In this residency, students will discover the value of their unique voice and how to unlock other voices hidden inside of them. They will be taught basic acting and voiceover techniques and skills that will help them become talented voice actors. They will also...
Curriculum Connections: English / Language Arts
Our Programs
Art of Story
A SPRINGBOARD SIGNATURE PROGRAM The Art of Story provides arts-integrated learning experiences to students with severe disabilities and self-contained classrooms. Each student receives five hours of instruction through a storytelling/story-writing residency. For...
Baby Artsplay!™
Springboard offers children ages birth to three years, along with their teachers, parents and caregivers, the opportunity to take part in a Baby Artsplay!™ residency program in their community. The goal of a Baby Artsplay! Classroom-Based Residency is to provide...
Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts
Springboard to Learning is the only Missouri affiliate of the National Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. The Wolf Trap professional development model helps to prepare young children for a lifetime of learning by educating, modeling, and coaching...
Stories with Drums
Kunama drums, sings, dances and tells stories with a vibrant energy, bringing together students of all ages. The tales, rich in African-American folklore, come to life through audience participation in music and dance from the United States, Africa, Brazil and the...
Mammal Music
Marko and his magical guitar enliven audiences with interactive songs that will move your body and your mind. His live musical show features songs from his new solo album "Mammal Music," which was made with Grammy Award Winning Children's Music producer Dean Jones....
Dance as Joy
In this program, South Indian movement artist Aparna Tara shares her multicultural dance experience to encourage students to create movement practices that work best for them. Students explore styles from around the world, ranging from Indian dance, yoga, West African...
Rhythms, Rhymes & Raps: Poetry, Prose & Rap Stories
Kids discover the music of poetry through a rollicking multi-cultural tour of raps and traditional verse. Bobby turns traditional tales, such as “Little Red Riding Hood” or “The Three Billy’s Goat’s Gruff,” into finger-snapping, toe-tapping verse. He transforms...
Designed to Move
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Designed to Move is a 3-5 day virtual professional development residency for classroom teachers led by dance educator and seasoned teaching artist Sarah Council. Program participants will acquire a variety of...
Dancing the Story
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Dancing the Story is a 3-5 day virtual creative dance residency that explores a work of literature through movement and dance making. Directed by dance educator and choreographer Sarah Council, students will consider...
Dancing the Painting
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Dancing the Painting is a 3-5 day virtual creative dance residency that explores and responds to a work of visual art through dance making. This residency is directed by dance educator and choreographer Sarah...
Dancing the Poem
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Dancing the Poem is a 3-5 day virtual creative dance and poetry writing residency that will engage students in an exploration of the poetic form through movement. Directed by dance educator and choreographer Sarah...
Move, Create and Collaborate
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Move, Create and Collaborate is a 3-5 day arts-integrated, virtual creative dance residency that engages students in an exploration of classroom curriculum through movement and dance-making. Working together over...
Best Foot Forward: An Intro to the Art of Public Speaking
This class is designed to build confidence and create ease in the art of public speaking. Through carefully guided exercises, activities, and creative imagery, students will explore the concepts of body awareness and vocalization. Lively and fun theater improvisations...
WiseWrite
A SPRINGBOARD SIGNATURE PROGRAM From the first brainstorming session to an original performance by professional actors, students in the WiseWrite program learn what it takes to be a playwright — all while strengthening their literacy and writing skills. WiseWrite...
Dreams Deferred: The Poetry and Prose of the Harlem Renaissance
All aboard! Jump on the "A" train to celebrate the African-American art, music, and poetry exploding out of Harlem in the early 20th century. During this artistic journey, we will make stops for poetry, prose, vignettes and toe-tapping music! Bobby uses musical...
Three Little What-zits and the Big Bad Who-zit
In this residency, Sherry Norfolk will perform a fractured version of “The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf,” then explore the pattern of fracturing stories with students. Students will research a particular state, continent, habitat or region to choose their...
Art of Baseball
A SPRINGBOARD SIGNATURE PROGRAM (Originally Developed by Carrie Launius) Explore all aspects of baseball while developing essential math skills related to analyzing data. Through small group collaborative analysis, students delve into various data points across the...
Scott Joplin: The Ragtime King
The music of Scott Joplin influenced a whole generation! Explore the life and music of an American original. This exciting and engaging program combines storytelling, live music and audience participation and traces Joplin’s path from an inauspicious beginning in...
Through the Eyes of York: The Lewis & Clark Story
York, William Clark's slave, was the only African-American member of the "Corps of Discovery" — the official name of the band of courageous explorers whose epic journey across our continent became immortalized as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Plains Indians...
Making it Happen!
What do you want to be? Jeff wanted to be an entertainer but he didn’t know how. He took a trip to the library, checked out some books and started learning. With effort, focus, perseverance and a good mentor – Jeff practiced and learned how to entertain. He didn’t...
Voice and Verse
Through spoken word poetry, students will engage in self-exploration, vocabulary expansion, and public speaking. Published poet and spoken word artist Pacia Anderson will work with students on the major elements of spoken word poetry, such as: content, structure, word...
Read! Write! Act!
A SPRINGBOARD SIGNATURE PROGRAM (Originally Developed by Alissa Rowan) Lights, camera, action! Students become master playwrights/screenwriters and enhance essential literacy skills as they work through the writing process of developing a scene in a play or a movie....
HealthWise
A SPRINGBOARD SIGNATURE PROGRAM Knowing how to take care of yourself is the single most important thing one learns in school. But do students know how? HealthWise demonstrates ways to take care of “you.” The goal of HealthWise is to help students understand how to...
MusicMaker
A SPRINGBOARD SIGNATURE PROGRAM (Originally Developed by Mark Pagano) Students develop a variety of literacy skills through music creation and songwriting in this hands-on residency. Students learn the basic components of music while constructing themed lyrics to...
Turn Off The Lights
With shadow puppets, a completely different type of performance is available. Shadow Puppets resemble silhouettes more than traditional puppets and can move in very life-like and dramatic ways. When the house lights go down and the stage light casts the first shadow,...
Juggling To Read
Reading is everything! It allows us to communicate with each other, learn new things, pass on history, be entertained, explore the world and pass notes to each other! It also helps us to drive! Everything you see in the show can be learned in a book! What will you...
Writing, Drama and Puppetry
Students explore and become excited about reading and writing through puppetry. As a group, students explore the writing process and become familiar with story elements and dramatic forms of writing. Then through creation their own puppets, students write their own...
Wiley and The Hairy Man
This play, set deep within a southern swamp, centers around a young girl, her mother, her faithful dog, and the Hairy Man who haunts Wiley's days and dreams. Dance, drama and music bring to life the adventures of this plucky heroine. In an exciting duel of wits, Wiley...
Improv Theater!
Improv Theater! is a unique theater class that combines theater games, acting techniques, and improvisation in a mix of adventure and creative exploration. Students create impromptu scenes and characters in a fun and supportive environment. Additionally, this class...
Instant Improv
Using students’ suggestions, school themes or curriculum connections, Ed Reggi and two ensemble members of Paper Slip Theatre create a play for your students. In addition to watching the play unfold before their eyes, audience members participate by portraying...
Peter Rabbit Grows a Garden
This performance features Peter Rabbit growing his own garden after receiving seeds and instruction from a disgruntled farmer named Jill. Problems arise when a gopher steals some of Peter’s carrots. Peter has to resolve the issue by sharing his knowledge of...
Shakespeare’s Story: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Shakespeare created magnificent poetic theatre, but he started with great stories. Kings, queens, fairies, magic; many of his stories read like classic fairy tales. In this one hour session teaching artist and Shakespeare storyteller Daniel John Kelly guides his...
Moral of the Story
Research tells us that the BEST way for young children to learn how to treat others is through stories that help them develop empathy and understanding. These fun-filled stories do just that without a single moment of preaching or didactic-ism! Also available for...
Spiders ’n’ Bugs ’n’ Butterflies
Creeping, crawling, fuzzy, flying insects fill these interactive stories with wiggles and giggles! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry Norfolk Request...
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
Sherry Norfolk performs tales of storms, rain, drought, clouds and weather! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: Science, English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry Norfolk Request Info / Book...
North to Alaska!
Folktales from Alaska introduce children to the animals and customs of our northernmost state in a way they will never forget! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: Social Studies/Culture,...
Music! Music! Music!
Melody, rhythm and dance provide the motif for these stories! Kids will be dancing, singing, clapping and tapping along! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist:...
Leapin’ Lizards!
Geckos, chameleons, horned lizards, gators and crocodiles slither and slide through these multicultural tales! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: Science, English/Language Arts, Social...
It’s For the Birds!
Crows, owls, ravens, hawks and buzzards are among the many winged creatures that inhabit these folktales! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: Social Studies/Culture, English/Language Arts Teaching...
In, On and Around the Pond
In, On and Around the Pond: Animals that live in or near the pond provide a lively theme for this active program featuring frogs, ducks, geese, beavers and maybe a water snake or two! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance...
I Read It in a Book
Each of these stories brings a favorite picture book to life, helping children make the important connection between stories and the printed word. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry Norfolk...
I Can’t Sleep
When we have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, it’s comforting to know that others share the same problems! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry...
Frolicking Frogs
Happy, hoppy stories of frogs from around the globe. Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts, Science Teaching Artist: Sherry Norfolk Request Info / Book Program [salesforce...
Down on the Farm
Old MacDonald is joined by a host of critters and characters who make the barnyard the happening place to be! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry...
Around the World and Back Again
Folktales from around the world teach children about neighbors near and far, and how much alike we really are. This program can easily be tailored to specific continents or regions. Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance...
Storytelling Express: A Musical Journey Around the World!
Conductor and Engineer Bobby Norfolk will magically transport you on their from express train across vast continents where you will meet mysterious characters whose adventures will entertain and enlighten you. You’ll be amazed as Bobby brings to life diverse cultures...
Voices of the Past: Famous People of Missouri
Experience the drama, humor and excitement of the fascinating people and historical events of early St. Louis & Missouri. This program will highlight the Great Fire and Cholera Epidemic of the 1800’s, myths and facts of slavery in St. Louis and the various ethnic...
Tales Worth Telling: Stories of Character Education
Bobby puts a new spin on the age-old practice of using stories to impart universal values, such as cooperation, self-esteem, honesty, responsibility and respect in this series of tales that focus on enhancing Character Education. Available for after school and virtual...
Stories to Celebrate Special Themes!
Throughout the school year, there are many thematic events for students to learn timely lessons. Bobby has an array of stories to help celebrate these special events in your classroom. For the first semester, he has scary and not too scary stories for Halloween....
Living History Programs
Bring a historical character into your classroom. Through first person narrative, Bobby will bring to life one of the following: Through The Eyes of York: The Lewis & Clark Story (Grades 3-12) Dreams Deferred: The Poetry and Prose of Harlem (Grades 6-12) Scott...
Back to the Books: Stories that Encourage Reading
Excite your students with the joy of reading! Using high energy animation and dynamic sound effects, three-time Emmy Award winner Bobby Norfolk brings to life myths, folktales and legends! By highlighting popular library books, Bobby illustrates the power of...
Folktales From Around the World: Stories of Cultural Diversity
Dynamic sound effects and Bobby’s lively, animated style highlight this presentation of tales from the Far East, Africa, Europe and America. As Bobby compares and contrasts different cultures students learn that people from around the globe are more alike than...
Words from the Drum
Kunama drums, sings, dances and tells stories with a vibrant energy, bringing together students of all ages. The tales, rich in African-American folklore, come to life through audience participation in music and dance from the United States, Africa, Brazil and the...
Motivation, Interaction and Space Aliens: How to Trick Earthlings into Learning
Professional Development for K-2 classroom teachers and Elementary School Music Teachers Earthlings learn best when they are engaged. And they are engaged best when they are interactive. Dino O'Dell's workshops focus on engaging intrinsic motivators in three areas:...
Using Storytelling to Motivate Student Research
Storytelling evokes curiosity; curiosity provokes learning. Teaching students to do research is often hampered by the fact that students don’t WANT to do research. It simply doesn’t seem relevant or interesting to them. BUT…these Pre K-high school storytelling...
Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum
This workshops provides a hands-on introduction to the art and its magical ability to engage students in learning. By its nature, storytelling is experiential, engaging, and involving. More classroom teachers are discovering what storytellers have always known: that...
Teaching Kids to Tell Stories
Teachers will learn effective methods for teaching students of all ages how to learn-and-re-tell or create-and-tell stories, thus improving both written and oral communication skills as well as impacting critical thinking skills, increasing poise and enhancing...
Storytelling: A Powerful Tool for Brain-Based Education
Through demonstrations, interactive instructional models and lively discussion, this training seminar will explore the ways in which storytelling and folktales can provide a meaningful matrix for learning which positively affects test scores and competencies....
Storytelling in the ESL Classroom
Storytelling offers many ways for an English language student to improve speaking and listening skills. When students listen to stories, they become more proficient in understanding the spoken words, improving vocabulary and fluency. When students tell stories, they...
Making Meaning: Turning Pictures Into Words
Visual literacy and visual literacy skills (looking, seeing, questioning, speculating, analyzing, fact-finding, and categorizing) are necessary for reading. In teaching reading, we must aim to develop not only decoding skills, but more significantly mental pictures...
Exploring the Common Core
Storytelling is a powerful vehicle for integrating the reading, writing, listening, speaking and research standards of the Common Core Curriculum. Participants will take part in hands-on grade-level-appropriate lessons that address Language Arts, Social Studies and...
Building Blocks to Literacy
Recent research provides new insights and perspectives on the ways storytelling helps lay the best possible foundation for learning in the early childhood classroom. Participants will explore relevant research and its practical applications, engaging in demonstrations...
Arts Integration + Understanding by Design = Deeper Learning through the Arts
Students are more likely to make meaning and gain understanding when they link new information to prior knowledge, relate facts to “big ideas,” explore essential questions, and apply their learning in new contexts. Where does arts integration fit in this process? By...
Wright Rhythms for Small Hands
While scraping, shaking and striking a wide variety of instruments, the enthusiasm of Glen “Papa” Wright energizes the classroom as he leads students through a creative musical adventure. Instruments are amusingly introduced to demonstrate basic rhythms, sound effects...
Dramatic Play Through Puppetry
Guided by puppeteer Paul Vandivort, students in this program learn to use puppets to enter imaginary worlds and to act out stories. In small groups, students practice cooperation while playing games that teach math, phonics and public speaking skills. Creating their...
Heart of the Story
Students learn the many ways a story can be told in this innovative program taught by storyteller and puppeteer Daniel Romano. Each week they will be engaged in a folktale through storytelling, read-alouds, role plays, and/or puppet shows, comparing and contrasting...
I am a Storyteller
Bring out the natural storyteller in your students in this performance/literacy program! Students are immersed in folktales, written and oral, from Anansi trickster tales to tall tales of John Henry and Paul Bunyan. They then select, adapt, and learn a story to...
Mission Improvable
Discover the creative world of improvisational dramatics. While constructing a short play based on a classroom theme, children experience the improvisation arts of pantomime, storytelling and spontaneous character. Ed Reggi chooses from more than 50 improvisation...
Messages in the Media
Ed Reggi leads a variety of theater games, hands-on projects and video presentations where students analyze the effects of media messages on their community’s attitudes and sharpen their own media literacy skills. Each student creates a mini-commercial in the form of...
Character Travel
For children, it’s amazing how fun fabrics, interesting props, music and movement can create a whole new world of characters. Ed Reggi facilitates this discovery as students use theatrical improvisation to try on new languages, customs and cultures. This workshop...
Moving With Character: Building a Classroom Community
Moving with Character engages students in Creative Dance and Movement activities that address social emotional learning. Using the concepts of body, space, and energy, students will explore ways they inhabit their bodies, and navigate and express feelings. The...
Young Voices
Students experiment with visualization, drama skills and storytelling techniques to act and “tell” their way through the process of writing a story. The classroom teacher selects a theme; Sherry then tells a story based on that theme and dissects its structure for...
Tellin’ Tales
This fast-paced, participatory workshop involves verbal and physical response, singing, dancing and problem solving. Children learn and re-tell a folktale in their own words, enhancing oral language, sequencing and conceptualization skills. Also available for virtual...
Re-Tell Me a Story
In each thirty minute residency session, children will hear and actively participate in a variety of curriculum-themed stories that strengthen their listening skills and stretch their attention spans – AND within each session, children will dramatize and re-tell...
Hear It! Tell It! Learn It!
Listening, speaking, reading and writing are the cornerstones of literacy and all four are combined in this action-packed residency. Students will hear stories and then become storytellers themselves…repeating the stories in large groups, small groups and...
Be an Instant Storyteller!
In this workshop, the dynamic Sherry Norfolk will immerse students in the artistic process of storytelling. They hear stories, create their own tales and then immediately tell the new story to a classmate. This is an excellent way to kick off a creative writing unit...
Dance to the Drum, Drum to the Dance
Join Kunama Mtendaji on an exciting journey exploring the rhythmic textures of African percussion through music and dance. This program will focus on either the folklore of the United States, or areas in West Africa, Haiti, and Cuba, and will emphasize the languages,...
Lewis and Clark’s Sacagawea
Learn about the life of Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who became immortalized because of her journey accompanying the Corps of Discovery in 1804-1806. Sacagawea recounts the story of her amazing life and adventures. In Shoshone dress, with articles for her survival,...
Civil War Diary
Explore the life of a woman during the Civil War with storyteller and historian Dianne Moran. What was life like during the war? Did women participate in any of the fighting? Dianne plays her mountain dulcimer, spins a few tales and shows relics from the battles. She...
Care-full Stories
Young children learn to care for the people in their daily lives with children’s librarian Marilyn Lane. From Goldilocks who returns to apologize to the Three Bears, to the forest animals who snuggle with the bear to stay warm, students’ visualization skills are...
Play by Play Shakespeare
Students participate in interactive exercises designed to introduce them to Shakespeare’s poetry. They physically respond to lines of dialogue, perform scenes and play with the bard’s words; exploring word order, rhythm and emphasis. Throughout the workshop, they...
Alphabet Adventures: Phonics Fun
Pre-writing and pre-reading skills are introduced to young learners through the excitement of music, movement, story and visual art. Each session, with children’s book author and illustrator Sandra Griffin, focuses on a vowel or one of the common consonants. Hearing,...
Picture Bookmaking
This program introduces children to the joy of writing, illustrating and reading aloud their own original stories. A published author/illustrator of children's books, Sandra Griffin shares with students the process and rewards of creating illustrated books. Students...
Creative Movement Exploration
Creative Movement Exploration introduces students to creative concepts of dance, body-spatial awareness and expression through performance. Students will explore movement to music, while joyfully focusing their energy and stimulating their imagination. The program...
Gathering the Village: West African Song
DeBorah Ahmed of Rhythms in Anoa will introduce your students to West African culture in this exciting and fun-filled workshop. Students will learn about the traditions of the Manding cultures of West Africa through rhythms, songs, choreography, and discussions of the...
Songs Can Change the World
During this sing-along for little folks, young children build community and experience joy as they keep the tradition of American folk music alive. This residency includes singing and movement and emphasizes themes of family and friendship, diversity, the environment,...
What I Said! – Writing the Story and Telling It
In this original monologue writing class for kids, student authors/performers engage in verbal and physical activities designed to liberate and excavate the imagination. Led by award-winning actor and playwright Branislav Tomich, this residency provides...
We Are the World
Students travel each week to a different country with storyteller Linda Kram. Students learn the differences and similarities between cultures as they greet each other and learn to count in another country’s language, explore its artifacts, and participate in music...
On Your Toes: Exploring Story Through Ballet
This program introduces students to the art of classical ballet. In the first half of the residency, they focus on the discipline and technique of ballet, learning proper posture and numerous ballet steps, the French words for the steps and their meaning in English....