Commonwealth Speakers:Family Learning Opportunities

Using music and poetry Joe Becton opens a window into the world of African American Civil War soldiers. Designed for inter-generational audiences.

Commonwealth Speakers features presentations that appeal to both children and adults—from children and their caregivers, to teenagers, to grandparents. These programs reinforce learning by making learning fun and by providing a shared experience that children and adults can enjoy together. Topics that stimulate a child's imagination and formats that encourage active participation and movement reflect the learning needs of children and out-of-school adult learners alike.

For example, a family might enjoy:

• Exploring local history through music in Bruce Young's performance and talk Pennsylvania Mountain Voices.
  
  
• Looking at the role that young people can play in their community's revitalization through Daniel Holland's Old Buildings for Young People.
  
  
• Learning about the world of a Civil War African American soldier in Joseph Becton's The Black Soldier in the Civil War.
  
  
• Sharing stories of heroes, monsters and mayhem with storyteller Vicky Town in Heroes, Fools and What the Wise Ones Said!
  
  
• Learning about Appalachian and Native American traditions in Ed McDade's The Rhythms and Rhymes of American Folk Music.

Commonwealth Speakers' participatory and family presentations were developed in collaboration with experts in education and informal learning, including Minda Borun, Director of Research and Evaluation at the Franklin Institute and lead developer for Kid Science, a project focusing on family learning at museums, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Professor of Psychology at Temple University and author of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards.

Look for , which indicates innovative presentations specifically designed to have wide generational appeal.

• Goals
• Presentations by Category
• Presentations by Title [39K PDF]
• Presentations by Speaker [47K PDF]
• Speakers' Bios
• Participatory Presentations
• Family Learning Opportunities
• Programming Suggestions
• Costs & Eligibility
• Restrictions
• Applicant Responsibilities
• Application Process
• Application Form [PDF] or [Word] format
• Evaluating the Commonwealth Speakers program
• Frequently Asked Questions