Annual Fund Testimonial

The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater’s educational outreach programs–whether it is a play adapted for a school assembly, the residency program, or a matinee at the theater—provide teachers and students with a wealth of ma-terials to utilize in the language arts classroom. The theater provides lessons and materials that help teachers to build context and background knowledge and develop relevant vocabulary prior to experiencing the play, as well as resources to aid discussion and scaffold comprehension afterwards. In addition, these resources also connect con-tent-area skills and topics, such as analyzing character and interpreting figurative language, to the play itself.

Thank you HSA for funding our Quiver Farms eggs to chicks project! A farmer comes to school with eggs for each class and discusses the life cycle of a chicken and how to care for the eggs while they are in incubation. The students transform into mom and dad farmers and accept the responsibility for the life of these eggs.
The classes devise schedules to turn the eggs three times a day and make sure the incubator stays wet. The care and time the students put into taking care of these eggs is amazing. They feel so responsible and in turn,they are!

While the chicks are still in their eggs,the students study the eggs for any sign of which may hatch first. They then form a hypothesis for their prediction.
Once the eggs hatch,the chaos begins! We teach the baby chicks how to eat food and drink water. Then we move on to naming the chicks. Each student picks out a name. They then vote on the names and the top twelve win! Next, we observe the chicks. We let them walk around on our table cloth covered carpet and observe.

The remaining days are spent holding, petting, and observing the chicks. Students keep individual journals to help document their observations about their favorite chick or any chick that stands out to them. This experience is a culmination of all their hard work and responsibility that they learn throughout the year. This fosters such a proud and accomplished feeling for each and every student.