Literature comes to life through this engaging creative movement experience with Laura Marchese. Students explore and move inspired by a story while practicing critical thinking skills, creative problem solving, and cooperative sharing of ideas in an environment that values each member’s contribution to the creative process. This program supports literacy goals and students’ engagement with reading, SEL goals, and is appropriate for learners of all abilities. Book selection can be customized to support teacher and school curricula.

SAMPLE LESSONS:

Dance is For Everyone

Tanya the alligator comes to dance class but, how can she learn when she can’t understand English, and the other students can’t understand alligator? Tanya and the class figure out how to cooperate and work together to create a wonderful dance that includes everyone. This story inspires us to create, understand each other, and to appreciate and enjoy the power of movement.

Dancing With Daddy

Elsie has been looking forward to going to her school dance with her Dad for so long – she even has a new dress! Will a big snow storm cause the dance to be canceled? This story will help us to empathize with Elsie, and will inspire the creation of a scarf dance connected to the story.

Moses Goes to a Concert

Moses and his friends at his school for the deaf are so excited – they are going to a concert! At the concert they learn something incredible. The woman who plays the drums, the percussionist, is deaf also! We will use This story will inspire us to create a concert of our own, using hand held instruments, and a dance to accompany our music.

The Great Cake Mystery

In this detective story, students must solve a mystery. Who has been eating cake from children’s lunchboxes? We will consider the beginning, middle, and end, and the descriptive details included in this book to co-create a dance that solves the mystery!

This program is offered in Spanish on request.