Friends:

Today was another great day at school. Again, I had terrific classes that needed little correction, as a whole (there are always one or two in each class that need stronger discipline). Here is a picture of me telling stories to kindergarten-aged students. We had so much fun!

This is a picture of us “blowing trumpets” as we explored Dixieland Jazz music with scarves.

The highlight of my day was a fifth grade class who performed so well and created such a masterpiece that I would consider using their adaptation as a performance piece. That was how good it was! The boys and girls in the chorus didn’t want to sing and rap the chorus’ line together so they broke into separate groups and made their lines work with BOTH singing and rap! Amazing collaborative effort!

I won’t be at the school next week (they have the Louisiana State Department of Education visiting the school next week for an evaluation). So it will be a week before I can see the students again. I look forward to going back to the following week and seeing my students again.

TGIF!!! Have a great weekend!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Happy Valentine’s Day! This morning my family woke up and found that Cupid visited! A bevy of treats awaited them at the kitchen table, decorated with rose petals, red and pink candes. Eliana loves her pink poodle, “Lovey.” Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays! I love showing the people I love and care about how important they are to me. It’s my greatest reward all day.

This morning, I set a heart-shaped box of chocolates on each table in the teacher’s lounge, along with a giant card, just to let the teachers and staff know how much I appreciate them. They were all tickled. The chocolate was pretty much devoured before lunch ended!

Above is a picture of Snow White with the dwarves who love her so much. This beautiful mural graces one of the walls in the main hall of the school.

As usual, I had a fantastic day. All of my classes were superb (needing minimal correction from me - yay!). Third grade enjoyed their role playing and came up with a cool rap for their story chorus in the story theater they are performing called “Take Care of My Cabbage,” a Louisiana tale full of French words. Here are some third grade students depicting a high society woman walking her dog in Central Park, New York.

For my second visit to the lower grades, I told the stories “Pulling Up the Sweet Potato,” my Louisiana version of the Russian folktale, “The Enormous Turnip.” I also told “The Cajun Cornbread Boy,” my spicy version of “The Gingerbread Man,” which will be my first picture book. Here are pictures of me telling in a kindergarten and a first grade classroom.

My day ended with my sweethearts - my husband, Antonio, and my beautiful girls, Soleil (17) and Eliana (7). Soleil surprised the family with a plate of Godiva chocolate-covered strawberries (good thing I walked my two miles today!). Soleil special-ordered them and designed them herself. She said they were “dark dipped, white tipped and red drizzled.” They were gorgeous AND tasty! I had to eat them! My husband gave me a book I wanted, A New Earth: Awaking to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckard Tolle. He also sent me a miniature pink rose bush and chocolates from Harry and David. Eliana spent her own money and bought me a heart-holding panda snow globe. Check out these strawberries… Mmmmm!

Today was definitely a chocolate-dipped strawberry day. It began and ended — sweet. Sweet dreams, my friends. Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

It was another fabulous day at the school where I am doing a Louisiana Story Fest Residency. The picture above is a backdrop of a bayou on the school cafeteria stage. Just beautiful.

I am just in love with the teachers, staff and students at this school. We are having a fabulous time sharing Louisiana folktales, performing story theater, and exploring Louisiana music. The picture below is of kindergarteners working with scarves. This time, we explored Dixieland Jazz music (Johnette Downing & Jimmy LaRocca’s new CD, Dixieland Jazz for Children). With our scarves, we played all the instruments in a jazz band - the drums, the bass, the trumpet, the trombone, the piano and the clarinet. We also waved like the Mississippi river and created a collage of scarves as colorful as New Orleans. Take a look…

The picture you see below is of two third grader students. During this role playing activity, I require that the students pair together in boy-girl partnerships. The students below objected so strongly to working together. In the end, they made the best partners and exhibited the most cooperation amongst their fellow classmates. They worked as a unified team and had fun together. They are portraying a bride who has been left at the alter and the mother comforting the bride. The boy even had the courage to take on the role of the bride. This was a perfect example of story theater in action!

A fifth grader gave me this beautiful flower made of out paper. He agreed to teach me how to make one. I can’t wait to use it in a story. Children are so creative and inspiring!

My day ended with second graders who were an absolute delight. It was magic in the classroom. When I told stories, they listened so intently; it was like we were engulfed in a magic story bubble. I love those enchanted moments! Plus, they have a dream teacher — so patient and warm. I wish she was my teacher!

Before I left the school, I visited the librarian. She brings books to life through creative drama. I love that. This week, the students are working on The Hat by Jan Brett. The librarian printed out the masks from Jan Brett’s website. The kids use them as they act out the story.

She took the story even further and re-created the clothes line featured in the tale. Ingenious.The librarian and I agreed that THIS is the way that children should be taught. They are too overwhelmed with standardized testing. It takes all the fun out of learning. And learning should be fun!

I am blessed to be able to do what I do. My work allows me to teach, enrich, and inspire children. But more than that, the children teach, enrich, and inspire me!! Tomorrow is going to be another great day -PLUS it’s Valentine’s Day! I love Valentine’s Day! Happy Hearts Day to You!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

As you walk down the hall of this school, Jack and the Beanstalk greets you with a big grin. Look at the door next to Jack. You can see the scale of the mural. Story book characters decorate the walls in the halls of this school. I will post one every day so you can enjoy the art too. What a cheery sight as you’re walking down the hall!

Except for today’s weather (rain, lightning, flooding and tornados), it was a delightful second day at the local school where I am performing a story theater residency. The day began in a preschool classroom where I shared Louisiana stories, songs, and scarf activities to Cajun and Zydeo Music. The highlight of my day occured here. The preschool teacher said that a little girl who had NEVER participated in any group activities since the beginning of the year, participated in my activity. She said it was an incredible breakthrough. I was so touched and humbled by the power of the arts in education!

A fifth grader told me, “Ms. Dianne, you’re the best teacher I ever had!” Working with children puts such a smile on my face. Below, you will see 4th graders portraying a bus careening down a mountainside. They did such a marvelous job acting out their roles.

The teachers and the staff at this school have been phenomenal. They are so cooperative and helpful. They truly made me feel like part of the faculty, a member of their “family.” Plus, the students are a treasure. Below, fourth graders are portraying a woman walking her dog in Central Park, New York.

I look forward to another day of the joy of sharing stories! Vivre Louisiana!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today was the first day of my Louisiana Story Fest residency at a local school. The whole school is participating in a year-long study of Louisiana. Each grade is focusing on a different aspect of Louisiana. The school hired me as a teaching artist, through an arts grant, to work with the students using my signature story theater method. Our theme is “Louisiana Story Fest, based on the ideas outlined in my book, Story Fest: Crafting Story Theater Scripts. For grades PK-2, we are studying Louisiana folklore and music. I am telling Louisiana stories and doing scarf activities to explore Louisiana music (Cajun, Zydeco, Jazz). Here are first grade students using scarves and dancing to Zydeco music.

For grades 3-5, we are studying Louisiana folktales. I developed story theater scripts for each class, based on Louisiana folktales. The students worked with scarves, doing dramatic role-play. The scripts are designed for whole class participation. Everyone gets a part. The stories are divided into individual storyteller roles and then parts for a story “chorus.” The storytellers will narrate and act out the story while the chorus sings, chants, and dances their part. It’s a lot of fun. The fifth graders below are acting out a Mardi Gras parade, depicting a float with a king on top and Mardi Gras revelers surrounding the float.

I was tickled pink when a first grade boy gushed, “Ms. Dianne, this was the best day of my entire life!” A kindergartner told the class, “Ms. Dianne is better than the President of the United States!” Wow! Maybe the White House should hire me… LOL

The residency will culminate in grade level performances by grades 3-5. In addition, the lower grades and parents will be invited to watch the show. Story theater is a great way to explore language arts and reading comprehension in a fun and dynamic lesson. The whole brain is engaged as the students develop sequencing skills, work on problem solving, perform group work, and learn the stories. I look forward to the rest of my week with these students. It’s really cool that my work having a school-wide impact because I get to work on a longer-term basis. It’s not just a 45 minute performance. The skills and self-confidence students gain from performing can have lasting, life-long effects.

Support the arts in the schools! Happy Tales to You!

Warmly, Dianne