Cultivating Creativity Through Choice

At Bullis Charter School, creativity and curiosity are considered vital 21st Century skills. To help students unlock and pursue their individual dreams and passions, we offer a rich array of co- and extra- curricular classes. These ‘choice’ activities allow students to explore their own talents and interests and help to develop the whole child. Co-curriculars are held once per week during the regular school day. Each child participates in two co-curricular activities per semester and every BCS teacher is required to develop and lead two of these activities. This year, students were offered an incredible array of co-curricular courses, including picture book writing, advanced Lego robotics, ceramics, public speaking in Mandarin, and web design. Extra-curriculars are also taught by BCS’s homeroom and specialist teachers and are available to every student, but they are optional, after school activities. Extra-curriculars include everything from sports, color guard, and dance lessons to math games, chess club, and fine art classes.

A brand new co-curricular offered to BCS first and second grade students this year is called “Engineering Design with Wood Blocks.” First grade teacher Mrs. Ly created this activity and begins the class each week by telling a story about a harmonious town in a far away land called Peace Town. Everyone in this town lives together in harmony and everyone helps each other out.  However, to integrate engineering design into this activity, the story always ends with a problem that the students need to solve for the people of Peace Town. This type of problem solving develops the students’ design thinking skills. It also helps them to build empathy since they need to emphasize with the people of Peace Town and to understand the problem before they can begin to devise solutions. For example, when challenged to create ways to let visitors into the town, the students created a musical buzzer that when rung, makes beautiful music. As the children explained, “the people of Peace Town are peaceful people and want to hear beautiful and peaceful sounds.”

In Mrs. Ly’s classroom there is a dedicated “Construction Zone” where students use wooden blocks to build their solution prototypes. Although they can choose to work collaboratively or alone, once one or two students begin to construct something other kids often join in, sharing their ideas and expertise. Some of the students ask if there are more blocks they can use or other materials they can add to their creations, but just like engineers in the real world, they are instructed to create their design using the supplies on hand. The students must talk through their ideas, collaborate with their partners or teams, and include lots of detail in their planning. Using this active learning model, these young students have built some amazing structures. Their creations remain unaffected inside the construction zone throughout the week and every Friday the students clean up the area and start all over again on a new structure. The students also write in

their journals about what they have built and why, and they can refer to pictures Ms. Ly has taken during their building session to help remind them of what they built. This encourages them to include lots details in their writing and reflections.

The students have developed a real passion for their design and building co-curricular and it is obvious that they are having a great time working with friends, collaborating, and problem solving. After the first session, students asked Mrs. Ly if they could stay after school and keep building. One student even asked if it would be possible to stay and build if his mom came in to supervise. Clearly, these young engineers are just getting started!

The Dramatic Benefits of the BCS Drama Program

As a S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) school, BCS offers music, art, and drama instruction as part of the core curriculum. During weekly drama class, students learn to perform scenes, monologues, and songs from well-known plays and musicals, engage in improvisation, and learn about the technical side of theater including stage direction, scene and costume design, and light and sound engineering. Throughout the year, large-scale drama productions provide students the opportunity to put these skills to use.  This school year includes productions of Haphazardly Ever After (Grades 1-4), The Aliens are Coming (Grades 4-5), Guys and Dolls (Grades 6-8), The Lion King Jr. (Grade K-4), Into the Woods (Grade 5), and A Mid-Summer’s Night Dream (7th Grade).

BCS is fortunate to have on staff two amazing, full-time drama specialists who engage students in this wonderfully creative aspect of the school’s art program. Jocelyn Pickett works with BCS K-4 students and Jeff Clark works with BCS 5-8 grade students. I had the opportunity to talk with both specialists during afterschool rehearsals for The Lion King Jr. and Into the Woods and here is what they had to say about the importance of incorporating a drama program into the core curriculum of any school.

Why is it important to expose all students to drama?

Mr. Clark: It is important to expose students to drama, even those kids who have no desire to perform on stage, because it builds a myriad of skills they may need for future endeavors. Drama provides the students with experience presenting in front of large groups, it teaches them the art of voice projection, and it develops their ability to think quickly on their feet when in a situation in which they need to improvise. Participating in drama also opens the students up socially, requiring them to work with other kids who they may not have chosen to spend time with in a social situation. As part of their assignment, they must create a performance project with this partner—listening to and being heard by the partner. This helps the students develop the ability to listen to the ideas of others and it also provides them a safe place to try out their own creative ideas.

Ms. Pickett: Teaching drama is important because it teaches something that is not often incorporated into a standard school day. Math and science are logical. Life isn’t like that though, and neither is drama. In performance, there is no right or wrong answer. Drama is an opportunity for open creativity and it provides a chance to build creative confidence. It is Ok to make mistakes in drama and in fact, mistakes are wonderful because they may lead to the creation of something beautiful. Mistakes also allow the performer to rebound and improvise. This is an opportunity for pure creation and innovation. The only mistake one can make in drama is to not try or participate.

Another amazing aspect of drama is it teaches one not to be selfish. You quickly learn that the person next to you on the stage is important. This teaches the students to pay attention to the other actors.

What are some of the additional skills students learn in drama class and what are the added benefits of incorporating a drama program into a school curriculum?

Ms. Pickett: As a drama specialist I get to see the actual child; they don’t put on façade in drama class. In drama, students can show how they are really feeling that day and use that emotion as part of their performance. This is true social, emotional learning (SEL). Drama also teaches the students how to deal with disappointment. Not everyone can land the role of Snow White and that is Ok, because Tree #2 is just as important as Snow White in the production. A performance is not about the individual on stage but rather about how to convey a message to an audience. To do this, you need everyone to work together as a group. It is not about one person being a star but rather about creating a piece together as an ensemble. Drama is the ultimate team sport and there are lots of group problem solving skills involved in pulling off a successful production.

How do you choose what the students will act out in drama class?

Mr. Clarke: Currently, the 5th graders are working in class on scenes from the musical 1776. They 1776 was chosen because it aligns with the 5th grader’s core curriculum in history, which focuses on Colonial American and the Revolutionary War. When choosing an afterschool production, it is often all about how to manage the logistics. For example, I need to consider how many students want to participate and then choose a play or musical that has enough parts for all who want to join. After meeting this benchmark, I decide what kind of production would be good to expose the students to. A few years ago we performed Oklahoma, which is an iconic musical because when it was first produced in the 1940s and 1950s, it changed the way all future musicals were created. This musical has real historical relevance and as part of preparing for the production, the students discussed the history of the musical and learned about the time period in which it is set. For every production the students produce, it is important for them to really understand its background and to immerse themselves in its history.

Upcoming BCS Performances:
Performances of Into the Woods will be held on April 28th and 29th at 7:00 pm and on April 30th at 2:00 pm. Performances of Lion King Jr. with the north campus cast will take place on May 5th, 6th and 7th at 7:00 pm, with an additional 2:00 pm production on May 7th. Performances with the south campus cast will take place on May 12th, 13th, and 14th at 7:00 pm with an additional 2:00 pm production on May 14th. Performances of A Mid-Summer’s Night Dream will take place on June 6th and 7th at 7:00 pm.