Flynn Center for the Performing Arts :: 2008/2009 Season

Words Come Alive! is the Flynn’s comprehensive professional development program, based on research substantiating the vital importance of the performing arts in learning. It began as a formalized program in 2001 with teachers at Burlington’s J.J. Flynn Elementary School who wanted to learn ways to improve reading comprehension with drama and movement. From 2001-2004, Flynn teaching artists collaborated with classroom teachers to develop Words Come Alive! techniques. Over subsequent years, Flynn teaching artists have worked with more teachers in the region to further evolve these techniques and connect them with studies of literature, writing, history, science and math.

Through Words Come Alive!, children have become active learners. They’ve become ecosystems and embodied poems. They’ve relived the Boston Tea Party and created movement pieces about the Holocaust and protesting child labor. They’ve gotten into the shoes of story characters—and these are just a few examples.

Watch this 8-minute video to see Words Come Alive! in action--and hear what evaluators, teachers, and students have to say about the experience:

Collaboration with Classroom Teachers

An essential part of Words Come Alive! training for teachers is working closely with Flynn teaching artists to develop drama and movement techniques that address curricular goals and strengthen expressive skills. Through this collaborative process, Flynn teaching artists learn ideas that they are able to share with other teachers through classroom and teacher workshops, and publications.

Faculties currently participating in Words Come Alive! professional development programs are:

• Folsom Educational and Community Center, South Hero (2007 on) – funded by the Bay and Paul Foundations and Vermont Arts Council.
• North Hero Elementary School, North Hero (2007 on) -- funded by the Bay and Paul Foundations and Vermont Arts Council.
• John F. Kennedy School, Winooski (2007-08) – funded by the Vermont Arts Council.
• Greater Burlington YMCA Early Education (2008) – funded, in part, by The A.D. Henderson Foundation.

Past participants of the Words Come Alive! training are:

• Teachers in grades 4-6, Highgate Elementary School, Highgate (2004-2007) - funded by New Perspectives in Arts Education, a research grant funded by Vermont Arts Council and Jessie B. Cox Foundation
• Teachers in Pre-K-4, Hinesburg Community School, Hinesburg (2004-2007) - funded by Integrated Arts Initiative implementation grant from Vermont Arts Council
• Selected teachers, C.P. Smith Elementary School - funded by Learning In the Arts for Children and Youth grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (2005-2007).

The Words Come Alive! professional development program includes the following elements. Each element is also available individually.

Free workshops are available for students and teachers in Chittenden, Franklin and Grad Isle counties, funded by Champlain Valley Educator Development Center. Contact: Terry Close, School Program Assistant, for details: tclose@flynncenter.org, 802-652-4540.

Classroom Workshops

"When we act and dance stories, they become a part of us" —student, J.J. Flynn Elementary School

Flynn Center professional teaching artists demonstrate ways to integrate drama or movement into classroom studies. The workshops are tailored to the teacher's choice of topic, and when possible, include collaborative planning time between the Flynn teaching artist and the teacher. This planning time ensures that the work is tailored to the teacher's curricular goals as well as her/his skill level and confidence with drama and movement.

Connecting with Curriculum A sample of topics addressed through Words Come Alive! Workshops in the past are:
LITERATURE Picture books currently nominated for the Red Clover Award Novels currently nominated for Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Green Mountain Hero by Edgar N. Jackson Fairytales and Folktales SOCIAL STUDIES Civil Rights Movement Holocaust U.S. Westward Expansion Early Vermont History	POETRY Writing poetry for performance Taking a poem from page to stage SCIENCE Ecosystems Weather Force in Motion Water Cycle Plant Cycles Magnets and Electricity MATH Geometric Shapes Mathematic Vocabulary

Connections with Flynn Student Matinees

'Students have come to really appreciate performances because they've experienced what goes into them.' -- Claire Noble, 1st grade teacher, J.J. Flynn Elementary School

Students and teachers participating in the Words Come Alive! program attend matinees presented through the Flynn Center Student Matinee Series, witnessing the finest examples of dance and theater. With help from Flynn Center teaching artists, students and teachers identify the elements of the art forms seen on stage, then explore the creative process which developed those elements and apply the same process to what they are studying in their classrooms.

Teacher Workshops

"Words Come Alive! has enhanced my teaching. I have learned how to use drama to deepen comprehension skills, to develop vocabulary, to enrich social studies and science and to improve writing. The best part is we have so much fun that every student becomes an active participant.” —Sally Kaufmann, 6th grade teacher, Highgate Elementary School

Flynn Center teaching artists draw on their extensive experience working in schools to introduce teachers to the elements of theater and dance and lead them to experience how movement and drama techniques can address reading comprehension strategies and deepen student engagement. These workshops are suitable for in-service days, professional conferences, or after-school workshops, and can be tailored to any topic. Look at the list of topics outlined under Classroom Workshops above for possibilities or propose new ones. Fee varies with length. Mileage to / from Burlington is charged outside Chittenden County

For more workshops for teachers click here.

Words Come Alive! Publications

“…a user-friendly bridge to retain the integrity of the art forms while addressing Vermont Standards.” —Dr. Jonathan Silverman, Coordinator of Arts-in-Education Graduate Program at St. Michael’s College

	Words Come Alive! Toolkit The toolkit is a quick and easy resource for teachers, introducing various tried-and-true structures of drama and movement warm-ups and activities. The structures are described simply on one side of each page and the other side describes variations of that same exercise. This design is intended to jumpstart teachers’ imaginations and encourage them to create variations of their own. The toolkit includes 60 pages of durable cardstock, measures 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, and is bound by one ring for easy maneuvering. In addition to various structures of warm-ups and activities, it also includes basic rules for using drama and movement in the classroom, definitions of essential dance and theater terms, guidelines for reflecting on student work, and a list of important resources.
	Picture Books Come Alive! (for teachers of grades pre-K-2) Detailed lesson plans, using drama and movement warm-ups and activities to deepen student understanding of these picture books: The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle The Stray Dog by Marc Simont When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry… by Molly Bang Owen by Kevin Henkes McDuff Moves In by Rosemary Wells
	Novels Come Alive! (for teachers of grades 1-8) Detailed lesson plans, using drama and movement warm-ups and activities to deepen student comprehension and engagement with the following well-known novels. Booklet includes student rubrics to track development of dance and theater skills. Green Mountain Hero by Edgar N. Jackson The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo Number of the Stars by Lois Lowry Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White There’s An Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead
	Creating Performances (for teachers of grade 2-8) This booklet outlines the process of creating original dance, theater, or storytelling performances around curricular themes, and includes tips on logistics, casting, and directing; ideas for simple costumes, stage sets and original music; performance rubrics, blocking charts, worksheets, and sample programs. The topics addressed in these performances are: Beauties and Other Beasts (A play with music and dance of original variants of the French folktale set in Africa, Antarctica, and India) Understanding a Culture Through Storytelling (Japanese folktales) The Human Body (Dance about digestive, respiratory/circulatory, skeletal and nervous systems.) Diversity and Adversity in the 20th Century (A play looking at significant moments for ethnic groups as well as children and women through the decades.) The Fugitive Slave Act (A play showing reactions to this act in 1850, set in a Southern cotton plantation and a Northern cotton mill.)

Note: These supplements refer to content in the Words Come Alive! toolkit. To be an effective resource, it is strongly recommended that each supplement be paired with the Words Come Alive! toolkit.

Costs

• Words Come Alive! toolkit -- $15 + $5 shipping & handling per Toolkit; 
• Picture Books Come Alive! -- $10 + $3 shipping & handling per Pictures Come Alive! Book; 
• Creating Performances -- $10 + $3 shipping & handling per Creating Performances Book;
• Novels Come Alive! -- $10 + $3 shipping & handling per Novels Come Alive! Book;    
• OR Whole set in binder -- $40 + $8 shipping & handling per set; 
• There is no charge for shipping & handling if picking up at Flynn offices.

Order Words Come Alive! toolkits and supplement booklets by downloading and printing out the order form.

For more information about the Words Come Alive! program, call 802-652-4548 or email education@flynncenter.org.

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