Literacy and the arts

Diving into classic stories and the latest titles to send ideas in new directions

The simplest ideas and easiest projects can be the most fun and the most impactful.

For example, inviting young readers to make puppets with items they have at home: paper, crayons, pencils, popsicle sticks, scissors, tape …

Then encouraging them to use these characters to tell stories: classic ones they know, a favorite recent read, or one of their own.

They can then practice crucial elements of early literacy, such as retelling the events of a story, identifying and expressing the feelings of the characters, and using the voice and language of a storyteller.

A listening journey of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet

Whether your children know the ballet or not, use this playlist of videos as a way for them to focus on how the music tells the story. Listen along as I guide you through the story of the ballet and point out the special musical elements along the way.

Families: I recommend watching a few videos at a time, depending on the attention span of your youngster, in a quiet space, maybe with the lights off, to allow the focus to be on listening. You can continue with the next video(s) in sequence over the course of a few days. Ask your child to retell what has happened so far to reinforce oral storytelling skills before moving on to the next section.

Winter solstice light and poetry walk, December 2022, 2nd Grade dual-language class

Prompted by our school’s Festival of Light celebration, inviting each class to research holiday traditions of the darkest time of year and then create their own event using light and art to share with another group of kids.

We began by reading the delightful and illuminating Winter Lights: A Season in Poems & Quilts, by Anna Grossnickle Hines: a collection of quilts and accompanying poems by the author, each describing a tradition or theme of the solstice time of year.

Inspired by the book, students each made their own “quilt” using warm and cool colors to contrast light and dark, as the artist did, using paper collage techniques. They wrote a poem to go alongside their artwork, also celebrating the winter season.

Next we learned about the tradition of farolitos, or luminarios: little lanterns to gently guide the way on a dark night. We decided to light a path for our visitors by making our own lanterns, as well as with a trail of “snow”: old report cards torn up into little pieces!

Here is our final entire immersive experience!

Young writers as change-makers: persuasive writing in many forms and for many valuable causes. Inspired by the fearlessness, creativity, and persistence of Farah in Rise Up and Write It, and fueled by learning that Julian is a Mermaid was a banned book, among many other valuable texts that have been removed from libraries.

  • "Save the animals" ... "More soccer fields"

  • "Laissez-nous manger plus de légumes ..." (Let us eat more vegetables.)

  • "Go! Read!" ... "I don't think any books should be banned."

  • 2nd graders signing each other's petitions

  • "Don't make Julian the Mermaid banned!"

  • Kindergarteners writing and signing each other's petitions

2nd graders writing their own realistic-fiction series in English and French

  • Students conferring

  • Giving peer feedback

  • Sharing their stories

  • Encouraging elaboration

  • Building confidence as writers

  • Book 1 of the Peach & Marie series by Oona

  • A snippet of Peach & Marie

  • The first 2 titles of "La série d'Esther" in French by Clémence

  • One day when Esther's cats Am, Stram, and Gram run away!

  • Publishing a set of series books in recycled cereal boxes

Children engaging in drawing and writing about longer works of classical music after hearing and engaging with the piece

  • Kindergarteners drawing their favorite parts of Act I of Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker

  • Kindergarteners drawing and writing about scenes in the opera

  • Favorite characters Monostatos and the Queen of the Night

  • 2nd graders enraptured by Zeffirelli's Met Opera production of Puccini's La Bohème

  • Sharing favorite parts of Mozart's opera Magic Flute

  • "My favorite part is when Monostatos takes his cape off."

  • "Ma partie préférée de la flûte enchantée ... il monte et il glisse."

Kindergarteners reflecting on Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute after a month-long study of the opera, scene by scene.