This residency integrates Theater with Language Arts and Social Studies curricular goals. Students explore dramatically, kinesthetically, and imaginatively the impact of a period in American history on the lives of historical figures. Then they write monologues or letters by key figures that explain their points of view on the events they influenced--for example, the Revolutionary War or the Civil War. They write about the motivation of historical figures, the obstacles they faced, and their hopes for and influences on the future. They work in collaborative groups to create mini-performances from the monologues. Students gain skills and awareness of group dynamics and practice their skills in collaborative creative processes. Finally, students perform their monologues or letters.
Curricular Connections
English Language Arts 3.01 Respond to fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by: examining the reasons for characters' actions; identifying and examining characters' motives; making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters, events and themes; Goal 4 The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts. 4.07 Compose fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using self-selected and assigned topics and forms (e.g., personal and imaginative narratives...). 4.09 Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal and imaginative narrative...
Theatre Arts: Goal 1 The learner will write based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature, and history.
