To assist students, I sometimes took over for one partner so the
In an excellent TEDtalk, Anita Collins explains the endorphins I
pair could hear how the words fit together. Trying to
felt, stating that, “Playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full-
simultaneously listen, read, and lock into a rhythm with my
body workout… Playing an instrument engages practically every
student partner during the poetry reading tapped into the exact
area of the brain at once — especially the visual, auditory, and
same part of my brain that I used when I performed with
motor cortices.” (http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-
percussion ensembles in the past. As a musician, you can feel
instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins) While we weren’t
when you are perfectly in time with the other musicians, and the
technically playing a musical instrument, there’s no doubt in my
experience leaves you energized. I can’t think of any other
mind that many of the same brain functions occurred.
academic skill I’ve taught that activates so much of the brain at
one time. It takes a lot of practice for my student pairs to finally
lock in and feel this, but to see their faces when they know
they’ve performed their poem to its fullest potential is priceless.
I’m sure the motivation to achieve perfection is one reason they
love this project.
Due to the musical nature of the poetry and the elegant
illustrations, it seemed natural to pair this project with classical
music. The music instruction in my school district has decreased
in recent years, and many of the students lack exposure to this
genre of music. I pulled together an assortment of songs from
many different time periods that are inspired somehow by insects.
During our performance of the poetry, we interspersed the songs
with the poems, with a student announcer introducing and
explaining its relationship to the insect world. Students also
frequently listened to these songs during independent work time,
and I overheard interesting discussions regarding their personal
thoughts and ideas as to how each song related to the insects.
In the end, my students rose to the challenge and exceeded my
expectations for their fluency, as they performed the work at a
level beyond their years. The musical quality and rhythm of their
voices as they mimicked the sounds and told the stories of these
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