Author's Preface to Curriculum Links Document

Dear Teacher,

This is a busy time for anyone in the education business. There are so many curricular expectations to cover and so little available time in which to do it. In order to adequately cover as much material as possible and make classroom time as productive as possible, curricular collapsing is the only answer. In curricular collapsing we try to develop activities that do double, triple and even quadruple duties in terms of addressing expectations from as many different curricula as we can. Any experience thus structured ensures that our time in the classroom as well as that of our students is well spent.

With that in mind, I attended a performance of Leading Tone Arts Productions' new production entitled "Arising Phoenix". This show like their previous offering "Dragon Tango" was a hit from both a teacher's and a student's point of view. The two artists, Amanta Scott and David Tomlinson, both multi talented artists, build a twelve foot high musical sculpture of a phoenix. As the sculpture grows the artists weave a haunting musical tapestry using their voices and playing the various parts of the sculpture. The sculpture is constructed entirely out of re-cycled materials found in various landfill sites.

The environmental issues raised by this show are central and successful in raising students' awareness of these problems and of others associated with them. At the end of the thrity-five minute presentation, a Q&A session is conducted in which students can freely dialoque with the artists.

This program addresses many of the expectations of the new Ontario Curricula, specifically in the areas of Language, The Arts, Science and Technology and Social Studies. With this in mind, the artists have commissioned a set of cross-curricular classroom activities which enable teachers to prepare their students to see the show as well as providing follow-up afterwards. These activities are designed for each division from Primary to Senior and each activity has the curricular links spelled out with chapter and verse from each of the appropriate Ministry documents.

My feeling is that "Arising Phoenix " is an amazing educational opportunity for teachers and students in all divisions. It permits them to cover a great many and variety of curricular expectations. Rarely does something come along which accomplishes to much in so little time.
You really don't want to miss this one.

Yours Truly,

William A. Crane M.Ed., A.T.C.L.(perf)
Former Arts Consultant for the Peterborough County Board of Education (retired)

 

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