This workshop will cover read aloud storybooks that support movement, music and the arts, or all three together.  Additionally, it will provide foundational information for the application of best practices as attendees explore, collaborate, and create exciting lessons for their children.  The workshop will be interactive, and fun!

The primary focus will be on integrating literacy activities with music, movement, and some art experiences, to get teachers thinking in new ways of incorporating all into the learning process.  This workshop will also demonstrate how rhythmic patterning and steady beat influence developmental concepts in language and literacy, and enhances cognition.  Additionally, some basic information will be provided, of how movement and rhythm stimulate the frontal lobe for memory retention in various academic subject matters and many practical hands-on activities that will promote healthier, happier, more successful learning for young children.

Objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate a personal level of comfort in both teaching and understanding the importance of literacy, music, movement, and the arts in the early childhood curriculum
• Select and evaluate early literature books that integrate content areas of movement, music and art possibilities
• Analyze the scope and sequence of each content area separately, along with evaluating: Children’s literature, Rhythmic equipment, Movement equipment and Performing and visual arts materials
• Plan maximization of story time by providing opportunities for young children to engage in music and movement opportunities, and explore language and literature concepts, to provide a sense of connectedness for young children
• Develop a better understanding of how beats can organize and orchestrate rhythm and dance movements, and aid in language acquisition
• Understand how manipulative skills and object control are connected to listening skills, concentration skills, and rhythmic patterning
• Demonstrate how spatial awareness (laterality, directionality, levels, pathways, body orientation, etc.) aids in reading readiness

Outline
Day 1:

• Introduce a variety of early literature books brought in by the workshop participants.
  • Each workshop attendee is asked to bring three favorite read aloud books for children between the ages of three and seven.  From this, we will do the following:
    • identify an author’s writing style
    • observe the illustrator’s conveyance of storyline
    • reading rhythmic patterning and steady beat identification
    • alliteration and onomatopoeia
    • artistic effect
    • emotions and feeling conveyance
    • movement and action words
    • music possibilities
• Music and language acquisition and it’s relationship to reading
  • When does language acquisition begin
  • How does the development of the ear affect language acquisition
  • What is the vestibular system
  • What does “steady beat” and rhythmic patterning have to do with language development and reading
• Movement and language acquisition and its relationship to reading with fundamental movement patterns:
  • Breath
  • Tactile/Sensory
  • Core-Distal
  • Head-Tail
  • Upper-Lower
  • Body Sides
  • Cross-Lateral
  • Vestibular
• Fundamental Music Elements
  • Rhythm
  • Melody
  • Form
  • Expression
  • Timbre
  • Texture
  • Music samplings
• Fundamental Movement Activities
  • Locomotor skills
  • Ball handling skills
  • Manipulative (parachute, lummi sticks, scarves, streamers, jump ropes, etc.)
• Pair and Share
  • Dances
  • Poems
  • Rhythms
  • Songs
  • Lesson plan ideas

Day 2:

• Playing with Working Terms
  • Learning how to decide what activities to include
  • Looking at some key elements to consider in a reading, moving music lesson plan: what does the book lend itself toward
  • Setting up your movement environment
  • Visual perception
  • Auditory processing
  • Laterality (left/right discrimination)
  • Midline and midline crossing
  • Form perception
  • Fine perceptual motor skills
  • Kinesthetic awareness
  • Manipulative skills
  • Non-manipulative skills
  • Space awareness
  • Locomotor skills
  • Listening skills (echoing, etc.)
  • Creative movement
• A quick look at the emotional connection of learning with music and movement
  • Musical intelligence
  • Positive and negative frequencies and the cognitive and physiological effects
  • Music’s affect on the brain
  • How music and movement enhance a learning state
  • Creating a sense of community
• What are the effects of music and movement on Spatial-Temporal Reasoning?
  • Perceiving
  • Remembering
  • Creating
  • Organizing
  • Thinking on a higher plane
  • Math concepts
  • Science concepts
  • Literacy and understanding
• Pair and Share more Music and Movement ideas for classroom activities
  • Hand manipulative activities
  • Locomotor activities
  • Sensorimotor and creative dance activities
  • Folk dance for math activities
  • More lesson plan ideas

Trainer’s Profile
Nicki G. is an Education Consultant with 36 years of teaching experience.  She is a published author with two new books and music CD’s to come out in 2006.

Nicki has an M.S. Ed. in curriculum design and development from National University in San Diego California, a B.S. from Washington State University as a physical education specialist, and other post-graduate work from Colorado State University and University of California, Berkeley, in early childhood sensory motor dysfunction.  Her extensive work in early childhood education and program development has been focused on motor skill development, new research in brain based psychomotor learning and sensory motor development.

Nicki has been conducting workshops on the national level for National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) along with state associations such as Washington and California AEYC annually for the past several years. Additionally, Nicki was the 2002 General Conference Director for the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), and also has presented workshops for that organization.

Methodology
The workshop includes; video clips, power point presentation, storybook analysis, large and small group discussion, pair and share, review of current research on the effects of music, movement and the arts on learning, and active participation  in games and activities.  Come prepared to participate, get up and move, and construct your own web of knowledge.  Take back tools and lesson plans that you can readily implement in your classroom.

Target Audience
Early childhood educators, administrators, early childhood special education teachers, physical education teachers, early reading specialists, paraprofessionals and parents

Duration: 2 days, 12 hours
Closing Date: 1 Feb 07