Liz designs and facilitates 'Introduction to Improv', a special event for Urban Stages' corporate clients.  To find out more or to schedule a team-building event for your company, contact Rachel Sullivan: rsullivan@urbanstages.org

'Activist New York!  Staging the History of Social Activism'                              

Designed and taught by Joanna Steinberg and Liz Parker

Course Description:

Activist New York! Staging the History of Social Activism in the Classroom explores the drama of social activism in New York City from the 17th century right up to the present. The course investigates the history of social movements in New York City through the lens of the Museum’s groundbreaking exhibition Activist New York, which uses artifacts, photographs, political cartoons and film footage to document centuries of agitation by ordinary New Yorkers who advocated and mobilized to secure their rights.

The content and primary sources under investigation in this course are brought to life using theatre strategies designed for the classroom.  Participants are actively involved in theatre creation.  This integration of theatrical expression and curriculum content will support teachers as they work toward aligning curriculum and instructional priorities with Common Core State Standards by focusing on using informational texts and documents in creative and unique ways (i.e. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1 & RI.4.3). The structure of the course will adhere to the Danielson rubric and will help teachers skillfully use resources to design assessments that monitor learning, and promote high-level discussions and active involvement from the students.

Participant Reviews:

"Awesome as a fresh new way to teach history and other content areas.  I didn't realize how the use of theater activities could personalize a lesson and/or historical individual's experience."

"It was a very energizing course!  The theatre activities really added to my bag of tricks (which has been around for 12 years of teaching!)"

"Second graders need to visualize complex historical perspectives and theatre offers an amazing strategy.  The course paired historical content and theater in an engaging way and challenged students to think deeper on the topics."

"Offer this course again so that other educators can be blessed and empowered."

"I wish I had been taught history this way."

As a full-time Prevention Specialist at CAPP from 2008-2010, Liz led trainings  for school staff and other professionals.  These trainings covered topics of physical and sexual abuse, mandated reporting protocol, how to conduct a minimal facts interview, cyber-bullying and sex trafficking, 

Recently, CAPP joined with The New York Foundling and Liz was hired to help train new Prevention Specialists at this location.

The job of a Prevention Specialist includes performing CAPP's award-winning puppet program about safe and unsafe touch for third and fourth grade students. Because prevention cannot be offered without intervention, Specialists are also trained to take disclosures from children who need to speak after the program.  Specialists work closely with school Guidance Counselors to handle each disclosure in the appropriate manner.