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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.

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.

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. 

• Talk Like a Pirate Day   
• Create Your Own Musical
• Bundle:  Costume Design Units
• Bundle:  Drama Lessons Winter Theme
• Bundle:  Drama Lessons, Exercises, Designing Halloween
• Bundle:  Stage Makeup Lessons
• Bundle:  Biographies of Theater Artists
• Sedna, An Inuit Tale
• Drama Lesson:  The Tony Awards
• Drama Lesson: Dear Evan Hansen
• 15 Minutes Drama Play and Unit:  The Brave Little Tailor

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?