Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Lab School

Want to learn more about arts integration? One very interesting example is The Lab School of Washington, D. C. Founded by Sally L. Smith in 1967, The Lab School is an innovative, rigorous, arts-based program for intelligent students with moderate to severe learning disabilities. They operate schools in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, MD. and the Academy in Manyunk in Philadelphia.
The teaching methods developed there have led to the development of The Lab School Methodology, including the Academic Clubs and the highly individualized arts based curriculum in Baltimore and Manyunk.
Sally Smith died in 2007, but her book "The Power of the Arts: Creative Strategies for Teaching Exception Learners" (Brookes 2001)explains her methods and how the arts help the learning disabled overcome their limitations.
For a quick glimpse at The Lab School visit this website: www.labschool.org

Monday, August 4, 2008

Workshop Leader

Lenore Blank Kelner is the founder of Interact Story Theatre and the author of The Creative Classroom and A Dramatic Approach to Reading Comprehension, a book that was given to the staffs of Glen Acres Elementary and Murdock Elementary at her workshop last August (2007). Lenore will be returning to help us learn more about "Motivating the English Language Learner through Drama" in March 2009.
To learn more about Lenore visit her website at www.interactstory.com

Friday, August 1, 2008

Strategies and Activities for Classroom Teachers

Heinemann
361 Hanover Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801-3912
Phone (603) 431-7894
Fax (603) 431-7840
(603) 431-4971
www.heinemann.com

A Dramatic Approach to Reading Comprehension: Strategies and Activities for Classroom Teachers by national teaching artists Lenore Blank Kelner and Rosalind Flynn details how merging drama into reading instruction increases students’ reading comprehension skills. Kelner and Flynn’s text makes what is implicit to experienced educational drama specialists explicit for classroom teachers. Designed for teachers with little to no experience in drama, this new book contains information, advice, directions, steps, tips, charts, lists, photos, and ideas for use with students in grades one through eight.

In his foreword to the book, actor, author, and arts advocate Eric Booth gives the text high praise:
“A Dramatic Approach to Reading Comprehension: Arts Integration in Action by Lenore Blank Kelner and Rosalind M. Flynn is a powerful and important contribution to our national experiment. Indeed, they erase the gamble of arts integration with a step-by-step process that assures the quality of the arts learning and the literacy payoffs that make it more than worth the time involved.”
Literary specialist, principal, and noted author, Roberta Mantione, co-author of Weaving Through Words provides equal praise from a reading comprehension perspective:
“If you were to perfect just one drama technique from this book it could change your literacy time by cracking open the words of a text and letting children live inside the book. Those who work in the field of reading and want to open new doors of understanding for students will find the support you have been hoping for in this book.”

Lenore Blank Kelner is an actress, director, playwright, educator, drama specialist, and author. For the past twenty-five years she has worked with teachers and students nationwide integrating drama into ongoing classroom instruction. She is the author of The Creative Classroom (Heinemann, 1993) and was the recipient of the 2004 Creative Drama Award from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.

Rosalind M. Flynn is an educational drama consultant who conducts workshops for teachers, artists, and students nationwide. She is also an instructor in the Drama department at The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Dr. Flynn’s Ph.D. research focuses on the use of drama as a learning method, and her articles on educational drama have been published in many journals.
For additional information and to order a copy of this book visit:
http://www.heinemanndrama.com/products/E00794.aspx

Book Study Questions


Book Study Questions
1. How has reading this book altered your opinion of a certain approach/strategy to teaching?
2. Does the author(s) present information in a way that is interesting, insightful, and/or helpful if so, how does he or she achieve this?
3. How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter? If so, what are your next steps? If not, why not?
4. What was unique about the book and how did it enhance or take away from your interest?
5. What are the three most important things you think the author(s) wanted you to glean from reading this book?
6. What are the three most significant things you learned from reading this book?
7. What are two things you do not want to forget after reading this book?
8. What challenges did this book present for you?
10. What questions or concerns did this book raise for you?
11. What do you hope to do with the information you gleaned from this text?
(by Lenore Blank Kelner, Teaching Artist and Educator)

Planning Form for an Arts Integrated Lesson

PLANNING FORM FOR AN ARTS INTEGRATED LESSON
(Integrating Drama and Reading Comprehension)

TITLE OF THE LESSON:

NAME: GRADE:

LENGTH OF THE LESSON: BOOK OR TEXT USED AND AUTHOR

OTHER MATERIALS/LOGISTICS NEEDED:

OBJECTIVES ADDRESSED (Be sure you have objectives in drama as well as in a non-arts curriculum area)

Drama:
The students should be able to:
1.

2.
Reading Comprehension:
The students should be able to:
1.

2.

NEW VOCABULARY NEEDED FOR THIS LESSON:


CONNECTIONS TO OTHER CONTENT AREAS (if applicable):


PRIOR KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY FOR LESSON (drama/reading):


LESSON OUTLINE
A. INTRODUCTION

B. PROCEDURES
(Briefly list in order the Step X Step Learning Activities and put the time you anticipate each activity will take.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

C. Reflection and Wrap-up Questions


EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT: How will you know the lesson is successful? How will you assess the drama as well as the reading comprehension components to the lesson?


FOLLOW UP/EXTENSION IDEAS/NEXT STEPS:


(by Lenore Blank Kelner, Teaching Artist and Educator)