School Programs

Photos courtesy of Leo Wong

Whether sharing participation stories, creating stories from the past, or researching and performing stories with scientific backgrounds, Kate delights in seeing joy and understanding in the faces of her audiences. By presenting factual information in a story setting, Kate creates memorable programs. Lively question-answer-comment sessions follow each story, including additional information about the story, its culture, Kate's research, and storytelling techniques. For younger students, singing, string tricks and origami all add to the fun during Kate's stories.

Here are three of the school programs that Kate offers:

• Growing Up Strong:
  Character Stories for Children
  (For ages 5 and up) Storyteller Kate Dudding shares interactive fictional stories and folk tales illustrating character traits. This program may include stories such as Doing What They Could, The Monkey King and The Turnip.

• Follow the Leader:
  Leadership Stories for Children
  (For ages 10 and up) Storyteller Kate Dudding shares historical stories, fictional stories and folk tales illustrating leadership and other character traits. Stories may include Iqbal Masih: Human Rights Worker, winner of a 2010 Storytelling World Honor Award in the category: Stories for Pre-Adolescent Listeners, and Doing What They Could.
  

• Young People Who Made a Difference
  (For ages 12 and up) Storyteller Kate Dudding shares stories of young people who were courageous and compassionate. As the Aftican proverb says: If many little people,
  in many little places,
  do many little things,
  they can change the face of the Earth.

  Click here to find out more about these stories.

Kate also has many stories applicable to the New York State social studies curriculum. Specifically:

• Stories for 4th Grade Social Studies Curriculum
  • Industrial Growth and Expansion
  • Women’s History

• Stories for 7th and 8th Grade Social Studies Curriculums
  • Life in the New Nation
  • An Industrial Society
  • World War II
  • Women’s History

Here are some of Kate Dudding’s programs matching the New York State social studies curriculum:

• John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed)
• The Erie Canal
• Lighthouses and Their Keepers
• Immigration
• The Statue of Liberty
• Inventions
• Women’s Suffrage
• Women Aviators
• World War II:
  • Americans Fighting in the War
  • European Civilians Trying to Survive
  • The Holocaust
  • American Women Working on the Home Front

Kate's diverse background, B.A. in Psychology and French, M.S. in Computer Science, over 30 years experience in the computer industry plus the many storytelling workshops and conferences she has attended, give an interdisciplinary flavor to many of her stories.

Knowing how much teachers today must accomplish, Kate works with the classroom teacher to integrate her presentations with the classroom's curriculum and the New York State Learning Standards.

Kate has told stories at many venues in the Northeast including storytelling festivals, schools, libraries, The New-York Historical Society, The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA, and First Night Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, NY.

Programs Designed to Meet Your Needs    (Please note: Kate is a NY Capital Region BOCES Approved Artist: Artist ID# 1318.)

Kate is happy to create a program to match your curriculum. Here's a sample of some of her stories that she has used in school programs:

The Statue	New York State History
The Woman Who Married The Sea	Native American Tales
Rachel's Story: Leaving Egypt	Immigration Stories
Shaun Kiley and the White Stag	Legends and Stories from the British Isles
Nina's Story     My Parents' First House	Stories from World War II
The Statue	Inventions
The Mitten	Winter Tales
The Celestial Bear	Astronomy is Awesome!
Some Lighthouse Resources	Lighthouses

Comments About Kate Dudding’s School Programs

“Your storytelling skills completely captivated my high school students. Your story selections, including Shaun Kiley and the White Stag, carefully mirrored my 9th grade curriculum which focuses on the beginning of Western Civilization. Yourr entertaining and humorous program reinforced the importance of the oral tradition in literature.” Ellen Loughney, English teacher, Doane Stuart Upper School

“Thanks for the astronomical kick-off of our astronomy unit! My 6th graders were spellbound by your stories about the Moon Goddess and The Celestial Bear. They are using the resources you provided as they research other myths and stories of the constellations. Your extensive research as well as your experience and obvious love of storytelling was clearly evidenced. I also appreciate the discussion we had several weeks before your presentation and the resources you gave me at that time which resulted in your stories meshing so well with my curriculum.

Our assistant principal, Patrick McGrath, was ”very impressed with Kate's ability to work with middle school students. Her presentation was well connected to the curriculum, and her enthusiasm and depth of understanding of astronomy was felt by the students.”

Working with you is a pleasure. I look forward to the next school year when we can create new lessons for my students to introduce them to the truly interdisciplinary nature of science.” Cynthia Wood Van Wyk, Science teacher, Draper Middle School

“Sincere thanks for a great hour of stories. Your collection of immigration stories was wonderful and fit in perfectly with the goals of our integrated project. I have heard very positive feedback from the students who were obviously touched by the content of your stories and the gentle and genuine manner in which they were delivered.” Seamus Hodgkinson, Middle School Science and Math Coordinator, Doane Stuart

“As an art teacher, I’m always excited when a lesson can be put together which reaches out into multiple subjects areas and offers students a truly inter-disciplinary approach to learning. When you offered to come to our school with a story about the construction of the Statue of Liberty, told through the eyes of a young boy, I realized that we could set your story into our 4th grade Social Studies curriculum, which focuses on New York State. What I didn’t realize was that we would also be able to extend the lesson to include architecture, math, and language arts. Your story inspired the children to use their math skills and drawing abilities to create a two dimensional construction of Miss Liberty. They then went on to write poetry. We heard not only a wonderful story, but were given a springboard for making connections to multiple disciplines.” Peg Foley, art teacher, Brown School

"I really loved the story you told (The Woman Who Married The Sea). I especially liked the way you told it. Not many things could capture the attention of the whole 4th grade and the boys weren't even whispering!! I really liked your description of the woman's hair as 'a kelp forest with the snails and small fish hiding inside it. ' " Rebecca, 4th grader (May 2000)