Sherry Norfolk,        
  Conference Presenter
  & Keynote Speaker

Sherry Norfolk is a sought-after conference presenter whose dynamic and enthusiastic style energizes and inspires her audiences. She is a popular Keynote Speaker for professional association conferences throughout the United States. Bookings available through 2011.

Sherry was featured at "The Schools and The Arts: A Class Act" conference for Bibb County teachers and Teaching Artists in Macon, Georgia. Her keynote, "Points of Entry: the Power of Arts Integration" dealt with the potential of arts integration to transform whole schools by reinvigorating teaching in core subjects and inspiring students to greater joy and achievement in learning. Sherry shared some of her own "minor miracles," examples of how arts-integrated instruction transforms teachers and students alike.

"Thank you so much for being the highlight of my conference experience! Your enthusiasm and genuine love of your topic was wonderful - I learned a great deal and enjoyed meeting you."

 -- Julie Hudson, Florida Library Association Conference participant, April 2007

Sample programs

Points of Entry (workshop or keynote)
We each – as teachers, and teaching artists – have the opportunity to fuel the flame of learning. We hold keys that can unlock joy and curiosity and enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. We know ways to engage children in an avid quest for knowledge, and methods of teaching that address all ways of knowing and styles of learning. Storytelling provides the all-important points of entry, enabling students to be active, to experience things directly, and to express themselves in ways that best suit each child. This workshop or keynote explores why and how storytelling creates successful points of entry into learning for all students.

Always a Story: The Impact of Storytelling on Literacy (Workshop or Keynote)
Stories and storytelling provide highly engaging tools for effectively achieving language arts educational standards. Techniques for learning the structure of stories, building vocabulary, encouraging creativity, stretching attention spans, and identifying other language standards will be demonstrated. Woven into this standards focus workshop will be a brief history of storytelling and how storytelling in the public library promotes literacy and library usage. Activities and handouts.

From Generation to Generation…to Generativity (Workshop or Keynote)
From the beginning of time, stories have been passed down from generation to generation. As the storytelling revival enters midlife (it’s 36 years old!), we as a storytelling community must prepare to pass the revival down to the next generation, enriched and nurtured and well-tended. How do we rise to the midlife responsibility of generativity?

Planting Stories in a Child's Imagination (Workshop or Keynote)
Stories plant seeds of understanding -- of passion -- of curiosity -- of delight! Stories introduce kids to the joys of nature, connect them to their environment and lead them to appreciate and nurture their planet. As Sherry shares some tales, she will demonstrate how stories can be used to engage children's attention, motivate learning and teach important concepts. Join the fun as she leads us through a hands-on story-creation process that will get you ready to tell a tale or two yourself!

Prior clients: American Library Association Conference; American Horticultural Society Conference; Head Start Centers of Southeastern Georgia Training Conference; National Storytelling Conference; Macon Arts - a Community Alliance; TalkStory Storytelling Conference (Waikiki, HI).

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