About Us
Mastering Literacy Through The Art Of Story
The Art of Story is a writing curriculum developed by Margaret
South, derived from working with professional writers for over thirty years.
Margaret has made it her life’s work to help writers tell their
stories. She has served as a story consultant for theatre,
television, and film. As a co-founder of Bette Midler’s “All
Girl Productions,” Margaret has produced feature films including
the acclaimed and beloved “Beaches.” A respected film professional,
she continues to develop film projects. She teaches “The Art
of Story” online at (http://
www.theartofstory.com) to students all over the world,
as well as local students of all ages, at Pacific New Media,
the University of Hawai'i. Together with her husband, the writer
Frank South, Margaret developed and implemented a playwriting
program for at-risk students in New York City area schools.
She now makes it her mission to help the young people here in
Hawai'i tell their stories.
Much has been written about KIDS TALK STORY including the
Honolulu Star Bulletin Feature Story (Vol. 11, Issue 107
- Monday, April 17, 2006). Many happy kids, parents and
educators have come out of this program. It works!
Margaret says, "We assume our students have great potential;
and we insist that our students achieve the excellence which
is in their grasp." All participating students are expected to increase
their literacy skills by 10% based on Hawaii Department of Education's performance
standards. Our program follows a standards-based curriculum of the Hawaii Dept. of
Education.
How The Program Works What Do Children Learn When They Create
Their Own Stories.
Here’s how the program works. The students meet with us once or twice a week after school. Children who qualify for No Child Left Behind funding receive 24 hours of free tutoring for the school year. For those who do not qualify, services are available for a reasonable price. Working with small groups, our teachers help the students develop their
stories. Homework assignments include polishing work done in
class as well as completing daily “story starters” which establish
good writing practices and good study habits in general. In
KIDS TALK STORY we encourage kids from K-12 to write their own
stories. We tell them, “If you can write your own story, you
can write your own happy ending.” While they’re writing about
themselves and the issues they care about, they are practicing
the core standards in Language Arts. According to Stephanie
Nishihama of the Farrington High School Language Arts Department,
“This is an awesome program. It helps the students meet all
the standards in Language Arts, and it supports all the General
Learner Outcome Goals.”
Writer-producer Frank South works
with the
students to write about their own ideas.
By writing their own stories, students learn
and develop communication skills that will
lead to lifelong success. Mastering these
skills greatly improves their chances of
academic achievement, career success
and healthy personal relationships.
Margaret South witnesses the joy of
self
accomplishment. Margaret, also a
Writer-producer, says she is very gratified
by the personal success of her
students.
She says, "For most kids, this is a
character-building experience that
will last a lifetime."
Click photo to view the Honolulu Star
Bulletin Article (Vol. 11, Issue 107 - Monday April 17, 2006)
