Instructional Practice-Created Curriculum

Instructional Practice - Narrative

Since starting at PS75, I have created and refined curriculum for Theater students at in grades K through 5, writing and revising Curriculum Maps, experimenting with various cycles for Theater instruction, and developing progressive Units of Study for all students. My instructional practices have been graded 'Effective' and 'Highly Effective' in my Observation ratings. Because I teach almost every student at PS 75, I’ve been inspired to develop curriculum that is responsive to their individual needs, and that fosters a supportive, creative learning environment, in an effort to set them up for success.  I believe that ‘Theater Can Make Us Better Humans’, and I have this phrase posted on my classroom wall. Working with our school core values of empathy and flexibility, I have learned to use a variety of supports and differentiation,  in order to best help  our population of diverse learners (~55% of our Title 1 school population have special needs). 

All grades begin each year with a ‘Theater & Ensemble Basics’ Unit, and  then K-1 focuses on identifying the ‘Actor Tools’ (body, face, voice & imagination), Story Theater, Puppetry, and a Fables & Fairytales Unit.  Grades 2-3 build on that knowledge, and then begin work on more specific types of performance such as Tableau and Pantomime, in addition to some Readers Theater, Puppetry and a Jobs in Theater Unit.  4th and 5th graders take all of that knowledge, and begin doing Monologue work, Scene Study Units, Improvisation, as well as Puppetry,  Playwriting and Theater Design.   All of our work helps to build characterization, ensemble building among peers, and vocal performance skills. 

In addition to general instruction, I started our school's first Drama Club in 2022, in our after school program, and due to popularity, a second club had to be created in 2024!

Lastly, I’m very proud of the Theatrical experiences I’ve been able to bring to students at PS 75.  In my first 2 years, I was able to bring the ‘Tanglewood Marionette’ touring company to our school, and pay for it using a stipend from my Lincoln Center Scholars Masters Degree Program.  All students had the chance to experience these live theatrical productions, right in our own school, and then some were able to participate in a smaller, Marionette Puppet workshop on stage afterwards - a huge hit!  I also have brought a group of 5th graders, each year, to outside venues, where they performed  ‘spoken word poetry’ performances, that I conceived, choreographed and Directed, for our Black History Month Assemblies.  These venues were the 'Langston Hughes Choral Speaking Festival' at the CCNY College campus, and our own District 3 Art Fair.   In May 2024, I took a group to the Manhattan Borough Arts Festival, as the only Elementary School chosen, and we returned in 2025!

All of these experiences link back directly to the work we do in our classroom, and help to give a more well-rounded Theatrical learning experience to our students. I hope they are fun memories that they’ll look back on fondly, while also giving them a confidence boost in their vocal and performance abilities.

Instructional Practice:  

Unit Plan | Lesson Plan 

Puppetry Rubric-Self Assessment form | Playwriting Rubric