In School Theatre Literacy Program

Kristin Rose Kelly was an Actor-Teacher for Creative Arts Team  (CAT) for 3 years.

Full-Year Residencies:

In partnership with the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), CAT has engaged in intensive, full school-year residencies in 8 schools. The project-based curriculum, developed in close coordination with classroom/afterschool teachers, directly addresses academic learning objectives in accordance to the NYS Common Core Standards in English Language Arts (ELA).

NDA Program:

A team of professional actors who create original and interactive theatrical experiences for elementary and middle school students.

CAT transforms the traditional classroom setting through our use of costume, music, character and set design.

The students play an integral part in the drama, taking on specific roles in order to build those literacy skills required by the New York State Common Core Standards in ELA that will be useful in their everyday lives.

Recent roles (and literacy skills) explored by students include:

  • Hollywood Film Producers (Organizing Ideas and Creative Imagining)
  • Farmers (Visualization and Character Analysis)
  • Pastry Chefs (Following Directions)
  • Authors of Fiction (Descriptive Writing)
  • Event Planners (Attention to Detail)
  • Game Show Contestants (Listening and Team-Building)
  • Video-Gamers (Kinesthetic Learning)
  • Investigative Journalists (Researching and Making Inferences)
  • Eye-Witness Reporters (Sequencing and Re-Telling)
  • Private Detectives (Examining Evidence and Drawing Conclusions)
  • Conflict Mediators (Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving)
Key Themes:
  • Identity and self-esteem
  • Literacy
  • Peer/family relationships
  • Communication
  • Positive alternatives to violence and bullying
  • Cultural sensitivity/awareness
  • Test prep/college prep/life goals
  • Positive alternatives to substance use/abuse
Goals

Students will:

  • Develop and strengthen their communication and literacy skills
  • Improve their critical thinking and social-emotional skills
  • Through DYCD partnerships, achieve higher grades or English Language Arts test scores