Moving in Language Arts

Agnes C. Farrell is a public-school teacher in Richmond, B.C.

Another entry in Scholastic’s New Directions series, Grant’s book
provides an insight into how the energy of young children can be used to
teach language arts. Drawing on current research which shows that
children learn much better when they are actively engaged in the
process, the author offers suggestions on how to channel this energy
into what she calls “pedagogically useful movement in the
classroom.”

Teachers who believe in the “literature-based” or
“whole-language” approach to teaching language arts will appreciate
having this “recipe book” to show them how to introduce movement
into their programs. The author shows that traditional nursery rhymes,
songs, and folk tales are full of opportunities for movement, and that
children learn to read the words on a chart without even realizing that
they are reading.

This book suggests many activities based on children’s literature
that would be easy to integrate into any curriculum. The author includes
samples of writing produced by her students after they had been actively
involved in dramatizing these stories and rhymes. For a teacher who is
just beginning to introduce a literature-based program into the
classroom, this book provides some answers to the many questions that
arise about adjusting the content to various levels.