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Schools

Enchanted audience of eager readers

By MARY SPICUZZA
Published December 11, 2005

	[Times photo: Brendan Fitterer]
	Students at Trinity Elementary listen as teacher Nikki Rodriguez reads from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on Wednesday. Many teachers say the classic fantasy has made their students excited about reading.

Last week, in classrooms across Pasco, the Walt Disney Co. was trying to hype the opening of its new movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Teachers used Disney-provided materials to discuss the book; children answered questions conceived by Disney's Narnia partner, Walden Media.

Also, teachers had been given the chance to enter a contest to win a free trip to London to see the movie's premiere.

The trip and the materials are part of a marketing effort designed to ensure that Narnia is a smash hit for Disney and Walden. According to the Wall Street Journal, making the movie cost $150-million; Disney and its partners will spend an equal amount to market the film, much of that going toward educational materials.

Pasco educators have been happy to be a part of it - and not because they have large holdings of Disney stock.

"The kids are pumped up, they're motivated, they want to learn more, and they don't look at it as "we have to do this,' " Calusa Elementary School principal Deanna DeCubellis said. "Most kids are really interested in the story and the characters and the events."

Most of the school's third-, fourth- and fifth-grade teachers are reading the book aloud to their students, DeCubellis said. The C.S. Lewis classic is a tale of four children who travel through a magical wardrobe into the enchanted world of Narnia. Teachers at numerous Pasco elementary schools are also using a Narnia educator's guide sent by Walden to schools around the country.

Students are reading about the the Nazi air raids that drove Narnia's main characters from London and into the English countryside, where they found the wardrobe. Children are going on Disney-created virtual journeys of Narnia found on an interactive Web site and building shields like those used in the book's epic battles.

Next week, about 300 Calusa students will go on field trips to see the PG-rated movie. Other Pasco teachers have invited students and their families to meet them at local theaters to watch Narnia together.

Getting children to read the book and then see the movie is a major focus of Disney and Walden's marketing campaign.

As Hollywood's traditional marketing tools, like multimillion dollar television advertising, seem to be waning, Disney is using a grass roots media campaign targeting niche markets - such as schoolchildren, according to the Journal.

Walden, Disney's Narnia partner, specializes in bringing children's books to the screen. Walden executives began attending education conferences early on in production to find out how the epic tale of Narnia could be used in classrooms, a spokesman said.

The company sent about 350,000 educator's guides and about 90,000 copies of the book to schools throughout the country.

Every elementary and middle school in the country received educator's guides from Walden, a spokesman said, adding that the company also has materials available on its Web site.

It's unclear how many packets were mailed to Pasco County schools, because they were sent directly to principals and teachers rather than district offices.

Pasco received educator's guides from Walden and materials from Just Read, Florida!, which launched a children's contest focused on the book, said Tammy Rabon, Pasco County schools director of curriculum and instructional services.

While this level of marketing to schools in Pasco and other counties may be unprecedented, local educators said they're used to receiving commercial materials from companies.

"Educators have become adept at searching through promotional materials to find those that are appropriate for students," Rabon said.

Rabon said that "high-interest texts" like The Chronicles of Narnia are key to building literacy among students while helping meet the Sunshine State Standards for student achievement. High-interest books can be used to build a love of learning, which can then be shifted to other texts, she said.

"That's the true art of teaching," Rabon said. "For a teacher to find what is going to connect that child with further reading."

Popular movies based on books, including the Harry Potter movies and last year's Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events movie, have long been seen as a chance to get children excited about reading.

And, in the case of Narnia, local educators said they're thrilled that students are absorbed in good literature that teaches lessons about good and evil, betrayal, and the fact that actions have consequences.

"It's written for kids, but it's not written down to kids," Scott Mitchell, principal of Centennial Elementary School. "It's not one of those preachy-type things."

Whether Pasco teachers are using the Disney materials in the classroom, or simply tapping into their students' excitement about the film, each class studying Narnia shared one thing - children who were actually upset when their teachers stopped reading and closed their books.

Students in a classroom at Sunray Elementary sat quietly as their teacher read of the evil White Witch plotting to harm the main characters. But before the students learned their fate, it was time to break for lunch.

A collective cry erupted from the class. "No!"

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Mary Spicuzza covers education in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6241 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6241. Her e-mail address is mspicuzza@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 11, 2005, 02:15:36]