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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!

 

MTI Broadway Senior Musicals: A Baby Boomer’s Dream Come True

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MTI Broadway Senior Musicals:  A Baby Boomer’s Dream Come True

Once I lamented that I was becoming invisible. A well meaning family member joked, “Well, you know you’re not a spring chicken anymore.” What, you say?

However, there is a new place that seniors can be seen! Let’s discuss today’s blog post, MTI Broadway Senior Musicals:  A Baby Boomer’s Dream Come True. Look around you. We have a lot of senior adults aptly named The Baby Boomers.

They aren’t the stereotypical kind, either.  One of my  friends swims great distances. Still another performs in her own rhythm and blues band all over the country. Additionally, one senior and her husband ride motorcycles every weekend. One of my very brave friends, a remarkable woman, travels all over the world by. her. self.  She’s  seventy-years-old.

man and woman holding each other's hands beside Christmas tree

I feel like a slug in comparison. These seniors are vibrant, energetic, contributing members of their communities. My husband, a senior himself, plays in a senior community band.  The conductor was 92 years old!  Isn’t that amazing?

A Paradigm Shift-MTI Broadway Senior Musicals

There is a wonderful paradigm shift occurring right now and it’s all positive (we can use some positive vibes, right?) 

MTI Shows are musicals licensed by Music Theatre International, one of the world’s leading licensing agencies for Broadway and musical theatre productions. MTI represents over 500 titles—including Into the Woods, Matilda, and Shrek The Musical—and offers versions tailored for schools, youth groups, and senior performers.

Their collections include Broadway Junior (for kids), School Editions (for teens), and TYA shows (performed by adults for young audiences), making high-quality theater accessible to all ages and experience levels. And now they are offering senior theater versions! 

Just think of it:  You are living in a care center and bored out of your mind (that would be me…). However, it is announced the center is going to produce a senior musical. What does that mean exactly? 

MTI Broadway Senior Musicals: A Baby Boomer's Dream Come True

 A Baby Boomer’s Dream Come True Broadway for Seniors

MTI Broadway Senior® shows are specially adapted musicals designed for older adult performers, typically aged 55 and up. These productions are 60-minute versions of beloved Broadway musicals, carefully crafted to suit the physical, vocal, and storytelling needs of senior casts while preserving the heart and humor of the originals.

Key Features:

  • Shorter runtime (around one hour)

  • Simplified staging and flexible casting

  • Lower vocal and physical demands

  • Full performance and rehearsal resources provided (scripts, music, director guides)

Popular Titles Available in the MTI Broadway Senior® Collection:

  • Guys and Dolls SR.

  • Into the Woods SR.

  • My Fair Lady SR.

  • Fiddler on the Roof SR.

 

To be frank, if there is anyone who will be successful at this endeavor, it is MTI.  In another blog post, I rave about their junior and kids musicals.  Check it out here: MTI Junior Musicals– A Dream Come True!

To date, more than 200,000 productions have been produced of their junior musical shows reaching more than 5 million children.

MTI Broadway Senior Musicals: A Baby Boomer's Dream Come True
Artswork.org

MTI Senior Musicals:  A Baby Boomer’s Dream Come True

Research shows us our seniors with dementia respond to music, so it isn’t much of a stretch to think being part of a musical wouldn’t have the same success. 

Among several other senior citizen communities, the program was road tested with the Juniper Village near State College, Pennsylvania.  The university students of assisted with rehearsals and performances.  Cast members received one on one attention from the students which alleviated the anxiety of performing.  How wonderful!

MTI Broadway Senior Musicals: A Baby Boomer's Dream Come True

I thought this quote was interesting, from Playbill.com,

“But what Broadway Senior has really done is give these seniors renewed purpose, engaging them and their curiosity, encouraging positive risk-taking, and validation.”

So often in senior living we focus on what somebody used to do–what they did professionally, what their hobbies were, or who they were in their family.  This is something totally new that people are discovering and being celebrated for now, says Katie Kensinger, Senior Director of Communications at Juniper. We had a 90-year-old cast member in our production of Guys and Dolls who began to sob after our first performance.  He said, ‘I’m overwhelmed that the audience would respond to me, that they really loved it.  I never knew what it was like to be an actor.”

What a tremendous experience for this gentleman!

StandardFreeholder.com

When the Curtain Rises, So Does the Spirit

The after effects of involvement in a theatrical production can be stunning.  Out of them spring new friendships, relationships (I met my husband while performing in a community theater production,) new avenues of expression and creativity

The Executive Director of Juniper Village said, “The focus of Juniper is to help people to live life vibrantly in their third act. Broadway Senior gives our residents a sense of pride and accomplishment, and they have renewed self-esteem, and a sense of purpose. They’re also building new friendships and are more engaged. One of our residents said, ‘I have something to talk about at the dinner table now.’”

The program has been able to reach people on a deeper level of mind, body, and spirit. For seniors, particularly those struggling with memory issues and dementia, musical theatre demonstrates therapeutic value.

“It’s definitely accessible for people with dementia,” Kensinger says. “Especially the music. Even if they can’t follow along with the script and read lines, many of these songs are ingrained in their memory. There’s an emotional connection with music that patients will respond to long after they’ve stopped responding to anything else.

MTI Broadway Senior Musicals: A Baby Boomer's Dream Come True

MTI Senior Musicals:  A Baby Boomer’s Dream Come True!

Several times in my career, I directed seniors.  One man in particular, age 83, is one of the finest actors I have ever known.  Michael was a retired professor of philosophy and discovered acting about fifteen years ago. To put it simply, he was truly remarkable. He took my directing notes very seriously, studied his script like a fiend and rarely dropped a line.  Unfortunately, was unable to participate in the play because her Alzheimer’s.  Even so, she would dutifully attend rehearsal every evening with her husband.  It was a tremendous experience for both of them and she was so very proud of him. To find out more about the Giver, check out my post: The Reasons I Love The Giver Play

 

The Transformative Power of Theater: Why Seniors Still Need the Stage

When researching this topic, I found a post on Scripps.com concerning senior theater,

“When we watch live theater, we empathize with the emotions and experiences the characters feel, even if we haven’t personally shared the same experiences. Live theater is an opportunity to access new emotions and experience new situations through the eyes of the characters in the show. We feel as if we are a part of the story as the performers tell it on stage.

Live theater is also a way for seniors to engage with these emotions and continue to evolve and participate in complex situations. Even if someone is limited in emotional and social interactions during their daily routine, an outing at the theater creates a new adventure during the show! The sense of engagement and interaction can contribute to an improved mood and a positive outlook overall.”

How Senior Citizens Can Benefit from Elders’ Theatre Workshops | by ...

Finding Purpose at Any Age: The Joy of Performing Beyond Expectations

Humans require a feeling of purpose and accomplishment.  I can see how these Senior Musicals will be just the ticket for some our seniors.

For now, I will cheer the participants. Someday, maybe I can portray Little Red Riding Hood when I am eighty- years old.  Who knows?  It could be a role written for me and I didn’t even know it.

What role would you enjoy playing which is completely out of your age range?  I’d love to hear about it.  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

MTI Senior Musicals: A Baby Boomer's Dream Come True

The Reasons to Teach Drama Class with Unique Lessons

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The Reasons to Teach Drama Class with Unique Lessons

For thirteen years of my thirty-eight years of teaching,  I taught a pre-elective drama class to four hundred sixth graders each year. Today, I want to discuss the reasons to teach drama class with unique lessons.

I have two things to admit.

Number One:

I liked my drama teacher. He introduced me to the art form. I will be forever grateful to him for this.

When I began teaching, I basically taught my drama classes like my beloved high school drama teacher, Mr. Kent Chapman. He wa my and only drama teacher During my teen years.

My college professors were skilled as actors and they did a fabulous job of training me as an actress., but they weren’t Mr. Chapman.

Mr. Chapman really knew his stuff.  He handed us a script to read which he thought challenged us, tough scenes to memorize and directed us quite expertly considering we lived in a small town in Kansas.  This was in the 1970’s you understand.

For awhile, this teaching style worked for me.

The Reasons to Teach Drama with Unique Lessons
Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com

Slowly and without realizing it, the lessons grew stale.  I enjoy the challenge of creating a new class (we were under no benchmarks or state assessments at the time), but sooner or later, I became bored.

What to do, what to do…..

For thirteen years, I taught a pre-elective drama class to four hundred sixth graders each year.  Wow.  Just telling you this, makes me think I was near crazy.  I did what I needed to do at the time and this was the only job that was offered to me.

It was at this time I realized there were many ways to teach about theater arts.  

Teaching the same concept over and over is a drain on one’s imagination and energy.  During many moments, I couldn’t remember if I taught the students everything in my notes because I memorized the notes just by saying them multiple times.  Never mind my patience with the kids!  After I said the same thing three times a day every twenty-five days it’s a wonder I could think at. all.

The Reasons to Teach Drama with Unique Lessons
Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Theatre with a Twist!

Number Two:

I like pretzels.  They are similar to a cracker, but different you know?  (Okay, remember this, will ya?) 

Three years into the job, I realized there were many ways to teach the components of theatre.  I decided as long as I taught the concepts it didn’t matter what the subject was as long as I kept to the concepts.

For instance, costume design could be taught the traditional way

a. read a script, pick a few characters and design costumes for them

OR…..

b.  teach the same concepts in a unique way (utilize a particular theme  such as Halloween or a genre such as Fairy Tales or Mascots or Cirque Du Soleil)

When you look at the challenge in this manner, it’s easy to see why selecting item B on my list gave me TONS of ideas.  These ideas carried over into every other lesson.  Fabulous!

The Reasons to Teach Drama Class with Unique Lessons

Here are the reasons to be unique in your drama lessons:

  1. You are all ready unique, so be you!
  2. It uses your creative solving skills which are a big part of who artists are–they are there for the taking.
  3. It creates energy
  4. It nurtures the passion in you because you must embrace the change you are making–it’s absolutely exhilarating
  5.  You will grow, both as an educator and as an individual (I have learned about so many wonderful subjects because I chose the less traveled path.)
  6. It will open you up and expose any biases you may have and that’s always a good thing.
  7. Your students will love you for it–they can tell when we are bored with our subject.

If I haven’t convinced you yet, maybe these quotes will:

  • “As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others.”  Robert Schuller
  • “You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.”  Martha Graham
  • “Being unique is a lifelong process.  It’s difficult to be fresh and new all the time but it’s the only way to be.” Edwin Mamerto

A Valuable Approach to Education

I found this quote and thought it expressed my sentiments exactly, “Teaching with unique lessons can be an incredibly valuable approach to education as it offers numerous benefits to both educators and students. First and foremost, unique lessons bring an element of novelty and excitement to the classroom, capturing students’ attention and making the learning experience more engaging. When students encounter new and innovative teaching methods, they are more likely to be motivated, curious, and actively involved in their learning journey.

Moreover, such lessons cater to different learning styles, allowing teachers to address the diverse needs and preferences of their students. By tapping into students’ individual interests and strengths, unique lessons foster a deeper understanding and retention of the subject matter. Additionally, these unconventional approaches to teaching encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, preparing students for real-world challenges where innovative thinking is highly prized. Embracing uniqueness in education not only enriches the learning process but also empowers students to become lifelong learners with a passion for exploration and discovery.”

My Teacherspayteachers store has a slogan:  Teaching Theater with a Twist.  Check out some of my products and you’ll see: Dramamommaspeaks Store

You’ll see what I am twisting…

 

Here are links to finding unique lessons. 

 

Do you teach in a unique way?  I’d love to learn about it.  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

If you’d like to learn more about my teaching style, check out these posts:

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

Why You Should Use These Effective Teaching Methods, Part Two

What is Talk like a Pirate Day?

Deborah Baldwin

 

Circus Themed Lesson Plans–a New Twist for Drama Classes

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Circus Themed Lessons–a New Twist for Drama Classes

Let’s talk about circus themed lesson–a new twist for drama class, shall we? “Welcome to the circus!”–You know, I don’t think I’ve heard a circus master of ceremonies actually say this, have you?

It must be from the movie, Dumbo which was one of my favorites when I was a child. This is probably the reason I love elephants so much, too.

Recently, I saw a preview for the new Dumbo movie coming out soon and it reminded me of a couple of lessons I created about Cirque Du Soleil.  Students don’t study Cirque du Soleil per se, but they focus on Cirque Du Soleil lessons through a new twist: the performers costumes and makeup.

Acrobats, Cirque Du Soleil

In case you don’t know me, I taught drama at every grade level for over thirty-five years and as many as ten different subjects within it.  Everything from creative dramatics to technical theatre–second through twelfth grade.

Why is it Important to Create a Lesson Plan?

I had a good drama teacher when I was in high school during the Civil War (well, it feels like it sometimes).  Mr. Kent Chapman of Emporia High School got me started and for that, I am always grateful.  I loved everything about his classes–his warm ups, lessons, assignments and of course, direction of the plays.

 Like most educators, we emulate what we liked from our own teachers.  Over those many years of teaching, although I was modeling my lessons after Mr. Chapman’s it became dull and robotic. 

 As a result, I realized I was getting stale because I kept doing the same things over and over again. 

However, if you are going to repeat yourself (for thirty-eight years) you may as well toil on an assembly line someplace and make better money.  As a I was a  creative person I couldn’t abide by it.

If you keep teaching the same thing over and over it’s easier, right? It’s way boring, though. 

That’s just not my style.  I like to build a better mousetrap.

Cirque Du Soleil Lessons–a New Twist for Drama Classes

When our daughters were young, we traveled to Disney World and just happened to get tickets for our first Cirque Du Soleil show, La Nouba.  Oh my gosh, we were awestruck the entire time.  If you haven’t seen it or any of their circuses, you are missing out!  Here’s an example for you:

As you can see, their shows are magnificent!

Who is Cirque du Soleil?

According to Wikipedia, “Cirque Du Soleil is a Montreal-based entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world.  Located in the innter-city area of Saint Michel, it was founded on June 16, 1984 by former street performers Guy Laliberte and Giles St.-Crois.  Like many new entertainment ventures, they had a great idea but not much money to make it happen.  Then in 1983 they received a government grant from the Canada Count for the Arts to perform as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier’s voyage to Canada.  Its theatrical, character-driven approach and the absence of performing animals helped define Cirque du Soleil as the contemporary circus that it remains today.”

Circus Themed Lesson Plans--a New Twist for Drama Classes

Bringing Cirque to the Classroom: Inspiring Creativity Through Costume Design and Storytelling

When I returned to school that year, I got to thinking about how I could use La Nouba in the classroom.  First, I created a lesson on costume design about it.  Kids just LOVED it!

As a result of my attendance to the show, we’d see video snippets about La Nouba. I’d talk them through the various acts pointing out the costumes and makeup in particular.  Then the students would study costume design and its importance in theatre and finish by designing their own Cirque costume.

Since writing was a big push at our school,  I thought they needed to do more than design.  Consequently, I also assigned them to write a letter to a family member as if the student was hired by Cirque detailing their employment and subsequent training in the circus.

Time to Study Stage Makeup

Next it was time to study stage makeup–why not continue with the Cirque Du Soleil focus? 

For Grades 6-9

We did so, and I was amazed at their wonderful designs and ideas.  Here is one:

gotta put my face one (2)

Isn’t this awesome?

I thought other teachers may like to use these lessons as well.  Each lesson is about two days in length which could be stretched to a week if you did both. That’s a heck of a week of learning if you ask me.

Cirque Du Soleil Lessons–a New Twist for Drama Classes

For Grades 4 to 7.

 

DRAMA LESSON: COSTUME DESIGN STUDY WITH CIRCUS PERFORMERS

Check out the product here: Costume Design with Circus Performers

Purchase at Costume Design with Circus Performers 

New!  The Tricicle Theater Company and Movement Lesson! 

 

DRAMA LESSON: STAGE MAKEUP DESIGN STUDY WITH CIRCUS PERFORMERS

Stage Makeup Design with Circus Performers

These elements of drama lessons study costume design and stage makeup using circus performers (in particular Cirque Du Soleil) as their focus! These are great for an elementary gifted class or middle school drama class.

Students love to study stage makeup!  Even boys enjoy it as you can see from the above.

Costume Design and Stage Makeup Design:

Costume Design includes:

  • The History of Costume Design
  • The Rationale for Teaching Costume Design
  • Costume Notes for Students
  • Procedure
  • Teacher’s Script–what I say and how I say it!
  • Materials List
  • Source & Video link list (Cirque De Soleil, Ringling Brothers, etc.)
  • A Warm-Up—engaging and creative
  • Circus Performer list & skills
  • Two Assignments–one drawing and one creative writing
  • Student Examples

Stage Makeup Design:

  • Warm Up Game–Zip, Zap, Zop (MY version)
  • The History of Stage Makeup (separate file of Power Point slides & teacher’s lecture notes)
  • Teacher’s Script–what I say and how I say it
  • Procedure
  • Materials List
  • Source & Video link list (Cirque De Soleil makeup tutorials, Circus Shmurkus, Barnum and Bailey, etc.)
  • Pinterest board link with examples
  • Two Assignments–one drawing and one creative writing
  • Theatre Quote page–great to use for discussion and/or bell ringers

Check out my advice at: Why You Should Use These Effective Teaching Methods, Part Two

I hope you get a chance to see both Dumbo and a Cirque Du Soleil show soon.  You won’t regret it!

My favorite act at the circus is the trapeze.  What is yours?

I’d love to hear from you.  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Deb

 

 

 

 

 

How to Make Things to Sell on Teacherspayteachers

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How to Make Things to Sell on Teacherspayteachers

There are so many products you can sell on Teacherspayteachers.com. If you have an idea, look into what other products are out there. Teachers need all kinds of materials. You’d be surprised by what you see there.

But here’s the thing— this is a lot of work. I’ll explain.

I finished another Tpt product which I’ll probably upload in the next day or so.

Deborah Baldwin teaching
This is one of my favorite photos of myself teaching.

People ask me the reason for having my Teacherspayteachers Store.  Simple–I stayed home with our daughters when they were young and that put me behind financially. When I retired from my career, I was out half of my pension had I taught the entire time instead.

My goal is to make up that money.

Some folks also ask if it is difficult creating the product. They are curious as to how much time it takes to create one.  

Since I taught for gobs of years creating the lesson or unit for the product is easy for me.

  • I taught drama classes for thirty-eight years, both public and private.  Girl, that gives you LOTS of experience and LOTS of materials.
  • My bachelors degree is in theater and my masters is in education with an emphasis on creative arts learning–arts integration.
  • Plus, I directed over 250 plays and musicals with adults and children alike.

You put all of those ingredients together and you get a brain full of lessons, units, methods, resources and materials which float around up there until you need them.

Generally, I work about six or seven hours each day.  The entire time isn’t spent creating a product, but a great portion of each day is spent bent over my laptop doing so.  How many hours do I put in each day? I say, “When my back starts hurting and I can’t ignore it anymore, I stop.”  Yup, that’s about it.

A Week in the Life of a Teacherspayteachers Product

Day One:

Usually, I make a power point (8.5 by 11) of about 15 slides on my laptop.  I have a template for this as each product requires certain things–table of contents, dear teacher page, copyright, page number and probably a border or two. Each product requires a terms of use and a feedback/sources page, too.  Don’t be too impressed by this excellent form or organization.  It is very common for me to forget I have these templates and re-build them every time.  It’s my right brainedness. Duh.

First, I figure out how many days this particular product will encompass.  Mine are usually for one to three days, but several are for much longer.  For instance,  my radio theater unit is three weeks long and the set design unit is ten days in length and so forth.

I throw titles on each slide just to give me an outline of sorts which is just another way to organize my thoughts, really.

I rough in certain slides just to get a feel for what else I need. Usually, I begin with the Dear Teacher note because it helps me find a thesis statement.  Or, I think about what I want the teachers to know about the product before they start.

How to Make Things to Sell on Teacherspayteachers

At this point, I am really tired (and the hurting back thing…) so I stop and do some mundane task like the laundry, or make dinner or just veg’ out and rest my brain. Switching gears and walking away from the creative problem solving gives me a fresh outlook when I hit it again.

I work in the morning from 7:00 to 12:00 and usually  in the afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00 or 4:00 to 6:00ish. In the evening, I am checking my website, blog and some Pinterest collaborations, looking at my Instagram page and Tailwind community of which I am a member.

Day Two:

I begin to create each slide.  Quite frankly, typing up the lessons is a synch for me, because of my resume and you know, I’m ancient.

But the killer is the layout!

I think about colors, different borders, photos, video clips, music clips, etc.  If I have adapted a folk tale into a class play, I talk with my husband about what I am needing.  He is my composer, having done so for many years when he was an instrumental music teacher.  (This is a bonus I didn’t realize when I married him 38 years ago…..a delightful surprise!) Tim begins thinking about the music we need for the play.

Tim and I

Day Three, Four, Five, Six and Probably Seven:

A product of around fifteen pages will take me several days.  Obviously, the larger the product, the more days I spend on it.  Radio theater units take several weeks (they are about 70 pages in length). Ironically, the Denzel Washington biography took me at least sixty hours to complete (because he has such a huge resume) and it’s only ten pages in length.  Honestly, I never know how long it will take until I’m finished–ha!

As I continue creating slides I ask myself certain questions:

  • Do I need to script this part for the teacher?
  • Will directions for the game or warm up suffice?
  • Would a diagram help to explain something better than words?
  • Should I add a sound byte to explain something further?
  • Do I need non-royalty clipart or photos to complement the lesson? I peruse several free photo sites I can depend upon (wikicommons, pixabay, unsplash, creative commons, etc.) I’m subscribed to Depositphotos.com and highly recommend them.  This includes derivations of the subject I’m seeking–dance steps (I don’t like the ones I find) which leads me to dancers (too specific) to dance shoes, for instance. Many times I trash the clipart ideas and just let them sit in my brain for several days until I tackle it again. I have to watch this part because I can get sucked in the rabbit hole very quickly and spend all afternoon looking for clipart.
  • How many slides is this exercise going to require?
  • Is this lesson too big?
  • Should I break it up into several lessons?
  • Is it too complicated for the age group?
  • Is it too simple for the age group I’m targeting?
  • Should I offer it in different formats, like the Famous Artist Series?

Lin Manuel Miranda cover

When I put together a radio theater script, I discovered if I add a blank slide between the pages of script it helps with run over.  THIS IS A BEAR TO CREATE. Radio theater scripts are numbered, each cue on each page and the numbered cues don’t continue on to the next page. The next page begins with number one again.  So, if you make any changes (which of course, I do several times) that blank page in between the typed pages gives me leeway to tweak the script and also keeps me sane.  Otherwise, I whine to my husband and he fixes the pages for me.

A Week in the Life of a Teacherspayteachers Product

How to Make Things to Sell on Teacherspayteachers

From my set design unit.

Sometimes, I must create the product so they can be photographed.  That’s pretty easy and fun for lessons on costume design, for instance.  However, the set design unit took me several days of creating the entire product so I could photograph the various stages of completion.  After that, I must send the photos to myself, download them into the power point and fix the image (using several photoshop resources–cropping, brightening the whites, etc).

Whenever I run out of steam, I work on the covers.  I LOVE creating the covers, because they are fresh ideas and enjoyable to develop.

Recently I settled on a look I want for the covers–each has a border reminiscent of a theater marquee, a large rectangle for the product’s title and a smaller one for its subtitle. It includes the grade level and my Dramamommaspeaks logo.  (Recently, I hired someone to make that a new logo for me–this is not in my wheelhouse.)

            DramaM

 

 

 

I use the same font on all the print on the cover, so they have a uniform look.  However, I’m known to change the font to something which gives a particular feeling for the title of the Broadway musicals or plays, for example.   Hopefully, if people see all the products together they will recognize them as mine.  Or at least that’s the hope. This is what I mean—

 

     

Nearing the end of the product’s creation I must wrangle font size.  Gad, it is the bane of my life! I am always in a quandary whether to have each page the same size font size or vary it depending upon what the page will be used for.  Would a teacher appreciate larger font when they are lecturing from the pages or will they be used as slides to be projected on a white board?  Should I add photos to those pages or will they be distracting to the students?  Maybe clipart will help them remember the information?

This process can last up to two weeks depending upon whether I need to create different lessons for the unit, my husband is composing music for one of the fifteen minute plays or a variety of other things.  I’m a Rockstar grandma, too so that keeps me busy seeing our granddaughters and being available to our daughters if they need our help.  Sometimes I choose to be grandma and put the lesson to the side.  You gotta do what you gotta do, you know? 🙂

The goal is to create 2.5 lessons each week.  I’m sitting at 60 as of today, but the goal is around 200.  I never thought I could create 60, so to have done so is nothing short of incredible to me.  However, the longer I create, the more the lessons comes flooding back into my memory.

If you are looking for a sampling of my work, check out this bundle: Drama Curriculum Units and Lessons

How to Make Things to Sell on Teacherspayteachers

This product can last a semester, quarter or month depending upon how many times you meet with the students. and…it’s a growing bundle which means I’ll add more products to it as I create them.

If you’d like more information about selling Teacherspayteachers, check out Teacherspayteachers.com Sales Expectation Versus Reality

Do you have an idea for a product?  I’d love to hear about it.

So, if you are thinking of creating lessons to sell on Teacherspayteachers.com, I hope this information helps you.

Do contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or through DeborahBaldwin.net if I can help you.

If you’d like to know about other products of mine, check out: There’s a Place for Everyone in Theater

or maybe you are looking for a free lesson  Ice Breaker Storytelling Using Jig Saw Puzzle Pieces 

Deb

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

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The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different.

“Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that’s easy. What’s hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity” – Charles Mingus

person with body painting
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

I’ll take Charles Mingus’ lead on this.

Lately, I have been thinking about creativity and how to use it as simply as possible.

I am in a very creative place right now at present.  I wake up thinking about something creative, create all day and go to bed thinking creatively.  In fact, it isn’t all that uncommon for me to wake up thinking about something creative I want to do.

What the heck is going on?

I’m over sixty years old.

In my lifetime, I may be my most creative self EVER. right.now. 

What the heck is going on?

FRAZZLED TEACHER

I think I know.  If you believe your life is led in a path which is best for you, whether you believe in God or some other high power, then you will understand this story.

I taught drama for thirty-eight years.  I directed for most of those years as well–at least 250 plays and musicals with adults and children alike. Need something truly unique? Check out this costume design lesson using Christmas wrapping paper.

Deborah Baldwin teaching

I thought when I retired, I would probably continue directing or teaching in some capacity.  I did a little of both, but you know? My heart wasn’t really in it any more.  Maybe it’s because it takes a lot of energy to do both and I just couldn’t muster it anymore. Because of some unforeseen circumstances, those doors closed to me at the same time I was losing my interest.  I thought I needed to continue with both, because that’s what I had always done–taught and directed.

Then a door which had always been closed to me or actually, I refused to try it, opened.

Guess what?  I am interested in sharing my lessons with other teachers which leads to me where I am at present.  I’m very happy with this decision.

Oh my gosh….I should have done this years ago!

I give credit to my dear husband, Tim, for patiently suggesting to me I create a book of all of my thirty-eight years of teaching drama lessons and units.

Bumbling Bea

I wrote a middle grade book, Bumbling Bea, but it doesn’t get enough traction (because simply there is too much competition no matter how good your book is and marketing it is a bear) and I needed to do something where I had more contact with people.

Instead of creating a book of my lessons,  I started a store at Teacherspayteachers.com

There are reasons creativity is more than just being different.

When you are creative:

  • you are interesting because you have many ideas flowing all at once
  • you are happier because you are in a zone in your mind which relaxes you–you lose track of time and your day-to-day worries
  • creative problem solving is deeply satisfying and concrete

The challenge of creativity is to do something simply and well.  It’s easy to use “hair choreography” to cover up your mistakes or weaknesses. (If you don’t know what that is, it is when a choreographer has the female dancers whip their hair around a lot in lieu of more dance steps.)

Being different may set you apart from other people, but being creative is something of which we have all been endowed.  It is just a matter of where our creative talents lie.

But Charles makes a very valid point.  You were given this creativity so do something amazing with it!  Don’t let it sit in some closet amongst the dirty clothes or down in the basement by the extra cat litter (okay, that’s a metaphoric stretch but you understand what I mean…)

USE YOUR CREATIVITY AND USE IT SIMPLY– NOT ALL GUCKED UP

I was perusing the web to see if I could find some research concerning the importance of creativity to the human psyche and ran upon Adobe.comeducate.com

Here is what they have found out so far:

“What we discovered was extremely illuminating. Three quarters of the educators surveyed believe that students need to develop these skills to protect their futures, as the professions that require creative problem solving are less likely to be impacted by automation. However, it isn’t just job-protection where creative problem solving makes a difference. Almost 90 percent of respondents believe students who excel at creative problem solving will have higher-earning job opportunities in the future, and 85 percent agreed that these same skills are in high demand by today’s employers for senior-level and higher-paying careers.”

These challenges are occurring everywhere in the world, not just in the U.S.  I figure if the German teachers are as frustrated as the Japanese, there is a big problem.

person with body painting
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

Really, I think my store should be re-branded CreativityforU because that is what I am peddling.

Every single lesson or unit, bundle,  worksheet, assignment, quiz, etc. was developed to use one’s creativity to accomplish it.

Here are some examples:

Set Design and Construction

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

Set Design Bundle

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

 

Costume Design with Fairy Tale Characters

Costume Design with Fairy Tales

Tableau–Holiday Theme

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

 

Radio Theater–

Creativity is More than Being Different

 

Drama Units and Lessons Curriculum

The Reasons Creativity is More Than Being Different

or if you just want to purchase one lesson, check out:  Set Design, the Rendering 

In this world and this day and age, it simply isn’t enough just to be creative.  You have to know how to apply this talent and use it as simply as you can.

Problem is, too many people think they aren’t creative which goes back to how creativity is perceived by the general public and Charles’ quote.

Our teachers know this and strive every day to encourage our students to be creative in everything they do.  That’s quite a heady responsibility if you think about it.

When was the last time you were creative?

I’d love to hear about your adventures with creativity whether it be some recipe you made, how you decorated your home for Christmas or painted a picture.  Everything counts.

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

Deborah Baldwin