His efforts in the areas of language, reading readiness, vocabulary and communication skills development are internationally recognized.

Programs and Descriptions:

Songs and Comedy for Kids and Kin

Dan Crow, one of America’s most beloved family entertainers and recording artists, is the star of the Emmy award winning “Just For Fun,” a three time Gold Parents’ Choice winner, and a CableAce nominated songwriter for his work on the Disney Channel. He is seen regularly on Nickelodeon and The Learning Channel. Dan is a good buddy of Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo, for whom he has composed over a hundred songs, and he performed the title song for the family classic film, “The Adventures of Milo and Otis.”

As an educator, Dan Crow presents over 200 “ Reading, Writing and Rhythm” school assemblies a year and is a recipient of the prestigious PASA (Professional Artists In Schools) life-time achievement award. His 5,000 plus concerts have taken him all over the United States and to Europe, Asia, Australia, and Canada and home again.

This tall, lanky bearded “kid” uses music and stories to bring a love and respect for nature, a sense of humor and a deep appreciation for the value of friendship and sharing to the world.

Dan says the best thing to wear in a thunderstorm is THUNDERWEAR.

The Reading Writing and Rhythm program

Dan Crow’s program consists of delightful participatory songs and stories, each concentrating on a skill in phonics or grammar. Based on audience participation, the performance offers a high interest phonic/phonetic approach to reading. It develops positive feelings of self-expression, while creating and improving basic speech and language skills.

Instructional objectives

1. To improve vocabulary skills
2. To improve communication/listening skills
3. To learn to appreciate the humor and the art of language

Suggestions for preparation

Questions (to encourage attention):

1. What are the differences between vowels and consonants?
2. What does “phonetic” mean?

Activities (prior to the performance):

1. Listen to the sounds of the alphabet and then discuss how the sounds are produced (voiced “b” vs. unvoiced “p”).
2. Recite some tongue-twisters and discuss why such phrases are so difficult.

Vocabulary


Noun:   a word that is the name of something (person, place or thing) that can be talked about

Palindrome:   a word, phrase, verse or sentence which reads the some backwards as forwards

Homonym:   One of two or more words pronounced alike but with different meanings (red, read; pare, pear, pair)

Etymology:   The history of a word shown by tracing it or its parts back to the earliest known forms and meanings both in its own language and any other language from which it may have been taken.

Alliteration:   The repetition of a sound at the beginning of two or more neighboring words (as in “wild and woolly” or “babbling brook”)

Metaphor:   A figure of speech in which a word denoting one object is used in place of another to suggest a likeness between them

Mythology: A collection of legendary stories that describe a supernatural being or event or explain a religious belief or practice

Suggestions for follow-up

1. Make a worksheet of the song lyrics and have the students locate and circle the sound for which the song was written.
2. Students can write or offer OTHER WORDS that contain each particular sound. Examples: Things found in the classroom, on the school grounds. At home in the ocean, at the circus, etc.
3. Students can write their own ditties, “silly sound songs” or poems.
4. Art activities can be used in conjunction with the story songs. This can help develop listening skills.
5. Sing, learn and have fun with the songs. Auditory stimulation becomes an important by-product.
6. Go to the garden, playground, circus, zoo etc. and list or discuss the different things you see, hear or smell.
7. Learn some fun words in other languages (i.e. how to say hello, good-bye or thank you)