Poetry Classes
Led by Philip Rosenbach open to the public at The Cottage School in Gladstone.
"Continuing the program that we started two years ago, we will be presenting a new series of poetry classes this year. Our proposed schedule for 2011 is to look at translations of German poetry on October 3, Polish poetry on December 6, Spanish poetry on March 13, and Japanese poetry on May 15. Classes will start at 7:00 PM and end at 8:00 PM.
Philip has published several poems and has made an extensive study of 20th century American poetry. He has also been a contributing reviewer for the Observer Tribune published in Chester.
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Student Work
The above illustration was created by one of our first grade students studying Machu Picchu.
Field Trip to the Somerset County Recycling Center
The Cottage School at Liberty Park
Seasons at the Little House
Our most recent end-of-school play was this past June, 2011. Nearly 30 children, ages 2 ½ -9, brought to life Laura Ingalls' stories with its school's original script: "Seasons at the Little House."
All students played a role in the production: from painting scenery and creating costumes to choreography and acting without script. Parents and teachers of the school also helped to make this an original performance. By being part of a story based on a children's novel such as Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, students are led to appreciate literature in an environment in which the literature makes sense to them. Teachers at the school make reading materials available that are related to the story of the play or to the stories that are told throughout the year. By playing the games, the children incorporate vocabulary and reading skills without realizing that they are learning. Some of the stories are also offered to the children in the form of a book that they illustrate throughout the school year.
"In learning how to read, children are often taught that "reading" is a skill that one develops to decode words, but it is not always offered related to context. One of the fundamentals of The Cottage School is to educate the children to become "life-long readers" with an appreciation for the literature that they are being read or reading by themselves. In play acting, children not only develop literary skills and love for literature, but they also develop confidence in expressing themselves through the creative process," says Laura Soulages, director of the school.
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