Uncommon Fun
Jumping into Wisconsin Women’s History
an Arts & Social Studies Residency from
WISCONSIN WOMEN’S NETWORK and TAPIT NEW WORKS ENSEMBLE THEATER
Uncommonly Educational
Uncommon Fun combines classroom performance with hands-on activities to make the past come alive for elementary school students. Through classroom instruction and a comic, condensed play, students learn about Wisconsin women’s history, and, with help from professional theater artists, bring these stories to life. This fun, inclusive project educates and expands horizons for boys and girls alike.
Uncommon Fun Is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Women’s Network and TAPIT/new works Ensemble Theater.
Photo by Ilia Guzei
The Process
Pre-visit: Teachers receive a copy of “Uncommon Lives of Common Women: The Missing Half of Wisconsin History”, a PowerPoint presentation, the History Bingo Game and a pre-residency survey.
On-site: TAPIT/new works Ensemble Theater’s producing artistic directors, Donna Peckett and Danielle Dresden, perform “The History of Wisconsin Women in Ten Minutes And Twelve Hats,” a high-energy, comic synopsis of “Uncommon Lives”. With coaching from Peckett and Dresden, students craft their own scenes based on these stories and perform for their class.
On Going: Teachers receive “How to Keep the Uncommon Fun Going,” a list of follow-up activities, and complete program evaluations.
Meeting Standards
UNCOMMON FUN meets the following DPI Social Studies performance standards:
B.4.1 Identify and examine various sources of information for understanding the past
B.4.3 Examine biographies to understand the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people
B.4.4 Compare and contrast contemporary life with the past by examining individual roles
B.4.7 Identify and describe important events and people in Wisconsin and United States history
B.4.8 Compare past and present technologies and describe the effects of technological change
UNCOMMON FUN meets the following DPI English Language Arts performance standards:
A.4.3 Read and discuss literary and non-literary texts to understand human experience.
A.4.4 Read to acquire information.
C.4.1 Orally communicate information, opinions, and ideas
C.4.2 Listen to and comprehend oral communications.
UNCOMMON FUN covers the following DPI Social Studies History content standards, including;
The early history of Wisconsin’s native people explorers, traders, and settlers.
The transition from territory to statehood
Immigration and settlement
Wisconsin in the Civil War
La Follette and the Progressive Era
Wisconsin’s response to 20th century change
Truth may be stranger than fiction, but with Uncommon Fun, the arts help elementary school students learn the facts behind Wisconsin history.
“Bravo! You both did an outstanding job. We really felt the performance made the achievements of these fabulous women come to life in a way that was easier for a 4th grader, or anyone for that matter, to understand.”
Marquette Elementary School, Madison, Wisconsin
Bring Uncommon Fun to your school, contact TAPIT/new works at;
phone 608.244.2938
e-mail info@tapitnewworks.org
website www.tapitnewworks.org
