Jeff Jordan has a Master of Arts in Teaching Theatre and Speech from the University of South Carolina. He has taught, directed, acted, and created Theatre for over 31 years. He began his career as a Theatre artist on the South Carolina Arts Commission Artist Roster and worked in schools and theatres across the state. For 25 years, he taught theatre at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary, an arts integrated school. Jeff has also conducted workshops and in-services with teachers on arts integration and theatre across the curriculum. He has also taught in Dorchester Two’s Gifted and Talented Theatre Arts program. In Spring semester 2022, he completed his fifth semester as an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston teaching a graduate level, elementary methods theatre class. Over the years, he has been involved in the local theatre scene performing in numerous productions working with Theatre companies such as Charleston Stage and The Village Repertory Company. "As a theatre artist and educator, my life’s work is to help students and teachers unleash the power of theatre into their curriculum. My goal with each ELE is to combine the skills that studying theatre can offer with academic content. Studying theatre promotes concentration, focus, communication, creativity, and imagination. It can also promote a positive classroom culture through working as an ensemble. My goal in creating an ELE is to collaborate with teachers to design an experience that will help students connect to the academic content in a creative way. I have a special interest in fairytales, fables, folktales, and script writing but also enjoy the challenge of building an ELE around science and history. I have also had experience in working with Special Needs Students."

*SCIENCE SPEAKS AND IT HAS A LOT TO SAY: Overview of 6th grade ELE combining Theatre and Science Using the literary device personification, students will personify, give human characteristics, voice, personality and movement to scientific principles and ideas. Students will create improvisations and short scripts based on the layers of the atmosphere, the Water Cycle, and Air masses, fronts, and low-pressure systems. Sample improvisations include:

a.) Improvisation based on Air Masses, Fronts, and Low-Pressure Systems. Aka: WWE~ WILD WEATHER SMACKDOWN 2022

b.) Improvisation based on The Water Cycle. Aka: The Excellent, Terrifying, Adventure of a Water Droplet

c.) Improvisation based on The Layers of the Atmosphere. Aka: CHAOS AT THE HALL OF SUPERHERO LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE

*POLAR BEAR PALOOZA: WILL YOU BE MY FRIEND? Overview of 4k ELE combining Theatre and Science. Students will participate in actor’s warm up and theatre games that promote focus, concentration, and imagination. Students will be participating in acting exercises and collective brainstorming to create dialogue and action based on the story, The Polar Bear and the Snow Cloud written by Jane Cabrera. Students will volunteer and take turns acting out the story. The students will be asked questions about the story that will help to create dialogue, action and movement that expands the story. The students will combine what they know about polar bears (science standards) and Theatre skills (imagination, creative dramatics, and improvisation) to create improvised scenes based on the book.

*Where Are the Wild Things? Hiding in the Shadows and Light: Overview of 1st grade ELE combining Science and Theatre. The ELE will combine science standards and theatre arts standards. This project will reinforce the science concepts of light and shadows through theatre activities and shadow puppets using Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are. Students will be participating in actor’s warm up and theatre games that promote focus, concentration, and imagination. Students will be participating in acting exercises and collective brainstorming to create dialogue and action based on the story. Students will volunteer and take turns acting out the story using shadow puppets.