SUPER SCiENtiFiC CiRCUS - Edmonds Center for the Arts

Edmonds Center for the Arts presents:
super scientific circus
November 4, 2014 | 10:00 am & 12:30 pm
Teacher Ties
ECA Teacher Ties for Super Scientific Circus make connections to the following
Washington State EALRs and Common Core State Standards:
Theatre 1.4, 2.3
Science EALR 2: Inquiry, Big Idea: Inquiry
Science EALR 4: Physical Science, Big Idea: Force and Motion
Science EALR 4: Physical Science, Big Idea: Energy: Transfer, Transformation and Conservation
Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts (CCSS ELA)
Contents
ECA Education & Outreach
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Making Connections
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Before the Show
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Activity: Name that Scientist!
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Class Discussion: Imagination vs. Knowledge
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Activity: Make a Boomerang
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Activity: Balancing Objects
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Watch & Discuss: “The Lion Tamer”
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Activity: Chain Mime
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Be the Critic!
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Terminology
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Resources
Education & Outreach at ECA
education matinees
Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) is committed
to expanding the reach and impact of its
performances by actively engaging students,
teachers, families and community members in
Education & Outreach programs throughout the
year. Each season on our Main Stage, we present
Education Matinees for students ranging from
Pre-K to 12th grade. These performances connect
to Washington State EALRs and Common Core
State Standards, and provide students the invaluable
opportunity to experience the arts live.
Hobey Ford’s Migration
Best for 1st-5th grades
Thursday, October 9 | 10:00 am & 1:00 pm
Co-presented by the Black Box Theatre at Edmonds
Community College
Super Scientific Circus
Best for 1st-6th grades
Tuesday, November 4 | 10:00 am & 12:30 pm
Infinitus
Best for 5th grade & up
Friday, November 7 | 10:00 am
La Maleta (The Suitcase)
Best for 2nd-6th grades
Wednesday, January 28 |12:30 pm
Thursday, January 29 | 10:00 am
Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
All Ages
Thursday, February 12 | 10:00 am
The Adventures of Harold & The Purple Crayon
Best for Pre-K-3rd grades
Wednesday, February 26 | 10:00 am & 12:30 pm
A student participates in an onstage demonstration at
Doktor Kaboom! It’s Just Rocket Science, March 4, 2014.
arts for everyone
Arts for Everyone is a new program offering
schools discounted tickets to Education Matinee
performances. With the objective of increasing
accessibility to the performing arts for young
people, ECA has committed to provide a
minimum of 20% of seats at each Education
Matinee at a reduced rate to schools, based
on their overall percentage of students on
Free and Reduced-Price Meal programs. For
these schools, tickets will be $2 per student, vs. the
regular $8 student ticket price.
To participate, teachers may apply for discounted
tickets on a by-performance basis. Priority will be
given to schools with an overall percentage of 30%
or higher of students on Free and Reduced-Price
Meal programs.
To make a reservation to attend ECA Education
Matinees or for more information about Arts for
Everyone, please contact Gillian Jones, Education
& Outreach Manager, at [email protected] or
425.275.9483.
Making Connections
Super Scientific Circus makes curricular ties to the following Washington State EALRs
and Common Core State Standards:
Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts (CCSS ELA)
Theatre EALR 1, Component 1.4
Students understand and apply audience conventions in a variety of arts settings and
performances.
Theatre EALR 2, Component 2.3
Students apply a responding process to an arts performance and/or presentation of
dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.
Science EALR 2 – Inquiry
Big Idea: Inquiry
Science EALR 4 – Physical Science
Big Idea: Force and Motion
Science EALR 4 – Physical Science
Big Idea: Energy: Transfer, Transformation and Conservation
Before the Show
about the show
Super Scientific Circus is a performance designed
to help students understand that science can be
appreciated in everything we see and do. The
program features circus skills, magic tricks,
comedy and mime to illustrate fundamental
scientific concepts such as gravity, air pressure,
the speed of sound and light, ultraviolet light,
centripetal force, airfoils and more!
During the performance, students will learn:
• How to make a boomerang
• Why a whip cracks
• How to put a needle through a balloon
• How ultraviolet light is different from white light
• How to balance a broom in the palm of your
hand
• Why spinning objects defy gravity
• Why bubbles are always round
Mr. Fish and Trent the Mime of Super Scientific Circus.
about the artists
How do the discoveries the class have
shared affect their daily lives? How would life
at home and school be different without them?
Mr. Fish, born John James Lepiarz, is a long-time
circus performer. He toured for seven years with
New York’s Big Apple Circus. He has appeared on
national television on HBO and ABC’s Great
Circus Performances of theWorld. A graduate of
Oberlin College, Mr. Fish is the proud father of
four children.
Trent Arterberry, mime extraordinaire, has
performed at thousands of schools, theatres and
festivals.He has performed at New York’s Radio
City Music Hall, headlined on the QE2 and
SS Norway, and was named “College Campus
Performing Artist of the Year.” Trent is the father of
two daughters and a new baby son.
Visit www.TrentTheMime.com
pre-show discussion
To engage your students around the themes of
this performance, ask your class to brainstorm
some important scientific discoveries. Do
students know which scientists made these
discoveries?
To give students a preview of what they will see
at Super Scientific Circus, click the image above (or
visit http://bit.ly/ZgN3X0) to watch a video
excerpt of the performance. After the video,
ask students to write down 3 questions they have
about the performance or the artists. If these
are not addressed during the play, encourage
students to ask their questions during the
Q&A with the artists after the show.
Activity:
Name that Scientist!
Photocopy
this page
After brainstorming some scientific discoveries in the pre-show discussion, in
this activity students will match scientists with their contributions to the field.
Depending on the age of students, they may be able to make these connections on their own.
Otherwise, with access to the internet or school library, students can do research to complete
the activity. A great resource is www.famousscientists.org.
scientist
scientific contributions
1. Albert Einstein
A. Known for pioneering research on
radioactivity. The first scientist of their
gender to win the Nobel Prize.
2. George Washington Carver
B. Best known for discovering the massenergy equivalence formula (E=mc2).
3. Marie Curie
C. Considered one of the most influential
scientists of all time. Invented calculus, and
formulated the three laws of motion and
the universal theory of gravitation.
D. An educator and agricultural researcher,
best known for promoting alternative crops
to cotton, such as peanuts, soybeans and
sweet potatoes.
4. Sir Isaac Newton
E. Invented the first telephone.
5. Alexander Graham Bell
Answers: 1-B, 2-D, 3-A, 4-C, 5-E.
Class Discussion:
Imagination vs. Knowledge
“Albert Einstein, that handsome and intelligent scientist,
said something interesting. He said that imagination was
more important than knowledge. Imagination is more
important than knowledge. I am the expert on
knowledge but the expert on imagination is my pal Trent
the Mime.”
– Mr. Fish, Super Scientific Circus
One of the leading scientists Mr. Fish and Trent
the Mime refer to in Super Scientific Circus is Albert
Einstein (1879-1955), a German-born theoretical
physicist and philosopher of science. One of
Einstein’s well-known quotes is “Imagination is
more important than knowledge.” In this class
discussion, students will discuss the quote,
sharing their ideas around whether they
agree or disagree with Einstein’s statement.
1. Ask students to get up from their seats.
2. Read students the quote “Imagination is more
important than knowledge,” explaining that it is
from the famous scientist Albert Einstein.
3. Ask students to move to one wall of the
classroom if they agree with Einstein’s
statement, and another wall if they disagree.
Once they have all moved, give students a chance to
see who has moved to which side.
4. Now, ask students to volunteer to share
with the class why they chose the side they
did. Are students surprised with their classmates’
answers?
5. Invite students to sit down and continue the
conversation around imagination vs. knowledge as
a class.
Albert Einstein, 1947.
Imagination vs. Knowledge, cont.
classroom debate
For older students (5th grade & above),
the discussion around imagination vs.
knowledge can provide a great opportunity
for a classroom debate!
1. Divide the class into 2 groups. Assign one group
to the affirmative (“Imagination is more important
than knowledge”), and the other to the negative
(“Knowledge is more important than imagination”).
2. Explain that whichever side students
are assigned to, they must make their
arguments objectively, regardless of their
personal opinions or beliefs.
3. Give groups 30 minutes to prepare for their
debates. Students can use the debate format
below, or another format that fits well with your
class size and schedule.
Introduction (3-5 min. each)
– One member states members’ names and their position (affirmative or negative)
– Briefly summarize group’s opinion
st
1 Rebuttal (2-3 min. each)
– Restate group’s position and basic argument
– Summarize key points from opposing
side’s argument
– Refute each of these points, using evidence, if possible
nd
2 Rebuttal & Conclusion (3-5 min. each)
– Present summary of debate so far; restate your group’s opinion
– Respond to opposing group’s rebuttals
– Conclude with a final argument, restating key evidence supporting your group’s stance
Albert Einstein. Photo credit: California Institute of
Technology Archives.
4. Following the debate, ask students to vote
for the “winner” of the debate – the group
that has most convincingly argued its point!
Activity: Make a Boomerang
In Super Scientific Circus, Mr. Fish and Trent the
Mime demonstrate to the audience how to
make and use a boomerang. In this classroom
activity, invite your students to make their
own boomerangs – then test them outside or in
another open space.
materials & tools
– Cardboard pizza box or heavy cardstock
– Scissors
– Rulers
– Colored markers
Students at Hilltop Elementary make boomerangs with
ECA visiting artist Paul Taylor, May 2014.
activity
1. Take a 12” ruler, and trace around it on a pizza
box or cardstock.
2. Turn the ruler perpendicular to the tracing and
trace it again.You will have drawn a symmetrical
cross.
3. Cut it out, and trim the corners of the edges so
the ends are rounded off a little.
4. Bend the ends of the cross up slightly.
5. Go outside! (Or find an open space, like a
gynasium.)
6. Hold your boomerang straight up like the Statue
of Liberty. The curves of the boomerang should face
you.
Adapted from the Super Scientific Circus Study Guide.
7. Throw your boomerang into the air! You don’t
need to throw hard, but do throw in an upward
direction. Remember, the boomerang needs to
start perpendicular to the floor. It won’t work if
you throw it on its side.
8. Catch the boomerang by letting it float down
into an open hand, so you don’t crush your
boomerang.
Activity: Balancing Objects
materials & tools
– A stick at least two feet long
– Broom
– Plastic baseball bat or a peacock feather
activity
1. Keep your palm flat or your finger straight.
2. Place the object you are going to balance in the
palm of your hand, or on the tip of your finger.
3. Look at the top of the object, not at the bottom.
4. Let go of the object with the top hand, then
move your bottom hand so that the bottom of the
object stays directly underneath the top.
5. Don’t stand still.You may have to move around
to keep your hand under the top.
6. Practice balancing things on your chin, elbow
and foot.
Finding the center of gravity is essential to all
balance. See what else you can balance! Long
things are easier to balance than short things. And
remember, always watch the top and keep the
bottom directly underneath it.
Adapted from the Super Scientific Circus Study Guide.
Mr. Fish balances six plates at a time during a Super
Scientific Circus performance at Mount Baker Theatre,
February 2013. Photo credit: Philip A. Dwyer, The
Bellingham Herald.
Watch & Discuss: “The Lion Tamer”
Throughout Super Scientific Circus, we see Trent
the Mime use his face and body to communicate
with the audience – and to make us laugh! The
art of mime dates back to Ancient Greece, when
pantomime performance developed from a single
masked dancer called Pantomimus. Mimes act
without speech, using only body language,
facial expressions and props to tell a story.
To explore the art of mime in your classroom,
watch a clip of famous mime artist Marcel
Marceau with students. Click the image to the
right (or visit http://bit.ly/1BddA2W) to watch
Marceau’s famous skit, “The Lion Tamer” (4:39).
After watching the clip, ask students to describe
what they’ve seen. What is the story Marceau
is communicating to the audience, and how
does he acheive this without words? (Or a
lion!)
If time allows, give students the
opportunity to test out their own miming
skills with the activity on the following
page: Chain Mime.
definitions
Body language – Movements or positions of the
body that express a person’s thoughts or feelings
Facial expression – The quality of being expressive
with our faces
Prop – An article or object used in a play or
motion picture, except painted scenery and
costumes
French mime Marcel Marceau’s “Bip the Clown”
character.
Activity: Chain Mime
activity
1. Split the class into groups of 4-5. Line up this
number of chairs at the front of the classroom.
2. Ask one group to leave the classroom and line up
outside.
3. Invite the students that remain in the classroom
to come up with a scenario that the students
outside will have to perform silently. Remind
the class to keep it simple, and to choose an activity
their classmates can act out relatively easily. (I.e.
washing dishes, climbing a ladder, etc.)
4. Now, call in the first student from outside. Ask
the class to tell this student what scenario he or she
will be acting out.
5. After giving the student a minute or so to
prepare, call in the 2nd student from outside. The
1st student must silently act the scenario out
for the 2nd in front of the class.
6. After the 1st student is finished, he or she
should take a seat in front of the class. Explain
to the 2nd student that – much like a game of
“Telephone” – he or she will now be acting
out the same scenario for the next student
from outside.
7. Call in the 3rd student and repeat, until all
students from outside have entered the classroom.
The last student will act out the scenario for the
whole class.
Trent the Mime.
8. Finally, ask the 1st student of the group to
perform his or her original action again. Invite the
class to discuss how the mime has changed
from the beginning to the end of the group!
9. After the first group has finished, repeat this
activity with the rest of your groups. Students from
the 1st group will join the class in determining a
new scenario for the next group.
Be the Critic:
We Want Your Student Reviews!
An important part of being an audience member
is being critical and responding to what we see.
ECA invites all students (and teachers!)
to write and submit reviews of the
performances they attend.
1. After the show, give students the opportunity
to read theatre reviews online or in a newspaper
or magazine. Students may also be interested
in seeing reviews written by young people.
There’s a great selection on ECA partner
TeenTix’s blog at www.teentix.org.
2. After exploring some examples, ask
students to think about what they saw at Super
Scientific Circus. What did they think about
the actors, the staging (for example,
costumes, sets and props), the story, and
their experience at the theatre? What did
they like most? What did they think could be
improved?
3. After responding to these questions as a class,
ask students individually to write a review of the
show. There are no “right” or “wrong” reviews
– this is all about students and their opinions of
the performance.
4. Please share your reviews with ECA –
we’d love to know what you think! Mail all
reviews to Gillian Jones, Education & Outreach
Manager, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th
Ave N, Edmonds, WA 98020. Select reviews
may be shared in our monthly Education &
Outreach newsletter!
Students ask Seattle Shakespeare Company actors questions
about their performance of Romeo & Juliet, April 22, 2014.
Terminology
Air Pressure – The amount of force that the air exerts upon all objects. Air pressure
on the planet Earth is 14.7 pounds per square inch at sea level.
Airfoil – Any surface that helps lift or direct an aircraft by making use of air
currents. An airplane wing provides lift by causing air to pass at a higher speed over
the wing than below it, thereby creating greater air pressure below than above.
Balance – When the downward pull of gravity is equal on all sides of an object, so it
does not fall.
Center of Balance – The point at which an object will balance. The weight of the
object seems to be centered on that point.
Centrifugal Force – The opposite of centripetal force. A force that tends to move
objects away from the center when going in a circle. Centrifugal force keeps the
water in a whirling bucket from spilling out.
Centripetal Force – Any force that makes something move in a circle. If we play
tether ball, it is the rope that provides the centripetal force to keep the ball moving
in toward the pole.
Energy – The ability to do work/make an object move.
Force – A push or pull on an object. Gravity, electricity, and magnetism are invisible
forces that act from a distance. Hitting a ball with a bat is a visible force that acts in
contact.
Friction – The resistance to motion between objects that touch. This is the force
that causes a moving object to slow down or stop.
Gravity – An invisible force that pulls downward on objects. Gravity is stronger on
earth than it is on the moon. There is no gravity in outer space.
Inertia – The resistance to change in motion. An object at rest wants to stay at rest
unless some force moves it. A moving object wants to keep moving unless some
forces stops it.
Adapted from the Super Scientific Circus Study Guide.
Terminology, cont.
Light – A form of energy that allows us to see. The sun is the greatest source of light
on earth.
Matter – Any object. Anything that takes up space and has weight.
Mime – A form of entertainment in which a performer plays a character or tells a
story without words by using body movements and facial expressions.
Motion – A change of position wherein an object comes closer or moves farther
away from another object.
Physicist – A scientist who specializes in physics. Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac
Newton are considered the greatest physicists of all time.
Physics – The study of matter, energy, motion and force.
Refraction – The bending of rays of light. When light bends, or refracts, it
sometimes creates a rainbow or spectrum. A magnifying glass works by refracting
light through a lens.
Sonic Boom – The explosive sound that is created when an object travels faster than
the speed of sound. Similar to thunder, a sonic boom is created by supersonic jet
aircraft.
Sound – Vibrating energy that allows the sense of hearing.
Spectrum – The colors found in a rainbow of light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo and violet.
Speed of Sound – Sound travels through the air at a rate of 761 miles per hour, or
1,100 feet per second, or 1,225 kilometers per hour.
Adapted from the Super Scientific Circus Study Guide.
Resources
web resources
“Famous Scientists: The Art of Genius.” www.famousscientists.org.
Super Scientific Circus study guide, www.buffalostatepac.org/uploads/docs/SSC_
studyguide.pdf.
“The Importance of Being Einstein.” TheWHY? Files. University of WisconsinMadison. whyfiles.org/2011/the-importance-of-being-einstein.
books
Levenson, Elaine. Teaching Children About Physical Science: Ideas and Activities Every
Teacher and Parent Can Use. McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Macaulay, David. The NewWay ThingsWork. Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books,
1998.
Robinson, Tom. The Everything Kids Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, FloatWater, Measure
Gravity—Challenge theWorld AroundYou. Adams Media Corp., 2001.
VanCleave, Janice. JaniceVanCleave’s Physics for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments in Motion,
Heat, Light, Machines, and Sound. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1991.
multimedia
“The Lion Tamer.” Marcel Marceau, 1986. http://bit.ly/1BddA2W.
“What is the Center of Gravity?” PBS Learning Media. Contributed by WGBH
Educational Foundation. www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/arct14.sci.dscenter/
what-is-center-if-gravity.