Extended Learning Time Partner: Redhouse

The Redhouse Mission

Redhouse’s School District Partnerships provide unique and artistic educational experiences that stimulate imagination, encourage critical thinking, and promote inclusivity. By reinforcing common core curriculum, promoting social/emotional learning, and developing the culturally responsive classroom, this partnership fosters the further development of a positive school community.

 

The Redhouse at Seymour Elementary Dual Language Academy

The program at Seymour Elementary Dual Language Academy provides unique and artistic enrichment experiences that support the school’s mission of dual-language programming. Redhouse dual-language teaching fellows focus on developing the culturally responsive classroom through the arts. Students in grades 2-5 are given the opportunity to choose their unit(s) of study after going through an introductory, exploratory unit at the beginning of the school year.

Core Curriculum Through the Arts

Teaching Fellows trained in dance, music, drama, and design from around the country work with students to promote classroom learning and the arts. By participating in our immersive, project-based curriculum, students learn creativity, problem solving skills, and social and emotional skills. Each of the 8 arts based units engage, apply, and reinforce language arts, math, science, and social studies. These units are designed to meet NYS standards of learning for the core curriculum and the national standards of performing arts. Writing components based directly on the work of Lucy Calkins are integrated throughout the school year in order to create seamlessness between enrichment time and school district literacy initiatives. Our units culminate in a “shareformance”, a school wide celebration and student showcase.

Seymour Highlights for 2017-18

• Students showcased their academic and artistic progress at recent shareformances
• Rag Tag Theatre performed a unique take on Cinderella, teaching the importance of valuing oneself and saying no to bullying!
• Ms. Valent’s 1st grade class is learning about different cultures around the world
• Ms. Lott’s 2nd grade class is learning about the different decades of dance - from the 20’s to the 2000’s!

Coursework

• Drama: Students learn the skills and values of performing for an audience. Students cover a large range of topics -- Shakespeare and his work, folktales from around the world, devised theater -- while incorporating language arts, history, and social-emotional skills to become a fully-fledged and well-rounded performer.
• Movement and Dance: Students study multicultural dance and creative movement, building upon their knowledge of the elements of dance to create and perform movement pieces.
• Music: Students will study and implement the elements of music in classes such as; Songwriting, Music for Film, and Music Video. Students will engage in both live and recorded performance practice through both vocal and instrumental music making. Students will also engage in critical listening and analytical activities of a wide variety of repertoire. 
• Visual Arts: Through the introduction of diverse art mediums, students are exposed to the different ways they can make their imaginations and ideas come to life. From Film and Video to Sculpture and Painting, visual arts helps students use art-making as a means to learn more about core skills in English, History and Design while also encouraging students to explore their artistic abilities.