The Literacy Project
Mission Statement
Windfall Dancers, Inc., the sponsor of the Literacy Project, is a not-for-profit education and performance organization which promotes the appreciation and practice of modern dance. Its educational programs are designed to stimulate interest in dance and related art forms, and to use these art forms to enhance the educational process.
Windfall's Literacy Project is designed to meet the needs of students who learn best through music and movement.
Stories for project are selected to connect with the reading curriculum in area elementary schools, via title, author, "lifeskills", or subject matter.
Additional titles and topics may be developed on request to fit a classroom's need. Please contact Windfall to request that a particular piece be developed.
Current Works
- My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- Pretend You're a Cat by Jean Marzollo & Jerry Pinkney
- Selected Poems by Shel Silverstein
- One Monster After Another by Mercer Mayer
- Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance by Keith Graves
- The Grasshopper and the Ant by Aesop
- The Sneeches by Dr. Seuss
- Jabberwocky by Lewis Carrol
- . . . and others in progress!
Rationale
Current brain research documents the existence of various types of "learners". Windfall's Literacy Project connects literature and curriculum with movement and music, creating an opportunity for students with certain learning styles to effectively respond to the academic material.
The Literacy Project's dance presentations are interactive in nature, and students will also participate in pre- and post-presentation activities.
Project Director Kay Olges, M.A.T., CCC-SLP has been a speech-language pathologist for over 25 years. She is an acitve member of the Windfall Dance Company. Email her for more information at windfall@windfalldancers.org.
Reading List and Resources:
I.T.I.: The Model by Susan Kovalik
Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner
Human Brain and Human Learning by Leslie A. Hart