Summer Internship Opportunity for Bronx High Schools

From Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural center:

We are currently recruiting Bronx-area high school Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors for Wave Hill's Forest Project Summer Collaborative as our March 25th application deadline approaches! We are seeking applicants who are interested in the environment, community-minded, and capable of rigorous physical and academic work.

The Forest Project Summer Collaborative empowers teenagers as citizens of an urban environment, and helps them pursue academic and personal fulfillment. This six-week program uses Bronx natural areas for ecological study and job training. Earning wages from Wave Hill and college credits from CUNY's Lehman College, basic forest restoration is taught in the greater context of the urban ecosystem, where woodland management connects directly with air and water quality, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity.
For more information and to download an application please visit: http://www.wavehill.org/education/high_school_internships.html.

Three levels of internship Plant Science, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Junior Crew Leader Internships are offered based on experience and high school grade completed, encouraging teenagers to grow at Wave Hill by returning each summer for new and increasingly challenging experiences. Applicants should have a grade of B or better in two Regents level science classes.

We are also accepting resumes and cover letters from college students applying for Crew Leader positions in the Summer Collaborative. A job description can be found on our website at: http://www.wavehill.org/about/jobs.html
Thank you for helping to spread the word!

Google Docs

There are some new documents on the Urban Arts Partnership gmail! They include recruitment strategies, local resrouces for Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, as well as sign up forms and permission slips. Be sure to check them out.

Photo Classes at ICP

The International Center of Photography runs a great community partnership program. They are accepting applications for Spring and Summer photography classes. They aren't free but scholarships are very attainable. If you're interested, let me know - I know a guy who knows a guy...

Some Links for You

From Nyoka, here is a list of organizations, magazines, festivals, screenings, etc. from ImageNation Cinema Foundation, an outlet for progressive media by and about people of color, with the goal of establishing a chain of art-house cinemas dedicated to these works.

And this is an interactive illustration showing how magazine covers are retouched. Slightly terrifying...

Opportunities for HS Students

Thanks to Kaya for this tip. If you're teaching in a high school, below are two fantastic opportunities for some of your students. ..

TRaC! (TEEN REVIEWERS AND CRITICS) PROGRAM:

Ever dream of being a critic for the Village Voice, Rolling Stone or the New York Times? High 5's TRaC Program is where you can get your start. TRaC is an exceptional program for committed NYC high school students (grades 10-12) who want to explore the vast arts scene in the New York City and learn the fundamentals of critical writing. It is a FREE 9-week program starting in March.

Download an application or find out more at:

www.high5tx.org/TRAC

YALE SUMMER LEADERSHIP PROGRAM:

Yale's New Pre-MBA Leadership Program is a fully-funded, two-week summer session (June 14-27) for high school students (9-12 grade) of color and those committed to diversity in public and private management. Whether or not graduates go on to pursue a professional degree in management or business does not matter, what does is that they will leave with a better sense of how to solve meaningful problems in an increasingly complex world.

To learn more and apply online:

www.som.yale.edu/premba

PD Recap Part 3: Reminders and Resources

Storyboarding is an easy way to get your students thinking about their play.  Divide each scene into one 6-panel storyboard and have the students draw in the characters, using bubbles for dialogue or captions for stage directions.  Not only does it get the students inspired to get up on their feet and see their storyboard in action, but it gives students who may be reluctant to perform an opportunity to play another valuable role in the production, that of "director."  

You can easily make blank storyboards on Microsoft Word but the application "Comic Life" has a series of pre-made blank templates you can print out right away.  Here's the link for it (for both pc and mac):

http://plasq.com/comiclife

Curriculums are due Feb 15th.  Your curriculum outlines for the rest of the school year, which we worked on during the retreat, are due Feb 15.  Remember, you can contact Dan (or each other) if you need a sounding board for ideas.  Keep in mind there are only 15 weeks of teaching until June 1, so plan accordingly.  Here's the link for the DOE Calendar:

schools.nyc.gov/Calendar/2008_2009.htm

Masterclass Requests.  Our Masterclass program, where master theatre artists become teacher to your kids for the day, is scheduled for March.  We are working hard to create access for as many classes as possible to benefit from this wonderful program.  

PD Recap Part 2: Improv/Writng Workshop

From Stage to Page: Using Improv as an effective tool for Playwriting

Based on feedback from the Theatre TAs, it seems we are at a point in our residencies where we many of us feel challenged by how to translate the great work we do in our day-to-day classroom exercises into an actual script suitable for performance.  Chris Roberti offered to lead a workshop on this.

We began with a brief group warm-up called "4 Things."  We circled up & began tapping out a rhythm collectively.   Each person in the circle then had name 4 things in response to a question from the person next to them (i.e. "Name 4 things that you do on a first date," etc..)  After they name their 4 things (in rhythm) the group repeats the question as a chant and then we move on to the next person until we've come full circle.  A quick and easy warm-up that gets the brain working and creates a fun but focused group dynamic.

We then moved onto the main exercise, called "Environment to Character."  The group forms a back line against the wall.  Chris asks for someone to call out a suggestion for a place (environment).  Once it's called out the group is encouraged to step out and become some object in that scene. (i.e. the place is a Jungle, the objects can be vines, spiderwebs, trash, etc.) No words are used, this part is silent.  Once the scene is established, everyone identifies what they were.

The group returns to the back line.  This time Chris asks for another place and the group creates a scene again, this time however, two members of the group can be actual people (characters) while the rest of the group remains as objects.  No words, still silent.  Again, once established, everyone identifies who / what they were.

The third time we do this, with a new suggestion for a place, everyone in the group is to become a person in the scene.   Objects can still exist, but they must be mimed by the characters.   In silence, the group can move about in the scene as their character for a while.  (i.e. The place is the Social Security Office, the characters range from retiree to receptionist to security guard). Once fully established, everyone identifies who their character was and gives a little backstory, prompted by questions from Chris as needed.  

The group then has a choice: choose one character from the scene who was most interesting and who they'd like to see "fleshed out" more.  (in our case it was the security guard, "Ken")  

At this point we create a "Character Wheel."  The person whose character was chosen stands in the center of a group circle.  Each person in the circle steps up to the center character and plays out a different scene from his life (i.e. the security guard gets fired, the security guard talks to his daughter, etc).  

This Character Wheel can then be repeated  for every other character in the group scene.  At this point you'll have established "core" characters with detailed backstories and even scene ideas, all ready to be written down in script form.

Additional Stage to Page exercises:

Open Scene: Students are given a script with an unspecific dialogue that could be understood in a variety of contexts and relationships.  For example, Character A and B meet and the opening lines are

A: "We have to get out of here"

B: "Just give me more time."

A: "But I need to know if it's true"

Etc, etc.

Students can then use this open scene to create context and characters that make sense, then rewrite the scene so it is more specific. 

Group Scene Switch: Break into small groups.   Each group writes a scene together by passing a piece of paper around, with each person in the group writing one line of the scene.  They then switch their scenes with another group.  The group that gets the scene must justify every line.  These scenes can be modified to fit into curriculum goals.

Paper Airplane: Instruct the students to take out a paper and pen.  Tell them to make a paper airplane.  On that plane they are to write 5 things about their character that people may not know (or 5 things they are proud of.. play around with different options).  Then tell them they will have the opportunity to read what they have written out loud, but they only have as much time to speak as their plan can stay in the air.  They have to decide what is most important of the things they wrote and how they can say it succinctly enough to get it out while the plane flies.  Gather in a circle and have each student take their turn flying and speaking.  They have now completed their first task as a playwright: they conceived of an idea, edited it, decided what was most important and performed the work.  This exercise can be repeated but instead of characters you can have them do scene ideas / story ideas / additional characters, etc.

  

PD Recap Part 1: ETSL prep

Dates for almost everyone's ETSL Meetings have been chosen.   Please make sure to finalize your ETSL date with you school administrator/teacher and confirm with Dan.

The ETSL Meeting powerpoint doc was reviewed & clarified.   Remember to start collecting your material (work, student reflections, your own reflections) asap.  If you need assistance in creating the ETSL Meeting powerpoint just let Dan know.

Dawn and Chris shared student work they are considering using for ETSL. Dawn shared her students' "I Am" poems and Chris shared his students' clowning work from their upcoming Macbeth Variety Show.  The group then helped identify who the struggling, achieving and excelling students might be.

How to Insert Video: This is important for anyone choosing to use their flip cam videos in the ETSL document.

• First, insert your Flip Cam's USB arm into the USB port of your computer.  The Flip Cam will show up on your desktop.  Open it up and look inside the folder labled "DCIM" where you will find your video files.  Rename the files if you want at this point so they are easier to locate in the future.
  
• Open up your ETSL document (in Powerpoint).   Go to the page/slide where student work is displayed and click there.  Go to the "Insert" tab and scroll down to "Movies and Sounds" then choose "Movie from Files." 
• At this point you can call up your Flip Cam's "DCIM" folder where you'll find the movie you want to insert.  The movie will appear as a still video frame in your document.  Adjust the height /width so it fits inside the student work section and you are done.
  
• To play the movie, simple double-click the still video frame.  Make sure the volume is up.
  

Theatre PD Friday Feb 6!

This Friday at 6pm the UAP Theatre Dept will have its 2nd Professional Development meeting of the year.  Topics covered will be - among others - how to enhance our Evidence of Student/Teacher Learning (ETSL) document, how Storyboarding can be an effective tool in creating shows, and new improv exercises that can spark great playwriting.