Active Learning Through Drama, Podcasting, and Puppetry

by Kristin Fontichiaro

Overview

Contrary to the trend to do away with arts education as an unnecessary expense in schools trying to boost student test scores, this book promotes and explains the value of integrated arts instruction in furthering the accomplishment of curricular objectives and fostering student achievement. Accomplished library media specialist and arts instructor Kristin Fontichiaro discusses how drama, shadow puppetry, and podcasting can be used as tools to meet curriculum objectives in the K-8 media center. By concentrating on the process of creating a piece of drama or puppetry or a podcast, as opposed to the goal of performance, and by infusing the arts with curriculum objectives in story or research, these techniques can intensify a child's learning and provide context for classroom curriculum objectives. A discussion of the affective and academic benefits of this process-based work as well as sample lessons are included. Photographs and examples of student work illustrate the oechniques. Grades K-8.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591584025
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/30/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

KRISTIN FONTICHIARO is an elementary media specialist in Michigan. She has been a classroom teacher at the elementary, middle, and senior high school levels and an arts educator.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Drama
Chapter 1: The Benefits of Learning Through the Arts
Chapter 2: Getting Started: Welcoming Rituals and Actors' Warm-ups (All Grades)
Chapter 3: Telling and Retelling Stories Through Drama: Narrative Pantomime and Circle Drama (Preschool and Up)
Chapter 4: Animating History: Biography Wax Museum (Grades 3 and Up)
Chapter 5: Ideas in Action: Drama Machines (Grades 3 and Up)
Chapter 6: "Living Pictures": Tableau (Grades 4 and Up)
Chapter 7: Putting It Together: Living Newspapers (Grades 5 and Up)
Part II: Working with the Voice
Chapter 8: Oral Tapestries: Choral Readings (Grades 2 and Up)
Chapter 9: Drama on the Air: Using Podcasting to Create Radio Plays (Grades 3 and Up)
Part III: Puppetry
Chapter 10: Storytelling with Shadow: Shadow Puppetry (Grades K and Up)
Part IV: Advocacy
Chapter 11: Advocating for Arts-Infused Curriculum in the Media Center
Bibliography
Index
Author/Illustrator/Title Index

Editorial Reviews

Intended for elementary and middle school media centers, this resource outlines creative lesson plans and instructions for helping students retell stories through drama, act out historical events and figures, read texts aloud as a group, and create a shadow puppet performance. Book suggestions for each grade level and handouts are provided” —Reference & Research Book News

“[P]romotes and explains the value of integrated arts instruction in furthering the accomplishment of curricular objectives and fostering student achievement.” —QED/Heller Report News Alert

From the Publisher