On November 7, The Second City of Chicago taught improvisational skills and games to seventh grade students at Elm Place. Hands were waving in the air and students were trekking to the front of the auditorium to take their turn in one of the interactive games presented by the two actors who were leading the demonstration. Students found it “very interactive.” One student remarked, “I liked it because it was fun to see my peers interpreting the scene their own way.” Thanks to a D112 foundation grant and support from the Elm Place PTA, all Elm Place seventh graders learned about saying “yes and” — listening and building on the ideas of fellow improv team members. Elm Place seventh grade advisory teachers, who had their own training in using improv for creative pedagogy, will be using the games with the students to support learning goals for their advisory curriculum. The games provide “a fun way to formatively assess learning”, commented one of the Elm Place teachers.
