Our first Class Act-tivity with Pacific Symphony!
February 18th, 2020
We are so excited to begin our Class Act journey with Pacific Symphony!
“The Frieda Belinfante Class Act Program connects Pacific Symphony to a select number of elementary schools each year. Class Act strives to enhance existing school music programs by providing additional musical experience through the Symphony. Focusing on six main “contact points” with schools, the program works to increase awareness of and involvement with symphonic music for elementary school students, their families, and educators.”
Our First Class Act-tivity
Our first Class Act-tivity called for our students to channel their inner Elliott and teach E.T. new words! We put an In STEPPS Academy twist on this assignment by incorporating it into our Social Skills teaching point of the week. The teaching point of the week was Expected vs. Unexpected Behaviors from the Social Thinking curriculum founded by Michelle Garcia Winner. To put it simply, “there are expected and unexpected behaviors associated with any social situation. If people do expected behaviors, they tend to make observers feel more positively. When others feel positive, they tend to treat the person who produced the behavior more calmly and possibly positively.”
We asked our students
- How it would feel to be somewhere new?
- If E.T. was a new student at In STEPPS Academy, what expected behaviors would we want to teach him to help him feel included and “at home”
Our students worked together to think of the five most important things they would teach E.T. to say:
- “Help,”
- “Play,”
- “Hello,”
- “Goodbye,”
- “Thank you.”
As well as the four most important things they would want to teach him what to do:
- “Show him how to look around Earth,”
- “Take deep breaths if things are hard,”
- “How to play Minion Rush,”
- That he looks different (maybe “a little bit weird”) but “that’s okay because everyone is different!”
If you haven’t watched E.T. recently, we recommend you give it a watch! We shared the trailer and some of the fantastic music by the brilliant John William’s with our students, and those moments definitely made our staff realize a rewatch was necessary!
Check our Instagram page for a fun Reels video on our Class Act-tivity.
Stay tuned for more Class Act-tivities from the Class Act Program with Pacific Symphony!
