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BEING is seeing. DOING is knowing. Create a residency uniquely designed for your students. Teachers may select any science unit or topic for student exploration. Collaboration wi... Read more

BEING is seeing. DOING is knowing.

Create a residency uniquely designed for your students. Teachers may select any science unit or topic for student exploration. Collaboration with the Teaching Artist assures alignment of specific theatre exercises with curricular information. (See Additional Notes for examples)

The residency typically consists of 5 sessions with the possibility of related teacher directed classwork in between. Each meeting incorporates a warm-up, a brief review, 1-2 drama activities, moments of self-reflection, a summary, and a preview.

Session 1 introduces students to drama and builds comfort and confidence, physically working simultaneously in their own personal space and verbally sharing their knowledge of the topic.

Sessions 2 and 3 engage students working in small groups to analyze and translate difficult ideas into physical shapes and movement, becoming a living model of intangible or unobservable structures, elements, forces, or organisms. Close reading of text, examination of photos/diagrams, and viewing of videos inform their work.

Session 4 encourages critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork as students compile ideas, test theories, and revise interpretations of a scientific process or system.

Session 5 empowers each class to share its living models or original scenes and individually observe/reflect/offer feedback. Follow-up classroom discussions and/or written assignments may be completed to solidify the learning.

Students demonstrate challenging scientific concepts through improvisation, movement, and scene study, thus making the abstract, concrete. Participants experience a balance of ease and challenge, choice and structure, movement and table work, individual exploration and group collaboration throughout the creative process.

60-90 minute sessions with a culminating grade-level ShareNumber of visits is flexible and are typically held once or twice a week to best integrate with selected Science unit. Sch... Read more

60-90 minute sessions with a culminating grade-level Share
Number of visits is flexible and are typically held once or twice a week to best integrate with selected Science unit.
Schedule determined during the pre-planning meeting and based on the needs of the school.

Open space in classroom or multi-purpose space large enough for entire class to participate on their feet simultaneously or spread out to work in small groupsAccess to tables/desks/chairs ... Read more

Open space in classroom or multi-purpose space large enough for entire class to participate on their feet simultaneously or spread out to work in small groups
Access to tables/desks/chairs for writing or drawing activities
A large space or auditorium reserved for Session 4 and Session 5, if sharing with the whole grade level

I can use size and shape (real/abstract) to demonstrate an element, structure, or organism from a particular scientific topic working individually, with a partner, and in a small or large group.... Read more

I can use size and shape (real/abstract) to demonstrate an element, structure, or organism from a particular scientific topic working individually, with a partner, and in a small or large group.

I can use movement qualities (rate, weight, energy) to demonstrate forces, processes, stages of a cycle, sequences, or procedures from a particular scientific topic working individually, with a partner, and in a small or large group.

I can propose theories and explanations verbally and in writing and can work with peers to combine shapes and movement to test and demonstrate our ideas for observation and response from others.

Example:Students explore Biodiversity by physically creating a habitat showing biotic and abiotic components as well as the types of producers and consumers it supports. They then demonstra... Read more

Example:

Students explore Biodiversity by physically creating a habitat showing biotic and abiotic components as well as the types of producers and consumers it supports. They then demonstrate the construction of a man-made project on the land and the effects of habitat disruption and destruction.

Participants go beyond memorizing Newton's Laws of Motion using movement to explore and act out concepts of force, mass, acceleration, inertia, and action/reaction. Once understood, students create scenes from everyday life that demonstrate each law.

Choose your own science topic or select a previously developed unit shown below:

Systems of the Body - showing interaction of organs or cell reproduction and growth
Matter and Chemistry - demonstrating states of matter, atoms/molecules, mixtures/solutions, chemical/physical reactions, and theories based on real world occurrences
The Hydrological Cycle - becoming water molecules to compare evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
reproduction and bees - illustrating pollination and creating scenes explaining possible causes/effects of the declining bee population

*Students say they "understood by acting it out and talking about it", were "not scared or shy showing the whole grade", and "had fun while learning and being social."
*Teachers note "100% participation, appropriate academic/artistic risk-taking, and improved quiz scores."

*All ACTive Learning Through Drama programs have been developed and implemented by a professional theatre educator in collaboration with classroom teachers and arts specialists.