On Stage in the Classroom: Performance Art from K-8

The Workshop's primary text provides ideas to stimulate children's imagination, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. Includes five concise chapters on classroom theory and practice for performing arts, as well as a resource bank of imaginative problems.

Download: The Workshop Out of School

Out of school time has received increased attention from researchers, educators, and funders as a venue where significant learning takes place.  Performing Arts Workshop’s Artists-in-Communities program is a leader in providing high quality arts programming to youth through their work in existing afterschool programs, community centers, and juvenile halls.  Their recent publication The Workshop Out of School, demonstrates the ways in which arts learning provides young people with the opportunity for inquiry and creative expression, which are key ingredients to the development of problem-solving skills youth need in order to succeed in the 21st century. 

This guide is especially written for teaching artists, arts providers, and after-school administrators who are interested in learning a clear and collaborative process for providing quality performing arts instruction while negotiating the unique challenges that present themselves in out of school time.  The contributions of Performing Arts Workshop teaching artists offer a thorough examination of arts engagement in alignment with essential youth development principles.  The guide is divided by art discipline including an overview, instructions on how to plan a quality curriculum, and how to negotiate behavior and content management within the class.

Download: Lessons from the Workshop

Lessons from the Workshop: A Guide to Best Practices in Performing Arts Education

NEW! Developed by the Workshop's Associate Artistic Director, Anne-E Wood, the Best Practices Guide is a hands-on tool for school administrators, teachers, artists, parents or arts organizations facilitating an artist residency program. The guide explains arts education within the framework of educational policy and practice in California, but the model can be adapted for many communities. In this guide, you will learn about the residency model, the history of Performing Arts Workshop's residency model and what 40 years of experience has shown to be the best practices for artists and teachers.

Moving Beyond the Desk

Developed by artists and educators, this innovative teacher's resource manual links classroom curriculum to critical thinking and the creative process. Includes model lesson plans covering five subject areas and a glossary of terms.

English Learners and the Creative Process

Provides theatre-based language development tool for teachers to use with English Learner students. Outlines a specific approach to teaching English that incorporates improvisational and problem-solving exercises into lesson plans. Demonstrates how to encourage literacy and communication skills.