The Magic Words, by John W. Healy
Ta-da! There's more than meets the eye with this lesson using art and magic to reveal literature to your students
With just a sleight of hand, magician/teacher Nick Paul got the attention of Caleigh (left) and Julia (right).
Recently, I was walking down the hallways of my school and passed the cafeteria during lunchtime. I observed a group of students crowded around a table, transfixed on a central point that I couldn't see. It seemed as though they were under a spell.
A revelation
In the center of the gathering was Nick Paul, a new English teacher in our school who was showing the students a Card Revelation. The purpose of this sleight of hand was to demonstrate a card lost and a card found.
He shared with me that he has been captivated by magic ever since he was a child. The origin of Nick's curiosity was a chance occurrence with a conjurer. The performer was entertaining Nick and a group of his classmates and called upon Nick to participate. The magician gave everyone the impression that Nick alone performed the illusion. This was much to the entertainment and admiration of his classmates.
A powerful mechanism
Mr. Paul told me he is, first and above all, a teacher. However, he's found that his interest in magic, when applied with some resourcefulness, brings a powerful mechanism for learning to the classroom. Having observed Mr. Paul perform his curriculum magic to wide-eyed children, it's clear that an effective magician must be a good, if not great, teacher.
For all grade levels:
Choose several sentences or a paragraph from grade-appropriate reading. Be sure to maintain an assortment of memorable literary quotations to supply to students who need assistance in this selection process. Students should be on the lookout for their own special quotation that will create their magic trick. The search to find a workable quotation will contribute to attentive reading. I used selections from both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Barnes & Noble Classics, 2004) and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Barnes & Noble Classics, 2005) with my students.
Ask the class to bring in shoeboxes with lids.
Have your students decorate the exterior of their shoebox with the quotation they chose clearly written out and artwork that reflects the content of the chosen passage.
Making magic
Students take a coffee can that fits into their shoebox, cut out both ends and tape or sand any rough edges. They then paint the can with a bright color.
Ask your students to take their shoebox and cut it out completely at both ends. The length of the shoebox should be cut so it's a little higher than the can.
Students can now take the lid of the shoebox and cut out a round hole in its center. The hole should be approximately three inches in diameter.
The kids next paint the inside of the shoebox black or cover its interior with black paper. Ask them to attach the lid to the shoebox with staples.
They then take a piece of black paper the length of the shoebox and roll it into a cylinder that fits snugly into the shoebox. Staple, paste or glue the cylinder together.
It's showtime!
Read the passage of literature on your own shoebox to the class. Mr. Paul created three overview statements about literature on the shoebox he designed for the introduction of this lesson:
"Literature is a key, both to communication and to unlocking the secrets of the universe."
"Literature is a mirror, reflecting the best about us all."
"Literature is a transporter, taking us to far away places without us having to buy a ticket or even leave our seats."
With a dramatic flourish, show the shoebox to the class. Let your students look through both ends of the box.
Place the shoebox over the coffee can with the black paper tube hidden inside. The can must be positioned close to the hole in the front of the shoebox.
Lift the can out of the shoebox. The viewer believes they can see into the hole of the shoebox. To them the shoebox appears empty. The viewer is looking at the black paper tube inside.
In Mr. Paul's illusion, he reaches into the shoebox and takes out a small mirror and key corresponding to his quotations. The finale is when he lifts the shoebox, holding onto both tubes inside, revealing beach sand, shells and a plastic palm tree indicating that yes, indeed, literature can take you to far away places.
With this fun lesson, your students will see how a common shoebox and coffee can become objects of magic and a gateway to discovering literature.
Dr. John W. Healy teaches art at Woodland Middle School, East Meadow, NY.
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