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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!

 

Acting Exercises Everyone Enjoys

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  •  
  • an acting exercise everyone enjoys

 

Here’s an acting exercise everyone enjoys no matter the grade or skill level.

TABLEAU!

What is tableau, you ask?

  • Tableau, a frozen stage picture like a living photograph, is one of the most useful and important components of theatre. Tableau became most popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  • The word is French in origin and means “living picture”. Generally, actors dress in costumes and pose in a static position. The actors do not speak or move throughout the duration of the tableau.
  • Tableau is an effective tool for a director. Humans are visual thinkers. Tableau is a real time snapshot of a moment in a play or musical. It helps the audience member remember the production as it enfolds.

 

Acting Exercises Everyone Enjoys

Why should I teach or learn about it?

  • Tableau is an easy theater component for students to study. Learners of all ages can perform tableau because it requires no speaking or extra ability other than simple movement.
  • Tableau requires no speaking or memorized lines. The actors merely demonstrate a moment in time.

I used to teach for a home school enrichment program in Longmont, Colorado.  I saw 200 different students in three days.  It was a crazy experience because I was extremely busy, but it was a good one too!

In one day I’d teach every grade level from second through twelfth.  One time I taught all of them about tableau.

That was an amazing experience. Just imagine….

  • the youngest were a bit timid, but enjoyed themselves
  • the upper elementary LOVED it–they are fearless at that age
  • middle school kids enjoyed it although they were a little hesitant
  • high school kids LOVED it as much as upper elementary–WHAT?
  • even parents enjoy it given half a chance!

After my students do the first exercise, it is time to switch it up.  We add a bit of dialogue, well one sentence for each character in the tableau to say at will.  Improvisation used in this manner is super.

 Acting Exercises Everyone Enjoys

Tableau shouldn’t be limited to drama class. 

It can be used in other classes such as a literature class.  The students present tableaux of several scenes in a story or book.

Or a Social Studies and/or history class uses tableau to remember significant moments in history.  (Think Washington crossing the Potomac–that sort of thing. The signing of the Paris Peace treaty to end WWII, etc. )

pexels-photo-710743
Photo by 周 康 on Pexels.com

How about in art class?  Students could view a particular painting and re-enact it through tableau. (Seurat’s Sunday in the Park with George is an excellent example.)

In a vocal music class, a choir to strike tableau demonstrating different moments in a musical piece.  It could be metaphorical or literal, that would depend upon the teacher and her needs.

Obviously, the uses are nearly endless. I’m sure you can see this is a super teaching method. 

Shoot, you could even use it in P.E. class to demonstrate certain moves in a game–what is allowed on the court, what isn’t, etc.

Wow, I’m on a roll, huh?

I have several tableau exercises on my Teacherspayteachers.com store.  Check them out here:

Tableau 

An Acting Exercise Everyone Enjoys

Holiday theme— Tableau Holiday Theme

Slide1

Thanksgiving theme—Tableau Thanksgiving Theme

Tableau Thanksgiving Cover

Halloween theme—Tableau Halloween Theme

Tableau Halloween Preview

Each product is a comprehensive lesson(s), about 55 minutes in length.

Product includes:

  • the reasons to teach tableau
  • the history of tableau
  • teacher’s script
  • a character list or activities of the particular theme
  • links to alternative activity for inspiration
  • sculpture example
  • evaluation and alternative activities

Here are a few reviews by some teachers who have purchased them:

“Awesome way to learn drama! Love this resource!”

“Such a useful and engaging resource! I love how it was so easy to implement and use. Thank you!”

These are time tested by an award winning veteran drama teacher of 38 years. 

I encourage you to teach tableau to your students.  You’ll be glad you did.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or check out my website at DeborahBaldwin.net

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

 

 

Why You Should Use These Effective Teaching Methods, Part Two

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Let’s talk about why you should use these effective teaching methods. This is a two part series, so check out part one, will you?

https://dramamommaspeaks.com/2018/06/22/why-you-should-use-these-effective-teaching-methods/

 

Plaid, Coaster, Bast, Colorful, Color

I have a second teaching method which works wonders with any aged kid–I guarantee it!

ARTS INTEGRATION

You may wonder what arts integration is specifically.  Simply put, arts integration is a method used to teach the core subjects infusing them with the arts–music, art, dance and theatre.

From http://www.tealarts.org/arts-integration.html

“Arts integration is an approach to learning in which standards based objectives from the visual and performing arts (the visual arts, music, dance, theatre and media arts) and one or more other subject areas are aligned, met, and assessed.

Image result for students participating in arts integration

It is important to know that arts integration does not supplant single subject art classes like band, dance, drama or drawing, but instead is used to design robust lessons that engage students in the processes used in the arts, such as creative thinking and active learning.

Done with diligence and purpose, arts integration helps students flourish, deepen their learning, and make meaningful connections between the disciplines. Studies have shown that art experiences result increased academic achievement, self-confidence, motivation, and improved social-emotional connections and behavior.”

Don’t ya love it?

Remember in elementary school when you got to draw a picture about some scene in the book you were reading?  Or write a poem about a moment in history? Yeah, it’s like that.

When I was in my forties, a vocal music teacher friend of mine and I  wanted to pursue a masters in education but not in curriculum and instruction (a masters many educators receive.)  She did some research and ran onto the Lesley College which offered a Masters in Education focused on Creative Arts Learning (aka arts integration.)

This was an off site campus location and the professors came to us once a month for eighteen months while we studied the various elements of the arts and how to integrate them into the classroom.

Image result for art and math

My friend and I were ecstatic about the program! At the first class, we noticed there were several teachers lacking confidence and timid about their creativity. Well, that changed for the better by the end.  They fared as well or better than we did from the learning. Isn’t that great?

As I mentioned in part one I am now teaching college level students.  Since I was getting my feet wet with the material this first year, I hesitated to use arts integration to teach these college kids.  That was a mistake.

This fall, if I end up teaching for the college I will use arts integration right from the beginning.

It’s novel, it’s obviously creating, it’s very engaging and it’s fun.

Here are a few ideas for arts integreation in core subjects.

Students can:

  1.  Write a script depicting a particular time in history and act it out.
  2. Create a monologue of a famous person and perform it during an open house.
  3. Pen a poem about a country they are studying
  4. Draw and illustrate a picture demonstrating how the body works.
  5. Mold something from clay of a certain culture
  6. Create a rap about the U.S.’s fifty states and capitols
  7. Use movement to demonstrate the various types of clouds, how a typhoon is different from a tornado or the tetonic shifts in the ocean.
  8. Make a dance to accompany a piece of music from a time period which was studied.
  9. If you have musicians, ask them to play a piece of music to compliment the learning.  If the students are studying western expansions, a student could play a country western piece for example.
  10. When studying shapes, cut different ones for collages using basic geometry.  This helps teach and reinforce undrstanding of shapes.  Then as a group, incorporate them into a collage on a classroom wall.

As you can tell, the ideas are numerous.

Utilizing the arts in your classroom gives you energy, too.  Because every project will be creative, your intellect will be challenged.  This is essential for the teacher who plans to teach for many years.

Think about it–would it be more exciting to see what your students create and learn about a concept or merely you regurgitating material……for twenty-five years?

So, there you have it!  Try arts integration in your class or email me if you need help, I’m always willing to suggest ideas to interested teachers.  Rememeber, we are all in this together.

If you’d like more advice on teaching, check out these posts:

https://dramamommaspeaks.com/2018/06/22/the-12-steps-to-becoming-a-fantastic-drama-teacher-in-12-steps/

https://dramamommaspeaks.com/2018/05/10/the-lessons-i-learned-from-working-as-a-drama-teacher/

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

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Give Me Sixty Minutes and I’ll Give You a Guaranteed Successful Play

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Give Me Sixty Minutes and I’ll Give You a Guaranteed Successful Play

Yes, give me sixty minutes (for five days) and I’ll give you a guaranteed successful play. Are you looking for something multicultural?  A short, one act play with room for a large cast?  Or a cast as small as ten?

Give Me Sixty Minutes and I'll Give You a Guaranteed Successful Play

I got you covered!

I taught middle school drama for twelve years.  In that time, I was expected to teach the students the components of theatre.

This would, of course, include a performance of some kind.

I taught six rotations per year.  Every twenty-five days, seventy kids would float through my classroom door.

Some loved performing, many didn’t.

Over time, I experimented with many plays and finally created my own adaptations.

Ojisan and the Grateful Statues is a week long unit. I’d suggest breaking the project into four one hour rehearsals.

It includes:

  • a ROYALTY FREE script which can be copied as many times as you need

  • stage properties list

  • original song (a page dedicated to the melody and another with accompaniament)

  • costume suggestion list

  • and loads of fun! (Nah, that’s up to you.  I’m just seeing if you are actually reading.)

I produced Ojisan with my classes at least six times with both elementary and middle school grade students.

 I tweaked it, re-wrote and staged the play until it worked.

 

Because of my time “in the trenches” for nearly forty years, I can guarantee you this play will be a winner with your students.

It’s a great piece to use for an open house for parents.

Ojisa and the Grateful Statues is a beloved Japanese tale.  It contains themes of winter, kindness and forgiveness, a bit of comedy and drama.

You can’t beat that.

Give Me Sixty Minutes and I’ll Give You a Guaranteed Successful Play

Your students have an opportunity to create paper snowflakes and paper rice hats.  I even provided links to snowflake and paper hat making directions.  You’re welcome.

For those students who are performance shy, they can accompany the play with percussion instruments. The music score provides suggestions for you.

Maybe your vocal music teacher would be willing to co-teach the play.  I have done that, too.

So there go–a successful play, Ojisan and the Grateful Statues.

If you are interested in other lessons, I have several Teacherpayteachers products.  Check them out at: Dramamommaspeaks Store 

For more information, go here: Oji San and the Grateful Statues

There’s a young student version, too!

Oji San and the Grateful Statues

 

Give Me Sixty Minutes and I'll Give You a Guaranteed Successful Play

Here are several other posts about teaching theater:

The Reasons Thematic Units in Teaching are Successful

The Importance of a Drama Word Wall for Secondary Students

The Reasons to Teach Drama Class with Unique Lessons

Fairy Tale Lessons for Drama Class

What experiences have you had with directing a play?  I’d love to hear about them.  Or maybe you just have questions I can answer.

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