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Volume
II
Issue 11 March 2000 |
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Why Children Work the Word [During the 1980's, teachers Susan A. Katz and Judith A. Thomas worked with students in public school classrooms, integrating speech, movement, creative writing, science, and more. Of the many wonderful outcomes of their work, some poems and composition (performed with speech, body percussion, and high- and low-sounding rocks) appear in this Newsletter as a sample. Programs like theirs continue for lucky schoolchildren worldwide. Following are
some remarks by co-authors Katz and Thomas, describing the process
and theoretical underpinnings of their methods, and some of the joy
that results. AMC]
The various
subjects taught in the classroom as individual disciplines are
fingers on the same hand. Language is the unifying element. The
expansion process starts with a stimulus (i.e., colors, feelings,
environment, fantasies, etc.) and evolves through a verbal
exploration of the subject. Experimenting with the potential power
and nuance, sound and substance of their words, students commit the
poems to paper. Students are invited to share their work with
teacher and class; often, this sharing crests in a wave of
excitement and enthusiasm. [Preface
at xi]
This new
beginning further extends the creative process into all areas of the
curriculum, through the complement of music and movement. Those
common everyday words, which were so painstakingly and thoughtfully
selected and which proved to be uncommon (and even memorable) in the
context of the poem, now become more than words. Their placement on
the page, in the mouth, and within the body takes on additional
significance: a new dimension. [Preface
at xi-xii]
The philosophy of Carl Orff, music educator and composer, spanned an eclectic and broad educational landscape, encouraging and nurturing classroom play, improvisation, and exploration. He believed that: "elementary music, words, and movement, play, everything that awakens and develops the powers of the spirit, this is the 'humus' of the spirit.…" Like Orff, we
believe the rewards are enormous. With Orff, we agree that: "[e]verything that a child of this age experiences, everything in him that has been awakened and nurtured, is a determining factor for the whole of his life.…" [Orff
quotation is from Das Schulwerk, by Carl Orff, published by
Schott, 1971, at page 246.] [preface at xv-xvi)]
When they are asked, "When is a good time to write a poem? What is a good emotion to write about?" in most cases, having experienced the cathartic effects of exploring their own emotions, the students respond, "All the time! All emotions!" [From Summary: Poetry, at page 43.]
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Authors Katz and Thomas have shared some poetry and composition from schoolchildren they have worked with. See the poems, read about how one of them was built, and listen to a composition they all wrote, using speech, body percussion and high- and low-pitched rocks. About the
Teachers:
Susan
A. Katz Judith
A. Thomas Comment about what you have read Email a friend or colleague about this article Subscribe to the Newsletter (at no charge)
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