Curriculum development in the elementary school (Exploration series in education)
Published in 1960
W. Ray Rucker (Author) (he was dean of the National College of Education at the time)
excerpt
Much of the success of Mr. Marvin Martin in developing an interest in literature among his pupils stemmed from his own personal appreciation and its vocal expression. Besides his contagious enthusiasm, he interpreted literature dramatically, as though an actor, and by spontaneous groupings of children for short dramatic sequences, coaching the children to “walk through” a situation and get in the “feel” of it. The children responded with enthusiasm and quick insight. The will to produce a rather finished pageant often emerged from these classroom contacts with literature. Two of such productions take the spotlight in this chapter section. The first of these emerged from Mr. Martin’s introduction of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Mr. Martin initiated the learning experience on the Tom Sawyer theme by reading some parts of the book to the children. His dramatic expression and bodily movement set the stage for a discussion of the events of the story. He invited several children to come to the front of the room and try out the action suggested by the lines. More discussion was stimulated as suggestions were offered from all over the classroom. Often Mr. Martin asked a child to “Come up and show me what you mean.” He demonstrated some of the action himself, but for the most part he would approach the question of action technique by saying, “If you felt that way, what would you do?” or “How would you look if someone said that to you?”
By this time the children were eager to read the book themselves.
Mr. Martin provided a copy of the book for each pupil and guided the reading for several days, returning again and again to dramatization to illustrate a point or aid in comprehension. During these early efforts to dramatize the story, he encouraged children to try several different roles, to get the “feel” of each character. Gradually, consensus of opinion indicated those children who were best able to portray the various persons in this story. Gradually, also, the idea of developing a project around the Tom Sawyer theme emerged as Mr. Martin and the pupils decided they would like to produce a play from the more important events in the story. Not satisfied to produce a play indoors, they searched for suitable outside locations for reenactment of some of their scenes, and Mr. Bonhivert, head of the audio-visual department of the school district, cooperated with them in making a series of pictures for a photoplay on a film strip. For instance, there was far more realism to the story when Tom Sawyer was able actually to pick a flower between his bare toes in a meadow or sit on the bank of the river and whittle with Huck Finn and Joe Harper. Later these pictures were mounted for display on a bulletin board in the classroom.
This project growing out of children’s literature touched many curriculum areas. The pupils made an intense study of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. They studied land forms, erosion, silting conditions, the delta, effects of floods and deforestation. They learned about conditions of life along the river, including conditions along the Ohio and Missouri Rivers. They found out how people who live near the river make a living. This led to a study of natural resources and industries. All of the social studies activities led to the need for report writing, outlining, note taking, and creative stories and poems. All of these tasks led to further reading, the extension of skill development, and the stimulation of intellectual and aesthetic concerns.
