Magical Moonshine Theatre

ISS
Inspiring Student Stories

Dear Teachers,

We would like to thank you for considering allowing us to come into your classroom with the ISS Program. In the course of our performance work in California elementary schools we have heard over and over about the challenges of getting students to write, or getting them excited about writing. Our idea in developing this program was to provide inspiration and generate excitement about writing for your students and help support you, the teachers, in your goals to encourage and develop student writing skills.

We understand that teachers have large amounts of mandated material to cover during the school year. It is our hope that this program will not add to your work/teaching load, but rather bolster your efforts. You are already working to develop your students writing skills. It is our suggestion that if you wish, use this program as writing inspiration for curriculum that you will focus on anyway (for example, if you are studying California history, students could write stories about early settlers or create their own folktales and myths based on Native America stories.) That way the program becomes an added element of excitement to topics you will already cover. Of course you are welcome to make this a creative endeavor all on its own as well.

As this is a program under development, your input based on your knowledge of your students and your education and experience is invaluable to us. We are asking you to help us make this a program that significantly supports your efforts to encourage writing in your students. We want to develop in class meetings/workshops with the students as well as teachers’ materials that foster our (and your) goals. Please help us help you by communicating your thoughts and suggestions with us as the program proceeds.

We look forward to working with you and hope you find the program helpful, exciting and rewarding.

Yours,

Michael & Valerie Nelson
Directors, Magical Moonshine Theatre