Core Skills Analysis
Career and Technical Education
Ella toured Baker Day School in Naples to explore a possible high school option and learned how performing arts courses could connect with academic subjects. She examined lighting design as an example of applying math concepts in a creative, practical setting. This helped Ella recognize that arts-related pathways can involve technical planning, problem-solving, and academic learning.
Mathematics
Ella learned that mathematics could be used in lighting design within a performing arts program. She saw how mathematical thinking may support the planning and placement of lights, demonstrating that math can be applied beyond traditional classroom exercises. This gave Ella an example of how mathematical concepts can function as tools for designing and organizing a production.
Science
Ella learned that science was included within the school’s integrated academic and fine arts framework. Although the tour did not identify a specific scientific activity, she discovered that science could be studied alongside creative disciplines rather than separately from them. This encouraged her to view academic subjects as connected parts of a broader learning experience.
Performing Arts
Ella explored the school’s performing arts courses and learned how those classes could serve as part of an academically integrated program. She considered how creative work might require technical knowledge, planning, and collaboration with other areas of study. The tour helped her evaluate whether a performing arts-centered environment could match her interests and future high school goals.
College and Career Readiness
Ella investigated a potential high school choice by touring Baker Day School and asking how its curriculum was organized. She learned about the relationship between performing arts courses, academics, math, and science, giving her information to consider when comparing educational options. This experience supported decision-making, self-awareness, and thoughtful planning for the next stage of school.
Tips
Tips: Have Ella create a comparison chart of Baker Day School and other high school options, including academics, performing arts, teaching approach, and student opportunities. She could interview a lighting designer or research how angles, distance, color, and electrical systems influence stage lighting. A short design challenge—such as sketching a lighting plan for a scene and labeling the mathematical decisions—would connect creativity with applied learning. Afterward, Ella could write a reflection explaining which school features interested her most and why.
Book Recommendations
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster: A playful novel that explores mathematics, language, and creative problem-solving through an imaginative journey.
- The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani: A middle-grade fantasy that invites discussion about school environments, identity, personal choices, and different kinds of strengths.
- Drama by Raina Telgemeier: A graphic novel about students producing a school musical, highlighting collaboration, backstage work, creativity, and relationships.
Learning Standards
- Florida B.E.S.T. Mathematics MA.7.M.1.1: Connects with applying measurement and mathematical reasoning to a practical design context such as lighting.
- Florida B.E.S.T. Mathematics MA.8.M.1.1: Supports using mathematical modeling and problem-solving in real-world situations, including technical arts planning.
- Florida B.E.S.T. English Language Arts ELA.7.C.1.3: Aligns with communicating information and reflections about educational options and integrated learning.
- Florida B.E.S.T. English Language Arts ELA.8.C.1.3: Connects with evaluating information from a school tour and presenting conclusions clearly.
- Florida B.E.S.T. Science SC.7.N.1.1: Relates to recognizing science as an organized way to investigate and explain real-world applications within interdisciplinary learning.
Try This Next
- Create a stage-lighting worksheet: sketch a stage, place lights, and explain the angles or measurements used.
- Write five questions Ella could ask during future school tours about academics, arts programs, and curriculum integration.
- Design a one-page comparison chart for Baker Day School and another possible high school.
- Write a reflection answering: Which connection between academics and the performing arts interested Ella most, and why?