Need funding to bring Isaiah Thomas to your school?
Funding is available
through the Local Cultural Council Program (LCC) of the Massachusetts
Cultural Council. Funds for school and community cultural programs are
allocated through the LCC Program to all of the 351 cities and towns in
Massachusetts.
Here is the link that will bring you directly to the LCC application page.
http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/programs/lccgrants.asp
To help you complete the form we have provided you with sample answers for
questions which appeared on a recent LCC application. These answers are
based on an
application submitted by a middle school teacher who received funding for his school
twice.
Please note that you must tailor the application to the
specifications of
the LCC program in your community as indicated in the bolded italic copy
in the parentheses below. Please read the LCC program description
thoroughly and contact the LCC officer in your community before you begin
your application.
We have provided this information as a guide to aid your
application process; we cannot guarantee that you will receive
funding. Any questions should be directed to your LCC officer.
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Question One. Project Description: Summarize the proposed
project. (Describe who is
the target
audience; what will happen; when and where it will occur; and how the
project will be executed. Note: you may provide additional narrative on a
separate sheet of paper, but you must summarize the project here.)
Isaiah Thomas -
Patriot Printer
is a 45-minute performance by actor
Neil
Gustafson. This one-man play about Thomas's life is written by James David
Moran of the American Antiquarian Society. The audience will be
(insert
information regarding number of performances, grade level, audience other
than students). This is a powerful and very dramatic
performance. It
has
been successfully received by over 6,000 students in 100 schools in
grades 5-12. Neil Gustafson enters the classroom in his historically
accurate costume of the period. He then greets the students in the deep
commanding voice of Isaiah Thomas. There is a strong interactive element
in his portrayal of Thomas during the year 1812. He asks students
what they like to collect and then begins to share some of his collection
of broadsides, proclamations, letters, and books. For 45 minutes, Isaiah
Thomas is indeed alive for the students to appreciate and remember.
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Question Two: Describe the planning done for this project in
terms of
process, and who or what organizations was/were involved as partners or
advisors. How would partial funding impact this project?
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) produced this program as a way to
teach young people about The American Revolution, The War of 1812, The
Early National Period, Early American Literature, the history of printing
and print culture, and the founding of the AAS which is the foremost
national library for pre-twentieth century American history in the
country. In developing the script for the Isaiah Thomas -
Patriot Printer project, Moran worked extensively in the AAS collections. Whenever
possible Thomas's own words were incorporated into the language of the
script. Moran also consulted with such institutions as Old Sturbridge
Village, the Smithsonian Institution, and Colonial Williamsburg to learn
how to operate eighteenth-century printing equipment. Moran worked with
three teachers to create lesson plans which give students experience
working with copies of primary source documents. There are 15 specific
lesson
plans for classroom use and copies of original documents in a large
curriculum packet that the school receives along with the performance. The
lessons are designed for use in both Language Arts and Social Studies
classes. If we receive partial funding, we will approach other funding
sources in the community such as local businesses and banks. (Insert
here
other alternative plans for funding specific to your community)
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Question Three: Explain how this project will reach and benefit
the
citizens of this community. How will you know the project is
successful? (Include promotion, expected results and plans for
evaluation.)
Students will complete activities both before and after the performance to
enrich their understanding of Thomas and the primary source documents used
in the
presentation. Isaiah Thomas -
Patriot Printer
was developed to adhere
to the
history/social science and language arts state curriculum frameworks. Some
of the activities will require family involvement to complete.
We will
work with our PTA to invite parents and other members of our local
community to the performance.
-
Question Four: Describe your plans for promoting this project to
your target audience and your community. (Include information on planned
outreach and publicity activities.)
We will advertise in the calendar
section of our local newspaper and invite a reporter to attend. We will
develop a questionnaire for the adults who attend and our teachers will
also write a report evaluating student responses and overall effectiveness
of the presentation and curriculum materials. (Insert here plans
that
may
be more specific to your community)
-
Question Five: Please detail the qualifications of key artists,
humanists,
interpretive scientists or organizations involved with leading the
cultural component of this project. Application will be considered
incomplete without this information. (Please attach resumes)
James David Moran is Outreach Director of the American Antiquarian
Society. He is the creator of The History Show, radio shows based
on
important single years in American history. The History Show was
broadcast
on 150 public radio stations throughout the country. To create Isaiah, he
first reviewed Thomas's personal collection and then worked with Neil
Gustafson to tell the story of his life in dramatic form. Neil Gustafson
is a professional actor with much experience on stage and in television
and motion pictures. (Insert appropriate information here regarding
the
individuals and organizations that have contributed to bringing Isaiah
Thomas-Patriot Printer to your community)
Return to the Isaiah Thomas -
Patriot Printer
page
