Byram Hills Central School District

This information has been taken directly from the Accelerate U - Standards and Resource Guides (with approval) from the K-12 Education, NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT site. No information in this document has been changed.

Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts

4. Students will gain knowledge about past and pre-sent cultures as expressed through theatre. They will interpret how theatre reflects the beliefs, issues, and events of societies past and present.

Students:

dramatize stories and folk tales from various cultures (a)
engage in drama/theatre activities including music, dance, and games which reflect other cultures and ethnic groups (b)
discuss how classroom theatre activities relate to their lives (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:

read a folk tale in which animals play important roles; improvise being animals, comparing and contrasting the "cultures" of animals and human beings
attend a community ethnic festival to learn about a particular culture, then share dances, songs and games learned at the festival with another class at school

discuss responses to a theatrical performance explaining what ideas and feelings were conveyed and why the audience sympathized or was displeased with the main character.