GARY - Some people consider the "Three R's" to be reading, 'riting and 'rith-metic, but Erik Cork introduces a different set of R's - Rap, Rhythm and Rhyme.

Cork, a writing consultant from Houston, Texas, follows the motto "If students aren't learning the way you teach, you need to teach the way they learn."

Cork gave teachers a demonstration at Dunbar-Pulaski Middle School in Gary on how to build up the writing foundation by targeting students with various learning styles.

Teachers could observe as students in the audience rapped, performed and laughed their way to writing success.

Cork stood wobbling on a diving board, his arms spread to his side in an attempt to balance himself as music played in the background.

"Some people think of writing as a swimming pool," Cork said, "but they are afraid to jump."

"How many of you know someone who hates to write?" Cork asked a crowd of 200 seventh-graders at Dunbar-Pulaski.

"They see the blank piece of paper like a swimming pool, but they don't dive in. Raise your hand if you know that person. Raise your hand if you are that person."

Charlotte Wright, principal at Dunbar-Pulaski, said Cork came to the school to help seventh-graders who would be taking the ISTEP exam in the fail.

A few select eighth-grade students were also in attendance.

Wright said she had seen Cork give a presentation at the National Alliance of Black School Educators last November in Nashville, Tennnessee and wanted her children to be exposed to his innovative ideas.

She was impressed by Cork and said she looks forward to seeing how the children's test results improve as a result of his visit.

"He teaches the way kids learn," Wright said.

Cork has conducted workshops for more than 100,000 students and visited more than 500 school districts across the United States.

Cork, who was born in Indianapolis, told students rap is nothing but a poem with a beat.

He also asked students to repeat after him, "Never fall in love with your first draft."

Kenyetta West, 12, a seventh-grader at Dunbar-Pulaski, said she liked it xvhen Cork picked her out of the crowd to pretend she wrote an essay with which she fell in love, not realizing there is always room for improvement.

Cork said the essay was so good the teacher took it to show to other teachers in the teachers' lounge.

"Sometimes you have a paper that is so good the first time, but the teacher says you have to do it over," Kenvetta said. "I feel mad sometimes when that happens. But I am learning about writing and how to rewrite things."

DeAngelo Magee, 14, a seventh-grader, said he enjoyed going over basics and learning new ideas.

"I learned where to put periods so your sentences do not run together." DeAngelo said. "I forget to put the period at the end of the sentence or to capitalize the next one after the period. He makes learning fun by putting different music in it that we listen to."

Matthew Tipton, 13, a seventh-grader, said he thought Cork was an exciting pre-senter.

"I learned writing can be fun," Matthew said. "It does not always have to be a hard thing."

Melvina Smith, a science teacher, said students had so much fun they did not realize at times they were learning about grammar, sentence structure and subject/verb agreement.

Courtney Jakes, 14, an eighth-grader, said she used to be confused about the differences between synonyms and antonyms, but the workshop helped her. "It helped everyone," Courtney said. "It's helping me remember the things I forgot."