Curriculum
Albany Park Theater Project is a community-based theater that tells the stories of people in Albany Park. As teaching artists, APTP directors Miguel Angel Rodriguez and Devika Ranjan led storytelling sessions with over 300 students to write their Albany Park experiences in the form of poetic phrases that inspired our Lotería cards. Our art teacher partners across 5 schools guided students to create Lotería-based images that visualize their poetry, so that each student had a personal Lotería card that celebrates their individual experience of Albany Park. The student artwork was then rendered by professional illustrators to be part of the final Albany Park Lotería deck.
If you would like to adapt this curriculum to your classroom or your neighborhood, we have attached our worksheets as pdfs. Please reach out with any questions to Miguel Rodriguez (miguel@aptpchicago.org) or Devika Ranjan (devika.rnjn@gmail.com).
APTP in Schools
The Albany Park Lotería curriculum is one program of many as part of the APTP@School program.
APTP@School is APTP’s school-based theater and art education and youth development program, which is offered at no cost to local Albany Park Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
Through APTP@School, APTP’s Teaching Artists partner with classroom teachers at neighborhood schools to implement programming that builds critical thinking, creative problem solving, empathy, and curiosity. Youth participants explore the connections between themselves, their community, and the world at large, while developing and strengthening their writing, engaging in a range of collaborative discussions with adults and their peers, building on others’ ideas, and clearly and creatively articulating their own ideas. Student efforts culminate with original performances and presentations that are shared with their entire school community.
Current APTP@School Participants
- Volta Elementary
- Roosevelt High School
- Von Steuben High School
- Albany Park Multicultural Academy
To learn more about APTP@School, please reach out to mail@aptpchicago.org.