Posted by Elizabeth on January 20, 2007 at 20:10:14 from 71.236.185.241 user Elizabeth.
In Reply to: Re: Casabianca Parodies posted by Jenny Berki on January 20, 2007 at 16:12:49:
Yes, Jenny, I think it is worth making children learn our written/spoken word by rote. Ransome's funny by-play shows one side of it; that children learn the material well enough to spew it when necessary, but that it is not meaningful itself. However, there are reasons that memorization & presentation are important in our lives. Knowing the words to a written work by heart allows you to spend time working on your presentation. As you work on the specific intonation you think should be used in each line, you are deepening your understanding of what the writer meant to portray. Questions must be answered in your own head in order to make sense of what you are reciting: Why would s/he have used this word right here? What happens if I emphasize this part of the line? Can my presentation change the meaning of the writing? Obviously, if the teacher simply assigns the memorization task and allows each student to "rattle it off", the opportunity for deeper learning is lost. Also, from my own experience, it is very satisfying to know a piece--I think of it as "mine".