Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education
Exploring Curiosity, Imagination, and Wonder
Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight. – Mem Fox, Reading Magic, 2001 Poetry is near and dear to my heart. My love of poetry came from my father, who would read … Continue reading Poetry in Play
Last week, I was reminded about the importance of curiosity and imagination by a second grade girl at the school where I'm the ELA Curriculum Coordinator. At the end of the day, Chelsea came over to me a slipped a piece of paper in my coat pocket. I immediately took the paper out. It was … Continue reading Fostering Curiosity & Imagination
Some words feel wonderful in your mouth: benevolent, pashmina, Constantinople. They roll right off one’s tongue and into one’s imagination. Words hold meaning and are the building blocks of all human thought. When I began teaching thirty-eight years ago, I marveled at my preschool students’ curiosity about words and how they could understand and use … Continue reading For the Love of Words
“If speaking is silver, then listening is gold.” — Turkish saying This quote is important to me because now in our culture SPEAKING seems to be gold and listening is pretty much non-existence. Everyone is racing to be heard – to get their point across – to be in the limelight. Very few people slow down … Continue reading The Power of Listening
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 