Natural Dyes A Traditional Craft Experiencing New Attention

Fall 2008 Volume 75-1
THE DELTA KAPPA GAMMA BULLETIN

International Journal for Professional Educators
The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin (ISSN 0011-8044; USPS 715-850; IPM 0302295) is published quarterly each
year by The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, 416 West 12th Street, Austin, Texas. Mailing address:
P.O. Box 1589, Austin, TX 78767-1589. Periodicals Postage paid at Austin, Texas. Subscription, U.S. $20 per
year; single copies, $5 each. International dues include subscription to The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin. Views
expressed do not necessarily agree with positions taken by The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin
P.O. Box 1589, Austin, TX 78767-1589
The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin
ics addressed, accuracy and validity, contribution to the
professional literature, originality, quality of writing, and
adherence to Submission Guidelines (see page 40). Edi-
torial Board members evaluate each submissions focus,
organization, development, readability and accessibility
to the general audience of Bulletin readers. Due to the
diversity of the Bulletin audience, material of a religious,
political or patriotic nature is not suitable for publication.

Please send materials to bulletin@deltakappagamma.org
or to Bulletin Editorial Staff, The Delta Kappa Gamma Soci-
ety International, P.O. Box 1589, Austin, TX 78767-1589.
The Bulletin, the official journal of The Delta Kappa
Gamma Society International, promotes professional and
personal growth of members through publication of their
writings.
The Bulletin invites materials appropriate to the Soci-
etys Purposes: position papers, applied and/or data-based
research, and other articles on announced themes or other
topics of interest to educators; letters to the editor; view-
points; book reviews; annotated bibliographies; anec-
dotes; poetry; and graphic arts.
Prose manuscripts for the Bulletin, a refereed journal,
are reviewed by the Editorial Board and the Society edi-
torial staff. Selection is based on relevance of the top-
Sarah Wees
Communications Manager
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
Austin,Texas
Andrea Honigsfeld, Ed.D, 2008-2010
Associate Professor, Division of Education
Molloy College
Rockvile Centre, New York
Judith Merz, Ed.D., 20062010
Doctoral Advisor, Educational Leadership
Nova Southeastern University
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Janice Novello, Ph.D., 2008-2012
Doctoral Dissertation Advisor, University of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Saundra Wetig, Ed.D., 2008-2012
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Editorial Board
2008 The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. All rights reserved.
Published by The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
promotes professional and personal growth of women
educators and excellence in education.
4 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
39 POETRY
40 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
THE DELTA KAPPA GAMMA BULLETIN
Fall 2008 Volume 75-1
AWARDS
5 2008 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
by Barbara Day
6 2008 EDUCATORS AWARDS
reviewed by 2006-2008
Educators Award Committee
ARTICLES
7 LIMITLESS IMAGES: DIGITAL
PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE CLASSROOM
by Anne Zahra

10 POETRY IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
by Andrea Honigsfeld and
Maria Dove
14 NATURAL DYES: A TRADITIONAL CRAFT
EXPERIENCING NEW ATTENTION
by Sara Kadolph
18 THE POWER OF COLLABORATION: TWO
TEACHERS WORKING TOGETHER FOR
THEIR STUDENTS SUCCESS
by Ellen Pochedley and
Juliann Dorff
23 PATTERNED POETRY WRITING HELPS
PRESERVICE TEACHERS SUMMARIZE
CONTENT LEARNING
by Susan Szabo
27 THE CULMINATION OF PROJECT
WINGS IN ARIZONA
by Donna Reynolds
29 MUSICIANS ON THE CUTTING EDGE
OF TECHNOLOGY
by Jackie Griffn and
Marianne Holland
32 MY BEST BOW HOLD: PLAYING VIOLIN
AS AN ADULT BEGINNER
by Marilyn Barry
VIEWPOINT
36 RECITING OUT LOUD: BRING BACK
THE LOVE OF POETRY WITH AN
AUDIENCE
by Rita Tamalavage
BOOKMARK
38 THE CHILDHOOD ROOTS OF ADULT
HAPPINESS: FIVE STEPS TO HELP KIDS
CREATE AND SUSTAIN LIFELONG JOY
by Edward M. Hallowell
REVIEWED BY CHRISTOPHER R.
MURPHY AND JUDITH J. PULA
COVER ARTWORK: sixth grade class
of Barbara DeWitt (Upsilon Chapter,
Maryland). The students were given the
shapes of a bowling pin and scissors and
asked to be creative with one of them.
COVER DESIGN: Sarah Wees
4 FALL 2008
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
Call for Submissions!
Members are encouraged to submit manuscripts for consideration by the Bulletin Editorial Board.
The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin accepts manuscripts for print issues (spring, fall) that are
Action Research, Anecdotes, Graphic Arts, Letters to the Editor, Poetry, or Program Descriptions.
The online issues (summer, winter) include Annotated Bibliography, Qualitative Research, and
Quantitative Research. For both print and online issues we accept Book Reviews, Viewpoints,
and Position Papers. Manuscripts should be focused, well organized, effectively developed, con-
cise, and appropriate for Bulletin readers. The style should be direct, clear, readable and free from
gender, political, patriotic or religious bias. For more detailed information, please refer to the Sub-
mission Guidelines on page 40. Listed below are the suggested themes of upcoming issues.
Spring 2009 (75-3) Educational Travel
(Postmark deadline is December 1, 2008)
Study Abroad Travel as Professional Growth Personal Stories Hostels Teaching
Abroad Foreign Language Study
Summer 2009 (75-4) Comparative Education: Issues and Practices
(Postmark deadline is March 1, 2009)
Study Abroad Information Literacy Cultural Impacts Licensing Teaching in Foreign
Countries Teacher Preparation Programs Specialty Schools Peace Education Evolving
High School Models Global Awareness
Submit all materials to:
Bulletin Editorial Staff
P.O. Box 1589, Austin, Texas 787671589
bulletin@deltakappagamma.org
T
he theme for this issueThe Artsmust
have spoken to many of our members,
because we received a number of great theme-
oriented submissions. In fact, a class of sixth
grade students got in on the action by submitting
their creative artwork (used on the cover). We
hope you enjoy the informative and interesting
articles in such diverse genres as poetry, music,
and photography. In addition to the articles, you
can read about this years Achievement Award
recipient as well as the two authors whose books
were chosen for the Educators Award. Weve
also included a poem that is particularly ftting
for this time of year, The First Day of Class. We
welcome your feedback, so feel free to contact us
at bulletin@deltakappagamma.org.
THE DELTA KAPPA GAMMA BULLETIN 5
2008 Ac hi evement Awa r d
T
he International Achievement Award is
given annually by the Society to a Leader
who has given devoted service and distinguished
leadership to the Society at the chapter, state or-
ganization and international levels. The symbol
of this honor, a gold medallion, is worn only by
members who have been voted that honor and
privilege by the International Executive Board.
The Constitution says that it will be presented at
an international convention or a regional confer-
ence. Given frst to Dr. An-
nie Webb Blanton in 1933,
this years award is to be
given here. Our recipient
today is described as dedi-
cated, exceptionally com-
petent and dynamic. Her
membership and infuence
in the Society began at the
chapter level and quickly
embraced a much wider audience at the state or-
ganization and International levels.
Her journey in education began as a
teacher. The challenge of enticing young people
into becoming lifelong learners, the changing
roles of technology, the excitement of new ques-
tions to be researched were all challenging and
exciting to her.
This charter member of Lambda Iota in
Texas has held nearly every offce at the chapter
level; she was her chapters achievement award
recipient. She has been an area coordinator of her
state organization and chaired the State Nomina-
tions Committee. Winning a state Achievement
Award and the attending the Golden Gift Leader-
ship/Management Seminar are among the high-
lights in her Society journey.
She loves to travel, particularly with her
husband, since they both enjoy visiting art gal-
leries, museums, and bakeries with equal fervor.
Her idea of heaven on earth is being with friends
and discussing movies and books over a leisurely
meal. She treasurers a womens spiritual forma-
tion group and a book discussion group which
she misses only when Delta Kappa Gamma du-
ties take her away from home. Spirituality in the
workplace is particularly interesting to her, and
she has an extensive library on this subject. One
of her favorite wisdoms is the African Proverb:
The two antelopes will walk side by side, so that
one can blow the dust from the others eyes.
The recipient spent 25 wonderful years
as a classroom teacher in Andrews and Austin,
Texas, and then as a librarian in the Austin In-
dependent School District. In 1998 she became
the Business Services Administrator for The Del-
ta Kappa Gamma Society International, and in
2003 she became its Executive Coordinator. In
2007 she resigned to care for her mother, who re-
cently died, and her husband and soul-mate Ed-
die. On a personal note, when I became Interna-
tional President, she said to me, I consider my
job is to make you look good, and she did. Ever
wise and compassionate, she called me when I
was on one of my long travel journeys and said,
I know you are tired. Take a long bath and order
room service and have a good hot meal.
In nominating her, one member said,
Sandras understanding of, and commitment to,
empowering others has consistently been a tenet
of her personality and actions. This human em-
powerment is refected in those with whom she
has both worked and supervised. The strength of
her character in this area makes her the quintes-
sential choice for the International Achievement
Award. Sandra Smith Bull embodies the essence
of the Achievement Award.
It was my happy privilege to present
to Sandra the 2008 International Achievement
Award, frst presented to Agnes Ellen Harris in
1934 and re-circulated in 1979 to Laginia Hale
who was a mentor and friend to the recipient.
Sandra Bull Receives International
Achievement Award
Barbara Day, Ph.D.
2006-2008 International President
July 24, 2008 w Chicago, Illinois
6 FALL 2008
T
he selection process for two Educators
Award books for 2008 proved to be
challenging, stimulating, and controversial.
Guided by the Society Constitution and sustained
by award money from account interest, grants,
and donations, the Educators Award Committee
supports educational research and writing
through recognition of women authors. Award
money goes to authors whose books, published in
member countries, might infuence the direction
of educational thought and action in a complex
global society. If no nominee fts the regulatory
criteria, the committee may withhold the award.
At frst the Committee considered the
possibility of withholding the award for 2008
when obscurity seemed to reign supreme.
Passionate discussions created a delightful
dilemmato expand or to narrow the global
scope of educational research. We wrote reviews
and narrowed the feld. Finally, we voteda tie
ensued for two captivating books. A wise and
passionate member brought us to closure with
the statement, This one appeals to my heart
while the other one appeals to my mind. When
mind and heart respond to creatively detailed and
carefully documented research, our choice to
choose two books was simple. The two selected
authors made connections that
sparked passions of the heart.
Two bookscreatively written
and wisely documented
spoke life into complex worlds.
Nina Burleigh (pictured
right) energized the scientifc
world of 150 scholars to bring
encyclopedic scope of scientifc
exploration to historical research and writing.
Linda Lear (pictured below) invigorated the
world of nature with accuracy,
detail, and compassion in her
mesmerizing biography of
Beatrix Potter.
In Mirage, Nina Burleigh
collected research revealing
works of scholars, artists,
and scientists whose agonies
and ecstasies bring readers
to painful awareness of the contradictions of
scientifc research and military aggression during
a specifc historic time. The heart-wrenching
documentary of success and failure, of strategy
and struggle, is presented from varying points of
view of the 150 savants who took a voyage of
scientifc discovery and military conquest with
Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798. Mirage reads like
a thriller when intrigues abound as two countries
vie for the spoils of war. Scientifc discoveries,
analyses, and records underscore the Napoleonic
conquest of Egypt at the turn of the 18
th

century. Documented scientifc inquiry, personal
sacrifces, and political intrigue propel the reader
on a trip to the past. Burleigh touches hearts
of readers as she hints at signifcant infuences
on present historical development. Burleighs
gripping account of human interaction and her
exemplary research into the experiences of the
creators of a 23-volume encyclopedic work
challenge the reader to explore history and its
global ramifcations.
The marvelously detailed sketches of
Peter Rabbits natural world earned Beatrix
2008 Educ a t or s Awa r d
Mirage: Napoleons Scientists and the
Unveiling of Egypt
BY NINA BURLEIGH (HARPER-COLLINS)
Beatrix Potter, A Life in Nature
BY LINDA LEAR (ST. MARTINS PRESS)
(Continued on page 22)
W
hen todays educators strive to enrich
their classroom instruction with
technology-based activities, most
focus on computer applications or the Internet.
However, digital photography is an ideal tool
for developing academic and technological
skills. Students creating, sharing, publishing,
manipulating, and analyzing digital images are
actively engaged in their learning. Photography-
centered activities empower students to create
and communicate with others while building the
students self-esteem and breaking down cultural
and emotional barriers. The ever-increasing
sophistication and popularity of digital cameras
has made it easier to include photography-
centered activities in the curriculum.
Building Classroom Relationships
Highly effective educators foster a sense
of community in the classroom, establishing a
comfortable rapport with students regardless
of differences in ethnic background or
socioeconomic status. They make all students
Digital photography is a valuable technology for todays educators. Photography-centered activities
help educators foster a positive, trusting atmosphere in the classroom and give students an opportunity
to develop academic and technological skills. Students may use digital photographs to report on
their learning, gather images for classroom discussions and projects, or jumpstart creative activities.
Photography-centered activities build technology skills, encourage creativity, and develop self-esteem.
However, teachers must train students to use the camera effectively and must plan photography-centered
activities carefully. Ethical considerations, including district privacy policies, must be weighed when
planning photography-centered activities.
Limitless Images: Digital
Photography in the Classroom
feel accepted and successful, even those
challenged by learning disability or limited
English profciency.
Digital photography can be surprisingly
helpful to any educator hoping to build trusting
relationships with students. Simple snapshots
of classroom groups can be displayed in the
classroom and given to students at the end of the
course as an inexpensive keepsake. The teacher
who appears in photographs with students
becomes a part of their personal historical record
and may live on as a positive memory and role
model for many years to come.
BY ANNE ZAHRA
T
H
E

A
U
T
H
O
R
Anne K. Zahra is a member of Delta Epsilon Chapter
in Gulf County, Florida. She holds a Bachelors
degree in French, a Masters of Science in secondary
education from the University of South Alabama
and has been a certifed teacher of French and
German since 1993. Anne has also taught student
journalism and served as a technology coordinator,
workshop presenter, and learning lab manager, most
recently for A. Crawford Mosley High School in
Lynn Haven, Florida.
8 FALL 2008
Simply keeping a bulletin board or
scrapbook to which students can add their own
photos encourages positive feelings towards the
class and helps foster the trusting atmosphere the
teacher hopes to create. Creating and updating a
photo display throughout the term is a reliable
way to document classroom activities, thereby
encouraging students to discuss and refect on
what they have learned.
Teaching Through the Power of Images
The digital image is one of the best
teaching resources available, whatever the content
to be learned. Because digital images are so easy
and inexpensive to create, retrieve, manipulate
and share, digital photography is arguably the
easiest technology to integrate into an instructional
program. Digital photographs can be edited, altered,
enhanced, and combined using expensive or free
computer software. Rather than printing images,
students can share them digitally, incorporating them
into a slideshow or displaying them using a digital
projector. Digital images can even be compiled into
videos playable on a standard DVD player.
Photography-centered activities in class-
rooms typically include the following:
1. Reporting tasks: Students use the cam-
era to present the product or outcome of an activ-
ity that will be graded. For example, the photos
may document the steps students followed in con-
structing a model or carrying out an experiment.
The photos may be part of a report or portfolio to
be examined by the teacher, parents, or other stu-
dents who will complete the activity in the future.
2. Analysis tasks: The digital images
collected or created by the teacher or students
are a springboard for discussion or a resource
supporting a lesson. For example, science students
may photograph different types of trees and later
discuss the characteristics shown in the photos.
3. Note-taking tasks: Teachers or students
use cameras to gather and share images that
contain information relevant to their learning.
Students visiting a museum may be assigned
certain displays to photograph in order to support
in-class activities. Students photographed while
competing may develop insights that improve
later performance. Students completing a science
project may use their photos to support the
conclusions drawn through their research.
4. Response tasks: Teachers and students
use digital images to express and inspire
creativity and develop artistic skill. For example,
students may fnd, create, or share photos that
then become springboards for creative writing or
fne arts activities.
Applying Technical Skills in the Classroom
Digital devices today are increasingly
integrated with computers and the Internet.
Not long ago, peripheral devices
typically meant computer mice and printers.
Today, peripheral devices include cameras,
mobile phones, portable media players,
microphones, toys, and even musical instruments.
Advances in wireless communication will lead to
even more interactivity for electronic and non-
electronic devices of all kinds.
Using a digital camera requires students
to apply a variety of technical skills they will also
use in the working world. For instance, amateur
digital photographers handle memory cards and
discs, manage fles, and work with their images
using common computer applications. When
students use their photos as part of a learning
activity, they are using classroom technology as
it is meant to usedas a means to achieve an
academic goal, and not for its own sake.
Student Photographers as Artists
Digital photography taps the students
inner creative drive, empowering all students
to express themselves both through their digital
images and any new works they create by
collecting, combining, and manipulating digital
images.
One of the most popular independent
photography projects for students is the
photographic autobiography. Students use a
classroom camera to capture images that explain
and describe the world as they know it, creating a
series of images of their homes, families, friends,
and communities. With the help of the teacher,
they compile their favorite photos into a portfolio,
adding a written narrative to unify the photos
into a presentation they can share with the class,
the school, or even the community. Students who
produce high quality photos can enter them in
contests, display them at fne arts shows, or have
them published in local newspapers. Although the
cost of this project can be considerable, it offers
students a rare opportunity to learn about self and
others. For some students, the photographs may
bring public recognition and respect they have
never experienced before. In classrooms with
diverse populations or special-needs students,
this project can also be very helpful in building
self-confdence and tolerance for difference.
Whatever the project, digital photography
is an ideal tool for teachers hoping to teach
students to understand and appreciate the visual
arts. When students fnd or create photos that
express movement or appeal to viewers by their
use of form or color, they demonstrate a deeper
understanding of these concepts than they would
be likely to achieve from reading and discussion
alone.
Finding a Starting Point
Teachers who routinely use a digital
camera to build rapport and
document student learning
will be most comfortable
introducing photography into
student activities. Teachers
who encourage students to
substitute photographs for
hand-drawn illustrations
have recognized the digital
cameras usefulness as a
learning tool. However,
phot ogr a phy- c e nt e r e d
projects require some student
training, and this training
must help the students know
the camera and some basic
principles of composing a
good photograph.
One photography
activity that can help young
photographers understand
the camera is the window
light portrait. By turning
off all artifcial lighting
and posing a single subject
next to a well-lit window,
the student photographer has an opportunity to
compose an appealing photo that can be used
as a keepsake or added to a classroom collage.
Window light portraits can be created using the
cameras automatic settings or can be an opportunity
to experiment with a variety of camera settings.
Four Technical Considerations
When planning an activity that includes
digital photography, teachers should consider the
following:
1. How the students taking the photographs
can receive equal access to the camera and
adequate instruction in how to use it effectively
2. The time it will take for students to
complete the activity with the available equipment
and software
3. The procedure that will be followed
when downloading, saving, and identifying the
students photographs
4. The procedure that will be followed if
technical problems complicate the project as it
has been planned.
Ethical Considerations
Before placing the
camera in a students hands,
the educator should establish
clear, written guidelines
and grading procedures for
digital photography projects.
Students should have ample
opportunity to practice and
receive feedback before
a grade is given. Sample
photographs should be
used to establish how an
acceptable product looks.
The teacher must
also take steps to ensure
that the digital photos
are used in a responsible
way. It is best to carry out
photographic projects that
have a clear instructional
purpose documented in
writing. If the photos will be
used to document a specifc
classroom activity, it may
be best to assign the camera
to one student well-trained in its use. Students
who are told to take photographs without some
prior instruction and guidelines may not produce
(Continued on page 17)
Inexperienced photographers can create lovely
window light portraits using the digital cameras
automatic settings. The vertical orientation of the
photo helps the photographer get close to the
subject while cropping out unwanted details in
the background. Photographing younger children
from the childs eye level tends to create a more
natural likeness. Photo courtesy of the author.
10 FALL 2008
Poetry in Professional Development
W
hile conducting professional
development on topics as varied as
differentiated instruction or meeting
the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse
students in the mainstream classroom, adult
literacy, or standardized test preparation, we
frequently use poetry. Those who teach poetry
with passion and joy know it is one of the
richest learning experiences students can have.
We journey to worlds and peer into spaces in
our hearts and minds and soul through poetry
(Fitch & Swartz, 2008, p. 4). Classroom practice
appropriate for K-12 students can inspire creative
ways to deliver instruction for adult learners.
By the same token, professional development
sessions may utilize learning strategies and
techniques that mainstream teachers and
education specialists can adapt for lesson delivery
in their own classrooms. Poetry as a genre allows
teachers (and their students) to be self-refective
The authors share their experiences of utilizing poetry in pre-service and in-service teacher education
programs. They incorporate poetry into their education courses and professional development sessions
for two purposes. Poetry becomes the avenue to explore pertinent educational topics such as cultural
diversity, bilingualism, adult literacy, or the immigrant experience. It may also serve as a focus for
exploring literacy instruction, such as discussing how poetry can be used to promote literacy development
through differentiated, scaffolded, or tiered activities.
and to express thoughts and feelings that may
not ft into the curriculum while also exploring
instructional strategies and practicing literacy
skills.
The purpose of this article is to share
some of our successful professional development
activities that use poetry. Poetry either (a) becomes
the avenue to explore pertinent educational
topics such as cultural diversity, bilingualism,
adult literacy, or the immigrant education; or
(b) serves as a focus of exploration in itself
to discuss how poetry can be used to promote
literacy development through differentiated,
scaffolded, or tiered activities.
Poetry as an Avenue to Explore Diverse Topics
Windows and Mirrors
A favorite activity of ours that may
be used with a range of artistic expressions
(paintings, flm clips, music, or quotes from any
BY ANDREA HONIGSFELD AND MARIA DOVE
ANDREA HONIGSFELD MARIA DOVE
form of literature including poetry) is called
Windows and Mirrors. As we read a poem, we
invite teachers with whom we work to refect
on the experiences described in the poem and
jot down their reactions in a Windows and
Mirrors graphic organizer. On the Window side,
they are asked to write down new insights they
gained from the poem; whereas, on the Mirror
side they record ways in which their own lives
or experiences are refected in the poem. We
have selected a few poems we use in various
professional development programs and provided
the frst stanza or initial segment of each poem to
offer a sense of direction the activity takes for
participants as they listen to these poems, refect
on, and then share their Windows and Mirrors.
Prospective Immigrants, Please Note
by Adrienne Rich (1967) invites readers to place
themselves in the immigrants shoes and ponder
their dilemmas. The poem immediately pulls the
audience into the world of immigrants:
Either you will
go through this door
or you will not go through.
If you go through
there is always the risk
of remembering your name.
Another poem, Elena, by Pat Mora
(Williams & Muller, 1994) also explores the
immigrant experience from the perspective of a
40-year-old Spanish-speaking mother.
My Spanish isnt enough.
I remember how Id smile
listening to my little ones,
understanding every word theyd say,
their jokes, their songs, their plots.
Vamos a pedirle dulces a mama.Vamos.
But that was in Mexico.
Now my children go to American high
schools.
They speak English. At night they sit
around
the kitchen table, laugh with one
another.
I stand by the stove and feel dumb,
alone
Conversations about immigration take a
new turn when the topic is introduced through
poems such as the ones cited. Both the cognitive
and affective domains of the participants are
engaged.
In a workshop on literacy development
and the challenges of developing writing skills,
we use Why Do I Write? by Enid Santiago
Welch (Schneider, 1989):
I write to be heard
to be understood
I write to impress
to encourage
I write about
truth, honor
About suffering and
happiness
By offering sentence starters such as I
write to and I write about, we invite
participating teachers to enumerate the many
reasons they engage in the process of writing
and how they may model authentic writing
experiences for their students.
Poetry to Teach Literacy
We often turn to poetry to model
differentiation of instruction and to demonstrate
ways to adapt tasks for English Language
Learners or other at-risk students through
scaffolding or tiering assignments. Eloise
Greenfelds poem titled By Myself (Heard,
2000) lends itself to exploring dimensions of
identity and metaphorical expressions of self
while offering an enriching literacy experience
both to struggling learners and gifted children
within the same classroom. We use this poem to
show how teachers can use poetry as mentor text
(Hoyt, 2008) and how they can create scaffolded
frames for retelling or recreating the poem. The
scaffold below illustrates what type of support
may be helpful for intermediate level learners to
write their own poem modeled after the original
by Greenfeld.
By Myself
Retold by ___________
When Im by myself
And I close my eyes
Im a __________________
Im a __________________
Im a __________________
Im a __________________
12 FALL 2008
Im a whatever I want to be
An anything I care to be
And when I open my eyes
What I care to be
Is me
For a learner who might not be able to
fully comprehend the original poem and struggles
with creating metaphors to describe himself or
herself, a more thoroughly scaffolded version
may be helpful:
By Myself
Retold by ___________
When Im by myself
And I close my eyes
Im a __________________
Im a __________________
And when I open my eyes
What I care to be
Is me
Poetry Splash
Staff developers as well as classroom
teachers often facilitate learning and spark
interest regarding the topic at hand by tapping
into the prior knowledge of those involved in
the learning experience. By anticipating what
they will learn, participants are better able to
incorporate what they already know, resulting in a
deeper understanding of the topic and an increase
in active participation. Educators either involved
in conducting professional development or in
regular classroom teaching generally accomplish
the task of activating prior knowledge through
various techniques such as brainstorming or the
use of graphic organizers. However, another
avenue to focus participants on the topic being
presented is a type of fll-in-the-blank poetry we
call Poetry Splash.
A Poetry Splash is a way in which teachers
can scaffold poetry writing using content area
or nonfction topics and vocabulary. It requires
participants to complete a poem about a particular
theme by selecting from a splash of words
provided in a word bank. The words contained
in the word bank lead learners to create poems
based on both their previous experience with the
subject as well as to learn new information. This
poetry technique is a versatile tool that can be used
with any age group. A recent staff development
session on guided reading was introduced by
asking a group of teachers to complete a Poetry
Splash (see Table 1).
One way to initiate a Poetry Splash
activity is to present the vocabulary words
contained in the word bank frst. Allow the
participants to associate the words freely with the
topic being targeted, encouraging them to make
connections, construct defnitions, and share
sentences aloud containing one or more of the
words. Subsequently, the facilitator distributes
the fll-in-the-blank portion of the activity and
has participants complete their own poems.
Acrostic Poems
Ongoing evaluation and assessment is
an important element to include in planning a
successful learning session. During professional
development, facilitators need to assess whether
or not the participating cohort fully understands
the information being presented. A quick and
simple way to gauge learning is the use of acrostic
poems.
During a lesson presentation, the
facilitator will ask participants to pause and
refect on a particular concept or idea. They will
be asked to write the concept vertically on a piece
of paper using one letter per line. Participants
use each of the letters to write phrases about the
selected concept. The following is an example of
an acrostic poem on literacy:
Love to read
Interconnected
Think alouds
Everyone at their own pace
Reading to learn
Ability to read and write
Comprehension
Yearning to be life-long readers
By sharing their acrostic poems,
participants have the opportunity to assess
their own learning. This strategy can be used
to reinforce presented information or further
examine and discuss the topic to acquire a greater
understanding.
Diamante Poetry
Poetry writing may also be used as
a culminating activity in a learning event to
contrast two ideas that have been presented
(Upson, 1998). A Diamante Poem may be used
for this purpose. It contains seven lines, with each
maintaining a different format by using a specifc
type and number of words. When completed, the
poem resembles the shape of a diamond. The
following describes the format in greater detail:
Line 1 Noun: identifes topic 1
Line 2 Two adjectives: describes topic 1
Line 3 Three -ing verbs: telling about topic 1
Line 4 Four words: Two words about topic 1/
two about topic 2
Line 5 Three -ing verbs: telling about topic 2
Line 6 Two adjectives: describes topic 2
Line 7 Noun: identifes topic 2
Here is an example of a Diamante Poem produced
by a workshop participant:
Guided Reading
Dynamic, strategies
Supporting, assisting, explaining
Groups, monitored, alone, on-my-own
Selecting, enjoying, re-reading
Silent, comfortable
Independent Reading
Conclusion
Infusing poetry into everyday instruction
is benefcial to learners of all ages. Poetry is often
taught in isolation to youngsters with infrequent
lessons that revolve around the reading and
understanding of a particular poem unrelated to
curriculum or content area instruction. When it
comes to professional development, poetry may
be a rare treat. Developing a common practice
of using poetry as a part of the learning process
helps to eliminate its mystique and makes poetry
more accessible to young students. With adult
learnerswhether future teachers or practicing
educatorsthe use of poetry in pre-service or
in-service classes can help them reach beyond
the limits of the learning experience to promote
refective practice, an essential technique to
develop and refne ones teaching expertise while
also experiencing an evocative art form.
References
Fitch, S., & Swartz, L. (2008). The poetry experience: Choosing and using
poetry in the classroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Heard, G. (Ed.). (2000). Songs of myself: An anthology of poems and arts.
New York: Mondo.
Hoyt, L. (2008). Interactive read alouds. Retrieved on May 28, 2008, from
http://www.interactivereadalouds.com/overview.aspx
Rich, A. (1967). Snapshots of a daughter-in-law. New York: W. W. Norton.
Schneider, P. (Ed.). (1989). In our own voices: Writing by women from the
Chicopee writing workshop. Amherst, MA: Amherst Writers &
Artists.
Upson, G. B. (1998). Poetry writing handbook: Defnitions, examples,
lessons (Gr. 4-6). Carthage, IL: Teaching & Learning Company.
Williams, J. A., & Muller, G. H. (1994). Bridges: Literature across cultures.
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Guided Reading
Guided Reading is an instructional __________
Teachers help students become good ________
Teachers work with small, fexible __________
Teachers carefully select __________________
Teachers provide ________________________
Teachers ask higher order level _____________
Guided Reading encourages _______________
Students are actively engaged in ____________
Students focus on________________________
Students better understand ________________
Students use a variety of__________________
Students may read _______________________
Guided Reading is a part of balanced ________
Poetry Splash Word Bank
reading readers strategy
texts strategies support
meaning groups thinking
content silently questions
literacy
Table 1
T
H
E

A
U
T
H
O
R
S
Andrea Honigsfeld, Ed.D., Alpha Pi Chapter, New
York, is associate professor in the Division of
Education at Molloy College. She is a Fulbright
scholar and member of the American Educational
Research Association, Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, Kappa Delta Pi,
International Reading Association, Phi Delta Kappa
and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL) and NYSTESOL. Maria Dove
is an ESL teacher in Valley Stream, New York, and
adjunct instructor at Molloy College. She is currently
pursuing an advanced degree in the instructional
leadership doctoral program.
14 FALL 2008
T
he traditions and crafts associated
with adding color to textiles and other
materials were important to almost all
historic cultural groups. Naturally occurring
colored materials or natural colorants were used
to paint the body; add interest and pattern to clay,
basketry, and wood objects; and color textiles.
Archaeological evidence and documentation of
materials and practices of anthropologists and
others demonstrate the important cultural role
of natural colorants (Barber, 1991). Until 1856
when the frst synthetic dye was created, natural
sources of color included plants, insects, animals,
and minerals. The colorants that bond with
textile fbers or other materials are collectively
described as natural dyes. Natural dyes were one
of the components that fueled the spice trade and
were signifcant trade commodities for centuries
including most of the nineteenth century
(Casselman, 1993; Fereday, 2003; Liles, 1990).
Because of the wide range of colors possible
with natural dyes, medieval and cultural dye recipes
were carefully protected and rarely recorded so
Natural Dyes: A Traditional
Craft Experiencing New
Attention
Natural dyes are derived from naturally occurring sources. Although natural dyes have been used for
centuries, their use was greatly reduced with the development of synthetic dyes in the nineteenth century.
These natural dyes are experiencing renewed interest because of the importance of green and natural
products. While natural dyes are renewable and sustainable, their use can be controversial. Natural dyes
are a great tool for educators because they add interest to many areas of education including history,
natural science, math, art, social studies, and family and consumer sciences.
BY SARA KADOLPH
that dyers could maintain a competitive advantage
over their competition. Unfortunately, when dyers
switched to synthetic dyes, their knowledge of the
traditional craft of natural dyes died with them.
By 1910, most commercially available textiles in
the North American and European markets were
dyed with synthetic dyes. By the 1930s most
ethnic groups who had maintained a dye tradition
after contact with Europeans had also switched to
synthetic dyes.
Natural dyes and plant-based pigments
are colorants derived from natural sources such
as plants (e.g., indigo and saffron); insects (e.g.,
cochineal beetles and lac scale insects); animals
(e.g., some species of mollusks or shellfsh); and
T
H
E

A
U
T
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Sara J. Kadolph is professor in textiles and
clothing in the Department of Apparel, Educational
Studies, and Hospitality Management at Iowa State
University, where she has been a faculty member
since 1980. Sara is a member of Beta Theta Chapter
in Iowa. She has written several textbooks related
to textiles and quality assurance in the textile and
apparel industry and is a passionate natural dyer.
minerals (e.g., ferrous sulfate, ochre, and clay).
Heat and water as the solvent are used to extract the
natural dye from the dyestuff (the plant or insect
part from which the colorant is removed). These
dyes are usually applied to textiles by combining
them in a hot water bath and heating the bath for
approximately one hour to bond the dye to the fber.
Unfortunately, not all colored extracts function as
dyes. For example, chlorophyll, extracted from
grass and other green vegetation, is not an effective
dye because it will not form a permanent chemical
bond with textile fbers.
Natural dyes are categorized as either
additive or substantive. Additive natural dyes
require the addition of a chemical assistant,
such as a metallic salt, to form chemical bonds
between the dyes and the fber. The metallic salt is
known as a mordant. Common mordants include
alum (aluminum potassium sulfate), copper
(copper sulfate), and iron (ferrous sulfate). The
additive dyes are also known as mordant dyes.
Substantive natural dyes chemically bond with
fbers without requiring the use of any chemical
assistant. Additive dyes include onion skins and
marigold. Substantive dyes include cochineal
and most tree barks.
Mordants can be added before dyeing
(pre-mordanting), during dyeing (simultaneous
mordanting), or after dyeing (post-mordanting).
The specifc mordant and the stage of mordanting
infuence the color achieved. While many dyers
prefer to mordant a large quantity of textiles at a
time, other dyers mordant only what they plan to
dye or mordant while dyeing. Post-mordanting is
used to shift hue and is usually used to achieve a
color not possible with any other combination of
dye or mordant.
The manner in which the dyestuff is
handled will also affect the color achieved. Indigo
and woad are fermented to develop their blue
colors. Some dyestuffs such as Queen Annes lace
and elderberries are used fresh to best advantage;
others, such as lac, must be boiled and reduced to
achieve a useable dye. Dried materials, especially
fower petals and fruit, often produce a different
color compared to fresh materials.
Current Developments
With the ever-increasing interest in green
products, low carbon-footprint lifestyles, and
environmentally friendly consumerism, there
is an escalating interest in natural products,
including natural dyes. Current commercial
interest in natural dyes is primarily as colorants
for food. Natural food dyes include carminic acid
for processed foods and yogurt, annatto for dairy
and bakery products, carotene for beverages
and frozen foods, curcumin for beverages and
candies, spinach for ice cream and candies,
and beets for fruit and dairy products (Rung
International, 2008). In addition to use as a food
dye, there is a growing interest for using natural
dyes to dye textiles; to stain wood, ceramics, and
some plastics; to add color to cosmetics; and to
dye hair. While synthetic dyes are derived from
non-renewable coal tar and petroleum, natural
dyes are extracted from plant and animal sources
and are renewable and sustainable.
By defnition and careful management,
natural dyes are renewable since they can be
farmed much as grain crops, livestock, fsh,
and honeybees are produced. However, there
is some concern about the sustainability and
environmental impact of natural dyes. These
concerns include harvest practices, use of certain
mordants, and disposal of extracted dyestuffs
(Glover, 1995). Natural dyestuffs are either
harvested from the surrounding area or grown
specifcally to be used as a natural dye. When
harvesting from naturally occurring dyestuffs,
one should harvest no more than one-fourth of
the dyestuff in an area to ensure that the dyestuff
will remain as a viable colony in its natural
environment. When natural dyestuffs are grown,
one must be careful to minimize any damage to
the environment resulting from the growing and
harvesting of the dyestuff.
Many contemporary natural dyers use
only mordants that have minimal environmental
and chemical hazard issues. For example, alum
(aluminum potassium sulfate) is used in baking.
Most dyers do not use the more toxic mordants
that were commonly used prior to 1856: stannous
chloride, potassium dichromate, or mercury
salts. Even when using alum, many dyers use
concentrations as low as 5 percent and reuse
mordant baths many times by adding smaller
concentrations of alum to the bath.
The manner of discarding dyestuffs from
which the dye has been extracted depends on
16 FALL 2008
the type of material. Most plant materials can
be added when cool to a compost heap. After
their decomposition, the residue can be used to
augment the soil.
Another concern with natural dyes relates
to their supposedly poor fastness characteristics
(Glover, 1995). While some natural dyes do
fade, it is also true that not all synthetic dyes are
completely colorfast. In support of the fastness of
natural dyes, one can examine the textiles in most
museums for color. Any item dated prior to 1856
and many items dated between 1856 and 1900 are
dyed with natural dyes. A wide range of vibrant
colors can be seen in these historic textiles that
provide evidence of the good fastness properties
of the commercially signifcant natural dyes.
Research and development programs
focus on natural dyes as a means of developing
rural areas, producing unique sustainable
agricultural products, enhancing an existing
or developing a new craft market, and meeting
consumer needs for organic products. India has
several research programs focused on providing
commercial textile and related products that are
dyed with natural dyes. These programs support
the discovery of new natural dyes, improvements
in the color-fastness performance of traditional
natural dyes, and increases in the output of
natural dyes and naturally dyed goods for sale.
Mexico has developed cochineal farms where
the cochineal beetle is raised as a red dye. The
Dominican Republic is developing plantations
of logwood for commercial use to produce blue,
gray, or black dyes.
Fiber artists on several continents work
primarily or exclusively with natural dyes to
produce their art (Kadolph & Gilbertson, 2002).
This list demonstrates the range of artists and
their work: traditional Iban weavings by Karama
Ak Dampa (Malaysia); rugs by Pamela Feldman
(U.S.); wall hangings by Susan Furneaux (Canada)
and Di McPherson (Australia); baskets by Judy
Dominic (U.S.); parchment by Inge Boesken
Kanold (France); yardage by Ulla Lapiolahti
(Finland) and Seiju Yamazaki (Japan); tapestries
by Karin Delaunay-Delfs (France); womens apparel
by Ruby Ghuznavi (Bangladesh); water color on
paper by Virginia Hoge (U.S.); pojaggi (fabric quilts)
by Ji-Hee Kim (Korea); and traditional Maori
costume by Christina Wirihana (New Zealand).
Teaching Applications
Natural dyes are a rich source of information
for educators. Educators can use these dyes to
illustrate the history of exploration and global
trade; to assist in the study of science (the
botany of dye plants, the zoology of dye insects
and mollusks, the geology of mordants and the
mineral dyes, the chemistry of natural dyes, the
physics of color, and the physiology of color
vision); to understand the development of art
by examining the use of color in paintings,
architecture, and sculpture; to animate social
studies or anthropology by examining the
cultural traditions of dyeing; to provide practice
in calculating simple mathematical problems
to determine the textile-to-mordant ratios and
weights needed for dyeing; to give hands-on
experiences in family and consumer sciences by
adding natural color to food or textiles; and to
provide a framework to help students understand
the basic concepts of laboratory research.
In an upper level textile science course
in a public land grant universitys apparel
merchandising and design program, natural dyes
are used to introduce the chemistry of dyes and
dyeing methods used in the worldwide textile and
apparel industry and to help students integrate the
chemistry of fbers with the chemistry of dyes.
The class uses a variety of exotic (e.g., imported
dried insects, wood, spice or dried fowers) and
locally grown materials (e.g., hulls, fruit, leaves,
roots, or fresh fowers). The natural dye unit
includes lecture; readings; laboratory experiences
mordanting fabric, extracting dyes, and dyeing
fabric with them; and a project focusing on
independent research related to students interests.
The lecture includes a brief history of dyeing
and natural dyes, availability of natural dyes in
todays market, the potential of natural dyes as a
sustainable and renewal resource, environmental
issues related to natural dyes and their uses, and
techniques and processes used with natural dyes.
Lecture and readings also include basic concepts
related to laboratory research: use of control
groups, independent and dependent variables,
research design, and development of hypotheses.
Variables that student researchers manipulate in
the project include generic fber type (wool, silk,
cotton, rayon, nylon, or polyester), plant species,
treatment of the dyestuff (fresh, fermented,
frozen, or dried), mordant, stage of mordanting,
pH of the dyebath, and post-mordanting of the
dyed textiles.
The laboratory work includes preparing
selected dyestuffs for extraction, extracting the
dye, mordanting the fabric before dyeing, and
dyeing the fabric. Each student receives 16
samples of dyed fabric using four dyes (cochineal,
logwood, marigold, and ragweed) and four
mordants (alum, copper, iron, and no mordant).
Written reports focus on application of dye
theory emphasizing dye class and fber type; the
hypothesis being tested; the experimental design
identifying independent and dependent variables
and use of controls; the method of handling the
dyestuff , extracting the dye and dyeing the fabric;
results including textile samples, conclusions,
and references.
Students in the class have enjoyed the
opportunity to explore natural dyes and develop
a small research project. They were able to apply
concepts learned in class and address challenges
that occur when conducting research. The single
largest area of comment was that the resulting
color was not what they expected based on the
color of the original dyestuff. That issue is one
that all dyers address regardless of using natural
or synthetic dyes, but it is more pronounced with
natural dyes. It is also one of the attractions of
natural dyeingthe serendipitous nature of
working with natural materials.
Summary
Natural dyes are experiencing renewed interest
in the art world and in commercial applications.
Natural dyes are a renewable and sustainable
resource that can have minimal environmental
impact while providing good serviceability to
consumers. These dyes also provide educators
with a rich source of information to supplement or
provide a framework for educational experiences
covering a range of subject matter areas and
learning styles.
References
Barber, E.J.W. (1991). Prehistoric textiles: The development of cloth in the
Neolithic and Bronze Ages with special reference to the Aegean.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Casselman, K.L. (1993). Craft of the dyer: Colour from plants and lichens.
(2nd Rev. ed.). New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
Fereday, G. (2003). Natural dyes. London: The British Museum Press.
Glover, B. (1995). Are natural colorants good for your health? Are synthetic
ones better? Textile Chemist and Colorist, 27(4), 17-20.
Kadolph, S. J., & Gilbertson, L. F. (Eds.) (2002). Proceedings, Colour
Congress 2002: The art, history and use of natural dyes. Ames,
IA: Iowa State University.
Liles, J.N. (1990). The art and craft of natural dyeing: Traditional recipes for
modern use. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press.
Rung International, website accessed May 19, 2008, at
http://www.foodadditivesworld.com/products/
useful pictures or may be tempted to misuse the
camera.
Some students are very resistant to being
photographed at all. Their wishes should be
respected, but teachers can still encourage them
to participate every time photos are being taken.
Camera-shy students can take photos, select the
best photos for a project, arrange subjects to be
photographed, take responsibility for copying
photos to a classroom computer, or carry out the
planning and note-taking the project might require.
A camera-shy student may be more willing to
participate in a small-group activity with trusted
peers or when prints of the photos will be given to
the students at the end of the project.
School districts may have a privacy
policy forbidding photography in classrooms that
serve special student populations. Teachers must
be aware of district privacy policies before they
photograph students. While parents are unlikely
to object when photos are displayed only in the
classroom or are given to students as keepsakes,
they may object if the same photos are used in
school print publications or on school websites
without prior parent permission. Administration
may recommend that parents sign a permission
slip that explains district policies on photography
and details how classroom photos will be used.
As with any technology, knowledge is
power. An educator who is familiar with the
camera and knows how to collect and manage
the students photographs will be better prepared
to deal with ethical concerns that may arise from
the use of digital cameras in the classroom.
Continued from page 9
Limitless Images: Digital Photography in the Classroom
18 FALL 2008
I
n art class, children are often praised for
the uniqueness of their work, rather than
its conformity to a predetermined standard or
response (Hurwitz & Day, 2007, p. 28).
The University Course
Art Education Field Experience is a
required senior level course for art education
majors prior to student teaching. The course
provides secondary teaching experience for pre-
service art teachers in preparation for their student
teaching experience. After implementation of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of
This article presents an anecdotal discussion of collaboration between a college art education professor
and a high school teacher. In the past 4 years, the secondary experiential course for pre-service art
teachers has included teaching a class of students with special needs at a local high school. The goal is
to provide pre-service art teachers with confdence and skills that will improve their teaching practice
with all students.
The Power of Collaboration: Two
Teachers Working Together for Their
Students Success
BY ELLEN POCHEDLEY AND JULIANN DORFF
1997, a review of the course led to the inclusion
of an assignment that places pre-service teachers
in a classroom of students with special needs.
The hope is that pre-service teachers will realize
the humanity in all students and overcome the
fear that keeps teachers from fully including
every student in their classrooms.
As stated by Hurwitz and Day, the art room
is a place where uniqueness and individuality
are celebrated. In order for all students to fnd
this environment welcoming, teachers must be
confdent in their abilities to teach all children.
This sense of teacher effcacy directly relates to
ELLEN POCHEDLEY
JULIANN DORFF
student success in the classroom (Delacruz, 1997,
p. 58). Exposure and experience help develop
teacher effcacy in pre-service teachers.
The High School Students with Autism
Identifed on the autism spectrum, the fve
participating students possessed defcits in speech
and language, cognitive development, and social
skills and behaviors. Instructional planning was
based on an embedded functional curriculum
focusing on life skills, work experiences,
functional academics, and community activities.
The instructional goals of the curriculum were
making independent choices, communicating
needs in a nonverbal manner (e.g. picture cards,
communication boards, gestures), completing
work tasks, and demonstrating appropriate social
courtesies and practices. The descriptions below
provide a sketch of each student and his or her
abilities.
Kevin was a 17-year-old with echolalic speech.
Speaking in frst person to Kevin increased his
responses to the teachers questions. He enjoyed
drawing, and he placed a high priority on completing
every project that he started in a session.
Martha was 17 and possessed a very large
repertoire of sight words. She was the most
vocal student in the class. During art class she
demonstrated heightened verbal expression and
varied voice infection. Martha worked slowly
and precisely on her drawings, using them to
express her interests.
Anne was 21 and used basic signs and gestures
to communicate her choices and needs. She also
utilized an augmentative communication device
with teacher support. Annes fne motor skills
were delayed, and she received occupational
therapy to learn and practice daily living skills
that require fne motor use.
Matt was 17 and followed many established
rituals during the school day. He displayed some
stressed behavior when his routine or environment
was changed.
Adam was 16 and worked in short sessions timed
with a visual timer. He began his project, took a
break for physical activity, and then returned to
his art project.
Kevin, Martha, Anne, and Matt followed
a written daily schedule indicating times and
activities. Each student carried a clipboard
with his or her schedule attached and marked
off scheduled activities as they occurred. Adam
utilized a picture schedule kept in the classroom
that he checked after completing each activity or
lesson.
Planning for Instruction
Due to students special needs, increased
modifcations and adaptations are needed for
successful experiences in the art classroom.
The frst step for the pre-service teachers is an
observational visit to the classroom. This provides
them with the opportunity to meet the students,
talk with the teacher and para-professionals, and
begin to develop ideas regarding instruction. The
pre-service teachers are encouraged to incorporate
the instructional goals of the class within their art
lessons.
The pre-service art teachers then identify
artworks of interest. When selecting artworks to
share with the students, they are encouraged to
select works with identifable subjects rather than
non-objective (abstract) imagery (Yenawine,
2002). This enables the students to connect with
the artwork and read the stories presented in the
pieces. After a thorough critical examination
of the artwork to uncover the story, meaning,
and message, the pre-service teachers develop
detailed two-day lesson plans that include scripts.
As with any student population, investigating
ideas of interest to the students is essential.
The pre-service art teachers are
encouraged to post their names and pictures
of themselves on the board. These are left
up throughout their tenure to reinforce their
identities. The pre-service teachers create
visual schedules for each of the students. These
provide a reference for the steps of the lesson.
This advance notice provides a more relaxed
atmosphere in the classroom. For example,
knowing that washing hands is a step in the
lesson, students are more comfortable working
with messy materials. These visual schedules are
reinforced with posters of the art materials and
20 FALL 2008
processes being used when appropriate. A large
visual timer is used to establish the duration of
each step in the lesson. Students are more easily
convinced to continue a task when they know
there is a set end to the activity.
Other concepts considered during
planning ensure that each activity can be
completed in the time allowed. For example,
books must be read in their entirety, or students
like Kevin will be upset. If this is not possible,
copies of the appropriate pages must be provided
rather than the entire text. It is also recommended
that instruction be varied rather than routinized.
This variation limits the development of a ritual.
It is also essential, due to the students diffculty
in processing auditory information, that verbal
instruction is provided in simple commands.
These commands are more effective when
reinforced with hand movements, including
sign language. Because students with autism
interpret language literally, commands must be
phrased for clear understanding. The command,
Recess is over has little meaning, but Time to
get back to work is clearly understood. It is also
important to provide only one activity at a time.
For example, instructions are lost if given while
distributing papers.
It was also important for the pre-
service art teachers to be aware of behaviors
that communicate student anxiety. Rapid eye
movement, fapping of hands and arms, and
hand biting are indications that the students are
becoming upset.
The Lesson Strategies
Because the fve students were mostly
non-verbal, creative methods were needed to
engage the students with the artworks and the
concepts of the lesson. It was important to
provide the students with visuals they could
easily see. Rather than posting an image on the
wall, the instructor handed out individual copies
for each student to allow him or her to examine
the image close up. Based on the story being
told, different activities helped the students
explore the image. For example, when viewing
the work Giant Snowball (2003) by Andy
Goldsworthy, the pre-service teacher began by
placing an ice cube on each students desk. As
the students examined the progression of the
melting snowball in the artwork, they witnessed
the change taking place in real time through the
ice cube. To assist the students in understanding
a sculpture of a toy bear by Jeff Koons, the pre-
service teacher brought in the actual toy along
with texture plates and porcelain so the students
could feel the difference between a plush animal
and a statue. This was reinforced by playing a
mystery touch game where differently textured
objects were placed in bags for the students to
touch without visual cues. Simple costumes were
also used to make connections. When examining
the work Some/One (2001) by artist Do-Ho Suh,
the students discussed the concept of security.
They were each given a baseball mitt, a kitchen
apron, sunglasses, and a hard hat to wear
protective objects that helped them feel safe.
Individual works allowed students to
play I spy, identifying key objects in the
artwork. This can be done in a variety of ways.
With laminated reproductions, students can use
a washable marker directly on the piece and
circle important elements. In another activity,
pre-service art teachers cut out images from the
work and prompt students to fnd matching pairs.
Alternately, the artwork can be cut into simple
puzzle pieces that when assembled reveal the
story. Paint color swatches can provide easy
matching tools to identify the colors present
and relate them to colors on a color wheel. This
also demonstrates how students with autism will
often match the color swatches to less signifcant
facets of the work rather than the focal point. For
example, when examining the work Buttons, Her
Strength is in Her Principles (1982) by Elizabeth
Layton, Kevin focused on the outline of the fgure
in the colored-pencil drawing.
Studio Production
Any studio materials can be effective
for students with autism provided reasonable
precautions are taken. Care must be taken
to provide the students with clean, cared-for
materials that ease stress. For example, when
providing watercolor trays, it is important to
have the cakes clean and intact. The size of
the paintbrush as well as the design also needs
consideration. For example, sponge brushes hold
additional paint and thus limit re-loading with
paint. Large brushes allow for covering larger
areas and push students to use broad expressive
strokes.
Whenever possible, materials are chosen
that have the beneft of texture to provide further
sensory connections with the students. Making
texture rubbings over different materials such as
screens provided sound and created an image. In
another project, students designed printing plates
of found objects. Printmaking was particularly
rewarding as it provided the students with the
opportunity to replicate an image. Clay methods
of pinch pots and push/pull animals were also
successful. At one point, students worked
together to create collaborative pieces using
foam core and fabric.
It has also been important to identify
tools and techniques that can be adapted for
these students. Using pyramid-shaped crayons
helps students get a variety of stroke widths
with the same tool. Adaptive scissors help
with hand-over-hand instructional techniques.
Sponge brushes are made with paint pads inside
the sponges to eliminate the step of reflling the
brush. Flavors can be added to paint to provide
the added sensory stimulus of smell.
The Results
The pre-service art education students
develop their teaching environment to meet the
needs of the targeted students. This results in
effective and meaningful teaching.
Independent decision making: The students
regularly make independent decisions related
to their choice of color, media, and the content
of their work, creating personal stories. In other
subjects, Kevin tends to copy his friends work.
This behavior is not as evident during art class
where Kevin creates independently. Sometimes
Kevin copies the teachers demonstrations, but
with modifed instruction he creates his own
work of art.
Extended attention span and social skills
development: Students are more attentive during
art class than during other activities. Appropriate
social skills and positive behavior are displayed
throughout each lesson. If the focus of the lesson
is lost, the visual tools and media greatly assist the
distracted student, regaining his or her attention.
Demonstrated personal communication through
connections to personal experiences: The students
are clearly communicating through their art. For
example, Martha was given a questionnaire to
take home regarding a recent family vacation.
Her parents returned it with information about
their New York City trip. The pre-service art
teacher used this information as a focal point in
the lesson. Inspired by her memories, Martha
included a precise drawing of the Broadway
Theatre her family attended. She also included
at least fve other sites in NYC that the family
visited. Today, Marthas drawing hangs in the
classroom, and on occasion she will admire her
work and initiate conversation about her NYC
trip with her family.
Breaking out of routines and rituals: Matt has
many rituals in his daily routine. The pre-service
art teachers have designed their instruction to
require Matt to make choices that are outside
of his routine. During art class, Matt will make
choices more readily and with less stress. He
smiles frequently and has tried different kinds
of media. He has grown in his willingness to
work with messy, wet, or dirty materials. As
part of his routine, Matt wears the same color
shirt everyday. To begin art class, he is required
to put on a protective paint shirt. He will
cooperatively put the paint shirt over his daily
uniform shirt. This newfound fexibility is quite
an accomplishment.
Pacing and fexibility in planning: Adam has
shown his pre-service art teachers that a lesson
can be divided into smaller segments with
success. His participation in art class is possible
because the pre-service teachers have recognized
his need to take breaks while working on a piece.
They understand his desire to return and fnish
his project. The pre-service teachers have also
encountered teaching days when Adam is not
ready to return after his break. They have been
required to make changes and adaptations while
teaching.
New opportunity for family and community
connections: Parents enthusiastically endorse the
program and comment about how happy their
children are on Wednesday morning because it
22 FALL 2008
is Art Day. Parents also attend a public display of
their childrens work organized and presented by
the pre-service art teachers. The art show is attended
by extended family and the community as well.
The art class infuence extends into the
home as well. Inspired by her artwork, Annes
mother painted and decorated her room using four
paintings that Anne completed as the focal point.
Importance of well-organized lesson plans,
adaptive tools, and personal fexibility: One
of the most valuable lessons that the pre-
service teachers have learned is the necessity
of organization within their plans as well as the
development of instructional tools that will be
effective in teaching their lessons. Taking the
time to cut out aspects of the artwork so that
students can focus on the key elements in the
piece, creating visual schedules for each days
teaching, and planning variations in instruction
to meet the needs of each student are essential. It
is also important to maintain good humor when
situations in the classroom make these extra
efforts ineffective.
Power of professional dialogue: Both the pre-
service art teachers and the high school teacher
beneft from this collaboration. By working
directly with the classroom teacher, the pre-
service art teachers gain immediate feedback
to improve their instruction. The new ideas
presented by the pre-service art teachers help to
invigorate the more experienced educators.
Conclusion
At the beginning of each semester a new group of
pre-service art teachers is assigned to develop art
lessons for this class of very special students. They
begin this assignment with trepidation, concerned
that they do not have enough experience and are
unprepared. After their teaching assignment is
fnished, their most common refection is how
this was the most rewarding teaching experience
they have had to date.
Educators can never fully grasp all there
is to know about teaching, but they can always
be open to learn. It is the responsibility of art
teachers to teach all students. To do this, they need
to have confdence that they are able to create
and teach meaningful art lessons that support the
learning outcomes for each student. Through this
collaborative effort these pre-service art teachers
gain the confdence and skills needed to refect
and grow in their teaching. With the experiences
this program provides, they are prepared to
welcome all students into their classrooms.
References
Delacruz, E. (1997). Design for inquiry: Instructional theory, research and
practice in art education. Reston, VA: National Art Education
Association.
Hurwitz A. & Day, M. (2007). Children and their art. Belmont, CA:
Thomson Higher Education.
Yenawine, P. (2002). Jump starting visual literacy. Art Education, 56(1), 6-12.
T
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Ellen K. Pochedley is a member of Theta Chapter
in Ohio and is an intervention specialist/Autism
for Theodore Roosevelt High School. She received
her National Board Certifcation as an Exceptional
Needs Specialist in 2000. Juliann B. Dorff is an
instructor at Kent State University and a member
of the National Art Education Associations Special
Needs Group and Womens Caucus.
Potter a place in the minds of naturalists and
in the hearts of children in many countries.
Biographer Linda Lear in Beatrix Potter: A Life
in Nature uses ordinary experiences to depict the
extraordinary life of a naturalist, writer, illustrator,
entrepreneur, farmer and environmentalist. She
also revealed the heart-rending story of true love
cut short on the eve of a wedding. Lear leads
the reader through emotional peaks and valleys
revealing epic contributions of Beatrix Potter
whose success as wise businesswoman in a
masculine world is juxtaposed with her creative
spark as storyteller who created a new fable
where animals behave always as real animals,
with true animal instincts accurately drawn by
a scientifc illustrator (p. 153). Peter Rabbits
creator embarked on a challenging new career
and found a lasting new love after the age of 50.
The work of epic proportions reaches worlds
beyond the expected. Through Potters legacy of
perseverance through gender bias and personal
loss, Lear brings the power of a brilliant artist,
scientist, and conservationist to the forefront of
educational literature.
2008 Educators Award
Continued from page 6
I
work at the university level teaching
undergraduate students who are preparing to
become teachers (pre-service teachers). I need
to make sure that my students are learning the
concepts being taught, but I do not always like
to give tests. Therefore, I use poetry writing as
an after-strategy so my students can thoughtfully
think about what they have learned about various
concepts and strategies for teaching reading
effectively in the classroom.
In addition, I will review some of the
literature that discusses the importance of
integrating writing and content information.
I will also explain how poetry can be used to
differentiate instruction for all students. Next,
I explain the procedure for implementing this
activity with my pre-service teachers including
several of their examples. Finally, I will refect
on the benefts that poetry writing provides to
pre-service teachers and to their future K-12
students.
Poetry writing can be both fun and unintimidating, especially when poetry provides so many choices that
appeal to a large variety of learning styles. Not only are there many types of poetry, such as inspirational
poems, humorous poems, friendship poems, science poems, and reading poems, but there are also many
poetry patterns such as haiku, tanka, shape, and list. Thus, poetry writing appears to be an effective
learning tool as it uses creative writing and refective thinking about the literacy vocabulary and content
information that pre-service teachers are learning while at the same time providing differentiated
learning.
Patterned Poetry Writing
Helps Preservice Teachers
Summarize Content Learning
Integrating Writing into Content
Literature sources confrm that teachers in
various content areas have used poetry for many
years to enrich curricula and to help students learn
content concepts (Calkins, 2004; Kane & Rule,
2004; Maxim, 1998; Robertson, 1997; Rodgers
& Zolbrod, 1986; Spatz, 1982). In addition,
Moore, Moore, Cunningham, and Cunningham
(2006, p. 2), state that there are three compelling
reasons to teach writing and reading in content-
area classrooms:
1. Reading and writing are tools for learning.
2. Literacy requirements continually increase
in school and society.
BY SUSAN SZABO
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Susan Szabo, Ed.D., is professor in the Curriculum
and Instruction Department at Texas A &
MCommerce and is a member of Beta Lambda
Chapter in Texas. She teaches reading to both
graduate and undergraduate students and is a
member of the International Reading Association
and College Reading Association.
24 FALL 2008
3. Content-area teachers can teach content-
area reading and writing best.
However, teachers often feel that
devoting time to writing instruction is diffcult
given the amount of content information that
must be covered in the typical curriculum (Troia
& Maddox, 2004). This is supported by data from
the 2002 National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) that reported only 28% of
fourth graders, 31% of eighth graders, and
24% of twelfth graders performed at or above a
profcient level in writing achievement (Persky,
Daane, & Jin, 2003). There are many reasons
why students fnd writing challenging, such as
changing student demographics, the nature of
writing, time constraints, quality of instruction
in the classroom (Graham & Harris, 2002), and
individual student characteristics (Troia and
Graham, 2003).
Differentiated Instruction
Using differentiated instruction allows each
student to use his or her strengths and interests
to enhance the learning experience. There are
three ways that classroom teachers can modify
their lessons in order to provide differentiated
instruction (Berger, 2000; Heacox, 2002;
Tomlinson, 1999). They are (a) differentiating the
content or topic, (b) differentiating the process or
activities, and (c) differentiating the product.
According to Heacox (2002), a teacher
can differentiate the content or what is being
taught in several ways:
The teacher can differentiate the content by
providing students with the opportunity to read,
examine, explore, and learn about different
subtopics within a main topic. This allows
the students to explore something of interest
to them in more detail and then share their
learning with the class.
The teacher can provide students with various
materials and resources that match their reading
level. Thus, teachers need to have access to a
large variety of multi-leveled books about
various content topics. Both the school library
and the public library are valuable resources
for books.
For my university classroom, I differentiated the
content for each of the reading topics we studied
as my students were given various sources of
material to read. Some read from the text; some
read from peer-reviewed articles; and some
explored and read about the various reading
topics on the Internet. They were directed toward
several specifc websites, such as
http://searchlight.utexas.org/
http://www.texasreading.org/utcrla/
The second way to differentiate a lesson
is to provide choice during the process. Teachers
need to integrate various learning activities
and strategies into their planned lesson so that
students can make sense of what is being taught
(Tomlinson, 1999). Thus, the teacher needs
to provide various activities and strategies to
help students to organize and refect on the
information that is being learned. Activities
that can be used are centers, interactive bulletin
boards, and literature circles. Strategies that can
be used are graphic organizers such as the What
do you Know, What do you Want to know, and
what have you Learned (KLW) created by Ogle,
1986, and the what do you already Know, what
do you Want to know, what Hard words have
confused you, what Heart wordor emotional
worddoes the reading trigger for you, what
have you Learned (KWHHL) created by Szabo,
2006, which promote higher-order thinking and
work with vocabulary words. However, teachers
need to encourage their students to choose the
activity or strategy that best fts their learning
style (Sprenger, 2003). Poetry itself provides
for differentiating of the process as there are a
variety of poetry patterns that can be chosen by
the author to use while writing.
Finally, differentiating the product
encourages students to show off what they have
learned in a meaningful way that interests them.
Students self-select a method that will allow them
to be successful at showing they have learned the
material that was taught (Bailey & Williams-Black,
2008). Thus, my students poetry products varied as
the students were allowed to pick both their content
topic and their poetry pattern to share in class.
Procedure: Creating Reading Content Poetry
by Pre-service Teachers
Step 1: As a whole class, we frst created an
acrostic poem as it is normally the poem that is
known by most students. I put the letters READ
vertically down the board, and as a whole class
we developed sentences that started with the
letter to describe our topic.
Step 2: Next, as a whole class, we created
a reading list poem. This was done by frst
asking each group to create a sentence that tells
something about reading that they have learned
thus far. I further explain that Reading had to
be the frst word in the sentence. After about 3
minutes of brainstorming and talking within the
group, each group shared its sentence. While they
shared, I wrote these sentences on the board. I
then explained that they had created a list poem.
Step 3: We next used our various resources
and materials to talk about numerous poetry
patterns. Then each group of 3 to 4 students
picked a poetry pattern and a reading topic about
which to write. After 15 minutes, the poetry was
shared with the class. A class discussion followed
to determine if the information presented was
important information about the topic. Second,
the class determined if the poem was well-
written and used the correct pattern for the poem.
This had my students counting words, syllables,
adjectives, and nouns as well as reading their
text to provide pertinent information. Several
examples of their poetry follow:
The List Poem
Reading
Reading helps us to explore and comprehend life.
Reading is a transaction between the reader and
the author of the text.
Reading is decoding.
Reading is a form of communication.
Reading is talk written down.
Reading is saying the words correctly.
Reading is key to academic success.
The Acrostic Poem
READ
Reading has many purposes.
Efferent reading is for information.
Aesthetic reading is for fun and enjoyment.
Discussions help to summarize the material better.
The Repetitive Poem
Books
Some books are patterned. Some are not.
Some books are predictable. Some are not.
Some books are fairy tales. Some are not.
Some books are narratives. Some are not.
Some books are humorous. Some are not.
Some books are read aesthetically. Some are not.
Some books are well illustrated. Some are not.
Some books are informative. Some are not.
Some books are read aloud. Some are not.
Some books are chapter books. Some are not.
Some books are read efferently. Some are not.
Some books are sequenced. Some are not.
The Diamante Poem
Listen and Talk
Listen
Receptive, Attentive
Critically, creatively, Simply
Hear, Ear, Speak, Mouth
Gossiping, chatting, chattering
Expressive, animated
Talk
The Limerick Poem
The Boy
The little boy wanted to read a book.
But, he was afraid to take a look.
So, every single day
He went outside to play
And never learned how to read a book.
Refection on the Poetry Writing Project
The ability to gain knowledge from text is
a critical one. Being able not only to understand
the information read but also to evaluate the
information is essential. Watts (2001) and
Abisdris and Casuaga (2001) showed that
poetry writing enhances students understanding
and poems can often be the source of aha
moments, or Now I get it (Walders, 2000,
p. 2). For my students, using poetry writing as
an after-summarizing strategy provided them
with a unique and genuine opportunity to create
meaning while improving their understanding
of the concepts being learned. In addition, using
poetry provided my students with opportunities
to integrate creative writing and content, to
experience differentiated instruction, and to learn
the power of taking time to use writing in the
classroom to enhance learning.
Incorporating patterned poetry writing
into content area teaching has many benefts:
Poetry writing makes concepts come alive as
26 FALL 2008
the writer uses patterned poetry.
Patterned poetry writing not only expands
the students understanding of the vocabulary
words but provides a creative way for them
to show off their understanding of the words
in conjunction with the content.
Students have the structured patterns of a
poem to follow, which provide scaffolding
to them while they are writing, but they are
also free to use any words to fll in the pattern
(Sampson, Rasinski, Sampson, 2003).
Students take apart and look more deeply
at the overall meaning of the content, which
allows them to gain a deeper understanding
about reading and the teaching of reading
as they are writing using various poetry
patterns.
Listening critically to their classmates poetry
helps students with the metacognitive process
as they talk about and think refectively
about each of the poems. Poetry reading also
provides for conversations to occur, which
aids in the comprehension process (Ketch,
2005).
As the students are pre-service teachers,
instructors hope that they learn a variety of
poetry patterns so that they feel comfortable
having their K-12 students write poetry in
their classrooms when they are the classroom
teachers of record. Writing engages the
students in learning the content material
rather than memorizing it.
Poetry writing demonstrates to preservice
teachers (and their future students) that not
all poems rhyme, and it is an authentic way to
show what they have learned in their reading
class.
Poetry writing exposes students to precise
language, and it gives them syntax knowledge
(Heitman, 2005).
Poetry writing allows students to create word
pictures as they express concepts and topics
through original means (Maxim, 1998).
References
Abisdris, G., & Casuga, A. (2001). Atomic poetry: Using poetry to teach
Rutherfords discovery of the nucleus. The Science Teacher, 68, 5862.
Bailey, J. & Williams-Black, T. (2008). Differentiated Instruction: Three
Teachers' perspectives. College reading association yearbook
(in press).
Berger, E. H. (2000). Parents as partners in education: Families and schools
working together (5th ed.). New Jersey: Merrill.
Calkins, L. M. (1994). The art of teaching writing. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Graham, S., & Harris, K. R. (2002). Prevention and intervention for
struggling writers. In M. Shinn, H. Walker, & G. Stoner
(Eds.), Interventions for academic and behavior problems II:
Preventive and remedial techniques (pp. 589610). Washington,
DC: The National Association of School Psychologists.
Heacox, D. (2002). Differentiating instruction in the regular classroom:
How to reach and teach all learners, grades 3-12. Minneapolis:
Free Spirit Publishing.
Heitman, J. (2005). Poetry and literacy from a to yea! Library Media
Connection, 23, 40-42.
Kane, S., & Rule, A.C. (2004). Poetry connections can enhance content area
learning. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 47, 658669.
Ketch, A. (2005). Conversation: The comprehension connection. The
Reading Teacher, 59 (1), 8-13.
Maxim, G. (1998). Writing poetry in the elementary social studies classroom.
Social Education, 64, 207-211.
Moore, D. W., Moore, S. A., Cunningham, P. M., & Cunningham, J. W.
(2006). Developing readers and writers in the content areas K-12
(5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Ogle, D. (1986). KWL: A teaching model that develops active reading of
expository text. The Reading Teacher, 39, 564-570.
Persky, H. R., Daane, M. C., & Jin, Y. (2003). The nations report card:
Writing 2002. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education,
National Center for Education Statistics.
Robertson, J. (1997). Poetry in science. Voices from the Middle, 4, 7-10.
Rodgers, G. & Zolbrod, P. (1986). Images of creation in science and poetry.
Journal of College Science Teaching, 15, 530-534.
Sampson, M.B., Rasinski, T., & Sampson, M. (2003). Total literacy:
Reading, writing and learning (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Publishing.
Spatz, L. (1982). Six women: A demonstration of the use of poetry in health
science curriculum. College English, 44, 674-684.
Sprenger, M. (2003). Differentiation through learning styles and memory.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Szabo, S. (2006). KWHHL: A student-driven evolution of the KWL.
American Secondary Education, 34, 57-67.
Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs
of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.
Troia, G. A., & Graham, S. (2003). Effective writing instruction across
the grades: What every educational consultant should know.
Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 14,
7589.
Troia, G. A., & Maddox, M. E. (2004). Writing instruction in middle schools:
Special and general education teachers share their views and
voice their concerns. Exceptionality, 12, 1937.
Walders, D. (2000). Poetry and science education. (ERIC Document
Reproduction Service No. ED 463 946).
Watts, M. (2001). Science and poetry: Passion v. prescription in school
science? International Journal of Science Education,
23, 197208.
The Culmination of Project
WINGS in Arizona
W
ith pride, Arizona announces the
culmination of Project WINGS. WINGS,
an acronym for Wise Investment in
the Next Generation of Students, was a project
conceived more than 20 years ago by six members
of Alpha Epsilon Chapter in Arizona.
In 1984, Phyllis Steinmann, one of the six,
had a vision of a plan to give students and their
parents a goal to aim toward a college education.
The plan involved reaching students in homes
where college was not thought to be a possibility
and helping the parents of these students become
involved in their childs education. Phyllis invited
fve membersDonna Reynolds, Mary Garbagnati,
Lois Cullipher, Kathryn Kutis, and Pam Snowall
of Alpha Epsilon Chapter to join her in the White
Mountains for a weekend to participate in a Think
Tank. Throughout the course of that year, there
were more Think Tank opportunities needed to
refne ideas and to substantiate the plan with the
legalities needed. Alpha Epsilon offcially adopted
the project in 1986.
The plan was presented to three different
school boards. Mesa Public Schools showed
The passion to help students unable to go on for higher education was what helped an Arizona chapter
and several members decide to try such a project. Six educators made a commitment, and others joined
them in this ongoing project that helped make the difference in many lives. This article will explain
many of the steps taken to reach this goal and describe the great impact such an undertaking had on the
community.
the most interest as long as they were under no
future obligations. Thus a school was selected
in Mesa, one with a student population that was
quite transient, was in a low socio-economic area,
and had 0% of their students going on to higher
education. Project WINGS started with a group of
26 kindergarten students in that school. The project
was fortunate to have Lois Cullipher, a teacher at
the school, as an on-site contact person.
A legal contract was drawn up and
signed. Parameters were set. The parent/student
obligations included the following:
Parents were to attend training sessions a.
taught by Alpha Epsilon members.
Parents were to keep WINGS Board informed b.
of address, phone, academic achievement
records, and any academic problems for
BY DONNA REYNOLDS
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Donna J. Reynolds is a retired teacher from the Mesa
Public Schools in Mesa, Arizona, and is a member
of Epsilon Chapter. She is past Omicron (Arizona)
state organization president and has held the offces
of Omicron treasurer, recording secretary, second
vice president and frst vice president. Donna
attended Golden Gift Leadership/Management
Seminar in 1997.
28 FALL 2008
which tutoring was offered.
Parents were to form a group to raise money c.
to help pay for books.
Students leaving the school area needed to stay d.
in contact with the WINGS Board. Students
not staying in contact for 2 consecutive years
would be dropped from the project.
Students were to complete high school e.
with the grade point average to qualify for
enrollment in any of the state universities in
Arizona.
Students needed to enroll in post-high-school f.
study within 2 years of completing high
school.
Students needed to maintain fulltime g.
status as a student in good standing
in a degree program up to 4 years.
In 1988 under the leadership of Phyllis
Steinmann, Project WINGS became an endorsed
project of Omicron State (Arizona) Organization
with Ann Stephens as Omicron States president.
A governing board was created to administer
the project. Members of Alpha Epsilon Chapter
and seven State Organization Presidents have at
different times served on the WINGS Board. Two
members of the original BoardDonna Reynolds
and Lois Cullipherhave served from the
beginning of the Board to its end; Ann Stephens
has served since inception of the State Board.
Fund raisers were organized, including
garage sales, bake sales, ticket sales at a western
dinner theater, craft sales, and cookbooks. In
1986 Phyllis Steinmann secured the assistance of
a fnancial advisor, who served Project WINGS
for 8 years, pro bono, and helped establish
an investment portfolio. A second advisor
fnished the last 4 years for Project WINGS.
The investments paid well and helped make the
fnancial commitment of the project a reality.
Project WINGS was also very fortunate and very
grateful to receive grants from The Delta Kappa
Gamma Educational Foundation. From 1999
through 2004, the project received $16,088 from
the Foundation.
The WINGS students became known
throughout the school district, as well as in the
surrounding areas, with articles in local newspapers
and the Phoenix Republic. The children felt proud
and excited as their parents encouraged them to
do their best. Project WINGS was also one of four
projects representing Delta Kappa Gamma on
Voices of Vision, a television series produced by
the Teaching Learning Network.
In 2000 the group graduated from high
school and celebrated with Omicron State
Organization at the State Convention that year.
One of the students was by then living in Illinois
but came back for the celebration, emphasizing
the importance of the occasion. After high
school graduation, 50% of the WINGS students
used funds from the project to continue their
education. Seven of these graduated from their
respective levels of higher education, and two of
the college graduates also continued on to earn
their Masters Degrees.
At the conclusion of Project WINGS, the
remaining funds were distributed in two ways:
$15,000 was given to Omicron State Organization
to establish an endowment in memory of Phyllis
Steinmann. From that state endowment, a $1,000
scholarship will be given each time interest
accrues to that amount, with the principal to
remain intact. Secondly, ten $4,000 scholarships
were awarded to high school seniors to use for
higher education in the 2008-2009 school year.
These ten recipients were selected from 141
applications received from all parts of Arizona.
The funding of Project WINGS is
offcially over, but it is the hope of Omicron State
members that the emphasis on education will
continue to be seen in the lives of the WINGS
students as they encourage their own children
and generations to come.
Summary
The Mesa, Arizona, Public Schools
welcomed the WINGS program into their school
system. Residents of the community as well as
the state of Arizona helped in many ways by
attending fund-raising activities and thus looked
forward to seeing the project to its completion.
The community impact has certainly been felt.
By having money left over after the Project
completion, we have been able to touch the lives
of ten more students from various parts of the
state in pursuing their education. It is the hope
of the Board that other states may get ideas of
how such a project might be done. Our Board
will gladly help others in getting started.
G
one are the days when music educators
use overhead and flm projectors, long-
play recordings, and reel-to-reel tape
recordings. All teachers in todays world fnd
themselves learning new technology daily
because much of the technology in schools has
become obsolete. The use of a laptop computer
with programs such as Finale (www.fnalemusic.
com), Notation (www.notation.com), Sibelius
(www.sibelius.com), and Alfred Publishing
(www.alfred.com) enable music educators to
demonstrate and teach with SMART Boards and
Promethean Boards, touch-controlled screens
that work with projection and computer. Students
are provided with opportunities for acquiring and
improving music reading and performing skills.
Perhaps the frst place students learn about
technology is in high school; however, teacher
candidates in most colleges and universities are
required to complete a certain number of credit
hours in technology. Because todays teacher
candidates need to be profcient in the use of
technology, all music majors at North Greenville
University complete a 3-hour course titled
Computer Technology for Musicians. Subjects
covered in this class include Digital Audio
Musicians on the Cutting Edge of
Technology
Education in the 21st century must include technology. Students in colleges and universities need to
acquire skills in using the latest software available for the classrooms of todays schools. A computer
course at North Greenville University for all music majors presents to students software programs such
as Finale, Notation, Sibelius, Promethean Boards, Digital Performer, ePortfolio, Auralia and Practica
Musica, Audacity, Smart Music, and Pyware: all of these enable teacher candidates to be better teachers.
The teacher candidates are then able to assist students in the schools in acquiring and using technology
to improve musical skills.
BY JACKIE GRIFFIN AND MARIANNE HOLLAND
JACKIE GRIFFIN
MARIANNE HOLLAND
30 FALL 2008
Workstation, ePortfolio, Auralia and Practica
Musica theory, Audacity, Smart Music, Finale,
Sibelius, and Digital Performer (Griffn, 2008).
When learning to assemble the Digital
Audio Workstation, students use the Computer
Processing Unit (CPU) with sound card, mixer,
and synthesizer. It is important that the student
learn to follow the signal, be it analog or digital,
in order to fully understand the communication
properties of the hardware. In ePortfolio students
design their personal portfolio via word processing
and PowerPoint. The ePortfolio becomes the
students offcial record of professional training
and experience in ones discipline. Included in the
portfolio are a professional photograph, resume,
a personal philosophy, and other documents
for the particular major, whether it be Music
Education, Performance, or Church Music.
Music Education majors develop the South
Carolina System for Assisting, Developing, and
Evaluating Professional Teaching required by the
South Carolina State Department of Education
(South Carolina Division of Teacher Quality,
2001). Instrumental music education majors
design the marching band drill on Pyware (www.
pyware.com) to include in the ePortfolio.
Students review Auralia and Practica
Musica theory software in order to have a
fundamental understanding of the value and
procedure of the software programs for the
classroom. Other useful software includes the
following:
Audacity is a freeware for editing digital
audio. Students spend several class periods
examining the software and editing digital
audio via tutorials presented by the textbook
for the class, Experiencing Music Technology
(Williams & Webster, 2006).
Smart Music is a music practice system
with more than 30,000 titles. The program
features an Intelligent Accompaniment:
technology that listens to musicians sing
or play through a microphone and is able
to follow the students tempo changes. In
addition, the software includes a system
that allows the classroom teacher to make
individual practice assignments for the
student to complete at home. The program can
grade the assignments based on the teachers
grading criteria, collect audio recordings of
the student assignments, and thus, inform the
teacher as to the progress of the student.
Finale and Sibelius music publishing
software programs are utilized in the class
for several weeks. Both of these programs
are very effective, each having strengths
and weaknesses. Students acquire skills to
publish and print professional-looking scores,
edit scores, and import digital audio into the
scores. Score layout and notation procedures
are perhaps the most important lessons the
students learn.
Digital Performer is an integrated Musical
Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) and
audio sequencer computer software program
for studio recording, flm scoring, live
performance, and remixing. Integrated
software is a combination of many different
media that allow students to interact with
various learning media by means of a
personal computer. Digital Performer, as a
professional level recording studio software,
allows for MIDI track recording, digital
audio track recording, mixing, soundbite
importing, and many more advanced studio
techniques. Students learn the basics of this
computer software via three instructional
tutorials (Griffn, 2008).
Many school districts in South Carolina
have placed the latest technology in all the
classrooms of the district. In previous years,
there might have been one computer lab or
room to serve the entire school, or one computer
in each classroom. The arts often were the last
to receive such technology. Booster clubs and
parent organizations have assisted arts teachers
to secure laptop computers and software to use
in music, visual art, and drama classes. For more
than 20 years, band directors have had the use
of Pyware to design marching band drills. The
days of using graph paper to design the marching
band drill have vanished as Pyware now may be
used by teachers to design the drill for marching
band, drum corps, winter guard, and drum line.
Students are able to view the marching band
show prior to going to the feld to learn the drill.
When Finale, Notation, and Sibelius are
used with ones laptop and the SMART Board
or Promethean Board, classroom students
are able to ask questions, answer questions,
improvise, compose music, and print music.
Using these programs with the SMART Boards
and Promethean Boards extends skills to the
total class, whether in elementary general music,
chorus, strings, or band class at the middle and
high school levels. For school districts that are
able to afford additional software programs, the
purchase of Smart Music and Auralia and Practica
Musica theory will provide opportunities for
students to gain other skills.
All of these companies provide training
sessions for teachers to become profcient in the
use of computer programs. Many subject area
professional organizations, such as the South
Carolina Music Educators Association, provide
sessions at the yearly conferences to aid members
in learning to use the latest in technology in
the most effcient manner. The publishers of
software offer summer sessions and workshops
in various locations around the nation. When
purchasing various software programs, one has
an opportunity to view a tutorial program, thus
learning how to use the program as a teaching
tool and develop skills designing various types
of assessments to measure student achievement.
Professional organizations such as the National
Association of Music Educators (MENC) publish
books to assist the teacher. One excellent book
is Strategies for Teaching: Technology (Reece,
McCord, & Walls, 2001).
In addition to the opportunities now
available to ones students, the life of an educator
is less hectic once the teacher acquires skills
in designing lesson plans on the computer.
On the school website, a teacher may post
the class syllabus; daily lesson plans; daily,
weekly, monthly, and yearly calendars. Students
who are ill are able to keep up with the work
being assigned and continue to practice their
instruments at home. While it does take time
to learn to use the new programs, the benefts
are great for teacher educators. All musicians
vocalists, pianists, band and string students
have the opportunity to use transposition skills,
arranging skills, and compositional skills in their
studies. College and university professors need
to be on the cutting edge of technology in order
to better prepare teacher candidates for surviving
in the real world.
References
Griffn, J. (2008, spring semester). Syllabus for MUSC 2350, Computer
Technology for Musicians, Tigerville, SC: North Greenville
University.
Reese, S., McCord, K, & Walls, K. (2001). Strategies for teaching technology.
Reston, VA: MENC, the National Association of Music
Education.
South Carolina Department of Education, Division of Teacher Quality. (200l).
Retrieved from www.Scsde.com
Williams, D.B & Webster, P. (2006). Experiencing music technology (3rd ed.).
Belmont, CA: Thomson & Schirmer.
T
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Dr. Jackie Griffn is dean of the College of Fine
Arts, North Greenville University, Tigerville,
South Carolina. She is a published composer and
teaches technology for musicians, organ, theory,
and composition. Jackie is a member of Beta
Kappa Chapter, Alpha Eta State, and serves as
music chair for the chapter. Dr. Marianne Holland
is chair/professor for Music Education at North
Greenville University, Tigerville, South Carolina.
A past state president of Alpha Eta State, she
is presently serving as president of Beta Kappa
Chapter. Marianne has served as choral director for
several SE Regional Conferences and for the 1994
International Convention in Nashville.
32 FALL 2008
M
y frst violin lesson was on June 22,
2005. I was 66 years old.
After retirement from education
I had stayed busy, accepting leadership roles in
Delta Kappa Gamma and attending workshops,
conferences, and conventions. I had acquired a
real estate brokers license, had run a small real
estate business, including serving as webmaster
for the business, and had served as president
of the Area Board of Realtors. Although I did
not feel elderly, I was, however, a part of the
growing elderly population that hungers for
educational and cultural opportunities. By the
middle of the 21
st
century, the number of people
in my age group (65 or over) will more than
double, expanding to approximately 20% of the
total population (Smith, 1997). Learning is more
than ever a lifelong event, and educators must
increasingly give attention to the interests of this
growing element of the population, older adults.
Older adults are learning that education outside classroom walls provides immeasurable mental,
physical, and emotional benefts. This article hails the results of music lessons for older adults while it
charts the authors personal experiences with violin lessons begun in later years. The exhilaration and
enjoyment of her music development were tempered by frustrations of coping with distractions, physical
limitations, family obligations, even a natural disaster. The implications for educators are that education
for seniors is an important direction for development, and it offers valuable returns for those adults who
participate.
My Best Bow Hold: Playing
Violin as an Adult Beginner
Dealing with Distractions
My violin lessons began at the same time I
was engaged in helping my mother sell her home
50 miles away, fnding her a little cottage near
me, moving her and her possessions, and settling
her into her new home where I could be her
caregiver. One month after I began lessons and
before the sale of her home and the completion
of the move, Mother fell and broke her right arm.
I took her into my home to care for her until she
could live alone. Three months after my frst
lesson, Hurricane Rita hit our area, and we coped
T
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Marilyn Barry, M.Ed., retired after 33 years in
education as a classroom teacher, curriculum
coordinator, television teacher, research writer,
administrator, consultant, and counselor in Texas,
Hawaii, American Samoa and Micronesia. A
member of Mu Theta Chapter of Alpha State
(Texas), she has served as chapter president, area
coordinator, state committee chair, and member of
various state committees.
BY MARILYN BARRY
with no electrical power and no running water for
2 weeks. It was months before all the fallen trees
were cleared away, insurance settlements made,
and structural storm damage repaired. Practicing
the violin was not a priority during that time.
Although my violin studies had a
rocky beginning, distractions and conficting
obligations are not unusual for an adult student.
Older adults may be dedicated students who are
able to analyze musical issues, but some music
teachers avoid older students because adults fnd
it diffcult to work practice into their schedule.
Adults often beg off, leaving awkward holes in
the teachers schedule. They contend with family,
career, and other responsibilities, and they put
their own leisure interests last.
Indeed some adult students fnd it not
only diffcult, but impossible to work music
lessons and practicing into their lives. Denis
Colwell, River City Brass Band director and
music teacher at Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, says, For every 10 or 12 [adults] who
start to study, one or two stick with it. [Studying
music] is a great disruption in life (Karlovits,
2006). Colwell knows from experience that there
is quite a difference between adult students and
young students. One of the biggest diffculties
an adult beginner faces is fnding time to practice
and go to lessons (Scott, 2007).
Autonomy in Senior Learners
My teacher was patient and fexible. When
I could not work lessons in, even though it might
be for an extended period of time, she held my
spot for me. She was encouraging and supportive,
and I never considered giving up. In my 3 years
of studying violin, I have averaged a lesson
about every other week. It is possible that the
fexible schedule and the breaks between lessons
worked to my advantage. Senior learners typically
demonstrate self-directedness (Uszler, 1990).
Self-directedness is not necessarily a trait of the
elderly, but it is a desirable aim of education.
While adults tend to follow their own
interests, they still appreciate guidance
and parameters. There must be a balance
between the freedom implied by self-
direction and the structure inherent in
traditional classroom model.Novice
musicians may require substantially more
guidance than those with appreciable
experience (Johnson, 1996, p. 16).
Adults as Risk-Takers
Music moves me; it uplifts me; it speaks
to me. But I am inhibited, I avoid a chance of
failure, and I do not want to embarrass myself.
This fear of failure and avoidance of making
a mistake may be attributable to my age, or it
may be part of my individual nature. It was my
good fortune to enroll with a gifted string teacher
whose encouragement and patience gave me the
confdence to address a diffcult instrument.
At my frst lesson my fngers trembled
when I attempted to fnd a note on the violin. My
teacher, Dr. Karen Gordy, asked me to demonstrate
my best bow hold. I had studied photographs of
how the fngers should be placed on the bow. I
was sure I knew what to do. But it took me an
interminable amount of time to place my fngers
in what I thought was the correct position. Dr.
Gordy waited for me to arrange my fngers, and
then she gently showed me the proper position.
As we age, we are less inclined to be
risk-takers. Experience tells us that risk may
result in unpleasant consequences ( Dabback,
2003). Thus,
In music instruction, adults want all the
information they can get and they are
less inclined to try things without some
kind of knowledge base. Children
may blow into a trumpet and not worry
about how badly it sounds, whether they
know how to read the music or where to
put their fngers, they do it just for fun.
Adults want to master it and not make a
fool of themselves (Stevens, 2007).
Not only was I inhibited in the lesson setting,
I was self-conscious about practicing. I did not
want my family, friends, or neighbors to hear
my mistakes. One day my husbands good friend
saw me putting away my violin after practice and
said, Oh, I wish I had known you were going to
play. I would have come earlier for a concert! I
bought a mute so that I would have some privacy
when I practiced.
Teaching the Adult Learner
Violin lessons were exciting and diffcult.
Each lesson was a physical and mental workout.
34 FALL 2008
Most adults need more encouragement than
children do because they have high expectations
but lack physical skills. Adults may be able to
analyze ideas more quickly than children, but they
are slower physically. With an understanding of
the concepts, I was impatient to make progress,
but my fngers would not respond appropriately.
Soon after I began playing, my arthritis fared
up, and my fngers were stiff and tender. An old
injury in my thumb that had not bothered me for
years became painful. Mentally, I tried to plow
ahead. Physically, I lagged. I fretted at my slow
development. However, Dr. Gordy calmed me.
The proper way to learn is to learn
slowly and correctly and in sequence.
Perfect practice (not just time spent)
makes perfect. Dont be in a hurry. Just
do the next job or goal as you master
the past jobs and goals. Have standards
of accomplishment. You need to know
what is in process, what is almost there,
and what is mastered. Some things have
to incubate. Some skills need a rest from
doing. So if you can take the ideas and
patiently add them, like building blocks,
to previously learned material, whenever
the time is right, you have it made. Teach
yourself as you would approach another
person who is learning.I am pleased
with your progress, potential and attitude.
Now relax and enjoy.
She explained physical or muscle memory
and urged me to be patient, to let my fngers
gain memory and develop strength. Her most
important advice: Relax and enjoy. I thrived on
her encouragement.
Adults as Performers
My best friend Elaine, a beginning cello
player, had talked me into taking lessons. Our
intent was to learn to play well enough to enjoy
playing private duets. We envisioned sitting on
my deck above Lake Toledo Bend on summer
afternoons, playing for the eagles and the great
blue herons. After our fourth lesson, Dr. Gordy
told us she would like for us to play in the
Vernon Parish Community Orchestra. We had
reservations. We lacked confdence. Playing in
an orchestra was not in our plans. Our hesitation
was understandable:
A grown man or woman may feel a little
too old to submit to public scrutiny for the
frst time by seeking out other amateurs to
play with, (but) there are as many reasons
to fnd other amateur players as there are
players. According to a 2003 Gallup poll,
a whopping 42% of people between
ages 35 and 50 play, and the numbers
for all age groups are on the rise (Walker,
2007).
Dr. Gordy gave us the music for Sahara
Crossing, Fiddles on Fire, and Frog in a Tree.
She invited us to attend two rehearsals before the
concert. We were to play with beginners, most of
them children, in a special portion of the concert.
The music was fun to play, and Dr. Gordy made
the idea of playing in a concert sound exciting.
Elaine and I talked it over, and we showed up for
the rehearsals.
I was astonished at the pace of the
rehearsal. I had no time to carefully arrange my
fngers in a proper bow hold. It was fnd the music,
watch the baton, and begin playing immediately.
Never having played in a band and never having
sung in a choir, I was not trained to watch the
conductor. I was stretched, watching the music,
watching the conductor, listening to and playing
with my stand partner, listening to the rest of
the orchestra, and watching bow movements.
Another new concept for me: All the bows had to
move up or down in unison.
At the frst rehearsal my stand partner was
a little blond-haired boy. He was well-behaved, a
capable violin beginnerand silent. We did not
get acquainted; I was absorbed in keeping up,
and he had no time for conversation. He may not
have been thrilled to be paired with an old gray-
haired beginner. At the next rehearsal, my stand
partner was Christine, a young woman who was
also a beginner but more advanced than I was.
From my perspective, Christine knew everything
there was to know. She was also friendly and
helpful. I left the rehearsal walking on air. I had
had such a good time. I was hooked.
We wore black for the concert. Beginners
sat in the front rows of the auditorium until it
was time to move to our places in the orchestra
for our three numbers. When it was near time, we
removed our instruments from the cases, rosined
our bows, and waited. Just before time to go on
stage, I looked down to see white stripes across
my long black dress. I had laid the freshly rosined
bow in my lap.
We found our places and got ready to play.
Mercifully, the rest of the orchestra stayed and
played with us. Dr. Gordy gave us a reassuring
smile, raised the baton, and we were in the music.
Playing with the beginners in that small portion
of the concert was one of the most exciting and
satisfying experiences of my life. Afterward,
Dr. Gordy wrote me an encouraging note. Her
approval meant everything to me. When we were
invited to play with the community orchestra at a
Christmas concert, Elaine and I did not hesitate.
We began practicing Christmas carols.
Benefts of Studying Music
Some adults study music as a serious
leisure activity, and some study because they
fnally have time to get back to something they
have always loved or have always wanted to do.
Some adults just want new knowledge or enjoy
the process of learning. I love music, I play for
enjoyment, and I enjoy learning. But since I
began studying violin, I have learned that music
lessons for older Americans have improved their
health, stimulating their immune system and
helping them with stress. Playing music pushes
adults beyond their comfort zone. It requires
them to use many areas of the brain. It is both
physically and mentally stimulating. Several
scientifc studies show that music education
actually improves memory, decreases anxiety,
and contributes to feelings of well-being (Tims,
1999).
At the time of this writing, the community
orchestra has just presented its spring concert
to an audience of about 700 people. We played
the First Movement of Bachs Brandenburg
Concerto, No. 3, Brahmss Academic Festival
Overture, and C. Saint-Saens Bacchanale
from Samson and Delilah, among other numbers.
I play second violin in the orchestra, and I learn
from every rehearsal and every lesson. I feel
that I contribute to the orchestras sound, and
I enjoy hearing the blending of notes and the
communication of instruments in an ensemble.
In addition to playing in the orchestra, Elaine and
I are part of a fedgling string quartet, another
tremendous learning experience, an experience
that we both resisted when it was frst presented.
Most of all, I enjoy making music, feeling my
progress, and experiencing the exhilaration of
musical accomplishment.
Opportunities for lifelong learning for
adults cry for the attention of educators. Older
adults are increasingly discovering their own
abilities, and they are seeking avenues to engage in
learning activities. As the population ages, there
is an increased call for services and educational
opportunities, demanding an examination of
the gap between the philosophies and practices
in education environments (Smith, 1997).
Education for the elderly is the next frontier as
growing numbers of older adults enjoy improved
health, longer life, and more leisure time. Music
study for older adults contributes to community
culture, improves individual physical and mental
health, and provides an enjoyable creative and
artistic outlet for the individual.
References
Dabback, W. (2003). Toward andragogy in music: Examining the gap
between theory and emerging practice in the instrumental
music education of older adults. International Journal of
Community Music, 2. Retrieved April 7, 2008, from http://
www.intljcm.com/articles/dabback_content.html
Johnson, R. (1996). The adult student: motivation and retention. American
Music Teacher, 46(2), 16-19+.
Karlovits, B. (2006, March 14). Adults take music lessons for a variety of
reasons. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Scott, H. (2007). The mentor maze. Strings, 21(2), 45, 46.
Smith, D. (1997). Population profle report. U.S. Census. Retrieved April 7,
2008, from http//:www.census.gov.prod/e/98pubs/p23-194.pdf
Stevens, P. (2008). Adult learning principles and latent music training.
TopTenREVIEWS.com Retrieved April 7, 2008, from http://
ezinearticles.com/?Adult-Learning-Principles-and-Latent
Music-Training&id+338346
Tims, F. (1999). Music medicine: Enhancing health through music.
Symposium of Music Making and Wellness Project. American
Music Therapy Associaton and Fletcher Music Centers.
Uszler, M. (1990). Andragogy? American Music Teacher, 39(6), 12-15.
Walker, G. (2007). Its never too late: How to build confdence as an adult
amateur. Strings, 21(2), 36, 37.
36 FALL 2008
M
y love affair with poetry began with
learning poems by heart.
There was never, ever NO
HOMEWORK for Miss Julianas students
circa the 1960s. All sixth graders were assigned
to memorize pages of Paul Reveres Ride,
The Village Blacksmith, and O Captain! My
Captain.
Our independent study of poetry was
never completely fnishedwe could always get
started on the next one. It was our homework
every night. Parents knew that all poetry in the
chapbook text was fair game and prepared us at
home. The long narrative stanzas were recited
verse by verse each day in class. Every verse
merited an inkpad star stamp on a colossal block
chart in our classroom. When the complete poem
was fnished, a gold foil star appeared in the block
by each name. Students in our double-grade
classroom who got to the fnish line ahead of the
group stepped up to help students who werent
ready. Thats when Vinnie became my partner.
Vinnie never did homework. He never
fnished classwork, and I couldnt stand it when
the class couldnt move ahead because students
like him had not completed work.
As his audience of one, I planned on
cheating a bit to facilitate his focus. Instead of
hearing his entire stanza at once, I allowed him to
chunk it down with line-by-line intensity. Then I
gave him credit by telling the teacher I had heard
the entire verse!
However, our reciprocal learning became
more than memory work. As we practiced, those
unknown words were indelibly sealed in our
minds as description: The belfry tower of the
Old North Church... rising above the graves on
the hill lonely and spectral and somber and
Reciting Out Loud: Bring Back
the Love of Poetry With an
Audience
Vi ewpoi nt
BY RITA TAMALAVAGE
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Rita Tamalavage is a Minersville, Pennsylvania, Area
High School English teacher and reading specialist.
She is a member of Xi chapter, Alpha Alpha State,
and has held the positions of corresponding secretary,
recording secretary, and vice president.
still With each repetition the vivid imagery
became more solemn.
Some poems carry unforgettable
rhythmic patterns. We tried to exaggerate their
sounds aloud in anapestic, galloping rhythm or as
lapping iambic waves. In others, we delighted in
the alternating tetrameter or trimeter of the ballad
stanza. Although I didnt know how to scan lines
back then, the beat of poetry captivated my heart,
and it has never let go.
Far away from the rote learning of my
youth, as a teacher of 10
th
grade English, I see
that most of my students consider poetry as a
performance task from the state test. Poetry
questions show how well students understand
simile, metaphor, and personifcation: Thats all.
But thats not good enough for an English teacher!
Almost as if in answer to my concern,
I received an invitation from a colleague
to participate in the 2006 Poetry Out Loud
competition. She wanted something theatrical
and academically competitive for her speech
classes and had found the National Endowment
for the Arts and Poetry Foundations source on-
line. She was recruiting participants for a school-
wide contest.
The Poetry Out Loud website (www.
poetryoutloud.org) published a list of 500
eligible poems and made available audio CDs of
professional readings to teachers. At least one-
third of the poems of my 10
th
grade Prentice
Hall text were represented on the list, including
some favorites like Robert Brownings The
Laboratory, Recuerdo, A Black Man Talks
of Reaping, and La Belle Dame Sans Merci.
Selected poems had to be memorized for
performance in this high school Poetry Out Loud
Recitation Contest. I was in on this deal! Poetry
would be revitalized in my class.
My classroom competition counted as
a grade, but participation in the school-wide
competition was voluntary. Emerging from the
woodwork of my room was an articulate, natural
actress who stole the show locally and won the
judges votes with her Annabel Lee rendition.
She represented our school in a regional PA
competition 60 miles away. Winning at a higher
level on the pyramid could lead to statewide fnals
with further advancement to National Finals in
Washington, D.C., with a $20,000 scholarship.
After school, Aubrey practiced for further
regional competition with a new role as Queen
Elizabeth I in When I Was Fair and Young.
Understanding her lines for oral art performance
required breaking them down with intense line-
by-line silent reading. She then prepared to sound
like the voice of her character and consulted her
world history teacher for background Go, go
seek some other Importune me no more
What could this have meant to the speaker herself,
the Virgin Queen? What tone might Elizabeth
used to deliver this message to her audience?
This no longer was merely a memorization
lesson; Aubrey now needed research to become
the speaker of the poem.
Although Aubrey did not further her
winnings that year, I felt I had found a format
to help more students acquire a winning attitude
towards poetry.
At this point, I became convinced that
reciting poetry could very powerfully appeal
to Generation Y learners. Besides adding a
livelier classroom activity to formal poetry units,
it presents choices with potential for further
investigation. To perform it as the poet intended,
characterization, mood, and tone assignments
could fourish beyond rote memory into higher
level thinking follow-ups.
Lessons of reciting poetry dont dead
end. They are concrete, can be watched, heard,
and felt. They are carried in the mind and hearts
of the student for a lifetime. Most of all, reciting
poems by heart nurtures love for literary heritage:
no more learning for the performance task of
state testing, but for performance to a real, live
audience.
38 FALL 2008
C
hildhoodand therefore adult
happiness starts with connectedness.
Childhood happiness is a series of
fve repeating steps: connection, play, practice,
mastery, and recognition, according to Edward
M. Hallowell. He is a child and adult psychiatrist
who teaches at Harvard Medical School and has
become well known as the co-author of Delivered
from Distraction, a book about helping people of
all ages overcome attention defcit disorders.
A childs connection with the world
around her starts with her family. Lets say her
uncle is interested in baseball. Since he is her
role model, this sparks her interest in baseball.
He takes her with him to watch baseball games
every weekend with his friends. Gradually, she
looks forward to being a part of the game. She
has a dream of playing baseball, even though she
is too young to really understand what is going
on in the game. She asks her uncleand other
family membersto play catch. She may start
with a wiffe ball and bat and miss the ball more
than she hits it. But she keeps practicing because
it is fun. Gradually, with continued practice, she
gets better and eventually hits more balls than
she misses. With this mastery, she wins family
recognition in the form of praise, like good job
and high fves. At some point, she signs up for
Little League baseball. This is where she enjoys
more connection and is more involved in playing
and practicing at actual games. Ultimately this
leads to mastery and recognition. This cycle goes
on for the rest of her life in anything that she
doeswith baseball and beyondand helps her
create and sustain lifelong joy.
Hallowell says connection is the key to
adult happiness. He cites several important studies
that emphasize the importance of connection.
One study he cites is the National Longitudinal
Study of Adolescent Health, published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association
(September 10, 1997). This study of 90,000
American adolescents, including a core group
who were interviewed and whose parents flled out
questionnaires, showed that feeling connected at
home and at school protected against emotional
distress and suicidal thoughts or attempts; it
protected against violent behavior; it protected
against cigarette, alcohol, or marijuana use; and
it protected against early sexual intercourse.
Connectedness at home is defned as
closeness to mother and/or father, perceived
caring by mother and/or father, satisfaction
with relationship with mother and/or father,
and feeling understood, loved, wanted, and paid
attention to by family members. Connectedness
at school is defned as the students feeling that
teachers treat students fairly, feeling close to
people at school, and getting along with teachers
and students.
Hallowells fve-step cycle (connection,
play, practice, mastery, and recognition) certainly
seems to have the potential not to leave happiness
to chancefor ourselves, our children, and our
childrens children.
Book ma r k
The Childhood Roots of Adult
Happiness: Five Steps to Help Kids
Create and Sustain Lifelong Joy
By Edward M. Hallowell, Ballantine Books, NY (2002)
ISBN 0-345-44232-6
REVIEWED BY CHRISTOPHER R. MURPHY AND JUDITH J. PULA
T
H
E

R
E
V
I
E
W
E
R
S
Christopher R. Murphy is an intern and computer
science major at Frostburg State University in
Frostburg, Maryland. Judith J. Pula is a professor
in the Department of English at Frostburg State
University and a member of Alpha Alpha Chapter,
Maryland.
The First Day of Class
Thirty-fve students and twenty-nine desks,
Thirty-fve students and twenty-nine books,
Did the offce make a mistake, oh no!
There really are thirty-fve students and twenty-nine desks.
I was thinking, no way could this get any worse,
Then Bobby got sick on my new teacher shoes.
Call the custodian; escort Bobby to the nurse,
And please someone bring me six more desks.
First day lesson plans so carefully prepared
With twenty-nine handouts listing rules and supplies.
Ready for twenty-nine students not thirty-fve desks,
Or was it thirty-fve students and twenty-nine desks?
Professor Jones covered it all in Education 101,
Yet managed to omit this frst day scenario
Of thirty-fve students and twenty-nine desks.
Would some one please send me six more desks!
Each student was there with great anticipation.
The six chairs arrived and fnally class had begun.
I had cleaned off my shoes and proceeded with care
Thank goodness for the six new chairs.
No more students, if you please,
Not another desk for this small room.
Send them down the hall to another class
With twenty-nine students and thirty-fve chairs.
That afternoon she sat beside me, the teacher with thirty-fve students
And there on the foor were her new teacher shoes.
With a sigh, she tucked her feet beneath her
And said: how do you do it day in and day out?
I joined her in a momentary sigh and smiled.
I, too, have had those days of too many students
And too few desks and not enough time.
Let me share with you that it can be done.
So began, my new school year taking the new teacher
With hand and heart, and encouraging with word and deed.
Its not hard when two can agree and help one another
To teach and reach the thirty-fve students one day at a time.
We became friends and my mentoring days few by.
The new teacher shoes were now comfortably worn.
Experience replaced panic and the lack of six chairs.
Now thirty-fve students are nothing to dread.
Reach out to that teacher that needs a role model.
Be the friend, colleague, and mentor and say: yes, you can.
You too have had thirty-fve students and twenty-nine chairs,
And someone said: yes, you can and so you did.
Janye Brainard, Kappa, Texas
40 FALL 2008
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