PAIR

Professional Arts Integration Resource

 

Theatre

1st Grade: Creative Writing, This is Not a Roll of Tape

Brewer Elementary

Hill/Waters – Addie Newcomer

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes: 

  • Students will be able to think creatively and imaginatively as they choose a use, structure and existence for a roll of tape.
  • Students will be able to show that new existence with their actions.
  • Students will be able to engage in creative writing from a theatre activity.
  • Students will be able to verbally present their writing to the class, while communicating their ideas and speaking clearly.

Integration Area/Subject:

ELA & Theatre

State Standards:

ELAGSE1W2: Write informative/ explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

ELAGSE1SL4 Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

TA1.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.

  1. Use imagination to create, revise, and/or add to ideas.
  2. Demonstrate skills of the mind (e.g. imagination, focus, concentration).
  3. Follow directions and contribute to planning in theatre experiences.
  4. Listen to others with respect and courtesy in an ensemble.
  5. Identify basic theatre vocabulary (setting, character, problem, resolution, plot, beginning, middle, end).

TA1.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

  1. Use voice to communicate ideas and emotions.
  2. Use body to communicate ideas and emotions.
  3. Cooperate in theatre experiences.

Materials/Playing Space: 

  • A roll of tape and/or any other objects in the classroom
  • Students can stay at desks or stand in a circle around the room

Description: 

We started This Is Not A Roll Of Tape by passing the roll of tape in a circle and giving each student a turn. The PAIR Specialist explained how the arts strategy worked, first practicing the call and response. The person with the object would say “This is Not a Roll of Tape,” and the rest of the class would repeat the phrase back. Then, the person with the roll of tape would say “This is a…” and give a new idea of what the object could be. The PAIR Specialist gave an example for the class, “This is a magnifying glass!” The PAIR Specialist then used her body to show how the roll of tape would be used as a magnifying glass. Students then took turns generating their own ideas of what the roll of tape could be.

In Ms. Waters’s class, we used This Is Not A Roll Of Tape to encourage turn taking, respectfully listening to others’ ideas, and creative thinking by having all the students sit on the rug and calling up four at a time to show us what their tape would become.  Later, our tape creations would be used as creative writing prompts. 

In Ms. Hill’s class, we started by reading the book, “This Is Not A Cardboard Box.” In the book, students are able to see how the main character uses a cardboard box in a variety of ways. Then, we started This Is Not A Roll Of Tape by passing the tape in a circle and giving each student a turn.  The students drew a picture of their new roll of tape and wrote several sentences to describe their illustration.

Notes:

This is a great strategy to use no matter the skill level of the class or what the students are working on. In a class where turn taking, listening respectfully, and other  classroom management strategies are important, this strategy can be fun, engaging and rewarding with the ability to come back later and work on content. If the students are ready to dive into longer pieces of writing, the addition of  illustration or class presentation is a great next step.

1st Grade: Creative Writing, Half-Life Double-Life

Brewer Elementary

Hill – Addie Newcomer

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes: 

  • Students will be able to identify the main idea of a picture and, as a group, portray that picture in real life.
  • Students will be able to communicate ideas verbally and physically.
  • Students will be able to expand their ideas, adding key details to a main idea.
  • Students will be able to use their imagination to communicate their ideas.
  • Students will be able to collaborate efficiently with their peers to arrive at a cohesive set of ideas.
  • Students will be able to present appropriate theatre etiquette as audience members.

Integration Area/Subject:

ELA & Theatre

State Standards:

ELAGSE1W2: Write informative/ explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

ELAGSE1W3: Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.

ELAGSE1RL2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

ELAGSE1RI2: Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

TA1.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.

  1. Use imagination to create, revise, and/or add to ideas.
  2. Demonstrate skills of the mind (e.g. imagination, focus, concentration).
  3. Follow directions and contribute to planning in theatre experiences.
  4. Listen to others with respect and courtesy in an ensemble.
  5. Identify basic theatre vocabulary (setting, character, problem, resolution, plot, beginning,

middle, end).

TA1.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.

  1. Retell stories.
  2. Sequence plot events for dramatizations.
  3. Generate original ideas for dramatizations.

TA1.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

  1. Use voice to communicate ideas and emotions.
  2. Use body to communicate ideas and emotions.
  3. Cooperate in theatre experiences.
  4. Assume roles in a variety of dramatic forms (e.g. narrated story, pantomime, puppetry,

dramatic play).

TA1.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.

  1. Participate as an audience.
  2. Identify the basic elements of theatre etiquette.

Materials/Playing Space: 

Any open classroom space

Description: 

PAIR Specialist led the class in executing the PAIR strategy, Double-Life. The teacher had the class look at a photograph of a girl blowing out birthday candles. The teacher divided the class into groups of five to work on doubling the life of the photograph. Each group acted out a quick replication of that photo, adding in other possible characters that may be around the girl in the photo.

Then, the groups were challenged to imagine what happened before the photo. The groups were given the opportunity to come up with ideas and practice them for a couple of minutes. Before the groups presented their ideas, the PAIR Specialist talked to the class about proper theatre etiquette how to react and respond when other students perform their story.  Each group then presented their ideas on what could have happened before the photo, allowing for group discussion on similarities and differences based on what each group acted out. 

Then in double the time again, the students were tasked with imagining what happened after the photograph was taken, expanding their scene even further. Each group again performed their ideas for the class with the teacher leading discussion on similarities and differences in ideas.

The teacher then had the students use their longest scene to write a story, also encouraging students to add any other ideas to create more key details to their individual stories.

Notes:

This strategy definitely needs coaching and guidance from the teacher, especially the first couple times. Once students get comfortable with all of the elements, they will naturally become more creative and less nervous about participating.

1st Grade: Addition, Sculptor/Clay

Brewer Elementary

Rowe/Hill/Waters – Addie Newcomer

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes: 

  • Students will be able to choose a number between 1-10. 
  • Students will be able to find the corresponding number that equals 10.
  • Students will be able to arrange classmates in a ‘living equation.’ 
  • Students will be able to create a number sentence on the white board illustrating their equation.
  • Students will be able to reverse the number sentence to show how it equals 10 when starting with the second number.
  • Students will be able to  invert the number sentence to show subtraction problems.
  • Students will be able to practice appropriate communication and empathy skills.

Integration Area/Subject:

Math & Theatre

State Standards:

MGSE1.OA.3 Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract. Examples: If 8 + 3 = 11 is known, then 3 + 8 = 11 is also known. (Commutative property of addition.) To add 2 + 6 + 4, the second two numbers can be added to make a ten, so 2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 12. (Associative property of addition.)

MGSE1.OA.6 Add and subtract within 20.

  1. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten (e.g., 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14); decomposing a number leading to a ten (e.g., 13 – 4 = 13 – 3 – 1 = 10 – 1 = 9); using the relationship between addition and subtraction (e.g., knowing that 8 + 4 = 12, one knows 12 – 8 = 4); and creating equivalent but easier or known sums (e.g., adding 6 + 7 by creating the known equivalent 6 + 6 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13).
  2. Fluently add and subtract within 10.

TA1.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.

  1. Use imagination to create, revise, and/or add to ideas.
  2. Demonstrate skills of the mind (e.g. imagination, focus, concentration).
  3. Follow directions and contribute to planning in theatre experiences.
  4. Listen to others with respect and courtesy in an ensemble.

TA1.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

  1. Use voice to communicate ideas and emotions.
  2. Use body to communicate ideas and emotions.
  3. Cooperate in theatre experiences.
  4. Assume roles in a variety of dramatic forms (e.g. narrated story, pantomime, puppetry, dramatic play).

TA1.PR.2 Execute artistic and technical elements of theatre.

  1. Identify and use personal and partner space.

Materials/Playing Space: 

Open space at the front of the class

Description: 

In Ms. Hill’s classroom:

One student ‘sculptor’ moved a group of 10 ‘clay’ classmates. Their job was to arrange the clay in two groups and then verbalize to the teacher how the number of clay on one side of the group plus the number of clay on the other side of the group equaled 10. The sculptor led the clay by asking each clay to follow as they moved around the rug. As Ms. Hill’s class rotated through different students acting as the sculptor, their challenge was to not repeat and number combinations to reach 10.

In Ms. Rowe’s classroom:

Ms. Rowe was the sculptor, and she set out a stack of yellow and red paper. 10 of her students came forward and chose a paper to hold up in front of their bodies. As a group, they ‘wrote’ a number sentence with their bodies by clustering yellows together ‘plus’ reds together, equaling 10. Ms. Rowe wrote the number sentence on the white board, then asked a certain color group to sit down, illustrating the reversed subtraction problem. 

In Ms. Waters’s classroom:

All students remained seated, and Ms. Waters passed out a sheet of red or yellow paper to an assortment of students, being careful to always total ten sheets but asking the class to count along and help keep track. When everyone was in agreement on the total sum equaling ten, Ms. Waters’s wrote the number sentence on the board while the class helped 

Notes:

The strategy can be greatly scaled up or down. Remember, if your class needs to stay seated, you can use this strategy to enforce classroom behavior and attentiveness by remaining seated but engaging students to help solve the equation. If your class is ready to step it up, you can let a student ‘sculptor’ direct the equation and physically lead the ‘clay’ students around the room as they write the equation.

6th Grade: Production Process, Pineapple Rhinoceros

Richards Middle School

Hughes – Meagan Cascone

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes: 

  • Students will be able to describe the process of theatre production from audition to final performance. 
  • Students will be able to show the different steps through a variety of movements.

Integration Area/Subject:

Theatre & Dance

State Standards:

TA6.CR.1e. Recognize and demonstrate the roles, responsibilities, and skills associated with collaborative performance.

MSD.CR.2. Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

Materials/Playing Space: 

Open Classroom Space

Description: 

We first had a class discussion about what the word movement meant to them. A lot of the responses were “moving set pieces, learning choreography, the relationship of one thing to affect the next thing starting.” 

Next, the teacher told us what our starting point of production would be. This was the audition. The PAIR Specialist explained that we wanted a movement representation of each stage of the production process, which would total ten steps. For each step, the PAIR Specialist got the students’ ideas of what the next step would be and gave them time to create a movement that correlated to the step. The steps ended up being (audition, cast list, read the script, read thru, rehearsals, memorizing lines, adding in some props or costume pieces, tech week, final dress rehearsal, final performance).

Once we had all ten steps, the PAIR Specialist challenged the students to complete this process with their own body movement, 1-10, completely silently and she would guess by their movement what step they were representing. This challenged the students to use all of their body to be very specific. 

Notes:

The goal of this lesson was for the students to really understand how much goes into the full production and to realize how quickly this all has to happen in order to be ready for opening night.

Remember to ask a final question that brings the class back to realizing the goal. Something like, “How long do we think all of these steps will take to be ready? Are there small steps that happen in between all of these that extend the time it takes?”

7th Grade: Weaving, Three-Headed Expert

Richards Middle School

Purvis – Jen Weisphal

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes: 

  • Students will be able to correctly explain the steps taken to create their previously completed weaving project.
  • Students will be able to use communication skills to listen carefully to their peers.
  • Students will be able to work together to create a cohesive sentence about subject matter.
  • Students will be able to demonstrate effective verbal communication by projecting their voice and using diction when speaking.
  • Students will be able to practice appropriate behavior as an audience member.

Integration Area/Subject:

Visual Art/ELA & Theatre

State Standards:

VA7.CR.2 Choose from a range of materials and/or methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan and create works of art.

  1. Produce original two-dimensional works of art using a variety of media (e.g. pencil, marker, pastel, paint, printmaking materials, collage material, media arts).
  2. Produce three-dimensional artworks using a variety of media/materials (e.g. clay, papiermâché, cardboard, paper, plaster, wood, wire, found objects, fiber).
  3. Use technology in the production of original works of art. d. Produce works of art that demonstrate awareness of a range of intentions (e.g. realistic, abstract, non-objective).

VA7.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes, media, techniques, and/or technology through experimentation, practice, and persistence.

  1. Demonstrate a variety of skills and techniques for two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art.
  2. Demonstrate quality craftsmanship through proper care and use of tools, materials, and equipment.
  3. Utilize and care for materials, tools, and equipment in a safe and appropriate manner.

ELAGSE7SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

  1. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
  2. Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
  3. Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
  4. Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views and understanding.

TA7.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

  1. Execute effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills in performance (e.g. rate, pitch, volume, inflection, posture, facial expression, physical movement).
  2. Participate in a variety of acting exercises and techniques that can be applied in a rehearsal or theatre performance.
  3. Engage in various performance styles.

 TA7.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.

  1. Assess the role and responsibility of the audience as an integral part of theatre performances.
  2. Summarize the relationship between the audience and performers.
  3. Predict how audience relationships will differ with venue and performance type.
  4. Demonstrate appropriate audience behaviors.

Materials/Playing Space: 

Open space at front of class

Description: 

The teacher picked a couple of volunteers to come up to the front of the class. The teacher had students use Three-Headed Expert to review their weaving project, including the steps needed to create separate sections of the artwork and putting it all together.

For Three-Headed expert, three students make up on “expert” and each student gives one word to a sentence that is being created by the group. For example:

Student 1: “We”

Student 2: “started”

Student 3: “the”

Student 1: “weaving”

Student 2: “project”

Student 3: “by”

Student 1: “choosing”

Student 2: “a”

Student 3: “shape”, etc…

The teacher asked the Three-Headed Expert about the first steps to creating the weaving project. The teacher chose a new group of three students every couple questions to give many students the opportunity to play.

As the ‘expert’ answered one of these questions, one student in the group of three made a stop to ask what happens if the expert was explaining the wrong thing. This was a great learning moment for working together and fixing the problem. The PAIR Specialist suggested that the student who knew the answer was becoming incorrect should give a sudden exclamation such as “Wait!” or “No!” to clue in the rest of the expert to the problem and try to redirect the answer as best they could. The teacher then asked the audience to raise their hands for the correct information, thus giving the Three-Headed Expert a little extra support.

Notes:

It’s helpful to talk to the class about what an audience needs to do with respect to the performers. Students generally know from previous experience, but having a reminder before the game starts helps the audience start on the right foot with them.

Making sure students know that projection and diction are part of theatre performance will aid in their success when speaking in a large group. Not only do they need the other two players to hear their word, but the audience needs to be able to hear as well to raise their hands to help should things begin to go off course.

4th Grade: Prepositions, Minefield

JD Davis, Year One

Nichols – Meagan Cascone

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes: 

  • Students will be able to identify prepositions.
  • Students will be able to retell directions using prepositions.
  • Students will be able to give directions using prepositions.
  • Students will contribute to peer learning and collaboration.
  • Students will work on soft skills, such as teamwork and empathy.
  • Students will engage in collaborative discussion following an activity.

State Standards:

ELAGSE4SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. 

  1. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. 
  2. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. 
  3. Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others. 
  4. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

ELAGSE4L1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 

  1. Form and use prepositional phrases.

TA4.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.

  • Participate as audience.
  • Demonstrate appropriate theatre etiquette.

TA4.CN.1 Explore how theatre connects to life experience, careers, and other content. 

  1. Connect theatre experiences to life experiences and other content areas.

Integration Area/Subject:

ELA & Theatre

Materials/Playing Space: 

We used the front of the room as our playing space and used different objects throughout the room as our different obstacles.

Description: 

The PAIR Specialist instructed the students to set up obstacles throughout the front of the classroom. The class decided what the goal would be for the student who had to make it through the obstacles. Once the course was set, the PAIR specialist adjusted a couple of obstacles so that it wasn’t impossible or dangerous. The students were reminded that we wanted the person with their eyes closed to succeed, that it is the students job as a group to protect the person with their eyes closed.

The PAIR specialist went through the obstacles with the student, while the teacher selected students to give directions. The students were reminded that only the person selected could give the direction and each person could only give one direction of how to get the student through the minefield. By one direction, this means something like “take 3 large steps forward” or “turn your body to your right 1⁄4 turn.” Students will be practicing communicating in a clear and concise way.

Once the student made it through the minefield, the PAIR specialist asked questions such as, “What was the hardest part about going through the obstacles? What was the hardest part about giving directions? What happened when more than one person tried to talk at one time?” 

The teacher then asked the students to describe what happened using prepositions. For example, “She had to step OVER the chair. She had to crawl UNDER the table. She went BETWEEN the two desks. 

At this point, the teacher set up a different obstacle course with the students while the PAIR Specialist went out of the room. The class discussed what they wanted the PAIR Specialist to do using their prepositions. “We want her to go AROUND the jacket and THROUGH the tables and step ON TOP OF the chair.

Notes: 

Students might need a reminder that when they give directions, they should look at where the student going through the course is standing. At times, when they wanted the student to move to the right, they would say left because that’s the direction it was looking at the student. Just remember to encourage students that we don’t want it to be impossible for the student going through the obstacles. Making it to the finish line is the goal for everyone.