Walk into a science classroom and ask a group of fifth graders what comes after “Construct a Hypothesis” in the scientific method? You’ll get some blank stares and maybe a couple of reluctant hands from the usual suspects. Alternatively, walk into the auditorium at Pittsburgh Public School’s Sunnyside Elementary School on a day that Attack Theatre is teaching the music class, and you’ll hear shouts of answers.
I observed Attack Theatre working with third and fifth grade students at Sunnyside Elementary. They partnered with the science teachers to create kinesthetic exercises that support the science curriculum.
When science is presented through theatre, students aren’t as afraid of getting things wrong and feel free to shout out, or even dance, answers. By integrating the safe and friendly space that is the theatre with the scary science world, we can help make bounds and leaps in trying to diversify the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, helping the general public stay educated and up to date on science research.
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