Bringing Literature to Life Can Be Square

“Bringing Literature to Life Can Be Square” (originally published here on GettingSmart on 12.17.2014) Literature is meant to be brought to life. Without musical, artistic, acting, and verbal connections, many students view literature as an endless flipping of pages full of meaningless words. They long to experience novels, short stories, poetry and other works of literary art by creating songs, drawing precise symbols, morphing into a character and dropping a few lines, and speaking in such an academic manner that demands the attention of their peers. Anything else can be, well, square.

How "The Square" Works

Musical Examples from "The Square"

Artistic Examples from "The Square"

Acting Examples from "The Square"

Speaking Examples from "The Square"

Preparation Time for "The Square"

So, remember. The next time you need to bring learning to life, try this interactive learning structure by adding music, art, acting, speaking, and...students' talents. Your students will quickly shape their own opinions and realize it is anything but square. For more blogs by John Hardison, check out:

• A Good Class Discussion is Just a Phone Call Away
• Got Red-Pen Grading Cramps? Kaizena Can Help
• The Literary Revolver: An Interactive Structure from Studio 113