For teachers of grades 2-6

In this workshop, participants first learn about shadow puppetry as an art form, including performance and puppet-making techniques. They then explore story elements by creating original stories from a “Story Challenge Game.” Finally, they combine art form and content area by learning to facilitate the creation of hands-on shadow puppetry presentations that bring these original stories to life behind the shadow screen

Date/Time: November 11 from 4:30-7:30 at Liberty High School

Registration Link

For teachers grades 3+

Description: Improvisation provides a dynamic way for students to develop their active listening and spontaneous conversation skills. In 21st Century classrooms, where learning is active and social, teachers cultivate a supportive community where students alternate between leading and following, develop flexible thinking and build onto each other's ideas. Discover how to integrate drama improvisation games into the classroom to strengthen essential conversation skills such as eye contact, concentration, cooperation, and the principle of "Yes, and..." to affirm and expand on their partner's contributions.

Date/Time: Thursday, September 19 from 4:30 - 7:30 at JCCC

Registration Link

With Melanie Rick and Sean Layne
For teachers of Grades K-8

This workshop provides the opportunity to experience and examine how the visual literacy strategies and the tableau strategies learned with presenters Melanie Rick and Sean Layne can be combined. Integrating these two bodies of work allows students to construct and demonstrate their understandings through visual art and tableau. Join Melanie and Sean to explore how to create lessons that integrate these strategies during the beginning, middle and end of lessons so students are engaged, learning through multiple modalities and critically thinking.

with: What If Puppets (formerly Mesner Puppet Theater) - Meghann Henry and Alex Espy
for teachers of: Pre-school - 2nd Grade

Kids love them, but teaching with puppets can be intimidating! In this interactive training we will work together to tackle these fears by modeling simple teaching strategies with puppets, providing practical tips and tricks for puppet manipulation, and playing together with puppets in a low pressure environment...you will even take your own hand puppet back to your classroom!

With keynote speaker Garrett Brown

Please join us for our annual celebratory Arts Integration Dinner on Wednesday, March 8th at the Regnier Center on the campus of Johnson County Community College. We will enjoy a catered pasta meal and cash bar while listening to keynote speaker Garrett Brown.

Use the link below to RSVP by March 1st.

With Kevin Spencer
For teachers of: Kindergarten – 12th grade

What does it mean to teach like a magician? No one is better equipped to answer that question than Dr. Kevin Spencer, an award-winning artist, educator, and researcher. In this teacher training, participants will explore MAGICIAN as an acronym, each letter representing a research-based practice that is vital for creating an environment conducive to learning.

FREE! Drawing Symbols for Reading Comprehension

with: Jamin Carter
for teachers of: Grades 5-8

When drawing is used to make sense of information presented audibly or through text it can’t be beat! If you want to greatly increase students’ ability to accurately recall what they read, organize events in the proper sequence, and make sense of unfamiliar content this interactive workshop is for you.

Thinking on Your Feet: Building a Creative Classroom Community Through Improv!

with Maria Tereza Schaedler-Luera

Improv Games are a quick, engaging way to start the day, to use between tasks and before tests, or even to change the energy after lunch or near the end of the day.

This session focuses on 5-15 minute ready-to-use game-like learning structures that develop a variety of skills: team building, focus, listening, problem solving,collaboration, critical and creative thinking, flexibility and many more. Join drama specialist and “improv queen” Maria Tereza Schaedler-Luera as she gets your creative juices flowing in this playful session.

For teachers of grades K-12

Request a code for ‘free admission’ , contact Kara Armstrong (karmstro@jccc.edu) or Christopher Peacock (CPeacock@kcya.org)

FREE! Listening to Comprehend: Hearing the Curriculum Through Music

with: Emily Smith
for teachers of: Grades K-8

Music plays a crucial role in providing context, eliciting feelings and creating strong memories in our lives. Let’s access the power of decoding music in order to help students construct and demonstrate understandings of science and social studies concepts. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to learn how to sharpen your listening skills with Emily Smith, Focus 5 national teaching artist from Valdosta, GA!

The Literacy of Dance: Setting the Stage for Learning Through Creative Movement

with Jessica McHugh

Shifting back to school from unstructured summer days can be tricky for young learners! Why not bring a little creativity to your procedures and routines for the new school year and move through this transition with more ease? Creative movement routines can help students develop their self-awareness to manage their bodies in space, move through hallways and classrooms mindfully, build relationships with peers, and cope with stress and anxiety.

In this valuable session, creative mover and curriculum specialist, Jessica McHugh guides you in procedures and routines that set the stage for mindful movement to support learning in the classroom all year long!

For teachers of grades K-2

Request a code for ‘free admission’: contact Kara Armstrong (karmstro@jccc.edu) or Christopher Peacock (CPeacock@kcya.org)

The Actor’s Toolbox: Empowering Students to Find Calm, Focus, and Balance

with Sean Layne

How do teachers prepare for students’ widely varying energies and emotions? This session establishes a silent routine that helps classes calm their bodies, focus their minds, and balance their emotions so they are ready for learning.

Created by actor/educator Sean Layne, this strategy has been used with overwhelming success for decades in classrooms worldwide and seems more relevant than ever as our educational system turns its focus on social emotional learning.

For teachers of grades K-1

Questions? Contact Kara Armstrong (karmstro@jccc.edu) or Christopher Peacock (CPeacock@kcya.org)

BARS: Learning the Writing Process Through Rap

with: Bomani Armah
for teachers of: Grades 3-8

In this interactive workshop, Baba Bomani will show teachers how to use aspects of hip-hop art and culture to create an engaging learning environment. Educators will learn rhyme-based strategies that build student writing and communication skills using the five steps of the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing). These strategies also enhance vocabulary while making connections between essay writing and songwriting.

The Power of Pictures: Decoding Illustrations to Deepen Comprehension

with Melanie Rick
for Teachers of Grades PreK-2nd

Students in the early years are often emerging readers who depend on images to provide visual cues that aide in comprehension. This workshop focuses on reading illustrations in fiction picture books before, during and after reading to help students develop the skills of predicting, inferring/drawing conclusions, sequencing and retelling a story.

***The Kauffman Foundation requires all guests to upload a vaccination card in order to enter their facility.***

Boxed dinner provided.

The Power of Pictures: Reading Art in Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts

With: Melanie Rick
For Teachers of Grades K-8

Explore how art can be read as visual texts that can communicate information through images as opposed to words. This strategy helps build background knowledge, create personal connections, and inspires inquiry for all learners.

***The Kauffman Foundation requires all guests to upload a vaccination card in order to enter their facility.***

Boxed dinner provided

BARS: LEARNING THE WRITING PROCESS THROUGH RAP 

with: Bomani Armah
for teachers of grades 3-8

Description: In this interactive workshop, Baba Bomani will show teachers how to use aspects of hip-hop art and culture to create an engaging learning environment. Participants will learn rhyme-based strategies that build student writing and communication skills using the five steps of the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing). Through the art of hip-hop, these strategies also enhance vocabulary while making connections between essay writing and songwriting.

Location: JCCC, Midwest Trust Center room 234

Boxed dinner provided

Text Card Tableau: Introducing New Content Through Drama

with Sean Layne
FOR TEACHERS of K-8

Prerequisite workshop: Acting Right

Learn how to use text as a springboard to create tableaus that help students examine the meaning of the text passages and provide teachers with instant assessment of student comprehension of specific facts, concepts, or big ideas. The strategy is also extended to introduce, reinforce and assess vocabulary.

***The Kauffman Foundation requires all guests to upload a vaccination card in order to enter their facility.***

Boxed dinner provided

Acting Right: Building a Cooperative, Collaborative, Creative Classroom Community Through Drama

with Sean Layne
FOR TEACHERS OF K-8

This workshop takes the foundational elements of acting such as concentration, cooperation, and collaboration and creates a structured process, which can become the basis for effective classroom management every day. This engaging, step-by-step approach empowers students to take ownership of and be responsible for their own behavior. Learn how to help students build the skills necessary to establish a sense of self-control, accountability, and teambuilding in your classroom. This workshop is recommended for any classroom based in active, social, cooperative learning.

***The Kauffman Foundation requires all guests to upload a vaccination card in order to enter their facility.***

Boxed dinner provided

Creatively Moving Through SEL

with Jessica DiLorenzo
FOR TEACHERS of K-8

As life serves up challenges, it is imperative we help students gather tools to navigate their shifting emotions. This workshop connects the elements of movement to social emotional learning skills like self-management, mind and body awareness, self-expression, collaboration, and empathy building. You will learn to guide students through working together, stepping into another’s shoes, and creating movement phrases that demonstrate how heroes transform their biggest challenges into their greatest successes.

Prior to the February 23rd session, participants are asked to complete an online module. Details coming soon.

Choose either Feb. 22 or Feb 23.

Creatively Moving Through SEL

with Jessica DiLorenzo
FOR TEACHERS of K-8

As life serves up challenges, it is imperative we help students gather tools to navigate their shifting emotions. This workshop connects the elements of movement to social emotional learning skills like self-management, mind and body awareness, self-expression, collaboration, and empathy building. You will learn to guide students through working together, stepping into another’s shoes, and creating movement phrases that demonstrate how heroes transform their biggest challenges into their greatest successes.

Prior to the February 22nd session, participants are asked to complete an online module. Details coming soon.

Choose either Feb. 22 or Feb 23.

The Many Ways to Move Through the Curriculum

With: Harlan Brownlee 
For teachers of grades: K-8

Dance is not one thing. It is many. There are multiple ways to effectively use it in the classroom as an instructional approach depending on your learning objectives and placement within a unit of study. Join Kennedy Center Teaching Artist, Harlan Brownlee, as he draws on his 37 years of teaching experience and guides participants in a series of participatory movement-based structures designed to integrate into daily lesson plans and increase instructional effectiveness. Dress comfortably to explore this toolbox of movement strategies and leave with the knowledge of when and why to use them and get your students moving through the curriculum!

Boxed dinner provided.

Building Reading Comprehension Through Sound and Rhythm

with Imani Gonzalez
FOR TEACHERS of GRADES K-8

Explore new paths to help students develop reading comprehension strategies and make connections between music and language. This session guides participants through a process to help students create a Soundscape – a way to retell the story that connects students to the story’s tone, mood, setting, and the characters’ culture(s). This learning process will help students create sensory images, use questioning strategies, develop inference skills, and determine importance.

Prior to the December 3rd session, participants are asked to complete an online module. You will receive links after you register.

Choose either Dec. 2 or Dec. 3.

Building Reading Comprehension Through Sound and Rhythm

with Imani Gonzalez
FOR TEACHERS of GRADES K-8

Explore new paths to help students develop reading comprehension strategies and make connections between music and language. This session guides participants through a process to help students create a Soundscape – a way to retell the story that connects students to the story’s tone, mood, setting, and the characters’ culture(s). This learning process will help students create sensory images, use questioning strategies, develop inference skills, and determine importance.

Prior to the December 2nd session, participants are asked to complete an online module. You will receive links after you register.

Choose either Dec. 2 or Dec. 3.

Listening to Comprehend: Hearing the Curriculum Through Music

with Emily Smith
FOR TEACHERS of Grades 3-7

Music plays a crucial role in providing context, eliciting feelings and creating strong memories in our lives. However, when it comes to understanding how music communicates with us, we remain mystified. Let's access the power of decoding music in order to help students construct and demonstrate understandings of science and social studies concepts. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to learn how to sharpen your listening skills!

The Power of Pictures: Political Cartoons, Paintings and Photographs: Reading Art in Secondary ELA and History Classrooms

with Melanie Rick
FOR TEACHERS of HIGH SCHOOL and MIDDLE SCHOOL

It can be difficult for students to comprehend curriculum because the themes, topics, people, places, and/or events feel abstract or removed from their own lives. In this online module, learn how to truly read works of art as texts to visually connect students to content while instilling a solid sense of visual literacy.