MUSIC! - KET

Now on DVD: KET’s Distance Learning Humanities Class
When he was growing up in Harrodsburg, Kentucky,
KET humanities teacher Carmen Geraci dreamed of acting
in The Legend of Daniel Boone. His childhood ambition
was realized years later, when Geraci, now an
accomplished pianist, teacher, and actor with a bachelor’s
in music and a master’s in English education,
joined the cast of the regional drama in his dream role—
historian John Filson, the play’s intellectual narrator.
The passion for history, literature, and the arts that led
Geraci to the stage is shaping his daytime job—expanding
and retooling the standards-based high school humanities
course offered through KET Distance Learning. This fall,
KET launches Humanities Today, Geraci’s new DVD version
of what was previously Humanities Through the Arts.
Teachers who are just beginning to teach humanities
can use the DVDs as a full block or semester class to
satisfy state requirements for “History and Appreciation
of the Arts.” Humanities Today includes easy-to-follow
plans that align with Kentucky’s Core Content as well
as the National Standards in the Arts and Humanities.
The DVDs also have many features for more experienced
teachers. All the lessons are segmented for flexibility,
so teachers can use what they want to build their
own classes or supplement their instruction. And Geraci
has added more interactive elements, including ideas for
class discussion and writing, as well as new visuals.
Teachers can use the engaging
writing prompts to help students
find personal connections to topics
covered or as the basis for
portfolio pieces. Geraci has also
expanded the course’s online resources.
Geraci has big plans for the future, too. His goal is to
bring together all his interests—in the arts, writing,
anthropology, and history—to provide “relevant, appealing
cross-curricular resources that will be useful for
teachers in and out of the humanities classroom.”
For more information about Humanities Today, visit the
web site www.dl.ket.org or e-mail Carmen Geraci at
cgeraci@ket.org or his assistant, Abby Lane, at
alane@ket.org. The cost of the new DVD update is $198.
To order, call Deborah Harris at (800) 333-9764 or visit
the web site. Whether or not they buy the DVDs, teachers
who are using the KET Distance Learning humanities
materials should register their classes at
www.dl.ket.org. Registration is free for Kentucky teachers
and ensures compliance with U.S. copyright law.
Did you know that Carmen Geraci performs in the Drama
Arts Toolkit? He is part of the cast of the Reader's Theater
segments on the Aspects of Drama DVD.
this; so did I. Their assignment, as suggested in the
Drama Toolkit lesson Exploring Jack Tales, was to have
someone in their family tell them a story, and then they
had to present it orally to class. This was an awesome
activity that generated a lot of fun as well as learning.
The lesson plans that I worked with in the Drama
Toolkit were Exploring Jack Tales, An Introduction to
Folktales and Storytelling, Cherokee Storytelling, and
Comparing Elements of Production. Throughout these
lessons the elements of drama were reinforced along with
the major Core Content emphasis on diverse cultures of
Appalachia, Native America, and Africa. We watched
excerpts on the Storytelling Sampler DVD from the
series Telling Tales that further enhanced our study of
the traditions of oral storytelling in these cultures.
The Arts Toolkit lesson plans are extremely helpful in
so many ways. I made copies of the ones I used and put
them directly into my lesson plans binder. I then highlighted
the areas that applied to my instruction.
I know that, without the toolkits and the KET web site to
aid me, I would have truly struggled in bringing forth
meaningful instruction in dance and drama. Thankfully,
due to the toolkits’ guidance, collaboration with my colleagues,
and my constant diligence to provide a high
level of learning for my students, my efforts and my students’
efforts showed results. The art and humanities
scores for the fifth grade at Johns Creek School during
the 2006-2007 school year are 112.53. Isn’t that amazing!
How do you use the Arts Toolkits? Send your stories and
usage tips to artstoolkit@ket.org.
KET Fall 2007 ARTSource 7