At the heart of our work with students is helping them learn to work and think like artists by learning to make artistic choices when constructing their own work of art in all art forms.
We also facilitate collaborations among artists and the teachers in whose classrooms they teach because we believe teachers are the single most powerful influence on student achievement and are essential in linking learning and the arts.
Together, artists and teachers learn to build strategies and content connections across disciplines that support students’ abilities to collaborate and address Common Core Standards.
The videos in this section offer examples of how artists and teachers have helped students make authentic connections across disciplines.
Teaching Artist Chris Heller collaborates with ESL and classroom teachers at PS 239Q to use a theme from the Social Studies curriculum “Conflict in America” to help students design tableaux and write short scenes they perform for their classmates. Students gain a deeper understanding of the theme of conflict, which is also essential to good […]
On the first day of shadow puppetry, Teaching Artist Erin Orr introduces her 3rd grade students to the history and technical foundations of the art form. Using real shadow puppets from Asia, Ms. Erin asks her students to observe the puppets’ various styles and characteristics. Rima Fand introduces music to the students later on in […]
Ms. Dimin’s 4th grade students are adapting a Native American folktale – The Rough Faced Girl – into a Hand Puppet show. They work in character groups, making collaborative design choices about their character. The Mean Sister group must decide on specific facial features for their puppet.
As part of their Native American Folktale study, Ms. Angelo’s 4th grade class reads and discusses “The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush”. They create a list of characters in preparation for the first session with Teaching Artist Sarah Provost. Ms. Angelo takes this opportunity to deepen student understanding of story elements.
The 5th graders at PS 130 connect their Parade Puppet Residency to their Social Studies Unit on “Slavery and Freedom”. 5th grade teacher Mr. Zagami talks through the benefits of designing puppets and generating first person monologues based on research from a variety of texts. The students put themselves in another person’s shoes, and answer […]
A student in Ms. Angelo’s 4th grade class talks through the steps required to make a hand puppet show.
Erin Orr’s 3rd grade puppetry students are brainstorming story ideas for their shadow-puppet show, which will be based on the life and art of Frida Kahlo. The processes of making art and collaboration are often messy, and students are encouraged to talk through many different ideas.
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