middle grades

Learn How to Teach Creative Dramatics in Your Lunch Hour

March 30, 2022 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Learn How to Teach Creative Dramatics in Your Lunch Hour!

I’m worried about our teachers and you should be too.

Recently, I read an article from http://www.nea.org that approximately fifty-five per cent of our teachers are seriously considering quitting teaching at the end of this year. That’s up from thirty-seven per cent last year. Yikes!

You can imagine the reasons they are considering leaving–exhaustion, demoralized, uninspired, understaff and underappreciated. Not to mention, the global pandemic! (That doesn’t even include underpaid which has been an ongoing problem for year and really a sad statement about the country, in my opinion.)

I can’t fix the schools, but I can help teachers.

Learn How to Teach Creative Dramatics in Your Lunch Hour!

Let’s say you and I are eating lunch together in the teacher’s lounge.

I say to you, “How’s the day going?”

“Terrible!” you say.

“What seems to be the problem” I ask.

“The students are not engaged. They are rowdy, disrespectful and negative.”

At this point, that I nod and say, “I can help you.”

You look at me with an expression of disbelief. “How, Deb? You can’t be in there with me.”

I answer, “No, but I can give you some drama integration ideas which will help. In fact, my masters in education is focused on creative arts learning.”

Turning, I dive into my files and pull out several lessons which I tailored specifically for the classroom.

You take one look at them and say, “But I’m not a creative dramatics teacher. I can’t do this.”

“Oh yes, you can. Using creative dramatics to teach your class is nothing more than making a few changes in your perspective and teaching methods. Let me show you how.”

We talk for a few minutes, you smile and say “Okay, I’ll try it!”

As we leave the lounge, we hug. I watch you walk down the hallway with a little spring in your step because you know how to turn your unhappy class into a happy one in an afternoon.

Note: This is an actual conversation I had with a teacher on IG in the last week. Her students were being impossible. I suggested she try doing a lot of physical movement with them and it worked!

The Benefits of Creative Dramatics in the Classroom

I found this wonderful website, The Gaiety School of Acting, which explains the benefits of creative dramatics:

“Of all the arts, drama involves the participant the most fully: intellectually, emotionally, physically, verbally, and socially. As players, children assume the roles of others, and they learn about becoming more sensitive to the problems and values of persons different from themselves. At the same time, they are learning to work cooperatively, for drama is a communal art; each person is necessary to the whole.”

When integrating creative dramatics, we are not concerned with what an audience receives from a performance but what the child does. In fact, it would be best if you and your students are the only people in your classroom when you integrate drama.

This is Easier than You Think

These five lessons will engage them right from the beginning. It’s all in the approach you take to presenting them. (I can help you here. I include a teacher’s script with most of my lessons.)

Warm-ups–warm-up exercises can be adapted to the subject you are teaching or you can use them as they are.
Creative Movement–students need a lot of physical exercise.
Storytelling–if you are teaching a particular book, use Kamishibai storytelling as a way to check your students’ understanding of the plot
Tableau–a frozen stage picture is a fantastic way to demonstrate a math problem, moment in history, show something in science such as a volcano and its stage before errupting, etc.
Readers’ Theater–this is a powerful teaching method which can be adapted for a particular lesson about social studies, science or a story in reading.

Learn How to Teach Creative Dramatics in Your Lunch Hour!

Want a FREE lesson you can use tomorrow? Click here: Creative Dramatics Lesson

Pick up a copy of this blog post at: FarrahHenleyEducation.

Do I need a lot of extra materials?

Most teachers probably have the materials they’d need to integrate drama in your classroom. But beware! Try to avoid being a purist about this–a scarf can work as a belt, a box can be a trunk or three students’ desk chairs can make a bridge. It’s all in how you look at it.

I suggest: construction paper, paper plates, glue, scissors, colored pencils, markers, aluminum foil, newspapers, masks (you can purchase them at S and S Art Supply )

Collect clothing such as hats, caps, scarves, capes, eye glasses, pillow cases, masks, etc. A large plastic bin can hold all of these pieces. A trip to a local thrift store will have a lot of these items for an inexpensive price.

How do I Assess my Students’ Learning?

Talk about outcome education! Using creative dramatics in your teaching gives you an opportunity to model for your students and them to demonstrate right back to you.

Here’s an example for you– your objective today is to teach Common Core Standard L4.1e “Form the use of prepositional phrases”.

Easy! Make up a bunch of cards with prepositional phrases on them with phrases such as “on the, over the, around the”. Hand out a card to each student to physically demonstrate the phrase.

Learn How to Teach Creative Dramatics in Your Lunch Hour

Maybe you are teaching Next Generation Science stanDard concerning gravitational force. Would it be so difficult as to have two students tell a story about gravitational force and how it affects us on earth? Maybe you’d give them particular facts to use in the story? This blog post might help too! How Do I Use Arts Integration in the Classroom?

As you can see, using drama integration in your class is a no brainer. Word to the wise–refrain from using it every day as it will lose its uniqueness. I know it takes many teaching methods to engage your students. This is just one method.

But it’s a good one. 😉

Want a free drama integration lesson? Check out: Hire Me for Your Classroom Tomorrow!

Have you used drama integration in the past? How did it go for you? Do you have any questions I can answer? Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or check out my website at DeborahBaldwin.net

How to Use a Hybrid Lesson in Your Drama Classroom Tomorrow

May 31, 2020 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

How to Use a Hybrid Lesson in Your Drama Classroom Tomorrow

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

Yes, I’m that kind of creative.

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

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

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

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

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

Enter Boom Learning

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hybrid Learning and Differentiation

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

Of course!

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

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

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

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

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

Drama Lesson: Costume Design with Boom Cards!

For Distance Learning–

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

Included in the PDF product:

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

Included in the Boom Cards! product:

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

For the Blended Classroom

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

What are the benefits for the teacher?

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

What are the cons to the Hybrid Blended Classroom?

According to Schoology.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Play Reading and Analysis–An Important Skill for Our Students

January 10, 2020 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Play Reading and Analysis–an Important Skill for Our Students

I am a drama teacher. Consequently, I eat, sleep and breath theater even now that I’m newly retired.

I listen to the Sirius Broadway station all day which keeps me abreast to upcoming productions and tours.

Because of my love for theater, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest.com pinning anything that pertains to theater–plays, musicals, set design, costume design, stage properties do it yourself creations, stage makeup, videos, lighting plots, show posters, etc.

I have A LOT of boards…………….:)

I see theater teachers in Facebook groups looking for play titles to read with their students, especially middle school. If you are looking for a good one to study, try Tim Kelly’s dramatization of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Here is a study guide and set design unit for it: Study Guide and Set Design Units Tom Sawyer

Sorry, I digressed.

Strengthening Literacy through Play Reading

Back to literacy.

I looked for research concerning the reasons our students should read a play script and of course, ran on to balanced literacy.

“When students have a voice in the reading process, they’re learning to contribute to their own knowledge. Because they can select the books (in my case, plays) they wish to read, they have greater control over what they want to learn. Students are much more likely to view reading as a priority when they have some ownership in the reading process.

However, this doesn’t mean students can make their independent reading choices willy-nilly. There does have to be some structure involved. First of all, the independent reading selection must be at their reading level. No “easy” books during independent reading. “At their reading level” means students should be able to read their selections with 95%-100% accuracy.”

I agree with everything mentioned above.

Reading a play can be an amazing, satisfying experience. Once my students become accustom to reading a script aloud (which takes about one class period), they are invested.

Here are some of the reasons for our students to read a play:

The dialogue is terrific. You can’t help but be engaged. The playwright hones his script to be the most compelling experience he can create. He certainly doesn’t want an audience member leaving the production. When an audience members leaves, it’s not the same as turning off the television–EVERYONE sees the bored person leave. Yikes! Also, if you are teaching students how to write dialogue, reading a script will help them immensely.
There is no narration or superfluous information. There might be someone who narrates, but again, the narration is short, concise and entices the audience.
For many moments in the plot, stage directions are included. If the play reader becomes lost, it is easy to find one’s place in the script merely by reading the directions. The stage directions help a reader to visualize the action. They were either added to the script by the playwright or placed there in honor of the first company who produced it.
Characters are well developed. A well crafted play can be read without looking at each character’s printed name within the play. A reader should be able to read down the middle of the script and know who is speaking and why.
Each scene and act follows the traditional plot structure–a beginning (the conflict is unveiled), rising action and some sort of resolution. Generally, an act is ended like a cliff hanger in a movie or book. Or, it makes a thought provoking statement which enhances the theme and encourages the audience member to return after intermission.
Generally, the plot concerns a short amount of time in the main character’s life. If the script becomes too epic, the audience is lost and again they’ll quit listening.
Everything that is published in the script is vitally important to its success on the stage. That means anything mentioned or used has been carefully chosen.
I can’t think of a script I haven’t enjoyed reading. Sure, I’d rather see the script in a live production but reading the script works for me almost as well.

Strengthening Literacy through Play Reading

So how do you find the scripts your students will enjoy? I surveyed a group of drama teachers from all over the world and they helped me come up with a list of plays they think students should read.

For High School

Harvey
Arsenic and Old Lace
Still Life With Iris
To Kill a Mockingbird
Oslo
Inherit the Wind
Diary of Anne Frank
The Giver
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds
Anne of Green Gables
Fences
Vanities
Yellow Boat
The Giver
Dark Road
Children’s Hour
Our Town
The Crucible
Raisin in the Sun
Antigone
The Doll’s House
Glass Menagerie
Dancing at Lughnasa
Death of a Salesman
Doubt
Proof
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The Heidi Chronicles
Last Night at Ballyhoo
The Miracle Worker

Strengthening Literacy through Play Reading

Most of these scripts can be purchased through one of the various script publishers. If you don’t know where to start, try searching the nae of the script, such as “The Giver, the play version.”

If that gets you nowhere, you can try findaplay.com This site used to be my favorite, but I’ve noticed not every script is listed there anymore.

Your students may find on-line versions to read, especially of the classics (our Town, The Crucible, Raisin in the Sun, The Doll’s House, etc.) or check out your school or public library.

Sometimes you’ll find them in anthologies, especially if they were Tony Award Winners. I believe this list includes only Tony Award winners.

I have a unit (two actually) which can help you teach about play analysis. It is: Play Reading and Analysis (PDF)

and Play Reading and Analysis Google Classroom

Packed with questions and a rubric it contains:

Letter to Teacher
Project Assignment–What is Expected in the Assignment
Play Analysis Questions–as a Producer, Director and Designer
Play Titles–Vetted and Compiled from Drama Teachers Around the World
Rubric (FULLY EDITABLE)
Exit Slip prompts for 5 days–Questions are Provided for Each Day
Source Page

I hope you’ll check it out and use it. It’s very different.

Or, if you’d like to get a heck of a deal, look into this bundle: Drama Units and Lessons for High School Students

Until next time.

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

Surprising Bumbling Bea Reviews and a FREE Chapter

June 7, 2019 By dhcbaldwin 4 Comments

Surprising Bumbling Bea Reviews–

I never thought I’d be writing that!

When Bumbling Bea was first published, I was very surprised by the reviews. I hoped middle school students would enjoy the story, but I never considered readers of all ages (some as young as seven and one a sixty-five year old grandma) would appreciate it, too. I’m flattered.

So, if you are seeking reviews of Bumbling Bea check out Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/lk5db54

There are nearly 50.

If you are wanting to read a few snippets, here are some:

“Quirky, fun and intensely close capturing of middle school angst.”

******Emily Bassinger

“In Bumbling Bea, author Deborah Baldwin creates an enjoyable look into growing up. Hilarity, missteps, and bungling follow as Bea and Michiko come to terms. The plot line is written skillfully.”

****Verabookreviews

“Deborah ensures that her story constantly generates mental images and tugs at heartstrings. The choice of words used reflect the effort that she must have put in to make this story both child-friendly and adult-friendly.”

*****Rajalakshmi Prithviraj\

“This book is utterly charming, with many fun and surprising twists that equally offer loads of entertainment as well as a variety of opportunities to feel validated!! Thank you, ‘Bumbling Bea’ for teaching me that these awkward moments we experience during our most awkward years are forgivable and not defining, and more importantly, that they are ALWAYS opportunities to LEARN ******Becca Ayers

“Baldwin reached out to an audience that is often overlooked in writing (the middle school theater crowd) but does it in a fun and humorous way.”****Amy Dawn Kostecki

“Bumbling Bea is a wonderful example of what is like to be a middle school student trying to figure just who you really are and how the world really works. Baldwin does an excellent job sharing Bears inner turmoil, thoughts, emotions……. As a theater lover and teacher myself I loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who works with children, has children, is a child at heart, or who enjoys the stage!

*****Blair McCotter

Bumbling Bea was a finalist in the 2016 Wishing Shelf Book Award Contest

Are you looking for a different way to teach about drama in your classroom?

Consider Bumbling Bea.

AND…..you can download the first chapter and its study guide for FREE here: Dramamommaspeaks Store–Bumbling Bea

If you haven’t heard of Bumbling Bea, here is a short synopsis:

Beatrice thinks she has no acting talent but that doesn’t stop her from auditioning for the annual middle school play. Easy! Except Michiko, a new girl from Japan, shows up and ruins everything! So begins Beatrice’s diabolical and hilarious plan to scare away Michiko. But Michiko has goals of her own with no plans to leave soon. Then there’s that other girl who is such a blabbermouth. What’s a girl to do? Plenty. A great book for those who love theater and every part of it–the good, the bad and the crazy.

Why did I write this book?

When I was a young student, I didn’t know I loved theater….yet. It wasn’t until I was in high school when I first was cast that I realized theatre was my thing.

Also, I didn’t get to study drama until high school either. Just imagine how much happier I would have been if I had studied it sooner like so many students do at present.

I wrote Bumbling Bea for those kids, just like me. There aren’t many books focused on drama and there are certainly no books about Kabuki theater AND drama….until I came along.

You can find Bumbling Bea on Amazon at: Bumbling Bea and at Barnes and Noble at: Barnes and Noble

I’d be really flattered if you’d take a look at it. It’s not what you think when you begin the book. That’s my favorite kind of book–it surprises you.

What’s your favorite book? I’d love to hear from you.

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

Beginning Acting–My Acting Debut in Third Grade

April 21, 2018 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Let’s talk about beginning acting.

(That’s me, with all the hair, holding on to the young Oliver Twist, circa 1986 I think. Yikes!)

To this day, I have no idea how I got cast as Queen Isabella in third grade. I was a good reader and very expressive. I know we didn’t have auditions or at least I don’t think so. I mean, that was a long time ago. I sort of remember my costume. My mother made a crown out of cardboard, blue pop beads from a necklace of hers and aluminum foil. I wore Mom’s clear-plastic-but-looked-glass wedding shoes (from the 1930’s, this was the l960’s) that cramped my feet something awful but I would never have complained. Maybe I wore a white bathrobe as my gown. Heck, I don’t know.

But I do know one thing: I had wanted to be an actress since I was teeny. We lived in a huge old brick house in a small town in Kansas. It had three floors, four fireplaces, a front and back staircase (one for the servants to use, I guess but we had no servants) and two porches. One porch was on the second floor and enclosed and another porch was connected to the living room. On the upstairs porch, I spent many late afternoons and Saturdays playing dress up, making blanket forts under the ping pong table and dramatizing any and all books I had read or movies I had seen. There was no heat on the porch and I remember just about freezing off my toes in the dead of winter, and forget playing out there during those hot, hot Kansas summers! I’d go across the street to Lori’s house and have Orange Crush pop and soda crackers and bask in the breeze of her window air conditioner.

Mostly, I just pretended and pretended.

I kept real quiet about my pretending, because I was afraid people would think I was crazy and maybe I’d get in trouble with my parents. That seemed to be a great fear I had. I didn’t like to mess up and get those looks from them. The ones that said, “Oh my. We are ashamed of you.” I still can’t handle those looks from people.

Sorry, I digress…

Acting was a fabulous outlet for me! It was effortless and such fun! I still enjoy it. It is never stressful like directing can be for me. Don’t get me wrong, though. I enjoy directing even with all of its stresses. It is just very different from acting.

I remember ordering a kneeling boy (ironically named Christopher–maybe that’s why he got the part), “Rise, Christopher Columbus!” I gestured upward with my arm copying the high school girl portraying the Angel Gabriel I had seen in the annual community Christmas pageant. I guess I thought all important people gestured like that–queens, angels, presidents and the like. Even today when I direct a young child to gesture in the same way, I am reminded of my performance as Queen Isabella. Hopefully, they look better than I did.

It took me years to become proficient (I think it’s the best word to describe my acting) as an actress. I think I stunk at it pretty badly until I was way up in my twenties. When I look at myself in photos from a show I always remember what I felt like at the time the photo was taken and for me at least, it doesn’t feel at all the same on the inside as what I am projecting on the outside.

Some readers who have performed will understand me when I say that acting is a gift you give yourself. When an actor “finds the character”, it’s a huge surprise–like receiving a present one didn’t expect. There is something very mystical about acting and lifting my chubby arm to Christopher Columbus that first time in my life as an actress confirmed it. I was totally intrigued and excited. To this day, I still feel the same way. How many times can a person say that about life?

That’s my beginning acting story. What is your story?

Notable quote from Bumbling Bea

September 17, 2016 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

bb-chapter-0

As I took Peter’s place on stage, there was another rustling and gasp from the cast and Ms. Phillips. Michiko had whisked off the scarf on her head and stood smiling happily. There on top of her usually pretty blue black hair was a thin plastic cap. I think it’s used by hairstylists to hi-light hair. My mom’s had her hair done that way before. The cap thing was jammed all the way down on to her forehead. A few wisps of her hair had slipped out and around the cap. She looked like a sear urchin, an anemone to be exact.

“You know, Pocahontas was bald when she met John Smith. The children’s heads were shaved because of lice! Well, what do you think?” Michiko asked proudly.

“Bald and naked! How absolutely embarrassing.” I said.

To purchase my award winning book, Bumbling Bea go to https://www.amazon.com/Bumbling-Bea-Deborah-Baldwin/dp/1500390356

Learn How to Teach Creative Dramatics in Your Lunch Hour

Learn How to Teach Creative Dramatics in Your Lunch Hour!

Learn How to Teach Creative Dramatics in Your Lunch Hour!