Education

How to Excite Students With Drama Integration

March 30, 2023 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Today, I want to blog about “How to Excite Students With Drama Integration”–one of my favorite subjects! I have an Instagram Profile which I maintain regularly. My followers are comprised of teachers who see the importance of drama but are unconfident using it. They are looking for a teaching method concerning how to excite students with drama integration.

Usually that’s not what they mention, however. It’s more implied by statements such as “I just can’t get my students to do anything.” Or “They are too busy being too cool for school.” Or, “They are completely checked out in my class.”

No one wants to say aloud what they are really thinking, “Help someone!” I can tell by the number of likes I receive and my checking out their own IG account posts, these teachers want to use this fabulous tool with their students. They aren’t convinced they can do it with success. I’m here to tell you that you can!

While we are on this subject….Did you know I have the secret to boosting student engagement? My new book, “We’re Live! Radio Theater #101” explains my journey to implementing this unique tool in the classroom. Check it out here

How to Excite Students with Drama Integration

I’m continually seeking the perfect magic words to get these teachers to cross the bridge from belief to action. Understanding these are very busy people with far too much on their plate, I know it’s difficult to take a few minutes and consider strategies for student engagement.

Here I sit smiling at them through my IG profile. Drama integration has been a part of my life since I was ten years old and in fourth grade when I played Queen Isabella. That was in 1966! My teacher engaged me right from the beginning by our class performing a short play about the meeting between Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus. ( I always thought it was so funny because the boy who played Christopher was named Christopher himself!)

But I digress…

If you are someone searching for a way to integrate drama into your classroom, you came to the right blog. I could give you my opinion, but sometimes we learn better from people of which we are unfamiliar. Let’s see what other teachers and researchers discovered.

How does drama help in the classroom?

Drama encourages them to think and act creatively, thus developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills that can be applied in all areas of learning. Through drama, children are encouraged to take responsible roles and make choices – to participate in and guide their own learning.

How does drama help in the classroom?

Drama stimulates them to think and act creatively, thus developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills that can be applied in all areas of learning. Through drama, children are nurtured to take responsible roles and make choices – to participate in and guide their own learning. Check out this resource to use in your language arts class: You can find it on Teacherspayteachers.com at: The Cask of Amontillado radio play script. Don’t know how to teach radio theater? Check out my Made by Teachers Store: Radio Theater Unit or in my TPT store: Radio Theater Unit

Drama in the Reading Classroom

Plays inherently come with built-in strategies to help students read better. The acting out of play dialogue compels readers to work more closely with the text to interpret it and project meaning into the experience. As a result, students show improvement in vocabulary, comprehension, and retention.

Researching the drama integration subject, I ran on to Jane Udalla’s article, “The Effect of Drama Based Instruction on Reading Comprehension which states, “Drama-based activities can help struggling readers to “feel” the story, because students report being able to experience the emotions of the characters. Consequently, the students make personal connections to the text and characters while experiencing comparable emotions. As you would expect, this experience inside the story changed students’ ability to comprehend.” Because it is made real to them, the story reading stays with them.

Drama in the social studies classroom

Language Arts Teacher, Michelle Pieczura states in her article Decidedly Dramatic! The Power of Creative Drama in Social Studies, “Creative dramatics, a highly effective method for integrating arts education into core curriculum. It produces a positive and lasting impact on student learning, in terms of creative and critical thinking, language development, listening, comprehension, retention, cooperation, and empathy and awareness of others.

Creative dramatics not only has the power to bring curriculum to life, but also to stimulate active involvement in the development of conceptual understandings.” Personally, I think social studies is a fabulous place for a drama integration.

If you would like more information about how to integrate drama into social studies, check out my post: The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important or peruse my Teacherspayteachers.com product–Multicultural Readers Theater Units or check out The Magic Lake in my Payhip store.

Drama in the math classroom

How to Excite Students With Drama Integration

I know it’s difficult to believe, but drama can also make a math classroom sizzle with excitement! Here is one example. In the article, The Effects of Drama on At-Risk Students, by Patrick Kariuki and Steven G. Humphrey stating, “In a higher education classroom, a teacher used stories of mythology to help students understand statistical problems.

This teacher reasoned that storytelling is effective because it allowed him to share with students certain symbols– such as myths that everyone could understand. Furthermore, it also placed unfamiliar concepts in a more familiar setting. If you are intrigued by this idea, check out how to use Native American folk tales: 370 Million Indigenous People Want You to Know About Their Cultures

Outside help for your school

Maybe you would like to provide a full-scale musical production at your school as a way to engage students more fully? The Jump Start Theatre program is your answer.

The Jumpstart Theatre Program

The JumpStart Theatre program creates sustainable theatre arts programs in middle schools where there previously were none. Participating schools are chosen through a rigorous application process and receive training, materials. Plus there is budget support to produce their first full-scale musical production. The support continues for three years until the program becomes self-sustaining.

Non-theatre teachers are equipped with skills and resources to produce their school’s first musical through a proven combination of bootcamp style training and hands-on mentoring. The Educational Theatre Foundation operates JumpStart Theatre through a national network of regional theatre company partners who are selected based on their track-record of success in running educational programs for children. In my opinion, this is just wonderful!

JumpStart Theatre partners are: Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Ga.; La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, Calif.; Mountain City Center for the Arts, Frostburg, MD; Stages St. Louis, St. Louis, MO; and The Children’s Theatre, Cincinnati, OH.

Drama Integration through Radio Theater

Here’s how I can help you. A fabulous way to use drama in your classroom is through radio theater. Now. hear. me. out! Radio theater, now in existence for 100 years, is the predecessor to podcasts. (Ask your students if they know what a podcast is–they will!) I understand the actress Amy Poehler is starting a podcast series, Say More with Dr? Sheila. It will feature 30 comedic episodes spread across three seasons, starring Poehler as a couples therapist with questionable methods and credentials. Each ten-episode season will focus on a central character and distinct theme; however, characters will make crossover appearances across stories and seasons.

The great part of that news is that if one actor does this, more will come!

Harry Potter is entering the podcast scene

Recently, it was announced a brand-new co-production of the original Harry Potter stories, will revisit the beloved listening experience for the first time ever. Scheduled for late 2025, these full-cast audio productions will bring these iconic stories to life as never heard before, offering immersive audio entertainment through high-quality sound design in Dolby Atmos, stunning scoring, a full range of character voices, and real-world sound capture.

Some people would rather just jump in to learn about this incredible tool by experiencing it on their feet. In that case, I have radio play scripts available (The Invisible Man, The Monkey’s Paw, Cask of Amontillado, Bow Wow Blues, The Frozen Pirate, It Could Always Be Worse, The Brave Little Tailor, etc.) You can find them here: Dramamommaspeaks Products

How to Excite Students with Drama Integration

As teachers we know that teaching strategies play an important role in classroom instruction. Without the use of a strategy, teachers would be aimlessly projecting information that doesn’t connect with learners or engage them. Luckily, these strategies help learners participate, connect, and add excitement to the content being delivered. That, my friend, is where drama integration comes in!

I hope you’ll consider integrating drama into your classroom. I am always here to help you should you need me or need a sympathetic ear. Just email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com Want to check out my new teacher guidebook, “We’re Live! Radio Theater #101? It’s available on Amazon and in my Dramamommaspeaks store.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

March 16, 2023 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

One of the most valuable aspects of theater class is how it can be integrated into core subjects. Today, I want to speak about overcoming fear and anxiety when speaking English as a second language. Personally, I think the best way is by taking a theater class. Let me explain.

If you are unfamiliar with the term, “ESL”, simply put it means English as a second language learner. “ELL’ means the same thing, but we also have World language learner.

Since I taught theater classes for over thirty-eight years, my teaching experience is vast. Not only have I taught middle school students for a large portion of my career, but I worked with elementary and high school as well.

However, my favorite grade level is middle school. If you’d like more information about my reasons, go to: Striking a Balance with Students in Their Middle School Years.

When I taught a pre-elective drama class in Missouri, the ELL students were integrated into my class. There are many funny experiences of these sweet students trying valiantly to learn English and still be a child. (Sometime ask me about the time I sat two girls together from warring tribes, the Tsuti and Hutus, without understanding their tribes were mortal enemies. Yikes!)

Did you know I have a new book, We’re Live! Radio Theater #101 which teaches you how to engage students with a unique tool? Check it out here.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

A sidenote: My grandparents were missionaries in Japan where my mother was raised until she was eighteen years old. When I was a child, my mother gave free boarding to international college students because she said, “They make me feel like I’m home in Japan.” Because I was raised around these people, I am very comfortable with people of all different nationalities and find them extremely interesting and generally quite friendly.

Being the observant person that I am, I noticed the ELL students were petrified to speak in front of their peers and did not fraternize with the native speakers. I thought this was sad, but understandable. Neither knew each other and neither was willing to be the first to extend a friendly hand. (Truly, it should be the native speaker.)

One year, I was looking for something different to offer after school as part of my career ladder responsibilities. Remembering the native speakers and the ELL students sitting apart in the cafeteria not speaking to one another, I approached the ELL teacher about me sponsoring an after-school drama club specifically for them. She jumped at the idea!

It seemed simple enough, right?

Three ELL Drama Club Problems to Overcome

I planned to have six weeks of drama club and then a performance at the end.

The first problem: The students would need transportation to take them home from school since they had no other means of travel. We applied for money from the state for this and they came through handsomely.

The second problem: How do inform the students and their parents about the club? Easy. Mrs. Zumwalt would take care of that for me. (I must say, co-teaching with another teacher from my school was fabulous.) She took care of communication with parents and the students, while I planned the weekly activities.

The third problem: What were my goals for the club? I knew that ELL students needed to overcome their fear and anxiety about speaking aloud. The best way I knew to do this was by integrating drama. Obviously, I wanted to strengthen their speaking of English. But what else? Drama games are always a hit with all of my students and I noticed the ELL students enjoyed them when we played them in class. For particular games I used, see: Drama Games for the Introvertive Student, but I needed many more.

Readers Theater Resources on the Internet

I took to the internet and looked for websites that shared particular games that ELL teachers used in their classroom, hoping to find some which integrated drama. Although this was many years ago, I looked at sites such as Fluentu.com. I ran on to several books which were helpful, too–Enlivening Instruction with Drama and Improv: A Guide for Second Language and World Language Teachers . The ESL / ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels.

Generally, I relied on my go-to drama games and exercises that are successful with all students. I always suggest to new teachers that they purchase a copy of Viola Spolin‘s book, Theatre Games for the Classroom. IIt is an excellent source for creative dramatics exercises to use in any elementary and middle school classroom.

My plan included ending the club with a production of some sort. I turned to Aaron Shepherd’s readers theater website, Aaron Shepard’s RT page as I was familiar with his work. His script, The Legend of Lightning Larry which is still one of my favorites.

I selected readers theater because students read from a script rather than memorize lines and sit together when they perform (safety in numbers, you know). Both attributes would help the students as they slowly overcame their fear and anxiety when speaking English.

If you are unfamiliar with the strengths of using readers theater in your classroom, check out: The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

The day arrived to perform the play. I was very excited, but very naïve. I thought the students’ parents and siblings would attend. Parents attended every other time my students performed in my class. We sent out invitations both through email and hard copies. We baked cookies, had punch ready and decorated.

No one attended.

Why? Transportation issues. I never occurred to me that transportation could be an issue, but of course it could be!

The important thing, however, is that the students had a blast doing the play. The local newspaper came out and photographed the students performing. Just think of how wonderful that would be for an immigrant to be acknowledged in their community’s newspaper!

The next year, we participated in the school’s diversity celebration. Using a book titled All the Colors of the Earth and a song from the movie, Making an American quilt, the students performed a movement piece to it using multi-color flags. I narrated most of the poem and one student echoed me in several places in the poem. It was a tremendous success! The student body and teachers applauded for them. It makes me cry just to think about it now.

My Advice

If you are on the hunt for drama activities for ELL, ENL or World Languages students, I hope you’ll check out the materials I’ve mentioned above. However, if you want to purchase from someone who is a veteran teacher and has first hand experience teaching creative dramatics to students, I’m your gal.

Earlier I mentioned readers theater scripts. I have adapted several multicultural folk tales into readers theater scripts. Here are a few. You can check them all out at: Dramamommaspeaks Readers Theater Units

I hope my experiences are helpful to you. If you have any questions or need advice, please don’t hesitate to email me. You can find me at DhcBaldwin.net or DhcBaldwin@gmail.com

The Importance of Shakespeare in Theater Education

February 8, 2023 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Occasionally, I receive emails from people wanting to post on my blog. Usually, the subjects do not jibe with theater education whatsoever (the last one was about gambling sites). Not this time, however! This is a guest blog post by Reed Jayla concerning The Importance of Shakespeare in Theater Education.

Shakespeare in Theater Education

Theater education and drama have been integral to school curricula worldwide, and their impact goes beyond the stage. A study from the University of California on highlights that drama’s effectiveness spans across subjects and grades.

Enhancing creativity, collaboration, communication, and overall academic performance are just some of the ways theater education guides students to navigate today’s media-rich world. But even though it benefits us in the modern world, students and teachers alike may be baffled as to why drama instruction is rooted in classic works like those produced by William Shakespeare.

Shakespeare’s work is essential to any theater teacher’s canon, and for a good reason. Shakespeare’s influence is owed to him being a pioneer in the field of literature and theatre. He is credited with inventing various words and phrases still used in literature and everyday speech today. His works have also contributed to modern storytelling, with themes and concepts still seeping into today’s media.

Up to now, his plays are regularly performed in theaters worldwide. Outdoor festivals also feature the Bard’s productions in what is known as Shakespeare in the Park, where theater companies stage Shakespearean plays for free to the general public. Through these avenues, Shakespeare’s work is made accessible to people from all walks of life and can be instrumental in building an appreciation for theater, playwriting, and the arts as a whole.

Did you know I have the secret to boosting student engagement? My new book, “We’re Live! Radio Theater #101” explains my journey to implementing this unique tool in the classroom. Check it out here

Shakespeare in Theater Education

Even though Shakespeare is long gone, there are reasons why his work remains essential reading and acting materials for any theater student. Here’s why:

It provides an understanding of modern works

As mentioned, Shakespeare popularized many themes and stories; despite their age, they’ve remained prominent in film, TV, books, and other art forms we enjoy now.

Many of his famous plays have been made into various adaptations. For instance, films such as 10 Things I Hate About You, West Side Story, and The Lion King are movies based on the English playwright’s works, but many people may not be aware that they’re consuming Shakespeare at all, as these were reworked to suit modern audiences of the time.

Tales of love, death, and power are as relevant today as they were back in Shakespeare’s day, so it’s no wonder his plays remain a relevant and persistent part of today’s cultural zeitgeist.

Shakespeare in Theater Education

Understanding his plays and their themes provides a strong foundation for comprehending and executing modern works. For instance, reading or acting in Romeo & Juliet gives students a good sense of how to portray a tragic romance in another production, even in one that isn’t entirely related to the Shakespearean play.

Studying Hamlet or Othello could allow students to practice darker roles such as that of Claudius and Iago. Without an appreciation for the origins of the popular plots and themes still being used today, students lack a deeper connection and understanding of the roles they wish to play.

It challenges aspiring actors

The work of The Bard can be daunting to learn, primarily because most people aren’t comfortable with the language or the iambic pentameter utilized in his works. Research from Lancaster University published in the Sage Journals perceived that difficulty with Shakespeare was commonly due to the use of “archaic words, borrowings from other languages, coinages, and false friends” — the latter referring to words in one language that look similar to words in another. But these are all the more reasons his plays are essential for students to learn and act out. Starting with something more challenging can make future endeavors seem like a breeze in comparison.

Depending on the production, Shakespearean actors need to analyze the nuance behind every character, including the unique historical context in which they were written. Maryville University’s insights on English and history majors acknowledges how these two branches of liberal arts can be combined to get a well-rounded worldview.

Shakespeare in Theater Education

Although English majors and dramatists focus on the language and literature, interest in political and cultural events that have influenced or continue to inspire the staging of Shakespearean plays is essential for young actors. They are challenged to communicate complex ideas from different periods of history to a wider audience in a unique format.

Shakespeare’s plays push learners out of their comfort zone and allow them to develop acting techniques they may not have been able to obtain without a knowledge of his works. Actors must interpret and deliver lines effectively and naturally while staying in character. There is also little to no room for improvising in his plays, so memorizing all the lines is a must. These things may seem like a challenge for students just starting in the craft, but it is necessary for building experience that can take them far in the industry.

It equips students with important skills

Shakespearean plays are complex, which can enrich a student or actor’s skill development. As mentioned, attention to detail is required to convey every line properly and truly set the scene. An actor must practice proper vocalization, breath control, and the ability to enunciate so that viewers will understand what is going on.

Directness and intention are also important elements in Shakespearean line delivery—an actor cannot “sing” the words and phrases but must be clear when speaking. This access to know-how can be a strong foundation for developing more skills; once students know the rules and the basics, they can start bending them in the future.

Shakespeare in Theater Education

Shakespeare’s works also require a lot of strong emotion from the characters being portrayed, which aspiring actors will need to take control of should they want to deliver a good performance. Shakespeare’s comedies depict mood and feeling in a unique manner. They touch on human emotions stemming from love, pain, and mystery—using a variety of tones that enrich the plays’ genuine portrayals of life. Understanding the complexities and nuances of the characters and scenes can help students harness their feelings in a way that makes dialogue powerful but not over-the-top or underwhelming.

Considering the archaic language, being able to deliver emotional lines and scenes in a masterful way that captures the character and situation well is an impressive feat in itself. Students bring this confidence with them in other productions and will vastly improve their performance, no matter the script used. These skills are invaluable for any other work, and having them in one’s toolkit heightens the chances of success for a student.

Finding success through Shakespeare

Some students may find studying the Bard’s plays an unnecessary endeavor, but there is proof that experience with his work can yield much success in the theater and acting industry as a whole. Backstage highlights how any prolific actors and actresses have gotten their start through Shakespeare, and students who want to emulate their career paths can do the same.

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart started off his impressive career in the 1960s by performing in some of the Bard’s works. Sir Ian McKellen also studied his plays during his days in Cambridge and went on to perform in many of these all over the world. James Earl Jones made his acting debut in a production of Othello and has been involved in more Shakespeare plays over the course of his career.

An Integral Part of Theater Education

The works of William Shakespeare will continue to remain an integral part of the world of theater education. The advantages of studying and acting out his work go beyond the opening night and extend further in a student’s other acting ventures. If you’re considering putting on a Shakespeare production, your young actors will need all the practice they can get. Check out my post “Ten Steps in a Play Rehearsal in Youth Theater” for a comprehensive guide on conducting rehearsals for youth theater, from auditions to read-throughs to blocking and more.

Looking for some resources for teaching Shakespeare? Check out: Shakespeare Card Games

Thank you, Reed for writing this blog post for me. I know everyone will enjoy it!

What’s your opinion of teaching theater students about Shakespeare? I’d love to hear your opinion. You can contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com.

Author bio: Reed Jayla is a freelance writer and aspiring author, whose work spans topics of all kinds. She is interested in the arts, from theater and film to art and music. When she isn’t writing, Nancy enjoys cooking and baking for friends and family.

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

January 19, 2023 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Let’s be clear here. I’m here to help teachers. Generally, that means advising theater arts teachers, but it could also be Language Arts, Reading, Music and Social Studies teachers. However, I’ve guided elementary core subject teachers, too. This post focuses my foolproof guide to Facebook Groups.

Like many people, I’ve been on Facebook for several years. Actually, I don’t know how long, but I know it’s more than five years. In that time, I’ve seen Facebook groups come and go. During quarantine, there were numerous Facebook groups who sprung from business memberships. I understand many of those have wasted away.

As I have mentioned before, you do not have to create every single lesson yourself or solve every darn problem that occurs in your classroom or production. There are hundreds of people with good advice out there in the internet.

How do I find Facebook groups?

It’s really easy to join groups.

To discover new groups you might be interested in:

From your Feed, click Groups in the left menu.
Click Discover to see Suggested for You, Friends’ Groups, Categories, Popular Near You or More Suggestions.
Usually, you’ll hear from the group administrator within 24 hours.
They may have a couple of questions for you when you ask to join, but usually they accept everyone.

Why Should I Join a Facebook Group?

Teaching (and directing) can be a very lonely business. Not to mention both are exhausting both mentally and physically. Sometimes we just need a hand up, right? Think of these groups as your friends, because they are. All of these groups are friendly and besides their files section has GOBS of free lessons for you to download. You can’t beat that, huh?

Primary Drama Teacher

This group’s conversations waffle between elementary and middle school theater. They describes themselves as, “A group for drama teachers particularly those who teach the primary range (but not exclusively), or people interested in primary age drama, to learn from each others’ experience and share ideas.” Membership is around 3,000.

In the past, ‘ve noticed some of the questions concern even preschool drama, which should be termed creative dramatics. I always worry when people use the incorrect descriptor. If you are looking for creative dramatics lessons, go to: DramaMommaSpeaks Creative Dramatics

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

Elementary Theatre Lesson Lending

I don’t know as much about this group, but they have 1,482 members which is a healthy amount. Members are fairly active and helpful.

Here was a recent question: “What are y’all’s emergency sub plans for elementary (grades 3-5)? I need something that can last for 45 minutes. I can’t have anything that involves videos or a ton of printing. We were just getting ready to start stage directions/parts of a stage but we haven’t started it yet.

I am sick and my mind is drawing a complete blank on what to do. Many thanks.

Edit: My elementary classes are large, loud, and can chaotic in our small space. I want something easy that won’t send my sub running the other direction. I need this for tomorrow, so preferably something that doesn’t require pulling a ton of resources.

My favorite part of this post is the teacher needed an answer for the next day classes. Haven’t we all been there? Want to know how to write a lesson plan? Go to: Why is it Important to Create a Lesson Plan?

Middle School Facebook Groups

Middle School Theater Teacher

I follow this group fairly closely because I taught middle school theater classes for most of my teaching career. Anyone is invited to join. There are 2,200 members. Their group description is similar to others, describing themselves as “This (smaller by design) group is to provide resources and support specific to middle school theatre educators. Elementary/high school teachers are welcome to join as well. Additionally, this group was founded on the premise of practicing collaboration, rather than competitiveness. Where hopefully teachers can come to feel celebrated, no matter how new or seasoned they are. Not knowing something is okay here.”

Remember, you know best what you need for your students. What works in one person’s class may not be as successful in yours. Also, (and this is a big one)–just because someone gives you a copy of their file does NOT mean the lesson is a good one. It’s just a copy. If you are looking for lessons for middle school students, check out this blog post: Striking a Balance with Students in Their Middle School Years

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

Theatre Teachers

Their page states, “This is a place for theatre teachers to share lesson plans and ideas for their classrooms and programs. As a theatre teacher, we are often the only ones in the district. This is a place for us to share what works and what hasn’t worked, good moments, good fundraisers, fun shows, and generally a place for us to support each other and get feedback from other professionals in our content.” It has a membership of nearly 6,000.

Questions today ranged from needing a lesson plan for a substitute to a request for a lesson on pantomime for grade six.

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

Drama Teachers Sharing Group

This group has 12,390 members! Wow, that’s a lot. It’s description says, “This is a FRIENDLY support group for drama teachers. This is to ask for help, ask for resources and anything else appropriate. You may even wish to share your best resources or ask other members to check resources, lesson plans, SoW etc.”

This group is based in England so sometimes the teaching terms they use are different than a U.S. teacher might use. They are helpful, however. Also, I appreciate that England has compulsory theater classes until age 14! Consequently, their approach appears more thorough than ours.

High School Theatre Directors and Teachers

This group is huge, nearly 11,000 members! This group is private like others. Here is their description:

This group is for adults who are currently teaching and/ or directing Theatre in High School, College or Middle School.

Occasionally we also include students who are studying to become theatre teachers so that they may learn from our more seasoned teachers. This group is meant to be a support and resource to teachers and theatre artists.

Here you’ll find more college teachers asking questions, so they are usually seeking a lesson with a higher level of complexity for college age students.

Questions range from suggestions of plays to produce to how to handle irate parents over casting. (Yes, even in college.)

DramaMommaSpeaks Theater Teacher

This is my personal Facebook group! My description is, “This Facebook group is a place for like minded theater teachers to come together to discuss all things theater! It is administrated by Deb Baldwin of DramaMommaSpeaks.”

I share about anything arts related, my lessons, recent arts news or accept questions from members. I hope you’ll consider joining us!

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

Drama Teachers and Those Interested in Drama Education

Coming in at 12,000 members this groups states, “Drama discussion, debate, challenge and support… A vibrant group of drama educators and those who appreciate the art.” I know for a fact there are playwrights, performing artists as well as teachers and directors in this group because I’d talked with them.

Their files section is quite extensive and of course that means those files are free to you.

Community Theater Directing Forum

This group contains 2,770 members. Anyone can join. This group is good if you are working with students and adults in a community theater setting. Their description states, ” A group for children’s theatre directors and producers from across the globe to share insight, feedback, and provide a community for networking.”

Questions are answered by one or many members and they are generally very helpful and useful. Here was a recent post:

“I am currently working on a production of Always Patsy Cline and we need two practical cigarettes. I’ve always used the vapor “Actor’s Cigarette” from New Rule FX they look great on stage but I went to order a fresh set of cartridges and apparently they are illegal to sell now according to the website.

Anyone have any good looking alternatives? We have a very up close and intimate space so it needs to look good. I can’t seem to find an any nicotine free e-cigs/vapes that look like actual cigarettes and I do not want to offer herbal cigarettes I’ve used them myself before and hated them.”

Some Parting Words

In conclusion, I want to remind you again that you are not alone. True, you have to discover what works best for your students or your cast but there are plenty of people who would love to help you. Starting with me.

Do you know of some other theater teachers Facebook groups I should add? I’d love to hear from you. Email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or comment here!

Five Winter Themed Drama Lessons You Should Try

December 21, 2022 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

The topic of five winter themed drama lessons you should try sounded like something I should blog about today. By the next time I blog, it will be 2024! Wow, time has really flown this year. If you want something with a Christmas theme, check out: Drama Units Christmas Theme Bundle

I’m not a big fan of the whole new year’s celebration thing. In my family, all we did was change the calendar to the next month. Exciting, huh?

However, I know teachers are always looking for thematic units to brighten up the winter months. This post concerns new years and winter units using drama as the tool for discovery.

A Story of Generosity

This is one of the only folk tales I’ve found to celebrate the new year. I like the story so much that I’ve created two short class plays of it!

This charming play, based on a Japanese folk tale Oji San and the Grateful Statues share the themes of New Year, multiculturalism, winter, kindness and forgiveness. Students strengthen their study of another culture, reading (fluency), speaking (diction) and listening skills (restating) while learning to work cooperatively. This is excellent and very suitable piece for a vocal music, social studies, reading, language arts or drama class.

Once upon a time, there was an older Japanese couple who make straw hats which they sell at the market every day. It is a struggle for them to make ends meet, but they greet each day with gratitude and kindness to everyone. On New Year’s eve the man goes to market and no one buys a hat. As he walks home, dejected and worried, beautiful snow begins to fall. When he passes the stone statues which sit on the wall near his house, he notices that the snow is falling on their heads and decides to give the statues the unsold hats to protect them from winter’s harshness.

Ojisan and the Grateful Statues

His wife doesn’t understand her husband’s actions, but forgives him. In the night a knock at the door awakens the couple. To their amazement, a large rice cake is sitting there, though they don’t know who left it. Off in the distance, they see the statues slowly walking back to their place on the wall. It’s such a sweet story.

Students will have an opportunity to dramatize a folk tale using many of the elements of drama, create straw hats, design snowflakes, sing an original song written in a pentatonic scale and use their imaginations to express emotion through movement.

Five Winter Themed Drama Lessons You Should Try

In all honesty, I’m all about arts integration–it’s my goal for every classroom to integrate drama into their learning to some degree. Ojisan and the Grateful Statues is a perfect choice to use as an integration. Contact your vocal music teacher and present the play together! Your students can sing and accompany the song with metallophones, xyllophones and percussion.

You can find Ojisan and the Grateful Statues here.

Chinese New Year Celebration

Maybe you want something to celebrate the Chinese new year. Although this story is not directly related, it is a super story to dramatize. I have three lessons about–one is a readers theater, one is a play and one is an entire unit.

Li Chi The Serpent Slayer is based on an old Chinese folk tale about a young girl who lives with her family in a small village. Every few years, a serpent terrorizes her village and drags off one of the young women for his dinner. Everyone is fearful. No one wants to fight the serpent, but Li Chi asks her parents if she can fight the serpent. Want to learn about some other multicultural plays? Check out: The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

Li Chi the Serpent Slayer

Li Chi is a fierce young woman with a quick wit who is cunning and brave. Her parents deny her this chance and forbid her to go. Even so, Li Chi slips out at night with her dog and climbs the mountain to the serpent’s cave. This time instead of a girl dying at the feet of the serpent, Li Chi outsmarts it. Li Chi the Serpent Slayer is full of plot twists. And it’s even more special because the main character is a female! With themes of bravery, love of family, love of community and several others The Little Girl and the Winter whirlwinds is one to beat!

You can find Li Chi the Serpent Slayer here:

A Story of Courage

Here is another story, this time a Bulgarian folk tale which shares a delightfully, sweet story about a little girl who saves her village during the late months of winter. As with Ojisan, there are other version of this story as well. With roles for 25+ The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds shares themes of winter, generosity and courage. Perfect choice for students studying the culture of Slavic countries and/or Europe in a social studies or a drama class. you can find it here:

The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds

The story, a Bulgarian folk tale, of The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds goes like this–A wicked Winter Witch decides to stop Spring from arriving on time and makes Winter the only season on Earth. She hides the Sun behind dark clouds and covers the Earth with heavy snow. One morning the people from a small mountain village awake and fing their houses buried under the snow up to the roofs.

The people decide that the best thing to do is to send someone to the highest mountain peak, where the good wizard Father Frost lived in his palace of ice and ask him for help. Surprisingly, the Little Girl volunteers to go because she has very little to hold her back. She believes her warm heart and love for everyone will melt the snow and bring spring. She never considered all the obstacles that would she would meet along her way. Full of varied characters of sizes The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwind is a lovely story.

Again, we’ve added music to this play and teachers seems to like this aspect. Since this story ends as Spring arrives, it would be perfect for February or even March.

Since first blogging about this subject, I’ve created additional resources to celebrate winter in the classroom.

The Great Santa Suit Snafu — A Winter Readers Theater Your Students Will Love

Looking for a lively winter activity that builds reading fluency and keeps your students engaged during the busiest time of year? The Great Santa Suit Snafu is a classroom-friendly Readers Theater script that brings humor, mystery, and teamwork together in one festive package. It includes twelve speaking roles with room for extras and sound effects crew.

The Story: Only one day before Christmas Eve, the elves discover that Santa’s magical suit has shrunk! A frantic team of reindeer, elves, and Mrs. Claus tries everything—from sewing disasters to “unjingling” Jingle Bells—in an attempt to save Christmas. With witty characters, playful dialogue, and an upbeat ending, students will love performing this holiday comedy. (Even includes musical score to help you learn it!) I’ve even included the lyrics to Unjingling the Bells so you won’t have to work too hard to teach it!

Because Readers Theater requires no memorization, costumes, or special materials, it’s ideal for December lessons, substitute plans, or that energetic week before winter break. The script is written especially for upper elementary and middle school students, with clear character cues, accessible vocabulary, and plenty of comedic moments that make even hesitant readers want to participate.

Sometimes, my husband and I get crazy ideas. Rudolph the Rapping Reindeer is one of them.

The story: Rudolph discovers a unique talent for rapping, bringing a fresh beat to the North Pole just before Christmas Eve. While Santa and the other reindeer are skeptical at first, Rudolph, with the help of the beatboxing elves Twinkle and Jingle, teaches the team to groove and find their rhythm.

Even Blitzen, who struggles to rap, taps out a steady beat with his hooves to keep everyone on track. The fun reaches its peak when Mrs. Claus surprises everyone by unleashing her own wild freestyle rap.

With teamwork and holiday cheer, Rudolph and the crew take flight, spreading joy and beats across the world in the most unforgettable sleigh ride yet.

This 10–12 minute holiday play is perfect for grades 4-6, with 12 speaking roles and room for a chorus. It combines humor, teamwork, and joyous fun with a unique musical twist!

Need a good laugh?

The February Doldrums

Want something fun for early February? Get everyone out of the winter blahs with this fun musical. Best for high school students, Ground Hog Day is based on the film of the same name. Laugh your way through the learning! You can find it here.

Ground Hog Day the musical is about Phil Connors, a cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman, who is sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the isolated small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, when he finds himself caught in a time loop, forced to repeat the same day again and again…and again. Note: This musical because of language is more suitable for high school students.

The music is great and the story line is funny. We’ve all thought about what it would be like to go back and do something differently, haven’t we? I know I have.

The unit includes everything a busy teacher would need in order to be successful: themes of the musical, plot, synopsis, creative staff biographies, Broadway and musical trivia, student questions (with a teacher’s key) and several enrichment activities to secure the learning.

Hello Spring!

One more unit that I think your students will find fun is Buddy and the Evergreen Trees.

Buddy is a little blue bird with a hurt wing. When winter comes, his selfish and thoughtless bird friends leave him behind. Consequently, Buddy is sad, very worried and hurt by their leaving. A group of evergreen trees hear him saying good bye to his supposed friends and decide they want to help him. They befriend Buddy and invite him to live in their tree limbs until winter passes. Buddy heals over the winter delighting in living in the snowy evergreen trees, his new friends. This story teaches the themes of winter, friendship, compassion and generosity. You can find it here.

Hello Every Month!

Recently, I found this folk tale and thought it was would be a perfect readers theater unit. Why? First, there are many speaking roles! The story will remind you of Cinderella to some degree. It has a parable that could lead to a class discussion topic.

The Twelve Months reader theater unit and story concerns a young and beautiful girl (called Marushka in some variations) who is sent into the cold forest in the winter to perform impossible tasks by her evil stepmother. She must get spring violets, summer strawberries and fall apples in midwinter as presents to give her stepsister for her birthday. On her journey, she meets a group of magical people who are the personification of the twelve months of the year.

When she returns home with the strawberries, her step mother and sister don’t believe her. Finally, the step sister becomes so engaged with anger, she decides that she will go up into the snowy mountains by herself. Little did she know, her rudeness would come back to ruin her.

Five Winter Themed Drama Lessons You Should Try

As always, I hope your 2023 year begins with much promise, joy and lots of fun teaching moments. Teaching and learning should be fun, I believe. It’s my hope that if you pick up these units, I’ve helped you to do so.

Drama Readers Theater Scripts Folk Fantasy Fairy Tales Literature Toolkit

Save money! Pick up this bundle here: Drama Readers Theater Scripts

What units do you teach during the winter season? Anything thematic? I’d love to hear about it. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com with your ideas.

Click here: We’re Live! Radio Theater #101

Happy New Year!

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

December 2, 2022 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

Today I want to talk about what no one tells you about creating an on-line course. I can’t believe I am finally to a place where I can blog about this subject. I’m not kidding when I say I’ve been creating an on-line course for nearly a year.

In September of 2021, an idea to create an on-line course crept into my mind and I couldn’t shake it. I happened to put it out there that I’d like to create a course which would complement a particular category of units in my Teacherspayteachers store. Building an on-line course seemed the next step in my business and I still think this was a good idea.

I’m fortunate in that I’m a student in a wonderful company called SBZ Enterprises. They taught me how to amplify my presence in social media through their course focused on Instagram. If you don’t know much about the Instagram and how to market on it, I’d suggest you take this course. You can find it at: SBZ Enterprises

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

Ironically, at the time I was considering this on-line course idea, SBZ was offering an affiliation with Digital Course Academy owned by Amy Porterfield. Would I be interested in taking the course with them? I excitedly agreed to do so, but really I had no idea what in the world I got myself into.

Persevering as I often do when I learn outside of my comfort zone, I enrolled with Morgan Sutton, CEO of SBZ as my mentor through the training. Morgan has been invaluable help in many ways and I will always be grateful for her support and confidence in me.

What is Digital Course Academy?

DCA is an on line course which teaches you how to create a webinar for an on-line course you are selling. At the same time I began creating my course, I studied DCA’s trainings. Talk about information overload! I mean, I’m not going to quit just because I’m in deeper than I meant to be. I finished the DCA course in December and decided that although I understood the concepts of webinar development, I needed to concentrate on my own on-line course before I could create a webinar for it.

Some people create the course as they develop their email list. In DCA you are encouraged to develop your course through the help of your email followers, gaining their insights and suggestions as you create it.

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

My ideal client is a teacher who teaches theater or a core subject who wants to sharpen their teaching skills. I all ready knew teachers don’t have time to give me feedback, especially over several months as we fleshed out the course. Nonetheless, I was advised to survey my email list and make the first three modules of my course, so I did so.

I had seven beta testers for the course back in August. Not one of them completed the three module course. Not one. That disturbed me to say the least because personally I finish commitments even if I don’t want to. Morgan assured me it happens a lot in a situation like this. Cray cray is all I can say.

I was naïve

I planned to unveil my course ready by January of 2022. Oh my gosh, that was a ridiculous goal I could never accomplish. However, I didn’t know that at the time. In March I decided I’d hold my first webinars for the course. As the days and weeks wore on, I realized I needed another month to make ready everything. Again, I was so clueless.

It took me eight more months. Course creation can be a time suck, so if you are considering creating a course you need lots.of.time.

During those months, I built up my email list, put out more lead magnets for said email list, built sales pages for the webinar, created ten modules with guides for each and tried to hold three webinars. I followed the launch sequence for the webinar, too.

Everything appeared ready to go. What a flop!

Looking for a few free lessons from me? Or maybe a radio theater checklist? Check out this Free Stuff!

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

You know how sometimes in your life, something stops you in your tracks and you can’t move on? These webinars were a failure because of reasons some of which I can’t control. My advice? Only use Zoom to hold your webinars and no one else. The company I selected for the first webinars completely messed up the dates and times of my webinars so the thirty people who signed up thought the webinars were cancelled. And you know, once your customer is confused they are leery to attend another webinar or buy your product.

Course Creation Takes More Time Than You Think

Licking my wounds for a couple of months I sat on the course. I wasn’t disillusioned but disappointed. I hoped that my webinars would attract teachers and I wouldn’t have to spend any more time on the course creation. I was so wrong. At that point, I cared more about people attending than any money I could make. In fact, I’m still of this belief. Money comes if it’s supposed to–that much I know.

In September I finished creating the course--all ten modules and ten guides. We (my dear husband and I) completed the recordings in early November, tweaking everything as time progressed. In the meantime, several hundred teachers joined my email list and I think I’m getting the right audience for the course.

Course Creation is Expensive

When you consider creating a course, there are expenses that no one tells you about for reasons unknown to me. Some of the expenses I never considered before beginning my course creation because I had no idea of all the details of doing this. In hindsight I guess I should have researched the idea more fully before I began.

I use these platforms

course creation (Canva)
platform to hold course (Samcart)
payment page (Samcart)
payment processing platform (Stripe)
sales page (Ontraport)
emails (Ontraport)
recording equipment (I was lucky here, as we owned good recording equipment from a previous project.)

Webinar Building is Expensive Too

Building a webinar has its expenses, too. Honestly, I didn’t know if Digital Course Academy is expensive, but there are extra (though optional) expenses involved if you use it. (Such as a course about email list building, for example.) These courses really do help you. Once the dust settles on this experience, I plan to re-enroll in some of Amy’s courses so I can pick up more tips. She’s really a gold mine of help!

Another expense–you need a platform for on-line meetings such as webinars and meetings with your students. I use Zoom because it’s the most respected and reliable.

Getting the word out about your course is a must–social media helps with that. You need to publicize both the webinar and the course. In my case, I use every available free platform–Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest. Linkedin.

If you have a blog and website as I do some of their costs play into this. So, I must count WordPress and Wix for my blog and website and being seen on Linktree,etc.

What’s the Course?

My course is titled, “We’re Live! Radio Theater 101”–a step by step blueprint using a unique teaching tool to engage students when you’ve tried everything else. Interested? Email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com

This week I announced the course is open and available for purchase. To be honest, I hate this part because I can’t control the outcome. I could wax philosophical and discuss how I don’t think we actually control anything, but you get the idea.

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

One of the most difficult challenges is making a paradigm shift in teachers who think they can’t possibly use this in their classroom. They worry that they are expected to be a theater teacher and director, but I can assuage their worries. My guess is that I will probably spend a lot of time for the next month convincing teachers.

As of this writing, the webinars are planned for January when the teachers’ brains are rested and more apt to be open to new ideas. I know one thing for certain–it’s the cheapest it is every going to be. Once I begin the webinars, the course will cost more than it does at present.

I hope this helps you. It’s been good for me to write down my thoughts about it–that’s for sure. Have you created an on- line course? How did it go for you? Would you do it again? Feel free to email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com

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Education

How to Excite Students with Drama Integration

How does drama help in the classroom?

How does drama help in the classroom?

Drama in the Reading Classroom

Drama in the social studies classroom

Drama in the math classroom

Outside help for your school

The Jumpstart Theatre Program

Drama Integration through Radio Theater

Harry Potter is entering the podcast scene

How to Excite Students with Drama Integration

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Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

Readers Theater Resources on the Internet

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

My Advice

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Shakespeare in Theater Education

Shakespeare in Theater Education

It provides an understanding of modern works

Shakespeare in Theater Education

It challenges aspiring actors

Shakespeare in Theater Education

It equips students with important skills

Shakespeare in Theater Education

Finding success through Shakespeare

An Integral Part of Theater Education

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How do I find Facebook groups?

Why Should I Join a Facebook Group?

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

Middle School Facebook Groups

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

A Foolproof Guide to Theater Teacher Facebook Groups

Some Parting Words

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A Story of Generosity

Ojisan and the Grateful Statues

Five Winter Themed Drama Lessons You Should Try

Chinese New Year Celebration

Li Chi the Serpent Slayer

A Story of Courage

The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds

The Great Santa Suit Snafu — A Winter Readers Theater Your Students Will Love

Need a good laugh?

The February Doldrums

Hello Spring!

Hello Every Month!

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What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

What is Digital Course Academy?

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

I was naïve

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

Course Creation Takes More Time Than You Think

Course Creation is Expensive

Webinar Building is Expensive Too

What’s the Course?

What No One Tells You About Creating An On-Line Course

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