Finding the Rhythm of Blues in Children’s Poetry, Art, and Music
Jennifer Blue
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After viewing our curriculum units, please take a few minutes to help us understand how the units, which were created by public school teachers, may be useful to others.
SYNECTICS EXAMPLE 1
Teacher: “Imagine you are a child living in the South a long time ago. Describe yourself.”
Students:”big , short, cute, small, tall fat, Black, etc.”(These responses can be recorded on the blackboard or chart paper )
Teacher:”Imagine you were not allowed to go to school. How would you feel?”
Students:”happy mad sad etc.”
Teacher: “I think I would feel disappointed if I weren’t allowed to go to school. Instead of going to school like other kids, you had to work , like an adult, outside in the hot field, without water, without pay. How would you feel? “
Students:”mad sad disappointed(if student response omits the word disappointed, then teacher should offer it)”
Teacher: What does disappointed mean?(await responses) (pose such questions as:)
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When you are feeling let down, are you disappointed?
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How would you look if you were feeling disappointed? (await students’ facial responses)
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Has anyone ever felt disappointed like this little child we just talked about? (await response)
Students are given the opportunity to share stories through verbal, written, or artistic expression. Exercises like this will continue daily, teaching new words to the young learners that may accurately describe the range of emotions a slave child may feel. Students will inevitably realize that they too possess a range of emotions. This part of the unit is not only intended to increase language acquisition but also to promote positive youth development.
