Zoila M. Brown
Since my school emphasizes the arts and academics, I will collaborate with the music, theater, and visual arts departments so the expertise of those teachers will enrich my teaching, thus making students' learning more effective. For instance, the students, under the guidance of the music teacher, may put music to the "Washington" poem. Students will sense the collaboration and integration, and will make connections that will reinforce learning. Products of this unit include poetry picture books, reader's theater scripts, taped recitations of choral reading, and anthologies of poems.
The end of the year is filled with excitement. A short assembly will allow the students to have fun showing off their learning. Performances will include live choral recitation of the "Lincoln" poem, the "Washington" poem being sung, the Readers' Theater script dramatized, and individual readings or recitations of students' compositions. The anthologies, illustrations, and picture books will be displayed in strategic areas of the
building for the school community to view.