Techniques to stimulate the imagination are “instruments for the linguistic education of children.”---Gianni Rodari, The Grammar of Fantasy

Julia M. Morris, MA

For more than twelve years, Julia Morris has worked as a storyteller and drama/movement specialist in private and public schools in both New York City and Washington DC.  In conjunction with her graduate work in early childhood and arts education at New York University, she has developed a story-based drama curriculum entitled The Imagination Station.  This unique teaching model has been implemented successfully in various early childhood settings, including in populations for whom English is a second language.  

 Ms. Morris has worked as a teaching artist for various arts in education organizations such as TADA!, the Bethesda Academy for Performing Arts, Young Audiences, and Early Stages.  When not in the classroom with children, she conducts training workshops for teachers and parents.  With organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Jewish Board of Education, her staff development work has centered on fostering literacy through the active integration of movement, drama, and storytelling.

Recently,  Ms. Morris has performed as a storyteller in Osaka, Japan and has appeared as a feature teller at the Tribeca film festival. Her work has been published in the book, Creative Drama in the Classroom and Beyond (2000) by Nellie McCaslin and in the American Alliance for Theatre and Education journal, Youth Theatre (2002).