131. Putting Picture Books into Action with Susan Chodakiewitz

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We know the importance of literacy and music and the importance of getting children involved in learning through movement. What if we paired the two together, no matter the age of the students?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s what Susan Chodakiewitz is doing through Booksicals, creating musicals from picture books for some fully immersed learning. And what she’s discovered as a result is more confidence and more engagement from children of all levels.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Educational professionals have long tried to encourage children to build their literacy skills while getting the community involved in education. The idea that a picture book can be acted out helps children explore characters, plot, and backstory, and it allows both pre-readers and older students to work together on a common end goal. And who doesn’t love the idea of hiding some of the learning during a fun and interactive lesson?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Listen in to Susan talk about how to bring any picture book into an interactive classroom, why improvisation and acting is such a powerful way to learn, and how to bring literacy into the community. We also talk a bit about the benefits of being multilingual and how Susan got to where she is. I love the idea of Booksicles so much that I’ve invited Susan to work with us at my micro-school, LEADPrep.</span></p> <p> </p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">About Susan Tresser Chodakiewitz:</span></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Susan Chodakiewitz is an author, composer, and producer. She is the founder of</span> <a href= "http://www.booksicals.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Booksicals</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">children's books and Picture Book Musicals. Her passion for igniting a love of reading in children has led her to create the Booksicals Literacy Through the Arts program, an interactive performing arts curriculum where theater and the arts become a teaching