments like this as something meaningful."Brittan Duboise Hingham Enrichment Coordinator
Dear Andrea,Thank you for coming to our school today, you did an outstanding job. The children loved it. Thanks again.
Deborah St. Ives, Principal
William Seach Primary School
Weymouth, MA
Review:
Thank you for coming Andrea, I hope we can work together again in the future! Definitely next year for our Fairy Tale unit!
Megan (Fessenden School)
Prague
Dear Andrea
You were absolutely fantastic! Thank you for coming to Charles University and sharing your talents.
My warmest regards an respects.
from
Pavla
Gardner Pilot Program, Allston, Mass. 2014
Thank you for all of your amazing work with our students. You are a valued member of our community. We look forward to working with you again. ,Lauren Fogarty, Director of Afterschool , Gardner Pilot program.
Thank you for all of your amazing work with our students. You are a valued member of our community. We look forward to working with you again. ,Lauren Fogarty, Director of Afterschool , Gardner Pilot program.
Salemwood School, Malden ,Mass
I'm sorry I'll miss Andrea's last presentation. She has been wonderful and the children have been entranced! They hang on her every word when she's retelling the weekly story with her special flair. The children can't wait to re-enact the story playing not only the characters, but sometimes the scenery as well! No one is left out, and some of the children who are the most challenged both academically and attention-wise are the most involved. Andrea is able to channel the tremendous energy a couple of my ADHD students have into behavior that compliments her lesson....still high energy, but part of the class rather than being a disruption. She has certainly reinforced for me the fact that much that is essential to the learning of many of our students is lost in trying to follow the teacher's edition too closely. Many of our kids need the motor/kinesthetic to truly understand and learn. It's hard to do this with limited whole group time and would be disruptive in centers.
One specific strategy she used that seemed to work exceedingly well was doing a hand sign whenever she used a given vocabulary word. The students were able to remember that word's meaning much more easily and doing the gesture alone cued them when they forgot. She also gave us some wonderful game ideas to help with language, retelling and writing stories.
I can honestly say, this was a totally wonderful experience! I only wish it could have been much longer...even all year. The hour Andrea spent with us was worth more than several hours done using just the teacher's edition guidelines. It brought me back to the time when teaching was fun and made me hope we might get back there once again. Kate Buckley,Malden 3rd grade teacher
The kids LOVED you!! They were talking about the show and "doodle wopping" the rest of the day. Thanks for the great show!! Pam 2nd grade teacher Braintree, Mass.
The kids LOVED you!! They were talking about the show and "doodle wopping" the rest of the day. Thanks for the great show!! Pam 2nd grade teacher Braintree, Mass.
Article from Patriot Ledger 2/21/14
Story slams gaining popularity; festival this weekend
Any subject can make a great story. Just ask Andrea Lovett of Abington, whose audience burst into laughter as she spoke about the cleaning of the oil burner in her heating system.
A professional storyteller for two decades, Lovett told “The Crawl Space” as a tale of personal challenge – how to get a technician to squeeze into a crawl space to reach the burner. With no props or set, she used words and movements to create a a visually rich scene filled with dilemma and drama.
Before Lovett co-founded the organization Massmouth in 2008, people had relatively few opportunities to hear live, personal storytelling in the Boston area. But Massmouth has changed that: it hosts multiple story slams every month and it presents the second annual Boston Storytelling Festival at the Boston Public Library this Saturday, which features slams as well as traditional stories.
“I think people are hungry for stories,” Lovett said. “It’s real face-to-face communication where people are listening deeply.”
The story slam revives and creates a twist on the tradition of storytelling, once so central to society as both entertainment and a way to communicate cultural values and shared history. In a slam, ordinary people tell stories to a bar or club audience about a personal experience and compete to win prizes and the chance to advance.
Joyce Sullivan, a pre-school occupational therapist in Weymouth, ventured to the mike on her first visit to a slam at The Fowler House in Quincy last February. The theme was Stupid Cupid, and Sullivan, married 37 years, told the story of how she met her husband, who offered her a ride when she was hitchhiking on Massachusetts Avenue in 1972. She got up the nerve by watching videos of other slam storytellers and practicing at home.
“I was very nervous, but I felt like I was doing something natural, because it was something I had lived,” said Sullivan, 60, of Weymouth. “It was really fun to do something so out-of-the-box and creative. And I liked that I got to meet a lot of creative people and learn from them.”
At a story slam, story tellers start with a Massmouth theme and receive scores from three judges on how well they connect with the audience and how well they structure a story. In five minutes, the storyteller is expected to tell a tale with an arc that reveals some kind of personal growth or point of change, however small. No props, costumes or notes are allowed.
Lovett, who also tells traditional folk tales and other stories, fosters budding story slammers by leading workshops, such as Five-Minute Kick-Butt Stories offered at the Boston Storytelling Festival this Saturday. Massmouth also has worked with nearly 4,000 students in about a dozen public schools and run a high school competition with cash prizes. Plans are under way to find a South Shore venue for story slams next year.
“I absolutely believe that everyone has stories to tell,” Lovett said. “If you have life experience, you have stories. You’re the vehicle for the story, and if you tell it well, you disappear and the audience’s imagination takes over.”
Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x1433786271/Story-slams-gaining-popularity-festival-this-weekend#ixzz2LaRpWdFz
Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x1433786271/Story-slams-gaining-popularity-festival-this-weekend#ixzz2LaRWbsRb
(Paula Junn)
Stories can be a little bit embellished, but our rule is 99 percent true,” says Andrea Lovett, a professional storyteller and founder of Massmouth, a nonprofit storytelling organization that will conclude its 2011-12 story slam season Wednesday night with the Big Mouth Off at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. Fifteen Massachusetts-based storytellers will perform, and ticket proceeds will benefit the StoriesLive High School Scholarship Story Slam.
http://www.itemlive.com/news/storyteller-takes-historic-walk-between-towns/article_696e6224-a96d-11e3-95f2-001a4bcf887a.html
2015 quote from NPR Storytelling Workshop"Everyone made a point to tell me they had a great time and that the workshop was helpful. So win-win! " NPR Coordinator
Storyteller Engages Brophy Kindergarteners
With the help of a storyteller, Brophy Elementary kindergarten students created a book that students will read throughout the year.
Andrea Lovett, of Young Massachussett Audiences, tells stories to and with the Kindergartners of Mrs. Baer’s Kindergarten class at Brophy Elementary School. Credit: Courtesy
Kindergarten students at Brophy Elementary School, thanks to a generous grant provided by the Framingham Education Foundation, were visited by
Andrea Lovett, an artist from Young Massachusetts Audiences.
Lovett held an interactive workshop with kindergarten students on storytelling. They learned about the elements of story structure and delighted in the discovery of their own storytelling skills.
The culminating story they created will be made into a book for the students to read throughout the year.
Brophy teachers were interested in the workshop because the activities Ms. Lovett uses to engage the students are well aligned with the curricula and are of high interest to a diverse group of students.
“We are mindful about creating opportunities that reach all of our children. We try to offer experiences that can further build a sense of community
and unity, while also empowering them as individuals and motivated learners," said Brophy kindergarten teacher Andrea Baer.
Lovett’s philosophy about the groups she serves in schools is: the more diverse, the better.
“We each build our stories on what we have to offer, and that’s what makes them so rich and interesting," she said. “Today a child suggested the setting of our story be ‘a house in Santo Domingo - full of music’. What a beautiful mental image to contribute.”
The grant awarded to Brophy Elementary included funding to purchase drama kits to use in creating play during free choice time. Students can dress in costumes and use props to act out a classroom story and bring the story to life.
This will allow the students to continue to build on this literacy rich experience for their rest of their kindergarten year - making this Framingham Education Foundation grant a true gift that keeps on giving, said Baer.
The grant was awarded to the Brophy kindergarten team, with the support of Sara Hamerla, ELL Coach for Framingham Schools.
Andrea Lovett, an artist from Young Massachusetts Audiences.
Lovett held an interactive workshop with kindergarten students on storytelling. They learned about the elements of story structure and delighted in the discovery of their own storytelling skills.
The culminating story they created will be made into a book for the students to read throughout the year.
Brophy teachers were interested in the workshop because the activities Ms. Lovett uses to engage the students are well aligned with the curricula and are of high interest to a diverse group of students.
“We are mindful about creating opportunities that reach all of our children. We try to offer experiences that can further build a sense of community
and unity, while also empowering them as individuals and motivated learners," said Brophy kindergarten teacher Andrea Baer.
Lovett’s philosophy about the groups she serves in schools is: the more diverse, the better.
“We each build our stories on what we have to offer, and that’s what makes them so rich and interesting," she said. “Today a child suggested the setting of our story be ‘a house in Santo Domingo - full of music’. What a beautiful mental image to contribute.”
The grant awarded to Brophy Elementary included funding to purchase drama kits to use in creating play during free choice time. Students can dress in costumes and use props to act out a classroom story and bring the story to life.
This will allow the students to continue to build on this literacy rich experience for their rest of their kindergarten year - making this Framingham Education Foundation grant a true gift that keeps on giving, said Baer.
The grant was awarded to the Brophy kindergarten team, with the support of Sara Hamerla, ELL Coach for Framingham Schools.
Dear Andrea,Thank you for coming to our school today, you did an outstanding job. The children loved it. Thanks again.
Deborah St. Ives, Principal
William Seach Primary School
Weymouth, MA
Text size – +
http://www.itemlive.com/news/storyteller-takes-historic-walk-between-towns/article_696e6224-a96d-11e3-95f2-001a4bcf887a.html
Review
http://www.itemlive.com/news/storyteller-takes-historic-walk-between-towns/article_696e6224-a96d-11e3-95f2-001a4bcf887a.html
Gardner Pilot Program, Allston, Mass. 2014
Thank you for all of your amazing work with our students. You are a valued member of our community. We look forward to working with you again. ,Lauren Fogarty, Director of Afterschool , Gardner Pilot program.
Review
Storyteller takes historic walk between towns
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Lydia Parsons
Lydia Parsons, aka storyteller Andrea Lovett, speaks to an audience at the 1714 Meeting House in Lynnfield about life in 1918.
Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 3:00 am
LYNNFIELD — Lydia Parsons was taking a stroll from Lynn to Lynnfield in 1918 to visit her sister, so she invited some 21st century residents to come along for the stories.
“I am not a gossip; I am just well-informed,” Parsons, alias storyteller Andrea Lovett, told the audience.
Lovett is a professional storyteller and co-founder of Massmouth, a nonprofit storytelling organization.
About 60 people joined her at the meeting house Sunday as Lovett — as Parsons, a Lynnfield schoolteacher and the wife of a local “respectable physician” — took the walk from Lynn into Lynnfield, pointing out the local sights, saying hello to local residents and divulging local knowledge she had gathered from being so “well-informed.”
The presentation was part of a year-long celebration of the town’s tercentennial and was held in the building to which the community traces its founding: the 1714 Meeting House on the Town Common. The town of Lynnfield was officially incorporated in 1814.
Parsons explained, however, that a meeting house was the first requirement in order to become a community, as each settlement had to provide a place for residents to gather. Indeed, Parsons was very knowledgeable about local accommodations — she viewed it as quite shocking that the original settlers of the area lived underground because “they brought no tools to fell the trees!”
Wooden houses were not constructed until the tools arrived later on a boat from England, Parsons explained, pointing out several of these earlier notable homes as she walked to visit her sister.
But Parsons’ stories from the Revolutionary War era focused on activities at another local gathering place — Joseph Gowing’s Tavern. It was there, Parsons recalled, where a colleague of Paul Revere warned of the advancing British troops and where the body of the settlement’s first Minuteman casualty was brought.
Parsons credited teaching school in the 1890s with providing her with a great deal of information on the “murders, tragedies and ghosts” of the town.
She recounted how you can hear screaming and calls for help when the mist forms every year on the anniversary of the June 1851 day when 13 women drowned when their boat overturned during a picnic on Humphrey Pond.
And Parsons divulged more personal information, including the romantic prospects of the local “tall drink of water” who took her in his motor car for the final leg of her journey (alas, she said he did not have room for the audience to hop in).
Lovett said after the 45-minute presentation that her preparations for the talk took about a year. During that time she worked with local historical groups to review the town archives, developed a character and devised a story that could tie all the information together.
“It’s hard because I’m not from here,” Lovett said. But the Abington resident said she had loved history ever since her parents took her to local historical sites when she was a child, and she passed that knowledge onto her own children before becoming a professional storyteller and teacher in 1992.
But even longtime Lynnfield residents admitted some of the stories Lovett told were news to them.
“I feel bad, I should’ve known this earlier,” said Judy Valentine, 90, who said she has lived in town for 48 years … and belongs to the historical society. “I’m so glad my friends dragged me out to this; it was all wonderful.”
But Nan Hockenbury of the Tricentennial Committee said Valentine is not alone.
“It’s very exciting to get this information out to other people,” Hockenbury said. “We want to have the collection available to the public.”
And it’s not just the historical groups that have things to share for the tercentennial.
“We’re looking for more mementoes,” Hockenbury said. “We’ve found some really terrific things from people’s attics.”
Gardner Pilot Program, Allston, Mass. 2014
Thank you for all of your amazing work with our students. You are a valued member of our community. We look forward to working with you again. ,Lauren Fogarty, Director of Afterschool , Gardner Pilot program.
I'm sorry I'll miss Andrea's last presentation. She has been wonderful and the children have been entranced! They hang on her every word when she's retelling the weekly story with her special flair. The children can't wait to re-enact the story playing not only the characters, but sometimes the scenery as well! No one is left out, and some of the children who are the most challenged both academically and attention-wise are the most involved. Andrea is able to channel the tremendous energy a couple of my ADHD students have into behavior that compliments her lesson....still high energy, but part of the class rather than being a disruption. She has certainly reinforced for me the fact that much that is essential to the learning of many of our students is lost in trying to follow the teacher's edition too closely. Many of our kids need the motor/kinesthetic to truly understand and learn. It's hard to do this with limited whole group time and would be disruptive in centers.
One specific strategy she used that seemed to work exceedingly well was doing a hand sign whenever she used a given vocabulary word. The students were able to remember that word's meaning much more easily and doing the gesture alone cued them when they forgot. She also gave us some wonderful game ideas to help with language, retelling and writing stories.
I can honestly say, this was a totally wonderful experience! I only wish it could have been much longer...even all year. The hour Andrea spent with us was worth more than several hours done using just the teacher's edition guidelines. It brought me back to the time when teaching was fun and made me hope we might get back there once again. Kate Buckley,Malden 3rd grade teacher
Dear Andrea,Thank you for coming to our school today, you did an outstanding job. The children loved it. Thanks again.
Deborah St. Ives, Principal
William Seach Primary School
Weymouth, MA
Prague
Dear Andrea
You were absolutely fantastic! Thank you for coming to Charles University and sharing your talents.
My warmest regards an respects.
from
Pavla
Their teacher for the afternoon, storyteller, Andrea Lovett, had taken over Adrienne Whalen’s Center School 3rd grade class to teach the children about what life was like for pilgrims, in preparation for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26.
The students also spun wooden blades like helicopters into the air, and played with the well-known wooden ball-in-a-cup game.
But Lovett’s engaging program—A Journey Through Time: A Pilgrim’s Story—was not all fun and games, Lovett said. It was also a chance to learn through the art of story telling.
“I think it went very well,” Lovett said. “ when I checked in with the students, they understood the message of the story…I try to create images so they have a clear picture of where we are traveling within the story.”
Earlier in the demonstration, the children were asked to sniff a plant and guess what it could be. Lovett revealed they were mint leaves, which pilgrims used in tea to curb stomach ailments.
By playing word games with each other, Lovett tested the students’ ability to answer one popular pilgrim riddle—What is full all day and then empty at night?
After several guesses, Lovett revealed it was shoes.
“It was fun because we got to make the toys and play with some of them, and smell the plants,” said Fraser Toomey, 9. “I think pilgrim life was fun and sometimes a little bit bad because sometimes there wasn’t a lot to eat.”
Lovett said she started storytelling 17 years ago, noting she has studied the art of storytelling in classes and workshops under master storytellers including Jay O'Callahan of Marshfield. .
“Narrative language is a natural to the brain,” Lovett said. “It makes it easy to grasp information. We think in images.”
Lovett also teaches storytelling to students at Gardner Elementary School in Allston, adding studies are being conducted in some schools on the possibility that storytelling improves MCAS literacy scores for children when used as an academic literacy tool.
She currently participates in “Story Slams,” five minute storytelling competitions in Boston, and she also co-founded massmouth.com, an Internet site focusing on storytelling.
Whalen explained that later this semester, her students will be reading historical non-fiction about young pilgrims Sarah Marten and Samuel Eaton.
They will also learn what it was like to be a child back then, through the eyes of someone their own age.
“We’re really just building background in terms of the holidays, talking about Thanksgiving and what they’re thankful for,” Whalen said.
Time travels: Abington students learn
about Thanksgiving from storyteller
By Mikaela Slaney
Thu Nov 19, 2009, 08:50 AM EST
In a scene reminiscent of the Hogwarts School from the Harry Potter series, a cloaked woman stood at the front of the class waving a stick over her head as her students emulated her.
But the students were tying pipe cleaner loops to the reeds and making a game where they could try to catch the loop on the end of the stick.Their teacher for the afternoon, storyteller, Andrea Lovett, had taken over Adrienne Whalen’s Center School 3rd grade class to teach the children about what life was like for pilgrims, in preparation for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26.
The students also spun wooden blades like helicopters into the air, and played with the well-known wooden ball-in-a-cup game.
But Lovett’s engaging program—A Journey Through Time: A Pilgrim’s Story—was not all fun and games, Lovett said. It was also a chance to learn through the art of story telling.
“I think it went very well,” Lovett said. “ when I checked in with the students, they understood the message of the story…I try to create images so they have a clear picture of where we are traveling within the story.”
Earlier in the demonstration, the children were asked to sniff a plant and guess what it could be. Lovett revealed they were mint leaves, which pilgrims used in tea to curb stomach ailments.
By playing word games with each other, Lovett tested the students’ ability to answer one popular pilgrim riddle—What is full all day and then empty at night?
After several guesses, Lovett revealed it was shoes.
“It was fun because we got to make the toys and play with some of them, and smell the plants,” said Fraser Toomey, 9. “I think pilgrim life was fun and sometimes a little bit bad because sometimes there wasn’t a lot to eat.”
Lovett said she started storytelling 17 years ago, noting she has studied the art of storytelling in classes and workshops under master storytellers including Jay O'Callahan of Marshfield. .
“Narrative language is a natural to the brain,” Lovett said. “It makes it easy to grasp information. We think in images.”
Lovett also teaches storytelling to students at Gardner Elementary School in Allston, adding studies are being conducted in some schools on the possibility that storytelling improves MCAS literacy scores for children when used as an academic literacy tool.
She currently participates in “Story Slams,” five minute storytelling competitions in Boston, and she also co-founded massmouth.com, an Internet site focusing on storytelling.
Whalen explained that later this semester, her students will be reading historical non-fiction about young pilgrims Sarah Marten and Samuel Eaton.
They will also learn what it was like to be a child back then, through the eyes of someone their own age.
“We’re really just building background in terms of the holidays, talking about Thanksgiving and what they’re thankful for,” Whalen said.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Article in Winchester Star
WFEE: Storyteller grips Muraco imaginations
By Staff reports
Fri Oct 23, 2009, 10:01 AM EDT
Winchester, MA - Tales of hairy bears, five uncles named “Pete” and purple stuffing for Thanksgiving mesmerized students at a recent Muraco Elementary School assembly.
A grant from the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence (WFEE) brought three storytellers to Muraco for a school assembly and individual classroom work.
The storytellers — Andrea Lovett, Lani Peterson and Norah Dooley — used the assembly to introduce the oral tradition to students.
Fifth grade teacher Brenda Turney came to WFEE for help bringing the storytellers to Muraco. She believes storytelling will improve student writing and enhance self-esteem.
“The oral tradition teaches the essential components of how to organize a story,” said Turney. “Often, students who struggle with writing will find that writing becomes easier as they gain storytelling skills.”
“WFEE was delighted to fund this grant,” said WFEE Executive Director Caren Connelly. “It is creative and promotes teacher collaboration across grade levels. Students with varying abilities and maturity can use their own stories to master writing. This fits well with WFEE’s longtime emphasis on improving literacy skills within the Winchester school system.”
The storytelling project will culminate in the spring with a school-wide festival
A grant from the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence (WFEE) brought three storytellers to Muraco for a school assembly and individual classroom work.
The storytellers — Andrea Lovett, Lani Peterson and Norah Dooley — used the assembly to introduce the oral tradition to students.
“Students take in more vocabulary and complicated concepts through oral tradition,” explained Lovett. “Narrative is their first language.”
The focus quickly shifted to the classroom where third, fourth and fifth-graders learned how to draw on their own experiences to tell stories about their lives. Once they master telling a story, they will work on writing it, reinforcing existing curriculum.Fifth grade teacher Brenda Turney came to WFEE for help bringing the storytellers to Muraco. She believes storytelling will improve student writing and enhance self-esteem.
“The oral tradition teaches the essential components of how to organize a story,” said Turney. “Often, students who struggle with writing will find that writing becomes easier as they gain storytelling skills.”
“WFEE was delighted to fund this grant,” said WFEE Executive Director Caren Connelly. “It is creative and promotes teacher collaboration across grade levels. Students with varying abilities and maturity can use their own stories to master writing. This fits well with WFEE’s longtime emphasis on improving literacy skills within the Winchester school system.”
The storytelling project will culminate in the spring with a school-wide festival
Hi Andrea,
I just wanted to tell you that you received rave reviews from one of our veteran teachers (Ms. McDonald) this morning about your teaching. We've been very impressed with the quality of instruction, your energy and your investment in our kids. Keep up the great work and thanks for becoming a member of the Gardner community!
Julie Bott Allston,
The kids LOVED you!! They were talking about the show and "doodle wopping" the rest of the day. Thanks for the great show!! Pam 2nd grade teacher Braintree, Mass.
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2010/06/11/an_evening_of_personal_narratives_at_lily_pad/
