This blog was written by Mrs. Megan Wyatt, Chorus Teacher at Jesse C. Carson High School. Mrs. Wyatt was recently voted the Carolina Panthers Teacher of the Week!
I do believe so and that’s why I created a literacy assignment for my Musical Theatre students, which would showcase their writing abilities and their wild imaginations. Each student was given a picture of a children’s Halloween book, which I chose for them based on their unique personalities. The class was told to actually “judge a book by its cover” and create a story or a poem to go along with the title. They weren’t allowed to read the story or even look through the book and the only source they could use was their imagination. Musical Theatre students are always super excited about becoming different characters for an entire class period, so as you can imagine they were equally as excited to write a story or poem about the spooky sights and sounds of Halloween and I can’t wait to read them.
I want to encourage students, teachers, and parents alike to revisit some of your favorite childhood stories and remember what it was like as you began reading for the first time. Try reading with fluency, rhythm, and expression. Many chorus students use these techniques each day when learning new pieces of music. Text painting is a familiar term that singers use to analyze the meaning of a song and its chord progressions. What stories hold special meanings for you? What books have taken you to other worlds? I urge you to go back to your childhood and pull out a story to share with a class or with your family. Go explore some fascinating things beyond your wildest imaginations. Get excited about reading, even if it is a children’s book!
“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!"
"Will you walk into my parlor?” said the Spider to the Fly.
“Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy:
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
and I have many curious things to show you when you are there."
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
and I have many curious things to show you when you are there."
Those are the spooky words of a well known villain as he is featured in the children’s book written by Mary Howitt, The Spider and The Fly.
What stories have you read today? What places have you explored in your mind? Sometimes teachers and students forget to use their imaginations in many aspects of learning. We all become rigid, pressured, worn down with the stresses of life and forget what it was like to be a child learning a new concept for the first time. Imagine your enthusiastic, elementary school teacher as she introduced an exciting story to the class. Was she animated? Did she read the words with expression? Hopefully the memory of your favorite childhood story just popped into your head. Was it The Giving Tree? How about Where The Red Fern Grows? Maybe you remember The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Velveteen Rabbit. These classic stories took you to far away places and you were excited to be reading them. Shouldn’t that be the case for high school students today?
What stories have you read today? What places have you explored in your mind? Sometimes teachers and students forget to use their imaginations in many aspects of learning. We all become rigid, pressured, worn down with the stresses of life and forget what it was like to be a child learning a new concept for the first time. Imagine your enthusiastic, elementary school teacher as she introduced an exciting story to the class. Was she animated? Did she read the words with expression? Hopefully the memory of your favorite childhood story just popped into your head. Was it The Giving Tree? How about Where The Red Fern Grows? Maybe you remember The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Velveteen Rabbit. These classic stories took you to far away places and you were excited to be reading them. Shouldn’t that be the case for high school students today?
I do believe so and that’s why I created a literacy assignment for my Musical Theatre students, which would showcase their writing abilities and their wild imaginations. Each student was given a picture of a children’s Halloween book, which I chose for them based on their unique personalities. The class was told to actually “judge a book by its cover” and create a story or a poem to go along with the title. They weren’t allowed to read the story or even look through the book and the only source they could use was their imagination. Musical Theatre students are always super excited about becoming different characters for an entire class period, so as you can imagine they were equally as excited to write a story or poem about the spooky sights and sounds of Halloween and I can’t wait to read them.
I want to encourage students, teachers, and parents alike to revisit some of your favorite childhood stories and remember what it was like as you began reading for the first time. Try reading with fluency, rhythm, and expression. Many chorus students use these techniques each day when learning new pieces of music. Text painting is a familiar term that singers use to analyze the meaning of a song and its chord progressions. What stories hold special meanings for you? What books have taken you to other worlds? I urge you to go back to your childhood and pull out a story to share with a class or with your family. Go explore some fascinating things beyond your wildest imaginations. Get excited about reading, even if it is a children’s book!
“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!"
~ Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go
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