The American Place Theatre

Residencies for Schools

The Literature to Life Residency workshop is an in-school experience customized to meet the needs of your classroom. Led by Master Teaching Artist, sessions use high quality theatre, drama-in-education, and significant American literature to foster students' personal connections to cross-curricular, standards-based units of study.

Residencies are offered:

• For ages 7 and up
• In individual sessions or in a series up to a semester in length
• In English, Social Studies, and Theatre classrooms
• Anytime throughout the year

In the Theatre Classroom

Students will have the frame of a dramatic literary story and our corresponding theatrical adaptation through which to view and develop theatre skills, vocabulary and practice. Seasoned theatre professionals will use the themes from the literature as an anchor for exploration that will allow students hands on practice in such theatre skills as use of dramatic structure, characterization, acting, directing and designing. All work will be grade-appropriate based on the benchmarks from the NYC Department of Education's Theatre Blueprint. Residencies can culminate with an original theatre piece written and performed by students based on chosen themes from the literature.

New York State Standards for the Arts addressed through Literature to Life Residencies:

• Standard 1:   Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
• Standard 2:   Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
• Standard 3:   Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
• Standard 4:   Understanding the Cultural Contributions of the Arts

In the Social Studies Classroom

Students will have the opportunity to step back in time to explore the historical, cultural and social context of significant literature from a personal point of view. Students will foster a deep understanding of the impact of historical events on the lives of the individuals who experienced them. From Civil Rights Movement to the Harlem Renaissance, from the Vietnam War to the Jim Crow South, students will develop a lasting impression of the human face of history and how literature reflects those important stories.

New York State Social Studies Standards specifically addressed by Literature to Life Residencies:

• Standard 1:   History of the United States and New York
• Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

In the English Classroom

Through interactive drama-in-education techniques students will gain new access to literature by exploring characters, settings and themes from the book in an active and kinetic way. Students will develop motivation for reading and insights into literary techniques, story construction and the process of writing by connecting personally with the world of the chosen piece of literature. Residencies can begin or culminate with the students viewing of our theatrical adaptation of the book. Reading the book in outside assignments is encouraged by not required.

New York State Standards in English Language Arts addressed through Literature to Life Residencies:

• Standard 1:   Language for Information and Understanding
• Standard 2:   Language for Literary Response and Expression
• Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
• Standard 4:   Language for Social Interaction