Conjunction junction ... technology brings Schoolhouse Rock to new generations.ONE OF THE GREATEST PRIVILEGES OF MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER was being on the team that produced the Emmy-award-winning Schoolhouse Rock on ABC-TV. Anyone who came of age between 1973 and 1985 probably learned about math, grammar, social studies and science from those animated three-minute films on Saturday morning television that featured engaging art, catchy tunes and memorable lyrics. The Schoolhouse Rock generation can still sing the words to songs such as "Three Is a Magic Number"--the first-ever SHR SHR Shore SHR Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat SHR Staff Human Resources SHR Saskatoon Health Region (Saskatoon, SK, Canada) SHR Shift Logical Right SHR Sensible Heat Ratio SHR Supplementary Homicide Report SHR Steroid Hormone Receptor film--"I'm Just a Bill "I'm Just a Bill" is a classic Schoolhouse Rock! segment which first aired in 1975. It is sung by Jack Sheldon (the voice of the bill) and his son (the boy learning the process). It is about how a bill becomes a law, how it must go through Congress, and how it can be vetoed, etc. ," which teaches how a bill becomes a law, "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here" and "Interplanet Janet." I love to ask adults if they know the second line of "Conjunction Junction," which they invariably in·var·i·a·ble adj. Not changing or subject to change; constant. in·var  i·a·bil do, and I
usually hear "What's your function?" sung with
enthusiasm. Similarly, Schoolhouse Rock got millions of kids to learn
the Preamble to the Constitution effortlessly, which many can also quote
if they sing the tune. As the late SHR art director Tom Yohe put it,
Schoolhouse Rock learning "was inescapable, the way commercials are
inescapable."
I was the last education collaborator hired for the series, and I worked on all the films in science and computer education from initial concept to final product. For several years I proposed and justified topics, approved the music and art, and edited the lyrics at each step in the process. The culmination was participating in the annual Emmy Award ceremonies at Lincoln Center in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of in 1979, when "Science Rock" won the Emmy in the category of Best Children's Instructional Series. New Generations Thanks to information technologies, Schoolhouse Rock is now reaching new generations of learners through videotapes, CD-ROMs, and the 30th anniversary DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. , Walt Disney presents Schoolhouse Rock/that includes every Schoolhouse Rock film ever created. Because of my position with DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION magazine, our sales representatives John White and George Halo often give copies of the DVD as gifts to colleagues familiar with the show. When our schedules permit, three of us from the original team including executive producer George Newall (who wrote "Unpack Your Adjectives") and music director Bob Dorough (who wrote "Conjunction Junction")--also present conference keynotes and reunion concerts in various states, and it is always gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. to see grandparents, parents and grandchildren share the same educational experiences. In addition, several traveling troupes are bringing Schoolhouse Rock Live! across the country, and the musical is also being performed by students in local schools that recently included Douglas High School Douglas High School (DHS) is a public secondary school in Minden, Nevada that is a part of the Douglas County School District. The school mascot is the Tiger, and the school's colors are orange and black. Their teams are known as the "Douglas Tigers. and Carson Valley Middle School in Nevada, Spaulding Middle School in New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). , and the Leland Public Schools in Michigan. There are also several Web sites dedicated to Schoolhouse Rock, such as GeorgeNewall.com, blogs that discuss SHR topics, including "the loophole" from Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a regional public radio network based in the U.S. state of Minnesota that has been broadcasting since 1967. The network includes more than 50 FM transmitters ranging from low-power translators in small and hard-to-reach areas up to full-power , and video sites that offer the original clips and related films, such as YouTube. Many of our readers were part of this special American phenomenon called Schoolhouse Rock, and we would love to hear about your experiences then or now. Please drop us a note or add your thoughts to the online version of this letter. Schoolhouse Rock is still captivating cap·ti·vate tr.v. cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing, cap·ti·vates 1. To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm. 2. Archaic To capture. learners and proving that "Knowledge Is Power!" Odvard Egil Dyrli EDITOR-IN-CHIEF gdyrli@edmediagroup.com |
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