The Arts as Meaning Makers: Integrating Literature and the Arts Through the Curriculum (Canadian Edition)
By Claudia E. Cornett & Katharine L. Smithrim (2001 Pearson Education Canada Inc.)
This is a really cool book - and it's Canadian! It includes really neat ideas for integrating literature, visual
art, drama, dance, and music across the curriculum. It also has chapters on "Assessment in the Arts", Arts-Based and
Award Winning Children's Literature, "Arts Organizations, Addresses and Internet Sites", "Creating a Positive Classroom Environment",
recommended reading and more! It is available at the
University of Manitoba Bookstore.
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Song of the Unicorn
A Musical Journey Through Medieval Times
This is really cool! I bought the CD and the Teacher's book to go with my Medieval Music unit. The CD is
a story that takes place in Medieval times. There is beautiful Medieval music underneath the story (the recorder scores
for which are included in the Teacher's book so that students can play them too!!). The story and music explore such
things as riddles, processionals, monasteries, Gregorian chant, instruments, etc. There is also a neat part where the
magician Merlin takes us into "The Future of Music" - the score includes "Chanonne", a pice for recorders that has Greensleves,
Gibbons's The Silver Swan, Bach's Bist Du Bei Mir, a Bach Minuet, and an excerpt from Mozart's
Magic Flute all playing together at different times - it's really beautiful!
The Teacher's book includes connections across the curriculum:
Geography (England), S.S. (feudal life, town & country; monastery life, castle life; chivalry; food and play; place
of women and children), Creative Writing (storyboarding, graphing events; riddles and humour; character; quests and fairy
tales; myths: Arthur, Merlin; magic animals; magic and dreams), Modern Issues (Gender roles; dreams; literacy), Music (sing
or play on recorders/strings; Medieval instruments; colours and mood; Gregorian chant; sonority mapping), Math & Science
(Disease, medicine, the plague; ecology, environment; armour and warfare). It even includes suggested lesson plans.
At
St. John's Music the CD is $19.95 (but I got it at Future Shop for $14.99...), and the Teacher's book is $9.98. They also carry all
of the other publications in the Classical Kids Series (ie. Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery, etc.).
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