Writing to Rap, ...again

By Amy Cary
The daily Iberian

New Iberia, Louisiana

Students at Park Elementary once again, concentrated on the benefits of collaborating rap and rhythm with learning as nationally recognized writing consultant Erik Cork paid a follow-up visit to the school Monday. Cork visited the school for the first time in the fall, teaching the children the wonders of reading and writing through a fun and entertaining atmosphere. The former writing instructor is known for his ability to capture the attention of his young audience. Cork emphasizes writing features such as elaborated thoughts and structured paragraphs through his self-invented program, “Rap, Rhythm & Rhyme: Rebuilding the Writing Foundation.”

A contributing editor for Houston Style Magazine and a former writer-in-residence for the Writers in the Schools organization, Cork visited with Park Elementary fourth grade students for much of the day Monday, as a follow-up to his fall workshop. Cork’s fun learning techniques are thought to help improve scores on high-stakes testing. Teacher and staff at Park Elementary hope this second visit by Cork will help the fourth graders strengthen their reading and writing skills for this spring’s LEAP 21 tests. The fourth graders practiced many skills through the day, under Cork’s guidance.