The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Science, drama team up in STEAM partnership
electricity Imagine by learning acting out about the process with other students.
Or studying invertebrates by pretending to be one. At several Gwinnett schools, science principles leap off the textbook pages and come to life through a partnership with the Aurora Theatre.
For more than a year, Renita James, the Lawrenceville theater’s education coordinator, has had an office in the Central Gwinnett build- ing from which she designs innovative programs that use dramatic concepts to delve into science topics. Two days a week, James works in class- rooms with Central Gwinnett and Meadowcreek students and alongside teachers creating content to infuse the arts into all areas of study.
For the theater, having a presence in thehigh schools demonstrates its commitment to the community, said
James. “They know Aurora exists, and we care about their education.”
For the schools, having a dramatic arts expert to call on expands learning possi- bilities.
“The theater is just a mile and a half down the street, so they’re an important part of our Lawrenceville community that helps us incubate ideas,” said Megan Rose-Houchins, Central Gwinnett’s Fine Arts Academy coordinator. “Ren- ita goes into all our class- rooms and gives feedback on how to integrate more arts into the class. She goes in as a guest teacher. Right now, she’s leading a characterization workshop for a the- ater class. She also mentors students about their careers after high school.”
world James perspective, also brings added a realRose-Houchins. “We do bring in local business partners to work with our students to make sure we are up to date on professional standards. Renita adds to that as well.” the And district more are schools asking for in James’ input. Last year, a seventh-grade teacher from nearby Five Forks Middle asked her to create a work- shop on public speaking. “The teacher wanted to focus on eye contact and projection, so we figured out a way to do that using different activities,” said James. “We emphasized that things like voice and eye contact are used in real-life speeches. Since then, we did the same workshop for sixth graders, and we’re doing it this year for eighth graders.” the productions Students chance to have attend and also incorpo- Aurora had rate the performances into their lessons. Earlier this year, they watched the theater’s production of “The Mountaintop” about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement. “Then they explored cultural and histor- ical concepts in the show,” said James. “It provides a broader understanding of where the show takes place and gave us a chance to talk about other civil rights leaders. They took themes from the show and wrote their own speeches about topics they cared deeply about.” This fall marks the second year the theater-school partnership will take high school drama students into elementary schools, said Rose-Houchins. advanced and do for “We a fifth-graders,” a three-week STEM have theater a teacher group program she students of said. who 10 “We building focus and on creativity, problem team solving through theater exercises and games. We’ve acted out electric circuits and designed an interactive play to help them learn about electricity. This year, we’re figuring out how to bring it to at least three elementary schools in the spring and then take it to the middle schools. It’s a great way to combine learning about science through the arts.”