Mode of Program Participation
Community Organizing and Educational Programming
Participation Type
Workshop
Presentation #1 Title
Integrating Dramatic Arts Across the Appalachian Curriculum
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
“Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand” (Xun Kuang~300 BC) Following the performance of the play Sisters of the Mother Forest, this workshop will focus on how the play—and other dramatic works—can be used as a cross curricular element in K-12, college-level Appalachian Studies, or in non-formal community education settings. Drama is a teaching tool that allows students to participate, demonstrate, and observe in a creative learning environment. It provides a non-traditional opportunity to engage students in active learning and critical thinking. This hands-on workshop will give participants the opportunity to learn teaching strategies for both formal and nonformal settings that integrate the use of drama alongside other content in such areas as history, science, civics, and ecology. Through a series of hands-on activities, participants will be encouraged to work through their own teaching and learning objectives—including K-12 core content and college general education learning objectives. Activities and assessments will be aligned to the National Arts Standards for Theatre. Sample curriculum guides, in-class activities and assessment mechanisms will use Sisters of the Mother Forest as an example (although attending the performance is not required.)
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Sarah Evans is an adjunct instructor in EKU’s Appalachian Studies program. For the past 18 years she has worked as a K-12 educational trainer/consultant primarily in 20 school districts throughout Appalachian Kentucky. She specializes in training teachers to integrate the arts as a tool for teaching core academic standards across the curriculum—from math, science, history, social science, history, and the humanities—with an emphasis on aligning student learning outcomes and assessments through dramatic expression and the arts.
Integrating Dramatic Arts Across the Appalachian Curriculum
“Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand” (Xun Kuang~300 BC) Following the performance of the play Sisters of the Mother Forest, this workshop will focus on how the play—and other dramatic works—can be used as a cross curricular element in K-12, college-level Appalachian Studies, or in non-formal community education settings. Drama is a teaching tool that allows students to participate, demonstrate, and observe in a creative learning environment. It provides a non-traditional opportunity to engage students in active learning and critical thinking. This hands-on workshop will give participants the opportunity to learn teaching strategies for both formal and nonformal settings that integrate the use of drama alongside other content in such areas as history, science, civics, and ecology. Through a series of hands-on activities, participants will be encouraged to work through their own teaching and learning objectives—including K-12 core content and college general education learning objectives. Activities and assessments will be aligned to the National Arts Standards for Theatre. Sample curriculum guides, in-class activities and assessment mechanisms will use Sisters of the Mother Forest as an example (although attending the performance is not required.)
