"Share Student Voices & Gather Audiences with 10+ Tech Tools" (Originally published at GettingSmart.com on 12/4/12.)
Let’s begin here. Think of your three favorite, most inspirational speeches of all time. If you need a little help, quickly scan over this “Top 100 List” from Americanrhetoric.com. I’ll even give it a shot, too. Hmmm. Let me see. I’ll go with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream,” Lou Gehrig’s “Farewell to Baseball Address,” and Ronald Reagan’s "Space Shuttle Disaster Address.” Besides being highly emotionally charged and exemplars of rhetorical strategies, these three famous speeches share one often overlooked characteristic: People were listening. Follow me just a bit further as we imagine Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering his beautifully written speech to a crowd of zero. Yeah, just a remarkably talented and courageous leader speaking his mind and voicing the collective conscience of our nation with not a soul standing on that hot, August day to witness. No minds altered. No hearts changed. No direction taken. Or how about Lou Gehrig honoring those he was blessed to share time with and those who modeled selflessness in order to foster the growth of such an amazingly humble and accepting human? Perhaps those unforgettable echoes from the man dubbed “The Iron Horse” would not have been so memorable had no one been present that day in Yankee Stadium. No hearts to sense the sincerity of Gehrig’s words; only empty seats in a cavernous baseball cathedral. And for sure a grieving nation would not have been consoled by such a charismatic and unwavering leader if all televisions had been turned off that tragic day the Space Shuttle Challenger lost its seven courageous adventurers. Instead, a nation was comforted in mourning, reassured of its purpose, and reminded of its brotherhood. All of this because President Reagan’s voice was heard. Someone was listening. This is precisely the pivotal point my American Literature students and I arrived at following a thorough, multi-week study of rhetorical strategies and famous speeches. The audience is powerful, we concluded. Based on this very premise, students in Studio 113 decided to think out loud and hope someone would listen. In essence, they gathered an audience with tech tools.
First Thing’s First: Writing the Essay
After successful classroom discussions, interactive and public Voicethreads, engaging YouTube videos of movie speeches, and collaborative learning structures, students were asked to write a speech that nonviolently protests a law they deem “un-American.” Students were prompted to exemplify rhetorical strategies and cite a minimum of two sources while adhering to the MLA format style. For days, students took full advantage of a classroom environment that was conducive to producing heartfelt, genuine prose. While seeking to create authentic writing, students held firmly to the MLA guidelines with the use of “The Owl at Purdue” and easybib.com. Although the students’ essays are far from perfect, the process served as an exceptional learning experience.
Seeking Feedback: Using Technology to Share Students’ Voices
Once the essays were written, students used my shared Symbaloo webmix, “Creative Gallery,” to locate an appropriate technology tool to showcase their essays. Although the majority chose Blogger, students also used Wix, Weebly, Storybird, Google Docs, Windows Movie Maker Live and YouTube to share their viewpoints. Furthermore, students were encouraged to suggest any mode of sharing their essays, whether it be an unknown app, website, or some overlooked traditional method. Take a look at my "Creative Gallery" webmix below. As students began posting their essays digitally, they were reminded to determine how they would solicit feedback. We discussed the websites that automatically allow readers to submit feedback, such as Blogger. However, a contingency plan was needed for those sites that did not offer a comment area. Enter Google Drive. For those students who needed an easy way to solicit comments, I modeled how to set up a Google form/survey. Once this was completed, I showed them how to capture the link of the live form and paste it in an obvious place just below their essays on whatever technology site they chose. Once they viewed their feedback spreadsheet (generated by Google forms) and comprehended its power and simplicity, they were amazed.
Getting the Word Out: Leveraging Technology to Share Students’ Work
Although over half of my American Literature students are completing their projects this week, we have already implemented a plan to advertise our students’ essays. One thing was for sure: our mode of sharing needed to be simple. We needed a one-stop-shop, a hub, to showcase all of our students’ methods for publishing their essays. We chose Symbaloo. By repurposing it with our students’ pictures and hyperlinks, Symbaloo serves as the starting point for visitors wanting to take a trip through our students' diverse essays and occasionally controversial topics. The process for creating our personalized Symbaloo webmix was simple. I furnished a team of three in-class, student volunteers with class rosters and a Sony Cybershot camera. While students continued to work on their projects in the computer lab, the photographers systematically took nearly all pictures within a class period of fifty minutes. Once this was completed, I instructed students to use an embedded Google Form on my webpage to submit the Internet addresses where their essays could be found. Obviously, they were encouraged to double-check the link before submitting. All I have to do is periodically check my Google Drive for any new submissions and copy the students’ links and pictures to my Symbaloo webmix. The process takes hardly no time at all. After all students and links are posted on the webmix, I will print out a picture of the entire Symbaloo webmix, assign a QR code to it, and have our school’s Graphic Arts classes print a banner containing both the picture and code. This 4’x6’ banner will be displayed in a high-traffic area at our school. Hopefully, this will generate some interest within the school and help us get the word out to others. Please take a look below at our hub for showcasing our students' essays. Of course, social media giants like Twitter and Facebook will play a crucial role as we begin to really push our products this week. But with the accessibility of all essays in one location, an explosive sharing of our students’ essays is just a “retweet” or “like” away. One thing is for sure, an audience is a powerful, crucial element in a naturally symbiotic relationship between speaker and listener. Together they share dreams, give thanks, and comfort each other in challenging times. Are these times among us now? My students think so, and they have spoken. Surely someone will listen.
(The traffic light BYOD management system used by John Hardison of Studio 113)
"Calling All Resources: Fostering the Right Time to Write" (Originally published at GettingSmart.com on 11/20/12.)
Creating the ultimate writing atmosphere that inspires students to produce their very best level has always coincided with a constant search, a continual revamping, and an open platform for students’ suggestions. As a collective writing community, Studio 113 students and I seek the most powerful writers’ tools; they may range from Stephen King’sOn Writingto the soothing writers’ website OmmWriter to a simple online dictionary. During this incessant quest, we remain open to any ideas that will help us produce a setting conducive to crafting excellent, heartfelt prose, rhetoric, and poetry. In essence, we seek to create originals, and fostering the right time to write requires a number of resources. Here’s a glimpse into our classroom writers’ sanctuary:
The Traffic Light: Classroom Management for BYOD
Students in our class are always fully aware of the availability of writing resources. In fact, all it usually takes is a turn of the head to view a specific color of the traffic light. Using a simple, homemade traffic light to manage the use of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) has been very powerful and efficient. Whereas an illuminated green allows students to appropriately use all mobile devices and desktop computers to access any writing resources, the yellow light asks all students to quickly and momentarily disengage from their tech devices by closing their laptops, turning their tablets and smartphones facedown, and directing their attention to the teacher or student who patiently waits with a raised right hand. At this time, a directive, suggestion, or creative idea is disseminated to help all writers move forward with their assignments. This seamless transition normally takes no longer than a minute or two from start to finish, and after communicating, the yellow light is switched to green. Students are then free to dive back into their writing, hopefully a bit more enlightened following a succinct statement. The red light is too simple. Although not often used, a red light eliminates the use of any student-owned mobile devices. In fact, students know to put away their smartphones, tablets, and laptops when the red light is lit. Students usually see the red light when working certain quizzes and tests or when participating in learning structures that benefit from intuitive, old school modes of class interactions.
Background Music: The Mood of the Writing Atmosphere
To set a relaxed mood in our classroom when writing, the students and I create a playlist of appropriate instrumental tunes. Students select from songs such as Alan Silvestri’s Forrest Gumpand Cast Awayinstrumentals, and from collections of the greatest instrumental songs of all time, and from a vast array of nature tracks. To be perfectly honest, the constant favorite is a soothing track of light rain and soft piano music. Students normally relax into a state of contemplative and intuitive writing once this track has permeated the classroom. Oftentimes, students are also allowed to listen to their own music as long they use headphones and the volume does not disturb the other writers. Flexibility and understanding all students have unique ways of writing have been the keys to inspiring students to produce their very best.
Soft Lighting: The Students’ Favorite
The decision to use soft lighting while writing is always unanimous. Just ask the students, and they will tell you how annoying the overhead, way-too-bright bulbs are. Although the above video may portray a dimly lit room, please remember the video was shot with an ancient, 7 megapixel, non-HD Sony Cybershot. Trust me. The lighting is perfect, and the students’ constant input is evidence of this fact. Setting the appropriate lighting and musical atmosphere is always first on the students’ wish list, even before their concern for using mobile devices.
Writing Gadgets: Students Choose Personal Preferences
By offering the options of writing with their smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, or pen and paper, all students find their own comfortable writing zones. Some students choose to couple their smartphones and tablets with the use of powerful apps like Evernote, My Writing Spot, and Blogger, while others choose more simple apps like Notes, iBrainstormer, or Scratch to organize their thoughts and plan their essays. Of course, students also use their mobile devices and our school wi-fi to access any useful writing resource on the web. Students basically use the laptops and desktop computers in the same manner. Since students with internet-ready gadgets are able to use most of the same writing applications, there really is not much of a difference between writing with smartphones and tablets versus laptops and desktop computers. The only exception that comes to mind is the students’ mode of typing. Some like the more concrete feel of an actual keyboard as opposed to the totally flat feel of the virtual keypad. As always in Studio 113, students have a choice to use pen and paper with hardback dictionaries and thesauruses as their resources. Let’s face it. Some students still sense the power of holding a pen in their hands and watching their compositional visions come to life on paper in the form of very personal handwriting. I never want to deny students this powerful option. The bottom line is this: I want students to absolutely fall in love with their writing by any appropriate means of composition available. The end result is most important, not how they arrived.
Nonverbal Communication: Editing without Speaking
Students are encouraged to share their writing with others as a source of inspiration and as a means of acquiring constructive criticism and feedback. However, during designated writing periods of about thirty minutes, students are asked to communicate nonverbally. They should not speak a word during a silent writing session. Using websites like Todaysmeet.com, Twitter, Wiggio, or a shared Google document, students can help their peers without disturbing the writing atmosphere. By asking for all communication to be nonverbal, those who choose not to speak are not annoyed by those who do “speak.” Students are even allowed to text a portion of their essays to their in-class peers as a request for feedback. Think about it. How many times have you written something and immediately shared your new creation with a trusted friend? Pretty powerful, huh? It is no different in our class when we write. Whether they are sliding sheets of paper across the table, texting thesis statements across the room, or holding a discussion about their essays on an all-too-easy site like Todaysmeet.com, students are encouraged to increase their audience and thicken their skin by sharing their original thoughts and writing.
Breakout Sessions: Students Walk and Talk
These silent writing sessions are often separated by breakout sessions of five to ten minutes where students are invited to walk around the class and verbally share their writing with others. Just like there is power in a silent atmosphere to bring forth authentic and personal writing, there is also great strength in moving about the classroom while seeking writing advice and offering editing insight. It presents the students with much needed balance. As I finish this essay, I can already hear some of my colleagues’ agreeable comments and criticism, especially as it relates to the freedom I grant my students with their smartphones. I totally understand and welcome all comments. Simply pick up a tablet, smartphone, laptop, pen or any resource available and drop me a line. I would love to collaborate with you. Besides, it may be the right time to write, and I’m quite sure your writing will be awesome.
"Need to Energize Your Class? Just Add Wax and Be Still" (Originally published at GettingSmart.com on 11/6/12.)
There are many ways to mix things up in a classroom and inject enthusiasm. From blended learning to project-based learning to time-tested traditional methods, teachers today have nearly unlimited resources and ways of livening up a stagnant classroom.
These stagnant classrooms, indicated by boredom-induced silence, constant class disruptions, or mediocre student work examples, benefit greatly from the implementation of interactive learning structures. One such learning model that is sure to invigorate any lesson is the "Wax Museum" learning structure created in Studio 113.
It may sound a bit odd, but the main ingredients needed to jumpstart a group of uninterested students with this learning activity is a bit of wax and stillness.
Please take a look at this example, and I'll explain.
Allow Students to View a "Wax Museum" Example
I understand the argument stating the most effective strategy for implementing this structure would be to present the students with their learning tasks before mentioning the end result, which is a symbolic and frozen pose that serves as the summation of the students’ understanding. However, since attempting our first "Wax Museum" structures in American Literature years ago, I have witnessed a profound enthusiasm from the students for any class assignment when they are shown a video example of a past class performing the learning model. Being such visual learners, they understand immediately where they are headed before determining how they will get there. Hence, a flame will be lit.
Assign the Lesson
After viewing an example of the “Wax Museum” from their peers, students should then be given the learning prompt. For the video shown above and the one immediately below, students used a Venn diagram to note similarities and differences in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” and Thomas Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence.” Working in teams of three and totally aware of the required, kinesthetic outcome, students worked for two class periods to extract the essentials from these two famous documents. It was amazing to see such intense and engaged reading. The same enthusiasm is easily generated with any prompts. Whether it is from a math, science, history, art, physical education, or band class, the only limiting aspect of the “Wax Museum” is a non-challenging prompt or learning assignment. Make no mistake about it, however, the beauty of this structure is actually not the end product. Instead, it is the collaboration and heavy-duty thinking beforehand that is so impressive.
Discuss the Parameters of the “Wax Museum”
Inform the students of the following guidelines:
Each team’s symbolic pose must be class appropriate.
Each “Wax Museum” pose must be representative of the team’s synthesized learning. Depending on the prompt, students may illustrate a theme, a direct quotation, an essential question, a real-world connection, and just about anything imaginable that demonstrates mastery of the assignment. If appropriate, allow the students to co-create the prompt. Enlisting their help allows the students to amaze you at the beginning, the middle, and the end.
Students may use any appropriate props that will add to the symbolism and overall, intended message. For the first two videos shown on this post, I allowed students to use any of my classroom objects and bring any appropriate props from their homes.
Each team will be still, as if sculpted from wax, and hold the symbolic pose for the duration of two rounds.
The first round requires the students to be quiet (with the exception of thematic music) while the teacher uses a video recorder to capture the learning activity. Students are made aware of the various camera angles and close-ups.
The second round requires the students to remain still while adding verbal comments that shed light on the overall purpose of the team’s pose. Again, examples of these comments range from a simple theme to the relationship between the prompt and a current event. The only moving parts during the “Wax Museum” structure are the students’ lips and eyelids.
All students will remain still until given the cue to break out of the “Wax Museum” poses.
Share Video with Students and the World
Obviously, students will be ecstatic to see the video of their creations as soon as possible. This is perfect. How fitting is it that the enthusiasm beginning with the introduction of this interactive structure carries into the viewing of the students’ own “Wax Museum” statues?
But don’t let the enthusiasm end there. In fact, share it with others via YouTube and watch the excitement cross into other schools and states. Take a look at this example from my colleague and good friend, Dave Guymon, an innovative educator in Idaho Falls.
In fact, my students were so proud of his students that we put together a congratulatory video to show our appreciation.
Asking students to move not at all for close to ten minutes sounds like a ridiculous demand, but with the right prompt and the freedom to create, these energetic learners can and will melt their understanding down to a brilliantly created, symbolic statue of wax. Just don’t be worried if their energy sparks a flame of excitement. The stillness will contain it.
"Rise Above Classroom Walls on the Wings of a Bird" (Originally published at GettingSmart.com on 10/29/12.)
Ronald Reagan once said, “There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.” This quotation has huge educational implications. I remembered these inspirational words the other night when participating with my students in our first-ever tweetup, a Twitter chatroom using a specific hashtag to discuss rhetorical strategies witnessed during the second presidential debate. Although a small minority of my students chose to attend the virtual classroom, I was overwhelmingly struck by the enormous potential.
My enthusiasm was immediately evident by the barrage of tweets I sent out during the tweetup. One of those tweets kicked off a side-discussion with Chris Kervina (@ckervina), a high school and college English teacher in Northern Virginia. The topic involved creating a shared tweetup for the final presidential debate. The idea of extending my students’ classrooms beyond the boring cement walls made me absolutely ecstatic. Suddenly the thought of my students collaborating with other brilliant minds from different regions of the United States, from a diversity of sub-cultures, from a wide range of educational backgrounds lifted me off the ground. I felt ready to take flight, ready to transcend and rise above classroom walls on the wings of a bird.
Teachers Soar High with Twitter
I truly believe there is no educational “ceiling.” Twitter proves this theory by providing educators with a means of transportation to lift forward thinkers to new altitudes. Whereas a quick walk down the hallway to a colleague’s classroom in years past usually elicited an armful of handouts, transparencies, and lesson plans, the same sharing, only in a digital version, often occurs in the fraction of a second, or roughly the time it takes to send a tweet.
Such a powerful tweet occurred the very same night Chris Kervina and I were collaborating when he invited two other educators of English, Michelle Lampinen (@michlampinen) and Sarah Mulhern Gross (@thereadingzone), to participate in a future tweetup involving our students. In just a matter of seconds, our virtual classroom without walls doubled in size. But that wasn’t the most awesome part. We needed a bit of structure, something to tie our shared vision together, and we needed an organized manner of presenting this vision to the ones who matter the most…our students. Michelle Lampinen provided this structure when she shared her lesson plan via a Google Document.
From learning objectives to literary terms to dates and specifics, Michelle Lampinen had it all covered. And shared. Perhaps the best part of the lesson plan was the list of students’ options. Whether taking part in a Twitter chat, discussing the topic on Todaysmeet.com, or reflecting on the rhetorical strategies from the debate on a teacher’s blog, each student is able to take flight by engaging in a real-world, 21st Century activity that surpasses the confines of the “one-hand-at-a-time” classroom conversation.
Students’ Full Expressions Reach New Heights
No longer do students get overly excited to write an essay or deliver a presentation for one teacher and a class of peers. Sure, they still enjoy expressing themselves and sharing their thoughts and opinions with others, but compared with the many modes of connecting to a larger, worldly audience through social media, blogs, and other creative technology tools, a paper copy just doesn’t cover the same ground.
Covering such an expansive area requires flexibility, an educational necessity validated by Mahatma Gandhi who once said, “I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.” With inflexible, rigid walls that restrict students’ intellectual reach and deprive them of new, diverse audiences, students often are not challenged enough. Interesting and original concepts may go untested in a traditional classroom where many students may have already reached a consensus based on boredom from predictable peer responses. Much needed and different points of view from distant students across the country may never be heard. In essence, students may be unable to fully express themselves due to a simple lack of exposure.
So, if classroom confinement is the enemy of students’ freedom of expression, then surely technology tools such as Twitter are the symbols of educational liberty. Like the great American Eagle flying high above a majestic mountain range, students who post their original comments via social media and blogs have a bird’s eye view of their learning. They see the peaks and valleys and mirror images of their own original thoughts, and the path ahead from such an elevation always provides a clear view.
The Results of the Tweetup? Well, They Have Yet to Land
Just under an hour after participating in our first multi-state, multi-school tweetup, I am struggling to wrap my mind around the enormity of what I just experienced. What began as a “Let’s give this a try” educational idea turned into a ninety-minute tweetup with 155 different participants and over 1,500 tweets. Simply amazing.
To grasp the concept of the virtual chatroom created through a Twitter hashtag, imagine a classroom of over a hundred participants who freely voice their detailed and focused insights without being encumbered by raising their hands and waiting for permission to speak. It was a refreshing showering of brilliant ideas and rhetorical insight.
Students from schools in New Jersey, Virginia, and Georgia engaged in a real-time analysis of rhetorical strategies such as pathos, ethos, and logos used by President Obama and Governor Romney during the final presidential debate. Using the hashtag #bamrom12, students connected with peers from different areas and with various viewpoints. Students retweeted other students and replied to interesting comments. At first, the interaction was a bit slow as most were merely concerned with posting their own opinions. However, they soon caught on and began to interact with each other.
As I did my best to participate in the Twitter tweetup and the todaysmeet.com chatroom, I found myself mesmerized by the sheer freedom of the students. I returned to Reagan’s quotation again and marveled at the lack of intellectual constraint, classroom walls, and obstacles that ultimately deter students from fully expressing themselves. Then it dawned on me. They were free as a bird.
I can see it so clearly now. No obstructions blocking my view anymore.
After all, there are no walls this high up.
(Click here for a sample of the #bamrom12 tweetup.)
I believe it was J.K. Rowling's Albus Dumbledore who said, "Ah, music. A magic behind all we do here!" This quotation comes to mind so many times when I witness the effect of catchy tunes and powerful lyrics on our creative students in Studio 113. Whether the classroom malady is a group of lethargic, uninterested students, a bulky reading assignment of seemingly ancient pages, or the misunderstanding of key literary characters, a solution often lies at the intersection of a crafty jam and a thematically connected excerpt of literature. The result? Classroom musical magic.Yeah, it sounds funny, but many times a reputable piece of writing can be much improved by the creative use of a common song. Think of Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” magnifying certain guilt-ridden characters from The Crucible, Five for Fighting’s “Superman” flying upwards with a cape of inspirational prose from Ralph Waldo Emerson, B.O.B.’s “Magic” versus Beowulf’s proud boast, or Rage Against the Machine’s “Maggie’s Garden” to capture the same determined focus found in many revolutionary documents. Music and literature are naturally symbiotic. The partnership just works.
But perhaps the most influential musical force is the one created by the student. Whereas a Whose Line Is It Anyway? “Greatest Hits” skit will surely liven up the class and audibly highlight the brilliance of the written word, a scrupulously written song by talented students will move a class of learners from disinterested to amazed in the drop of a beat. A literary soundtrack is then created, and the standards carry a tune.
Although the contracted and Project/Passion-Based Learning examples below stem from our Language Arts classroom, the same musical approach can be easily applied to any classroom, as confirmed by thousands of original YouTube videos.
Create a Spark: A Skit Featuring Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together”
Do you ever need to wake up students first thing in the morning and get them interested in the assigned standards? Try Whose Line’s “Greatest Hits” improvisational skit. Watch as this class gets primed to learn.
Showcase the Students’ Talents: A Brad Paisley Parody Covering Anne Roiphe’s Essay
When students were asked to augment their assigned teaching sections from “A Tale of Two Divorces” with a creative component, these two musicians knew exactly what to do. By embedding Google surveys on my webpage and by continually encouraging authentic evidence of learning, I was already aware of this duo’s potential.
Make a Music Video: The Crucible Rap
To fully appreciate this project, one must understand all that was involved in making the final product a reality. Tasks included writing an original song that covered the assigned poetry and literary standards, using Mixcraft software, selecting a background beat, using a live microphone to record numerous tracks as one .mp3 file, filming multiple video clips that successfully lip synced the song with the performers, and mashing all clips into one polished music video. To say the least, it’s a demanding project.
Ask & Listen: A Team’s Opinion of a 21st Century Student’s Needs
When confronted with assessing the mistakes of education in preparing teenagers for an uncertain future, these students highlighted unlimited technology resources and a strong desire to create as a demonstration of learning. Take a look at these two engaged students as they create an original rap in Mixcraft 6.
Here is the final product, a song appropriately titled “Creativity.”
Never Underestimate a Silent One: A Lyrical Representation of Dark Romanticism
I’ll never forget this student. What a talent! When asked how he wanted to represent his understanding of literature from Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, this student’s wish contradicted his quiet demeanor in class. On the microphone after school? Well, that was a different story. His lyrics, tone, mood, and mastery of various poetry terms reflect the misery and pain illustrated by the Dark Romantics. Click here for his original rap.
Use What You Have: An Of Mice & Men Parody
All you have is a camera or a smartphone to record? No problem. Go with what you have. Take a look at this Bob Marley remake in the back of a cafeteria. No high technology. No musical software. Just three brave souls performing in front of their peers.
Reenact the Literature with Lyrics as the Guide: A Condensed Version of a Play Set to Famous Verses
Using household lyrics as their benchmark, this class of twenty-plus students recreated Arthur Miller’s famous play with four cameras, a catchy soundtrack, and a final, authentic song from Studio 113. The planning, props, clothing, and video editing gave rise to creative tension, but the music soothed out the rough places and left this class with a harmonious product of understanding.
Lead by Example: “The Declaration of Independence” (“The D.O.I.”) by Three Courageous Teachers
All I can say is, “Hey, we tried.” At least, the students respected our attempt at busting out a cool rap. Never mind the fact that we showed absolutely no musical talent or rhythm. We simply wanted to lead by example.
Whether teaming up with Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and Maroon Five to label a fictional character as static or dynamic, or carefully selecting appropriate lyrics from rap masters Jay-Z, Eminem, and Tupac to juxtapose with The Police’s poetic “King of Pain,” the connection students make with literature is palpable. The excitement of creating original tracks to show comprehension is immeasurable. In fact, the energy is enough to fully illuminate all the “a-ha” light bulb moments. Just don’t be surprised if the light flickers to the rhythm of the beat. That’s just the tune of an inspired class.
It sounds something like magic...classroom musical magic.
