"Some people say there are only seven stories in the world but a thousand different ways of telling them. Seven Stories is about the thousand ways."

Seven Stories aims to unleash the power and inspiration within children's books with an approach that nurtures everyone's individual creative responses, that is active and exploratory and is inclusive for everyone.  

We are inviting Debbie Beeks and Toni Mc Elhatton from Seven Stories to lead the workshops in Hong Kong.

Debbie Beeks is the Learning and Participation Manager of Seven Stories. Debbie trained as a community drama and theatre practitioner and has worked within schools, communities and professional development throughout the UK.

Toni Mc Elhatton is a drama facilitator at Seven Stories. She works with children and adults in a variety of settings using drama as a tool for learning. She is currently working within the British education system to enthuse children about literature using interactive drama structures and children's literature.

Website: http://www.sevenstories.org.uk

These sessions give the opportunity for children and their adults to take part in an enjoyable and memorable shared story experience. There will be storytime and the chance to explore books together through creative activities to stimulate an interest in reading English books.

Participants: Primary 4 - 6 Students

Reading to Children sessions on 7 and 8 October 2009 are for school registration only.

Using a specially-selected collection of picture books suitable for sharing with young people as well as children, experts from Seven Stories will lead workshop participants on a journey into stories and the imagination.

Through discussion, creative activities, games and informative presentations, trainers will reflect on why picture books matter, show how we can share them effectively with children, as well as acquire practical skills and lots of ideas to take away and use in the classroom.

• Getting into books: the value of engaging different learning styles in making books appealing and accessible
• Books as a springboard for creative activities
• Picture books as a stimulus for spoken language and visual literacy
• Talking about things that matter: picture books as the key

Trainers
Debbie Beeks, Learning & Participation Manager, Seven Stories

Toni McElhatton, Drama Facilitator, Seven Stories

Participants
Primary English Language Teachers