Artist-in-Residency Programs for Schools
In addition to educational school assemblies, affordable artist-in-residency programs are available to expand upon the learning opportunities. Each residency includes shows for the entire student body and hands-on, minds-on workshops to fill out the school day.
Drawing upon extensive experience as performers the Ac!vated Storytellers make the activities fun, memorable and stimulating. Because the children learn better when their senses are engaged, tangible objects and physical activities are incorporated whenever possible.
Residency Programs are one day to one week long. The program is suited to your needs and class schedules. Please check the workshop page for details about specific workshops.
Each residency begins with a series of performances; followed by a discussion of the presentations with the students and an analysis of the techniques used to give them an understanding of the general principles involved.
A family night program may be included.
Choose the focus of the residency program or mix and match:
- Expository Writing
- Performing Arts
- American Sign Language
- Story on Stage (2 days or more)
Expository Writing
The exercises we use are developed and adapted by an award-winning professional writer, and may range from such familiar concepts as clustering to a trigger for creativity that we call The Magic Sentence.
The session begins with collaborative activities designed to reduce inhibitions and effectively demonstrate brainstorming. We then may break into smaller groups and progress to opportunities for individual projects.
When students complete the workshops, they have a firmer grasp of the process involved in expressing their ideas and experiences on paper. (3rd grade and up)
Performing Arts
Students learn warm-up exercises, and performance art skills such as: theatre, vocal techniques, comedy and mime. Basic theatre terms and history are introduced, as are tips for giving an outstanding performance whether onstage or delivering a book report. (adaptable for Preschool - Junior High)
American Sign Language
Interactive games, songs teach that American Sign Language (ASL) is not just for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Use ASL to communicate, study vocabulary words and more. (all ages)
Stories on Stage
Students who participate will work on writing and staging folk tales or other stories. (requires more than one day - grade 3 and up)
For rate information check our Booking Information page.
Example One-Day Residency Schedule:
@ Small School (under 250 students) 1 show for assembly and up to 18 workshops
@ Medium School (up to 500 students) 2 shows for assembly programs and up to 12 workshops
@ Large School (over 500 students) 3 assemblies and 6 workshops (or 4 shows)
Example Two-Day Residencies Schedules
@ Medium School (500 students K-5) Residency Focus "Expository Writing" for 80 4th grade students preparing for the state test.
Day 1: Two back-to-back assemblies for the entire student body in the morning, followed by Writing Workshop Session 1 for all 4th grade students, and 2 writing workshop sessions after lunch with 2 classes attending each.
Day 2: (8:30-1:45) half-hour pull-out sessions, 2 groups of 4-5 students per session (with break for lunch); (1:45-2:15) final group session with all 4th grade students
@ Large School (700 students K-5) Residency Focus "Expository Writing" for 120 4th grade students
Day 1: Three assemblies for all grade levels, 2 in morning and one after lunch. Plus an American Sign Language workshop for 2nd graders and Special Ed students.
Day 2: Twelve 40-minute writing workshops lead by Dennis and Kimberly for six 4th grade classes (each class attends 2 workshops). Plus 6 "Question and Answer" sessions lead by Zephyr for multiple grade levels.
Example One Week Residencies Schedules
@ Medium school (500 students preK-6) Residency Focus: Oriental Cultural Study and Performing Arts for Talented and Gifted (TAG) class of 21; American Sign Language and Writing for 1st through 6th grades
Day 1: Two presentations of "Follow the Buzz" (Japan) and "The Song of Mulan" (China) for all students. Round one of writing and American Sign Language (ASL) workshops. First rehearsal with TAG students.
Day 2-5: Dennis conducted a series of 5 writing workshops for the 5th and 6th graders. Kimberly lead the ASL workshops, meeting twice with each 1st through 6th grade classes. Zephyr met once with 1st through 4th grade classes, teaching his Young Authors workshop. All three met with the TAG students daily for one class period to adapt and stage an asian folktale. (Total of about 67 school-wide workshops)
Day 6: Final round of workshops and presentation of the student production attended by the school with an evening program for their families.
@ Large School (over 600 students K-6) Residency Focus: The Arts
Day 1: Assemblies shows for all students. Round one of workshops featuring mask making, writing, theatre arts and putting on a play.
Day 2-5: All classes meet once with each performer to work on a skill (each student gets to attend three different workshops - total of about 75 school-wide workshops). One class meets five times with all three performers to adapt and perform a folktale on stage.
The photos on this page are from the student production "The Most Beautiful Thing in the World" a folktale from China directed by the Activated Storytellers during a 6 day residency in Mount Ayr, Iowa, March 2006.
