The Flynn Education Department released their second edition of a toolkit for teachers titled Words Come Alive!: Strengthening Reading Comprehension with Drama and Movement in February 2006.
The toolkit is designed to help teachers introduce students to the art of drama and movement while enhancing their reading skills, knowledge, and engagement in class. It presents a range of warm-ups and activities, each with many variations, designed for grades K-6. but adaptable for use with middle- and high-school students.
"The toolkit is an exciting, user-friendly bridge that ideally will empower teachers to use the arts to enrich the lives of our children," says Jonathan Silverman, coordinator of the Arts in Education Program at Saint Michael’s College.
The techniques outlined in the kit were developed by the education department staff of the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in collaboration with teachers at the John J. Flynn Elementary School in Burlington, Hinesburg Community School and Highgate Elementary School. Many recent studies have demonstrated that drama and movement enrich reading skills, and the teachers participating from the above schools have witnessed how the techniques included in this book effectively reach students of various learning styles, enabling them to better express themselves verbally and non-verbally, and deepening their understanding of what they read. As one student at J.J. Flynn Elementary School explained succinctly, "When we act and dance stories, they become a part of us."
The professional development projects that resulted in this toolkit were generously funded by the Vermont Arts Council (2001-02, 2004-06), the A.D. Henderson Foundation (2002-03), and the Argosy Foundation (2004-05). The toolkit was funded by the A.D. Henderson and Argosy Foundations to assure the projects' sustainability.
"It’s been a thrilling experience to work with teachers from many schools on creating ways to integrate drama and movement into their teaching" says Project Director Joan Robinson of the Flynn. "This toolkit allows us to spread the wealth of that experience with others in hopes of promoting more theater and dance in the schools."
Published in the fall of 2006 are booklets of sample lesson plans which spell out how Words Come Alive! techniques were used to explore selected picture books for grades pre-K-2 and to create original performances with grades 2-8. These supplements, Picture Books Come Alive!, Creating Performances, and Novels Come Alive! were made possible by the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation, and are available for purchase.
The price of the toolkit is $15 if bought in person at the Flynn, or $20 with shipping and handling. Each supplement costs $10 ($13 with shipping and handling). A binder of all 4 can be purchased for $40 ($48 shipping & handling). To order copies of Words Come Alive! and the booklets of sample lesson plans, please download and print out the order form and mail to the address indicated on the form. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, click here to download and install a free copy.
Photo above by Al Abrams
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