Course Profile
Dramatic Arts, Grade 9 open, Public
Unit 1
Course Profiles are professional development materials designed to help teachers implement the new Grade 9 secondary school curriculum. These materials were created by writing partnerships of school boards and subject associations. The development of these resources was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education. This document reflects the views of the developers and not necessarily those of the Ministry. Permission is given to reproduce these materials for any purpose except profit. Teachers are also encouraged to amend, revise, edit, cut, paste, and otherwise adapt this material for educational purposes.
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Public District School Board Writing Teams – Dramatic Arts
Lead Board
Upper Canada District School Board
Course Profile Writing Team
Mac Dodge (project leader)
Cate Roberts, Halton
Jill Lloyd Jones, Toronto DSB
Jeannie Nishamura, Toronto DSB
Debbie Nyman, Toronto DSB
Unit 1: Me and You ... Collaboration
Activity 1 | Activity 2
| Activity 3 | Activity 4
The expectations of this unit are developed, reviewed, and practised throughout the course. Students participate, observe, and generate criteria to assess individual contributions to drama activities. Students explore and practise effective communication skills in role and out of role. As well, they explore and practise collaborative skills and strategies using warm-ups, movement, games, and drama exercises. The demonstration of the expectations in this unit culminate with the effective use of speaking and listening skills when playing a role, using a variety of dramatic forms, and focusing on personal perspective and universal themes and issues. In their reflective work students make connections between drama activities, other classrooms, and the work place.
Strand(s): Theory, Creation, Analysis
Overall Expectations: DCV.02X, DCV.03X.
Specific Expectations: DT1.02X, DC1.05X, DA1.02X, DA1.04X, DA1.08X, DA2.05X, DA2.06X.
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Activity 1 |
Establishing Classroom Practice - “One Two Three” |
150 minutes |
|
Activity 2 |
Game As Metaphor |
225 minutes |
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Activity 3 |
Invitation to Pretend ... What If ... |
300 minutes |
|
Activity 4 |
Working in the Arts |
225 minutes |
Refer to The Ontario Curriculum, The Arts, Grades 1-8, Dramatic Arts, Grades 7 and 8.
Teachers need a small notebook for each student to use as a journal, file cards, construction paper, magazines, and markers. The teacher selects appropriate music.
|
|
Theory/ Knowledge/ Understanding |
Thinking/ Inquiry |
Communication |
Creation/ Application |
|
Purpose |
assessment |
assessment |
assessment |
assessment |
|
Method |
self and teacher assessment |
self and teacher assessment |
teacher, self and peer assessment |
self and teacher assessment |
|
Strategies |
reflection, discussion, writing, visual arts, role playing, movement |
reflection, discussion, writing, role playing, visual arts, media |
reflection, discussion (comparison), role playing |
reflection, role playing, movement |
|
Tools |
Appendix 12- Journal, Appendix 2- Reflection, Appendix 13- Role Playing |
Appendix 12 - Journal, Appendix 13 - Role Playing, student-created check list |
Appendix 12 - Journal, Appendix 13 - Role Playing, |
Appendix 4 - Individual Work Skills, Appendix 13 - Role Playing, |
This introductory unit uses games, exercises, and role play to explore the expectations. Reference to games books and connecting the game to the expectations is essential.
Brandes. The Gamesters’ Handbook series is a great resource. See the bibliography.
Time: 150 minutes
Students participate in selected games and exercises to learn the nature of working and creating collaboratively in the dramatic arts. Students learn what they contribute to the class; what others contribute to the class, and how the teacher collaborates with the students to negotiate meaning. Guidelines built on such things as collaboration, co-operation, respect for self and others, and the work help to establish the culture of the class, the organization of the drama room as an open and safe environment, and the appropriate use of equipment. Students review the use of the journal in the drama classroom.
Strand(s): Theory, Creation, Analysis
Overall Expectations: DCV.02X, DCV.03X.
Specific Expectations: DC1.05X, DA1.01X.
· Create a questionnaire for Day 1.
· Refer to games books in Resources and select appropriate name games and introductory games for the class. For Day 2 teachers require materials such as newspaper, straws, paper clips, pop cans, and tape.
Students have had some experience with games and exercises in elementary school, however, they need to be introduced to the drama room and their new classmates.
The teacher uses games that serve as an introduction to the nature of drama work e.g., collaboration, safety, negotiation, co-operation, risk taking, and co-ordination. The teacher uses the drama games and exercises as a diagnostic tool.
Warm-up
In order to assess the experience of the class the teacher hands out a questionnaire that includes the following questions:
· Who is your favourite performer? Actor?
· Why did you sign up for drama?
· What makes a convincing performance?
· What do people gain from taking a drama course?
Students receive a file card. On the blank side they print their first name. On the other side they print their answers to the following:
· Name your favourite song and the band that plays it.
· Name everyone with whom you live including pets.
· Name someone you admire.
· What do you do with your recreational time?
· What do you imagine you will work at in the future?
Once the students have completed the file cards the teacher collects them. They can be used when asking individual students questions or for creating groups. To demonstrate their use the teacher randomly selects a few cards and asks for an expansion of what has been written. For example: “(Student name), I see you enjoy tennis. Have you considered joining the school team?” or “How would you go about getting a ticket to see ... (musical group)?”
Main Activity
The teacher announces the following expression: “You are #3, the drama work is #2, and everyone else in the class is #1." Next the teacher randomly selects cards (in order to address the students by name) and asks the student selected to offer an explanation of the expression. The expression summarizes the respect that is expected for the others in the class, and that what is done in the class is next as a priority. Finally, each individual considers themselves third, however, they are #1 in their classmates’ eyes.
Using the cards randomly divide the class into groups of three. Hand out a marker and a piece of paper to each group. Ask each group to decide on three rules for the drama class that support the “You are #3, the drama work is #2 and every one else is #1" rule. Each group creates a poster that has a creatively printed version of their rules. Students post their work on the wall. Use the cards to select one person from each group to explain their rules.
Now play a game in order to see if the rules work. Students are told to imagine that the floor of the room is an iceberg floating down the Niagara River in early spring. The whole class is on the iceberg and will reach safety only if it does not break up and they can get down stream. To prevent the iceberg from breaking up, as a group, they must distribute their weight over the whole surface of the iceberg evenly. Once the class has organized itself on the iceberg use the cards to ask individual students to suggest how the game relates to the rules.
For the next game students number off in two’s. The one’s and two’s form two lines facing each other that are about four metres apart. Students in each line number off chronologically from one. “Capture the Scarf” rules are as follows. A chair is placed at one end of the space created by the two lines. The odd student out after the numbering (or the teacher) stands on the chair holding a scarf. The teacher calls out a number and both 9's, for example, run and try to capture the scarf and return to their line. If they return to their line without being touched by the other number 9, their team gets one point. If they are touched in the process of trying to get to their line the other team gets a point. Usually a simple strategy develops. For example it is not always the case that you should run to the scarf and grab it. It might be better to wait for the other #9 to make the first move. After a few attempts suggest that each team meet to share any strategy they feel their team needs to consider.
Extension/Reflection
Discuss with the class how the rules that were mentioned and posted make the game work. Note that this is a competitive game. The teacher could play a co-operative game for comparison (see Games for Everyone, Booth). Hand out their journals and ask students to create a poster that has a text of what they consider the most important rule so far and a picture that illustrates the rule.
Warm-up
Where Do I Belong - Teacher calls out instructions for the group to organize themselves into a specific “line” followed by the signal “go”. If students share similarities have them stand beside each other.
1. Get in a straight line according to last names, in alphabetical order.
2. Get in a straight line according to birthdays, with January birthdays at the head of the line.
3. Get in a straight line according to your street name, in alphabetical order.
4. Get in a straight line according to your first names, in alphabetical order.
Following the warm-up the teacher facilitates discussion with the class by asking students:
· Did someone take on the role of leader?
· How did you help people who just stayed in one place?
· What was difficult about this activity?
· If you did this activity again what might you do differently?
· How well did you collaborate?
Main Activity
Build the Monster - The teacher divides the class into groups of four or five and hands out equal amounts of materials (newspaper, straws, paper clips, pop, and tape) to each group. The groups are given the instruction to build a monster that fulfills the following criteria:
· the monster must be free standing;
· all of the materials must be used;
· no extra materials can be used other than those that the teacher has supplied.
When students are finished, ask each group to create a story of the monster/creature. The story might answer some or all of the following questions. Where is the creature from? What is its name? Why is it considered monstrous? What does it do during a typical day?
Next the teacher, in the role of a journalist, interviews each group about their monster/creature. The teacher can use questions similar to those used by the students to create the story of the monster. The students play the role of the expert.
Extension/Reflection
As a diagnostic tool have students use their journal to focus on their understanding of the group process, role playing, and story making. Use questions such as who organized the group, who was encouraging, who mediated, who managed the task, etc., and comment on how effectively the group members listened to each other and collaborated to complete the task. For role playing have students list what helped them stay in and sustain the expert role when the teacher/journalist interviewed them. For story discuss with students what makes a believable story.
The following assessment strategies may be used to assess the students work - journal, observation, anecdotal record, and checklist.
Written work may be scribed by another student, or recorded on tape.
Booth and Lundy. Improvisation, Learning Through Drama.
Brandes, Donna. The Gamester’s Handbook III.
Appendix 4 - Individual Work Skills
Appendix 8 - Drama Strategies and Techniques
Appendix 13 - Role Playing
Time: 225 minutes
Through participating in specific games students demonstrate an understanding of the deeper meanings behind drama games and the games’ connection to drama as metaphor. Students are introduced to the concept of role and the importance of making connections between emotional response, physical response, relevant issues, and structure when creating a role.
Strand(s): Theory, Creation, Analysis
Overall Expectations: DTV.02X, DCV.03X, DAV.01X.
Specific Expectations: DT2.02X, DT3.04X, DC1.05X, DC1.08X, DC1.09X, DC2.02X, DC2.03X, DA1.01X, DA2.04X, DA2.05X.
The teacher creates news headings appropriate to the issue chosen. Teacher selects appropriate music and magazines. As well the teacher ensures that the space being used is safe for the games to be played.
Co-operative game playing and an understanding of symbolism
Students work as a whole class and in small groups. Teachers reinforce group skills.
Teachers find drama games that can be expanded and seen by teens as metaphors that relate to their lives (e.g., the school game, life as a journey, class as winning team).
“Choosing the right game for the right moment is an art.” Brandes and Norris (1998)
The theme in the following model is Inclusion/Exclusion. All of the drama work that follows enables students to begin to explore what it is like to be included and excluded and present their findings in a variety of dramatic forms e.g., grouping games, group tableaux, cross-over tableaux to appropriate music, and flocking. The games focused on are Huddle and a variation of Fox and Rabbit, Geometric Grouping, and Join the Conversation.
Warm-up
Teacher leads Huddle Game. (Huddle is a getting-to-know you/spatial awareness/grouping game.) Individually, students walk in and around the room using all available space. (If students are comfortable, they can travel in a variety of ways e.g., slink, crawl, gallop, hop.) As students are travelling, teacher calls out “Huddle four” (or six or eleven, etc.) and students form groups of that number. To encourage inclusion, students are responsible for ensuring that any student who is not in a group is hidden within any of the groups. This process is repeated a number of times ending with “huddle two” to accommodate the pairing for the next activity.)
Main Activity
Fox and Rabbit is used to explore the theme of Inclusion/Exclusion and frame the drama work. In pairs students fill the available space leaving room around them. Teacher asks one pair to volunteer as “Fox” and “Rabbit”. The other pairs join hands with their partners to form a high bridge that becomes the “Rabbit Warren.” To play the game, the Fox chases the Rabbit around the pairs (not through). The object of the game is for the Fox to tag the Rabbit. The Rabbit’s goal is to escape the Fox by escaping into one of the rabbit warrens. The Rabbit now becomes a part of the warren by joining hands with the person s/he faces. The person who has been replaced (behind the Rabbit) becomes the new Rabbit. The Fox remains Fox until a Rabbit is tagged. If the Fox tags the Rabbit, the roles are reversed. Allow enough time for a few students to experience the game.
The teacher provides variations in order to illustrate the feelings of inclusion/exclusion by introducing new rules i.e., “The rules of the game remain the same with the following exception: each partner pair can choose to let the rabbit be safe or not. However, this decision can only be made as the Rabbit approaches and without any talking or signing. To indicate that the warren is closed, pairs lower their arms to block the entrance”. This variation should be played until a number of students have experienced the roles of Rabbit and Fox. With their partners, students determine between themselves whether or not they will allow the Rabbit to be safe and if so, always, never, how many times.
Following the game, the teacher leads a full class discussion to deconstruct the game focussing on questions such as:
· What did you notice that was different in the second version of the game compared to the first?
· What criteria did you use to decide whether or not you closed your warren?
· How did you negotiate this decision with new partners?
· How did it feel to be the Fox?
· How did it feel to be the Rabbit?
From the discussion the teacher has students compare this game with Huddle and determine the ways the games were similar and different. The teacher extracts the issues around inclusion and exclusion. Students brainstorm words that indicate feelings associated with both. Teacher records.
Have students choose a partner. Divide the class into two groups with one partner in each group. Using the recorded words to inform their decisions, one group focuses on creating a tableau on “Exclusion”, the other on “Inclusion” and builds a cross-over tableau. (See Appendix 8.) After the students’ have memorized their partner’s position and elements of tableau such as facial expression, body shape, and dominant emotion, they assume their position in their initial tableau. Teacher plays evocative music (e.g., theme from The Mission) to dictate the mood and tempo of the cross-over movement. Students need to be aware of their space and to avoid bumping into others. When the music begins everyone slowly unfreezes and begins to move across the room to take up the opposing position of his/her partner, and then freezes. The freeze is held until the teacher signals the students to slowly crossover to their original tableau position. In the final freeze, while maintaining position, students observe the contrasting tableau to determine what they “see”.
Extension/Reflection
Students record in their journals what they have learned through these activities about the drama work, about themselves, and about others. What elements of the tableaux were most effective in conveying the message of inclusion/exclusion? Students refer to their work and the work they observed. Students indicate three strengths that they bring to their drama work and one area for improvement.
Visual Arts Extension Collage: Students choose images of inclusion/exclusion from magazines provided and arrange them so that they convey a thematic message to the viewer. In their journal, students explain the most important image in their collage and why they chose it. Students share collages with others and through full class discussion contribute thoughts and feelings on the theme of inclusion/exclusion, for example the impact on their own life, playground experience, television/movies, and extension to the world at large. This serves as an introductory discussion leading into the role playing in the next activity.
As an introduction to rubric building, teacher and students generate a list of criteria to determine positive Collaborative Skills that will be used for self, peer, and teacher assessment. See Appendix 15 - Rubric Building for more details.
Teacher may choose to extend the inquiry or game as metaphor by having students use their knowledge and skills of game shows to create a show that applies to areas of their lives. Shows such as “The School Game”, “The Parent Game”, and “The Dating Game” could be created. Violence against women, playground bullying, and anti-racism may be explored and extended as further universal themes for exploration.
· Assessment of journal entries using Journal Rubric. (See Appendix 12.)
· Self/peer/teacher assessment based on criteria generated from the work.
· Teacher observation.
· All writing may be scribed by a tutor or may be taped.
· Teachers select materials that ensure all students can fully participate regardless of physical, cultural, or linguistic differences. Perhaps an overhead could be used to post instructions.
See bibliography
Appendix 12 - Journal Rubric
Appendix 8 - Drama Strategies and Techniques
Time: 300 minutes
Through games, drama exercises and activities, students are introduced to role playing in a fictional context. Students are encouraged to willingly suspend disbelief and enter into the fictional world by thinking and feeling as someone else in an authentic and truthful manner. The framework provides students with opportunities to practise and gain knowledge of the conventions and learning possibilities of role play. Through working in and out of role in pairs, small groups, and whole class, students practise listening, speaking, responding, and reflecting.
Strand(s): Theory, Creation, Analysis
Overall Expectations: DTV.01X, DCV.01X, DCV.02X, DCV.03X, DAV.02X.
Specific Expectations: DT1.01X, DT1.02X, DT1.03X, DC1.01X, DC1.02X, DC1.03X, DA1.01X, DA1.02X, DA2.02X, DA2.03X, DA2.04X, DA2.05X, DA2.06X.
· Teachers consider the role they will play to model Who Am I.
· Teachers collect markers and chart paper for word collage on Day 3.
These skills have been introduced in Grade 8 and prior activities in Unit 1:
· Role Play
· Practice in reflection through discussion and writing
· Collaborative Skills
· Communication Skills
When beginning role playing in the classroom, have a brief discussion with the students highlighting the conventions of role playing. For example, remind students of working from the inside/out, of striving to be authentic and truthful in role, and of accepting the givens (circumstances of the drama). Students also need to be reminded that adopting a role means thinking and feeling as that person and does not require costume, accent, or physical changes.
Teacher and students should establish in and out of role signals and rules to enable smooth transitions within the work.
Warm-up
Students are instructed to select a character from fiction or a famous person from the real world who they will bring to a party or dance. Teacher models through introducing his/her imaginary guest to the group. For example, “I would like you to meet Donovan Bailey. He really likes to dance, though he is worried about injuries at this time in his training for the 2000 Olympics. Who have you brought to the party?” At this point a student introduces her character to the teacher and they exchange guests. (Ensure that students realize that the guest is not literally present in the room, that we are all pretending to bring these guests to the party). The teacher now takes the student’s guest and continues to meet and exchange guests with all class members now participating in the exercise. Students try to meet and exchange as many guests as possible until the teacher feels the students have completed the task. At this point students gather together in a circle and introduce the guest they are now with, to the whole group. It is interesting to note which guests remain and which guests have disappeared.
Main Activity
Who Am I is an exercise designed to help students and teachers establish and better understand the conventions of role play such as listening with another’s ears, speaking with another’s voice, accepting the imaginary context, and integrating feelings. During the Who Am I? activity, it is helpful for the teacher to stop and start the drama when the students need to clarify knowledge and re-examine and deepen questioning.
Who Am I?
Teacher decides what role she/he will play (e.g., Romeo or Juliet, Superman or Lois Lane, character from television) but does not reveal this information to the class.
The teacher, in role as the fictional character, is interviewed by students in role as journalists who are unaware of the identity of the interviewee. It is their task to uncover the identity through asking questions. Students cannot ask questions which reveal the fact that they do not know the identity of the teacher (e.g., any questions of age, gender, or physical appearance). Encourage students to develop and ask questions that provide information and insight into the role such as “Are you a doctor?” “Are you from the United States” “Could you tell us about your work life and your family life? Describe accomplishments in your life which are a source of pride.”
Teacher adopts a second role to give students opportunities to further develop questioning skills and engagement in the fictional context of the interview.
At this time students are encouraged to volunteer to be the interviewee (using their own choice of role or accepting a suggestion from the teacher) and field questions.
Extension/Reflection
Students answer the following questions in their journals:
· Which role did you find the most intriguing today? Why?
· State one way you helped the group uncover the identity of the role player.
· If you were going to be interviewed, who would you choose to be? Why?
Warm-up
Working in pairs, students continue the work from Day 1 by playing Who am I? using the roles outlined in their journals. Students play Back to Back, Toe to Toe, a physical game useful in continuing to build the classroom community and move students into pairs. Students begin by standing beside a partner. Teacher calls out the names of parts of the body that the partners must connect together, for example, toe to knee, elbow to shoulder, etc. Every now and then teacher calls out “change partners” and students seek a new partner and, placing themselves in the position of the previous partner, continue the game.
Main Activity
Working with the last partner in the previous game, students identify themselves as A and B. Teacher explains the givens of the role play. A and B are close friends and A has just telephoned B to say that A must come over immediately to talk about something very important. B sets up a physical space representing a room in B’s home that serves as the setting.
While B arranges a set, A’s meet with the teacher who secretly informs them of the situation. The situation is that A’s have a special gift or power which enables them to see into the future. They have decided that they must now for the first time reveal this power to an important friend. A’s decide the nature of the power, how long they have known about it, and whether or not they are able to control it. Most importantly, they must decide why they are revealing this information before improvising the scene. Students role play the scene.
Students in role report to the whole group using the inner/outer circle strategy (see Appendix 8 - Drama Strategies and Techniques.). Teacher, in the role of a “friend”, interviews students in the role of friends to discover the implications and consequences of A’s revelation. Teacher might ask, “Why did your friend decide to tell you of this power this evening? Were you able to help your friend at this time?”
Teacher in the role of the person with the power interviews the other A’s. “Was your friend helpful? What are you going to do now?”
Extension/Reflection
Lead a discussion out of role to further explore the multiple meanings of the drama. The teacher might ask, “What do we know this far in the drama? How would this power affect your life? How difficult was it to convince your partner that you had this power?”
Warm-Up
Students, working in groups of four, brainstorm and record on chart paper the wonders and the fears of possessing the gift of seeing into the future. Display the brainstorming collage somewhere in the room for students to view.
Main Activity
Working in the same groups, students pull the words off the page creating two tableaux with a transition in between to express both the wonder and the fear of the power. Students share their work with the class. Teacher and students discuss the similarities and differences in choices made in communicating the ideas. Discussion might also include analysis of shape, levels, and emotional impact. Students assume the role of a person with the gift of seeing into the future and are addressed by the teacher in the role of a researcher who brings them the following information: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I recognize the incredible challenges you face every day given this gift which you possess. I am pleased to come before you today with an opportunity for you to be released of this power forever. We have developed an effective drug which when administered will destroy your power forever and leave you just like one of us. I am prepared to offer you this drug today and will attempt to answer any questions in an effort to assist you in arriving at your decision.”
Extension/Reflection
Following discussion in role, students make a journal entry outlining their decision and the reasons behind it. Each student selects an excerpt from the journal and prepares to share it with the group. One student is invited into the centre of the room to physically represent all those who must make a decision to either maintain or relinquish their power. The rest of the students make suggestions as to how that person could be physically positioned at this moment of decision (head down, seated, eyes looking up, etc.). Once a final position has been established, students take turns placing themselves in a position relative to the person in the centre and read the excerpts. The student in the centre is the final reader. Students and teacher out of role describe the different roles and their responses to them in the drama. Identify the challenges involved in building a drama in role together. To examine the universal meanings consider the following questions: “What is the drama really about? How does this drama relate to our lives?” What new ideas occurred to you as a result of being in role? What role-playing skills did you use (i.e., listening, concentration) and explain the use of each one? How did our discussion help you learn?” Teacher and students might want to extend the drama by examining related texts such as The Chrysalids, John Wyndham or the Ugly Little Boy, Isaac Asimov.
· Assessment using Appendix 16 - Tableau
· Self-assessment and teacher assessment of role play using Appendix 13 - Role Playing
· Assessment of journal entries using Appendix 12 - Journal Rubric
· Teacher observation
· All writing may be scribed by a peer tutor or taped.
Booth and Lundy. Improvisation, Learning Through Drama.
Appendix 12 - Journal
Appendix 13 - Role Playing
Time: 225 minutes
Through role playing and research students learn of the connections between collaborative skills and the Theatre. They identify and discuss using the language of production, design, and technology as it relates to the theatre as an art form and as a possible career.
Strand(s): Theory, Creation, Analysis
Overall Expectations: DCV.02X, DCV.03X.
Specific Expectations: DA1.05X, DA1.07X, DA1.08X.
Teacher brings in resources on careers: books, live theatre brochures, and entertainment sections of newspapers, and refers students to various web sites (see bibliography). Book a day with the librarian for class research in the school library/resource centre.
· Collaborative Skills
· Role playing
· Research skills
Warm-up
The teacher reminds students of safety concerns, (e.g., running, respect for others), then divides the class into two teams, A and B. The teams form two lines facing each other, 10 feet apart with a dividing line between them, and a "safe" place about 20 feet behind them. The A team goes first and decides on a career, profession, trade, or job that they will all mime (no sound effects, or any talking to give any hints!) When ready, the teams say:
B: "Hey! Hey! Do you get paid?"
A: "Sure we do. We'll show you our trade."
The A team then comes to the dividing line and mimes the actions that might accompany the job they have decided on. The B team then tries to guess correctly what that job is. When one of the B team members guesses correctly, the A team runs to their "safe" place while the B team attempts to tag as many of the other team as possible before the "safe" place is reached. All students who are tagged then join the B team. The B team then takes their turn to decode a mimed job. If any team is unable to guess correctly, the other team gets another turn.
Main Activity
The teacher and students talk about the types of warms-ups and activities completed to date, so that students can identify the personal skills and qualities developed through Dramatic Arts. A link should be made between these personal skills and qualities and their application to students' personal and academic life, as well as their usefulness in career possibilities. The teacher introduces a whole class role play to enable students to research and explore career possibilities that exist when developing and presenting theatre. The teacher reviews with students the "in role" and "out of role" signals in Activity 3 to enable smooth transitions. For the role play, the teacher takes on the role of Community Program Advisor, with the students in role as a community group who want to raise funds by putting on a play.
Teacher (in Role): " As you know, we are trying to raise funds for the new Moms, Pops, and Tots program here at the community centre. At our last meeting you made the decision to put on a play to try and raise these funds, but before we do, we need to have a better idea of what we are letting ourselves in for. I, for one, am not prepared to approve this project unless I know what is involved. I have managed to get a listing of the types of jobs that are involved in putting on a play, but I have no idea what these jobs are or what it is these people do. As we have limited volunteers we may also have to consider hiring someone for one of the key positions so it is essential to find out what the salary would be for a professional. I would like everyone to take responsibility for finding out about one of these jobs and bring back the information to our next meeting."
The teacher posts the list of jobs on the board and students sign up for the one they are interested in researching.
Extension/Reflection
In their journal, students brainstorm a list of personal skills and qualities that they have identified to date in their drama work and give examples of how these skills would be applied in their personal and academic life.
Students go to the library/resource centre to research one of the various careers in developing and presenting theatre in Canada. Use of the Internet (see bibliography) and access to a local community theatre group or theatrical organization is encouraged, as well as up-to-date research from books and journals.
Teacher and students resume the role play to share the information "in role" that they have researched.
Teacher (in Role): “Good evening everyone. I would like to hear from everyone about the information that you have found out about the various jobs required to put on a play. Who would like to start?”
The teacher hears from all the students in role about the various jobs, responsibilities, salaries etc.
" I do have an additional piece of information to share with you. The program director is going to cancel the Moms, Pops, and Tots Program due to lack of available funds, and it seems to me that putting on this play is going to be too costly. I know that many of you have young children in this program and have mentioned how your children have benefited but I really don't know how we can keep the program open. Does anyone have a personal story to share that might help us persuade the director to keep the program running?”
The teacher and students in role share their stories.
“It seems, from what you have shared, that the program is really helping the Moms and tots in our community, but how are we going to persuade the director, and where will we get the extra funds needed to keep it open?”
Teacher and students in role discuss strategies to keep the program running. In role students brainstorm a solution to the problem e.g., a letter to the local newspaper, a fund raising drive, a meeting between the community and the program director, or other solutions that the students may offer.
Extension/Reflection
Students do a web on large construction paper (18" x 24"), of the theatre job/career they have researched.
In their journals, students discuss the role play to consider if the solution that they decided is realistic:
· Were all the options considered, or was there something else that could have been done?
· What was the primary issue, the value of the program or the cost?
· As the program director, what would you have done?
· As one of the Moms, write in role to the program director outlining the importance of the program to you and your child.
· A play requires performers, technical expertise, and an audience. What makes a good audience? What skills are required to be a member of an appreciative audience? How do performers know that the audience is paying attention to what is happening in the play?
· Write in role as the ___________ (put the name of the career that has been researched here), demonstrating how your work has contributed to the trouble-free running of the play and giving clear examples of situations when this happened.
· Role Player Rubric (see Appendix 13)
· Journal Rubric (see Appendix 12)
· Self-assessment of the theatre job/career web through writing in role
· Writing in this unit can be scribed by a peer or submitted on tape.
Appendix 8 - Drama Strategies and Techniques (refer to role-playing section).
Appendix 12 - Journal
Appendix 13 - Role Playing
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