In This Issue Email a friend		Volume II Issue 11 March 2000
	Perspective: Working the Word [During the 1980's, teachers Susan Katz and Judith Thomas worked with students in public school classrooms, integrating speech, movement, creative writing, science, and more. Of the many wonderful outcomes of their work, the poems and composition (performed with speech, body percussion, and high- and low-sounding rocks) appearing below are a sample. Programs like theirs continue for lucky schoolchildren worldwide. See the teachers' Remarks for more on why they teach as they do, and how rewarding the process can be. AMC]   Poems     Violet I smell like a violet Blooming in the Spring. I taste like the grapejuice. I am the sound of an opera singer. I feel sticky - like crushed grapes. B.R., second grade Anger You hear people, Yelling at you, Running at you, With mad faces, With weapons. It tastes like, A bad bitter lime. It feels like, Gravel and rough red dirt. It smells like Smoke and gas, From an exhaust pipe. E.G., third grade My Four Wishes I wish I could be A soldier In the Revolutionary War So I could be famous. I wish I could be A hero and save A person Because I want To help people. I wish there was No school and you could Still get a good Education, because I want to be SMART. I wish these three wishes Would come true and turn Into four. V.B., fifth grade I Wish I wish I wish I was a feather Flying freely in the wind. I wish I was a bird Gliding through The sky. I wish I was a tree Swiftly shaking In the wind But I am me. C.T., fourth grade   Before I Was Before I was Born I was the First one to see Earth. Before I was Born I was The first one To hear E.T. say "Ouch." Before I was Born I tasted Like licorice. Before I was born I touched the stars. Before I was born I smelled like a hug! J.M., fourth grade The color poem Red is the loud, long sound Of a fire engine siren at night. in-class composition   Rockin in Rhythm - Composition One day they were learning about rocks - how they look, feel, taste, sound. They played rocks, in pitches sounding from high to low. They said the rocks' names out loud, rhythmically, and wound up with a rock rondo, notated like this: Then they added body percussion (finger snaps, claps, leg slaps) to the high and low rock sounds, for a work of rock counterpoint. See directly below, to play a short sound file on your computer. Say the words out loud as you hear the body percussion and rock sounds, to get an idea of how it all fits together. Play the Windows Media Player version of the sound file. You can choose Real Jukebox G2 instead, if your Windows system meets their minimum requirements. Details on how to download player software for free investigating a geode Ms Katz and Ms Thomas have written about what they learned from these classes, as they share some of the enjoyment and gratification that resulted. They also explain some of the theoretical background for the methods they have chosen. Read what they have to say in their Remarks. Resources: The classroom activity resulting in The color poem is reproduced below ["T" is teacher; "S" is a student]: S: A fire engine. T: Ah ha! A fire engine. Describe it. S: It's long. S: It's fast. S: It's sleek. T: Where is the fire engine? What is it doing? S: Racing to a fire. T: Racing is a good word choice. All right, let's put it together: Red is long, fast, Sleek fire engine racing Down the street to a fire. T: What does red sound like? Is it loud or soft? Does it scream or whisper? S: Red sounds like the siren on a fire engine. T: I can almost hear it. What does the siren on a fire engine sound like? Find a word or combination of words that describes that very particular sound. S: It's very loud. S: It's also a very long sound. It goes on and on. T: Good. What time of day do you think the siren sounds the loudest? Day or night? S: It sounds loudest at night when everything else is quiet. About the Teachers: Judith A. Thomas and Susan A. Katz collaborated on a book, sharing their experience and methods in the public grade schools of their community. Susan Katz developed her poetry lessons from 1976 to 1991 at Rockland County NY public schools, through the Poet in Public Service Program. During that same period, Judith Thomas served as Arts Resource Coordinator and Orff-Schulwerk Music specialist for the Nyack School District. Their book, Teaching Creatively by Working the Word: Language, Music, and Movement, is published by Skylight / Allyn & Bacon, and can be purchased from the company's website and from textbook retailers. The Newsletter gratefully acknowledges the generosity and assistance provided by the authors and their publisher. For Allyn & Bacon's website, see http://www.abacon.com. The authors can be contacted in care of the Newsletter editor by email to editor@arts4all.com. Susan A. Katz Judith A. Thomas	Arts4All, Ltd.
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