Before a Teaching Artist meets with Classroom Professionals for the initial residency planning meeting, some decisions have already been made. Below is the standard flow of information and some questions that may already have been generated in advance of this meeting.

First, School Administrators and Arts Program Managers Decide:

• What art form(s) and why?
• What are the goals for students to take away?
• What grades and classes will participate?
• How many sessions/weeks in the residency?
• What are the dates (generally)?
• Where will the sessions be held?
• Will there be visits to external performances/a plan to coordinate an internal performance?

First Steps after a Residency Assignment

Know your goals for your students: “What do I want my students to know, understand and do?”

• Prepare your sample lesson plans, and prepare for the Classroom Teachers and Paraprofessionals to articulate other goals.

Ask questions at the planning meeting to better understand your students’ learning goals, needs and wants

• What do I need to know and who will provide the information regarding the students I will serve?
• What are some of the students’ learning needs and how might they best be met? (e.g., What are you doing in Common Core that I can incorporate in planning my lessons?)
• Will there be a Core Theme developed in connection to the art form or a specific theme introduced outside of the residency in connection to the art form?
• Can you tell me about the strengths of the individual students and what sort of supports they benefit the most from?
• Что я могу учесть при планировании уроков, чтобы они принесли пользу всем ученикам в классе?
• When planning my lessons, how can I best reach all the students in the classroom?
• What accommodations can be made, depending on the individual needs of each student? (e.g., ramps, large print, audio, video feeds, quiet areas, assistants)
• Is it possible to observe your class before our residency so that I can get a sense of your team dynamic and the students in the room?
• Are there curriculum coordination meetings or planning sessions?
• What sort of final culminating event will work best for this class? Open-class invitation(s) for Parents/Caregivers, in-class showing of final work or in-school showing of final work (invited student body, Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Administrators, Family, Community)
• Where will I be teaching? In a traditional classroom with desks and rows, an auditorium, or elsewhere?

Be ready to answer any questions the Classroom Teacher or Paraprofessionals might have for you

• What is the best way for Classroom Teachers and Paraprofessionals to engage in the residency?
• What are your skills and techniques to teach all ranges of students with disabilities, English as a new language learners and ….?
• How can we communicate and assess students’ growth and learning?

Troubleshoot less ideal planning meeting scenarios.