Montgomery Community Media

Excitement filled the room. With great anticipation, every company member awaited the moment his name would be called, his job would be assigned. In ceremonious fashion and fanfare, with a drum roll preceding each announcement and applause following, all students graciously accepted their positions of hire. They signed a red, shiny contract indicating their commitment. […]

Protected in a corner of each student’s desk, a white two-inch binder rests, eagerly awaiting its next writing entry, poem or assignment. All writing is neatly organized chronologically in order to observe and analyze growth over time. How have I progressed as a reader, a writer, a mathematician, a scientist, a historian, a learner, a […]

Our theme and thesis have been solidified. After many in-depth discussions, writing sessions and shared emotions, it has become clear. Theme . . . RECONNECTION. We dove down deep, explored the many faces of reconnection and determined a thesis that is sure to carry a powerful message to the audience. Thesis . . . Reconnection […]

How many kids can say they were hired for a REAL job in third grade? After learning about the responsibilities and tasks of each job in the company, members of Lightning Strike Kids Opera Company completed preference sheets, carefully selecting three jobs for which they would want to be hired. Then, began the process and […]

While listening to Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofé, opera company members drew pictures, stories and varied images that entered their minds. Some had entire narratives taking shape on the page. Others created descriptive sensory images through pictures and words. We extended the imaginative session as an introduction to lighting design. Using flashlights, hand made […]

Lightning Strike Kids Opera Company sparked an amazing conversation. We were discussing why our work is challenging, thought provoking, and encourages us to question and seek answers to make sense of our world. “It’s not supposed to be easy,” I tell the students. “Were it easy, one would learn nothing.” But the truth is . […]

A critical component of all great project work, threading its way through the authentic year-long process is field experience. Students must observe first hand the work of their professional counterparts in the real world. Then, they will know that what they are doing is significant, that what they are doing can and will make a […]

Critically acclaimed children’s book author James Stevenson created a character years ago who has become a great source for inspiration and instruction in our third grade class. As you might imagine, The Worst Person in the World possesses those negative qualities most would choose to reject in a human being, but in the end, after […]

What is REALLY important to us? About what do we REALLY care? Oftentimes, we find what is dearest to us at the intersection of joy and pain. These two emotional paths accompany us as we journey through life, twisting, turning and intertwining. A primary goal of the opera is to deliver a powerful message that […]

Understanding, analyzing and interpreting story elements is a significant part of the elementary language arts curriculum. While learning the components of narrative, and thinking from the perspective of the reader and the writer, Lightning Strike Kids Opera Company must know these elements on a profound level in order to create an original story. Characters, setting, […]