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Creative Dramatics Lessons That Kids Love

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Creative Dramatics Lessons That Kids Love

Dramamommaspeaks Blog Author Deborah Baldwin

Hello!

Today, I wanted to blog about Creative Dramatics Lessons That Kids Love. You may not know me or be familiar with my work.  I’m Deborah Baldwin (but my friends call me Deb.)  I am a recently retired award-winning drama teacher of thirty-eight years.  In that time, I directed over 250 plays and musicals with students and adults as well.  I taught every grade level, but the bulk of my time was spent with secondary students.

Here is my resume if you’d like to see it:

If you’d like a free guide And lesson plan from me, click here LESSON PLAN

Creative Dramatics Lessons That Kids Love

My Teaching Style

Drama is a hands-on class. To this end, I’m always on my feet, modeling for my students while teaching them a host of concepts. It is not unusual to hear my classroom in chortles of laughter because humor is an outstanding way to gain a student’s attention. I empower students at an early age. Although I am always mindful of my learning objectives, I think it’s vital for students to experiment within the confines of my instruction.

I encourage students to be independent and creative thinkers. Many less confident or reluctant students benefit from my teaching methods as together we hit the challenges they encounter. I am creative, intense, driven and brave–these are qualities I nurture in all my students and generally receive outstanding results.

Creative Dramatics Lessons for Elementary Grades by an Award Winning Drama Teacher

If you need some warm ups for your class, whether a core or drama class check out Theatre Games Guide

Strengthening Reading Comprehension Skills

When I was researching this blog post, I found a wonderful site,  http://www.understood.org.  They discussed the reasons for reading aloud (aka drama class!):

1. Decoding

Decoding is a vital step in the reading process. Kids use this skill to sound out words they’ve heard before but haven’t seen written out. The ability to do that is the foundation for other reading skills.

Decoding relies on an early language skill called phonemic awareness. (This skill is part of an even broader skill called phonological awareness.) Phonemic awareness lets kids hear individual sounds in words (known as phonemes). It also allows them to “play” with sounds at the word and syllable level.

2. Fluency

To read fluently, kids need to instantly recognize words, including ones they can’t sound out. Fluency speeds up the rate at which they can read and understand text. It’s also important when kids encounter irregular words, like of and the, which can’t be sounded out.

Sounding out or decoding every word can take a lot of effort. Word recognition is the ability to recognize whole words instantly by sight, without sounding them out.

3. Vocabulary

To understand what you’re reading, you need to understand most of the words in the text. Having a strong vocabulary is a key component of reading comprehension. Students can learn vocabulary through instruction. But they typically learn the meaning of words through everyday experience and also by reading.

What can help: The more words kids are exposed to, the richer their vocabulary becomes. You can help build your child’s vocabulary by having frequent conversations on a variety of topics. Try to include new words and ideas. Telling jokes and playing word games is a fun way to build this skill.

Creative Dramatics Lessons for Elementary Grades by an Award Winning Drama Teacher

4. Sentence Construction and Cohesion

Understanding how sentences are built might seem like a writing skill. So might connecting ideas within and between sentences, which is called cohesion. But these skills are important for reading comprehension as well.

Knowing how ideas link up at the sentence level helps kids get meaning from passages and entire texts. It also leads to something called coherence, or the ability to connect ideas to other ideas in an overall piece of writing.

What can help: Explicit instruction can teach kids the basics of sentence construction. For example, teachers can work with students on connecting two or more thoughts, through both writing and reading.

Making Connections: Using What They Know to Understand

5. Reasoning and Background Knowledge

Most readers relate what they’ve read to what they know. So it’s important for kids to have background or prior knowledge about the world when they read. They also need to be able to “read between the lines” and pull out meaning even when it’s not literally spelled out.

What can help: Your child can build knowledge through reading, conversations, movies and TV shows, and art. Life experience and hands-on activities also build knowledge.

6. Working Memory and Attention

These two skills are both part of a group of abilities known as executive function. They’re different but closely related.

When kids read, attention allows them to take in information from the text. Working memory allows them to hold on to that information and use it to gain meaning and build knowledge from what they’re reading.

What can help: There are many ways you can help improve your child’s working memory. Skill builders don’t have to feel like work, either. There are a number of games and everyday activities that can build working memory without kids even knowing it.

Creative Dramatics from an Awarding Winning Drama Teacher

Maybe you are researching Back to School lessons. Or you are looking for drama units, lessons and plays for your elementary students. Or you want to save yourself time? 

I can help you. 

Here is my opinion about expectations of our elementary students. My Pet Peeve

Here are a few of my lessons for elementary students:

It Could Always Be Worse Readers Theater

Each lesson comes with a teacher’s letter, procedure, a warm-up, materials list, teacher’s script and assignments.

Recently, I created fifteen minute radio theater plays for grades 3 to 5.  These are royalty free, too! 

Recently, I created fifteen minute radio theater plays for grades 3 to 5.  These are royalty free, too!

I hope you’ll check out my creative dramatics lessons.  My thirty-eight years of teaching drama education serve me well in creating these lessons and/or adapting some which I all ready used in the classroom.

Have you taught creative dramatics with your students?  I’d love to hear about it.  Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Looking for a freebie or two?  Go to:

Free Teaching Resources Blog Hop

Free Stuff!

 

How to Use a Hybrid Lesson in Your Drama Classroom Tomorrow

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How to Use a Hybrid Lesson in Your Drama Classroom Tomorrow

Brain, Mind, Psychology, Idea, Hearts, Love, Drawing

I’m a creative and imaginative person.  If you follow my blog, you’ll know that when I was ten years old I decided I would direct Mary Poppins in my backyard and have my father hire a helicopter to fly me into the yard near the forsythia.

Yes, I’m that kind of creative.

I get an itch in my fingers if I’m not creating something.  Usually, I can appease this creative itch by cooking something new or coloring in a coloring book or developing a new product for drama teachers.

Author Susan Vreeland thinks, “Painting feeds the eye just as poetry feeds the ear, which is to say that both feed the soul.”

I agree. Without being creative and imaginative, I am pretty unhappy.

Yet, even with this new interest of mine in developing drama education resources, I was becoming a bit stale.

I’ve been making drama lessons and adapting some of my former lessons for two years.  Two years and 220 products later, I have created quite a library for the busy drama teacher to use.  If you are interested in checking them out, grades second to twelve, go here:  Dramamommaspeaks Store

Enter Boom Learning

Among the many resources I used in my classroom in the past, recently I’ve learned how to make word walls,  growth mindset posters, one pager assignments, word searches, short biographies, Broadway musicals units, Google slides, etc.

Lately, I’ve been interested in digital task cards.  These puppies are HOT in the education market.  There’s great interest in using them in the classroom because I think we all know our students are going to have at least six months to a year of distance learning.

Because of this, I thought about what I could create for distance learning in particular hybrid learning.

Boom Learning is a website of digital task cards for all subjects and grade levels.  They are called Boom Cards.  Here is their description,

“Boom Cards are interactive lessons created by teachers like you. Using our platform, you can easily create Boom Cards to use in your class, or sell them in our marketplace. made for teachers and parents Teachers can use Boom Cards in the classroom or parents can use them at home.”

I have to say these digital task cards are really cool.  Teachers assign the cards and the students work through a set. Without them realizing it, the students grasp a concept (through short games) or practice a skill.

Hybrid Learning and Differentiation

As I mentioned, I’m a creative person.  I got to thinking………………is there some way to teach both through digital task cards AND through instruction from the teacher?

Of course!

As usual  whenever I blog, I searched the internet and found this helpful definition of Hybrid Blended Instruction from Schoology.com says:

“Beyond differentiation in terms of content, process, product, or modifying the traditional learning environment, blended hybrid learning combines face-to-face instruction with some form of “computer-mediated instruction.” Blended hybrid learning “has the opportunity to provide personalized instruction with some element of student control over path, pace, time, and place.” Thus, it is a mode of instruction that adds a significant amount of student agency to learning that is not otherwise possible through in-person differentiation, which still occurs synchronously and, in practice, largely at the direction of the teacher.”

How do I use hybrid blended instruction in my drama classroom?  

Primarily, this hybrid blended instruction could be used with drama subjects which could be best taught with limited but not limited to topics such as the  history of scenic design, stage properties, lights, costumes, etc.

The first hybrid  lesson I developed was my Costume Design with Fairy Tale Characters. I adapted parts of my PDF lesson to make it.

Drama Lesson:  Costume Design with Boom Cards!

COSTUME DESIGN MIDDLE GRADE BOOM CARDS COVER400 (1)

For Distance Learning–

It’s a three-step process. First, the teacher assigns the student to view a portion of a video which demonstrates the costume design concepts. Next, she assigns the Boom Cards! for the student to study prior to the assignments. Finally, the teacher charges the student to design a costume for a fairy tale character and complete the creative writing assignment. This lesson can last one or two days.

Included in the PDF product:

  • Letter to Teacher
  • Rationale for Teaching Costume Design
  • Costume Design Template (Female)
  • Costume Design Template (Male)
  • Writing Assignment Sheet
  • Writing Assignment Sheet Examples
  • Sources
  • Video Links

Included in the Boom Cards! product:

  • 16 Boom Cards which include the history of costume design
  • True/false questions to secure the learning as the student progresses through them

For the Blended Classroom

This is a definite paradigm shift for a drama teacher.  We are used to doing all the teaching ourselves. However, if other teachers in a school are using digital learning  in their classes the students may adapt quickly to our use of them.

What are the benefits for the teacher?

  • It frees up your time to take attendance, speak to individual students about their progress in class, take a break for! a few minutes!
  • The digital task cards are self grading. A teacher checks the students’ knowledge on a subject without having to grade another set of papers.  Yet, they are continuing to teach the students.

What are the cons to the Hybrid Blended Classroom?

According to Schoology.com

“….the blended hybrid classroom must bring true computer-mediated instruction into the mix, creating learning outcomes that aren’t possible through traditional methods. It takes technology infrastructure, planning, and hard work to make that ideal a reality.”

In other words it is going to take some time to prepare the lesson, accept the paradigm shift and conquer! In the long run, I think you’ll be glad you did. Until then, lean on me for help.

Hey, if I can do it then so can you?

If you would rather use just the digital task cards without the hybrid lesson, you can find them here:

Here are three sets of digital task cards which may come in handy for you.  (Tap on them to see their entire description.)

BUNDLE DRAMA VOCAB. COVER      ROMEO AND JULIET BOOM CARDS TPT COVER300 (1)

COSTUME DESIGN MIDDLE GRADE BOOM CARDS COVER

Here is my newest hybrid lesson. Costume Design Halloween Characters and Boom Cards!

COSTUME DESIGN HALLOWEEN LESSON PLUS BOOM CARDS400

 

What lessons have you created which lend themselves to Hybrids?  I’d love to hear about them?  Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

 

 

 

The Reasons to Teach Broadway Musicals to Your Students

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The Reasons to Teach Broadway Musicals to Your Students

There is a phenomena I can’t quite explain.

It used to be people weren’t all that excited about musicals.

Well, some people weren’t. I always liked them.  In fact, I remember the first musical I attended.  I saw Pearl Bailey in Hello Dolly! on Broadway.  That was a really amazing production.  My parents took me to see George M. Cohan as well and all I remember (because I was 10) was the tap dancing and lots of it.

Those of us who are eat-sleep-breathe-drama-and music love all of them.  Although I have several favorites.

Learn about them here: The Reasons These Shows are My Favorite Broadway Musicals 

Movies Adapted From Broadway Musicals– All right!

The Reasons to Teach Broadway Musicals to Your Students

Broadway Musical Lessons

I began creating Broadway musical lessons about two years ago and to date I have over twenty lessons. They are very popular and I’m so glad I created them.

When I taught at a school in Colorado, our musical theater students chose a musical they wanted to share with the rest of the class. They’d share its synopsis, a song and a bit of trivia.

At the time, I thought it would be a super experience for students to learn about these over the course of the school year.  Maybe every Friday could be Broadway Musical Day? In that particular case, I only saw the students once a week (they were basically home schooled the rest of the week) so I couldn’t take the time for my idea.

However, I thought a drama or vocal music teacher might find these of use.

The Reasons to Teach Broadway Musicals to Your Students:

  1.  It is always very entertaining.
  2.  Musical theater is a fabulous blend of music and theater–you get a little of both and never too much of either.
  3.   The action in a musical moves along fairly quickly because it’s peppered with song and/or dance, hence it keeps everyone engaged.
  4.   It is an excellent example of cooperative learning and creative problem solving–it incorporates every other arts medium–dance, art, music and theater!
  5.   Songs allow for interpretation of moments that a monologue can not explain so easily.
  6.   An entire moment in a story can be demonstrated through a song and dance which is much more interesting than  merely using dialogue.
  7.   In a school environment, most school musicals involve more than just the drama department–the music department participates which includes band and orchestra students.   Talk about involving the school!
  8.   Musicals are an excellent way to teach about current or historical events–Hamilton, Ragtime, Les Mis, 1776, The Scottsboro Boys, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Parade, Come From Away to name a few.
  9. Musicals teach about social issues–Rent, Cabaret, Dear Evan Hansen, Fun Home, Newsies, South Pacific, The book of Mormon, Hairspray, West Side Story, Falsettos, Newsies, Next to Normal, etc. 
  10.  Plus, as my husband said, “They are just fun!”

At least once a month or two, I create a new Broadway musical lesson.  Here is what they include:

(Here is an example from Hairspray, the Broadway Musical and pair it with Costume Design with Hairspray Characters

Broadway Musical Lessons for You to Use Tomorrow!

The product includes:

  • Letter to Teacher
  • Two Warm Ups–Dance Tutorials from the Actual Production
  • Teacher’s Script–What I Say and How I Say it!
  • Photos of Hairspray
  • Synopsis of the Musical
  • Plot of the Musical
  • Short Biography about Marc Shaiman composer and choreographer Jerry Mitchell
  • Separate File of Photos for Teacher’s Use in Lecture
  • History about the Origination of the Production
  • AND a Mini-Lesson on What are the Tony Awards?
  • List of Tony Awards
  • New York City Map with Competing Theaters Labeled
  • Student Note Page for Hairspray
  • Teacher Note Page Key
  • Trivia about Broadway and Hairspray
  • Songs List
  • Pinterest Board Link Specifically about Hairspray
  • Extension Activities– SEVEN Terrific Suggestions of Ways to Secure the Learning and Enrich the Experience either Individual or Group
  • Two costume design templates for one of the extension activities
  • Sources & Links to Film Clips from the Show
  • And More!

Comprehensive? You bet.

Did you know that Wicked is being made into a film with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande?

How can I use these in my classroom?  It depends upon the musical lesson, but teachers have used them in elementary through high school grades in classes of drama, vocal music, language arts and American history.  These lessons can be as short as one day or up to three days in length depending upon what the teacher requires.

All of the musicals in the gallery are available in my store here: Dramamommaspeaks Products

Plus, they are great with substitutes!

I hope you consider teaching with a Broadway musical lesson in the near future.  Do check back often, because as I mentioned, I’m always adding another to the store.

Want some free stuff?  Check out my page FREE Stuff.

What do you like about musicals?  I’d love to hear from you.  Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Deborah Baldwin, author of Dramamommaspeaks

 

Drama Lessons for Families Who are Home-Bound

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Drama Lessons for Families Who are Home-Bound

 

Tick, tock, tick, tock…….

Is it only Wednesday?

Have you worn out the Play-dough, grown frustrated by the board game, broke the new cool toy, gained five pounds by baking chocolate chip cookies and just can’t make one more blanket fort? 

The Joy and Intrigue of Broken Toys

Families:  Have you exhausted your ideas during this pandemic? 

If you’d like a free guide And lesson plan from me, click here LESSON PLAN

Need a little help?

I am here to help you.

Drama Lessons for Families  Who are Home-Bound

If you’d like a free guide And lesson plan from me, click here LESSON PLAN

Many years ago, we lived in Missouri.  I  remember when we’d have a couple of snow days in a row.   Deep snow and ice kept us home.

Of course we didn’t know how long we’d be, but the school district had a rough idea of when we’d return to the classroom.

pexels-photo-3626789

That was fine and it really was fun, but this?

Well, who knows how long this quarantine will last?

When our daughters were children, being very creative beings, they would orchestrate little programs for us.  They’d rehearse for hours, invite us to their concert or play and my husband and I would sit quietly while they gleefully performed for us.

We’d clap at the end as they bowed.  One time they put on their own rendition of Lion King.  Part of the end of the performance included walking around in a circle with a sign which read “Lion King” misspelled to “Loin King.”  We still call the show Loin King to this day…

It was such fun for all of us.  Honestly, I have many fond memories of those performances.  In fact, I remember them more than other times in their young lives.

Drama Lessons for Families  Who are Home-Bound

I say families that do drama together stay together.  (Last Saturday I said “families who Face Time together stay together” so you can see I toss this phrase around as needed.)

When I researched this subject, here was something I found very interesting about families in a research essay, childtrends.org:

Drama Lessons for Families Home-Bound

pexels-photo-1231365
Photo by Yulianto Poitier on Pexels.com

Time Use
Perspectives: Shared parent-child activities are important both because they are intrinsically satisfying and because they can help educate and socialize
children. For example, research has found that children whose homes emphasize learning opportunities and cognitively stimulating activities are more academically motivated than other children. In addition, a positive and enriching family environment can help prevent behavior problems in youth, including delinquent behavior.18 Moreover, sufficient quality time together may be a prerequisite for well-being in
family relationships.

Here are a few ideas for you of ways to provide quality time with your family.

Drama Lessons for Families Home-Bound

Here’s a new one! Drama Choice Boards–keep an eye out for more of these.

Drama Lesson Choice Board

Saturday, Sunday and Monday Unit and Play Distance Learning

SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY READERS THEATER COVER

This reader’s theater script is perfect for a family to use.  It has many roles and opportunities for younger children to be involved even if they can’t read yet.  Plus, there’s an original song.

Bow Wow Blues Unit and Play Distance Learning

RADIO THEATER IV BLUES COVER 285 dpi

The whole family can learn about radio theater with this gem.  Written in the style of old radio shows, Bow Wow Blues is a silly cops and robbers tale.

Plus, the family can learn about the radio theater of old and where it is most present today.

Set Design Rendering Lesson Distance Learning

SET DESIGN THE RENDERING EDITED

A precursor to my set design unit, this gives a family the chance to learn about set design and draw a rendering for any setting.

Maybe a set design of a child’s classroom? A castle?  The wild west?  The moon?

It Could Always Be Worse Reader’s Theater Distance Learning

The title of this reader’s theater is really all anyone needs.  Based on a Jewish folk tale, it is full of humorous moments and roles of animal sounds.

Part of the fun is the chaos that ensues every time the man does another thing that the rabbi suggests.

HINT:  THIS KIND OF PLAY IS RELAXING AND FUN FOR EVERYONE. 

Or how about some beginning playwriting?

Costume Design with Fairy Tale Characters

Costume Design Fairy Square Cover 400 dpi

Does the family enjoy fairy tales?  Here’s a lesson about costume design using fairy tale characters as the focus.

With costume design, a student considers the character from a different perspective or time period. (There is also one for super heroes and one for circus performers.)

It’s important our students learn about growth mindset by learning about successful people.  This series of theater artist biographies include

Idina Menzel, Hugh Jackman, Lin Manuel Miranda and many more.

Famous Theater Artist:  Idina Menzel 

I have several one pager assignments.  One for Idina Menzel and also Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Who am I?

Deborah Baldwin, Dramamommaspeaks

I am a retired drama educator having taught for thirty-eight years in both the public and private sectors. Whew! During this time, I created curriculum for studies in creative dramatics, creative movement, introduction to musical theatre, musical theatre, film making, technical theatre, introduction to Shakespeare, introduction to theatre as well speech and debate. I created seven youth theater companies that continue today in various parts of the midwest, oversaw productions for thirty-eight years, and developed a national playwriting contest for youth theater scripts. In addition, I am an award-winning director who has directed over 250 plays and musicals with children and adults alike. My sister was an elementary teacher for many years as were my aunts. In the late 1800s, my fraternal grandmother was known for her strength in teaching math in the wilds of Kansas. My maternal grandmother established the first kindergarten in Osaka, Japan in the 1890s. In short teaching is in my blood and comes to me joyfully and naturally.

Who’d a thought we’d be practicing social distancing and quarantined?  Not me that’s for sure.

I hope you’ll check out my lessons in my teacherspayteachers store, Dramamommaspeaks.  It’s free to join TpT and there are lots of free lessons to pick up for other interests, too.

In fact, here are a bunch for you: Free Teaching Resources Blog Hop

Take care.  Contact me if you need some advice or just to share how you used the lessons.  I’d love to hear from you.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Drama Lessons for Home-Bound Students or During the Corona Virus Quarantine

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Drama Lessons for Home-Bound Students or During the Corona Virus Quarantine 

 

In light of the Corona virus illness, and many people quarantined at home,  I thought I’d offer you some suggestions of  drama lessons a teacher could assign or a student could take home with them. I am part of several Facebook groups for teachers and typical of teachers, they are all ready preparing for the extended home stays which could happen.

Or……they have a student who will be absent for several days or even weeks.  It does occur.

You’d think it would be impossible for a teacher to assign drama lessons for students to study at home, because we are a performance oriented subject.

Not always, however.

I’d never thought of this learning obstacle until recently.  One of my students who teaches in South Korea has all ready been home for two weeks.  Unfortunately, I fear we are only days from staying home for several weeks here in the states.

A friend told me about a man who bought up all the Purel at a Walmart in Oklahoma.  What an opportunist!

He set up a booth across the street from the same Walmart and charged $100 for a bottle of it!  What?!

Crazy times we live in, huh?

Here are a list of drama lessons and units which your student(s) could complete at home (home bound lessons) either because they are quarantined by the coronavirus or plan to be absent for a week or two.

This gets a teacher started.  There are more lessons which will work and keep the learning going.  I promise.  

KIDS HANDS UP

Creative Dramatics (grades 2 to 5)

I simplified my middle grade lesson and enlarged the design templates.  I hope this encourages students to try their hand at costume design.  It’s such fun!

There are different ways to look at designing costumes for this story.  What if Red Riding Hood lives in the city in 2020?

This is my most popular lesson to date!  Students get the chance to design the set for a play!

A student could read the script with a parent or even the family.  There are post discussion questions which might be of use to you as well. There is a bundle with many funny reader’s theater scripts so look for that in my store.

Middle School Drama Lessons and Units (grades 6 to 8)

This choice board includes nine different theater companies, Marcel Marceau and what is means to be a Foley engineer.

Just put this up today (March 30).  It’s a great show and fun production to learn about.

This is one which I bet your students would enjoy.  It’s all about costume design and the history of super heroes.

This is a two-day lesson about playwriting.  It would be a lot of fun for them.

This would be a super unit if you could purchase a class set of the play ahead of the quarantine.  Or maybe get a few copies for your classroom if you have a student who will be absent for an extended period of time. )

You can purchase them at: https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/tom-sawyer- tr5000 

This is a ten day unit, however a student could complete the entire unit at home by himself if need be.

This is a short lesson giving students an opportunity to draw a set for a fairy tale.

Student can observe someone in their home and after doing a short quiz, write a description of the person.

This is a short newspaper formatted lesson about him.  It could be completed at  home with no problem.  The extension activity could be done independently.  This is a very popular lesson with students.

This is a short biography lesson which students could do easily complete from home with internet access. She’s an up-and-coming actress which they may be not be familiar with.

These boards are marvelous help in distance learning or when everyone needs a break.  They include theaters from around the world and short lessons on designers–costume, set, sound, etc.  Need some differentiation?  These will help.

High School Drama Lessons and Units (grades 9 to 12)

This lesson is intended for gifted seventh graders through tenth grade.  Using a break dancer as the focus, students learn to write dialogue step by step.

This is a lesson for middle grade students, however you could change the assignment and make it more lengthy.

This lesson is perfect for drama students. Students research a theater artist, answer questions about artist’s growth mindset, consider their own mindset and finish with a creative project. This unit was created for high school students, however it could be adapted for middle grade students.

I never thought of this for a situation like this, but you know it is perfect!  Students select a play, answer a group of very comprehensive questions.  Then they create a power point about the play thinking of it from a director and designer’s point of view. Lastly, they create a three-dimensional object which represents the play.

This is a bundle of lessons (discounted) which pertain to technical aspects of a  production.  Students could select one of the four units or maybe a teacher gives them one assignment (such as sound design) and everyone turns in the same assignment.

As I mentioned earlier,  I have plenty of other lessons which could work. 

If you need some help deciding which would be best, do contact me.  Or check out my store at:  Dramamommaspeaks

Have you ever had a student who was home-bound?  I did and boy, was it tricky at the time. I wish I’d had home bound lessons at the time.  I’d love to hear from you.  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Here is a FREE lesson if you are in a pinch:  Speech Review Worksheet (middle school and up)

Here are some other suggestions of products which may help you, all FREE:  Free Teaching Resources Blog Hop

 

 

Creative Dramatics Lessons from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

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Creative Dramatics Lessons from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

Deborah Baldwin, Dramamommaspeaks

Hello!

You may not know me or be familiar with my work.  I’m Deborah Baldwin (but my friends call me Deb.)  I am a recently retired award-winning drama teacher of thirty-eight years.  At that time, I directed over 250 plays and musicals with students and adults as well.  I taught every grade level, but the bulk of my time was spent with secondary students.

Here is my resume if you’d like to see it: DeborahBaldwin.net

My Teaching Style:

Drama is a hands-on class. To this end, I’m always on my feet, modeling for my students while teaching them a host of concepts. It is not unusual to hear my classroom in chortles of laughter because humor is an outstanding way to gain a student’s attention. I empower students at an early age. Although I am always mindful of my learning objectives, I think it’s vital for students to experiment within the confines of my instruction. I encourage students to be independent and creative thinkers. Many less confident or reluctant students benefit from my teaching methods as together we hit the challenges they encounter. I am creative, intense, driven and brave–these are qualities I nurture in all my students and generally receive outstanding results.

first rehearsal

If you are looking for creative dramatics lessons and plays for your students, I can help you.  These lessons are for grades third to fifth. So many of these lessons can be used in a reading or language arts classroom, too.  They jibe together easily.

Here are a few:

Given Circumstance Monologue Creative Writing Lesson

Got some creative writers?  This lesson fits in nicely with a creative writing unit and/or to study playwriting just a little.

OjiSan C. Dramatics Cover

This is fun to perform for younger children.  There are two versions of this product–one for younger students and one for older.

Ojisan and the Grateful Statues

COSTUME DESIGN WITH HALLOWEEN GRADE 3-5 SQUARE COVER 3

Oh my gosh!  Costume design is a wonderful way to celebrate Halloween.  Students love this because they can be very creative and learn at the same time.

Costume Design with Halloween Theme

COSTUME DESIGN WITH NUTCRACKER CHARACTERS SQUARE COVER.jpg

Do you ever show clips from The Nutcracker Ballet?  This lesson includes video clips, a lesson on costume design and gives the students an opportunity to design as well.

Costume Design with Nutcracker Ballet Characters

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Costume Design with Parade Characters

TABLEAU HOLIDAY THEME COVER

Tableau Exercises–Holiday Theme

ST. PATRICKS THEME COVER

Stage Properties–St. Patrick’s Day Theme

Drama Lesson:  St. Patrick’s Day Play Writing Monologue 

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Buddy and the Evergreen Trees Reader’s Theater

Here’s my newest:  Chanting Lesson for Grades 3 to 5

Creative Dramatics Lessons from an Award Winning Drama Teacher

I hope you’ll check out my drama education products.  There are nearly 160 of them ready and waiting for you.  

Or maybe you were hoping for something free?  Check out this:  Free Teaching Resources Blog Hop

If you don’t find what you need, contact me.  Chances are I’d be interested in creating what you are needing.  That’s always fun!

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net