Lesson 3 - Losing Balance

Drama

 B1.2 Creating and Presenting: demonstrate an understanding of the elements of drama by selecting and manipulating multiple elements and conventions to create and enhance a variety of drama works and shared drama experiences.

B1.3 Creating and Presenting: plan and shape the direction of the drama by negotiating ideas and perspectives with others, both in and out of role.

Drama 

 I can:

• participate in drama exploration and role play and focus on examining different perspectives and outcomes related to the theme of losing balance
• plan and shape the direction of my choral dramatization by discussing and negotiating ideas with my peers

Dance

Dance

 I can:

• use the elements of dance to further communicate the message of the poem I Have Lost My Balance during the choral dramatization

Language 

 1.2 Oral Communication: demonstrate an understanding of appropriate listening behaviour by adapting active listening strategies to suit a wide variety of situations, including work in groups 

1.3 Reading: identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand increasingly complex or difficult texts

Language

I can: 

• engage in active listening when my group is working on our dance and drama work
• use a variety of strategies to understand and interpret the the poem I Have Lost My Balance

BLM #5: I Have Lost My Balance Poem
BLM #6: Elements of Choral Dramatization Checklist (self, peer, teacher)
BLM #7: Elements of Choral Dramatization Chart
Chart Paper
Prepared strips of paper

Individual > Sentence Stems

Invite students to finish the following sentence stem on a strip of paper:
The thing that challenges my sense of balance the most is when ________________. (e.g., I get stressed by homework; I am alone at a party; my parents ask me too many questions;I get left out;my teachers don't listen to me; I get into an argument with a friend; my siblings get in my way, etc.)

Ask students to put their strip of paper in a box and mix them up.

Small Group > Tableau

Organize the students into groups of 3 and direct  each group to choose 2 strips of paper from the box. Ask students to consider both statements and select one to interpret and represent in tableau,with a focus on capturing the essence of this moment. 

Extension

These images can be turned into 15-30 second scenes with one or two lines of text. Have students decide who they are, where they are and what is happening. Ask them to consider how the text and physical movement show the conflict that is taking place. Prompt: How do we know that the character's 'balance' is being challenged?

Notes

Advise students that their writing will be anonymous, but will be read and interpreted by others.

Share with students that there are various coping strategies that might help someone who is depressed. Emphasize that everyone's life situation is distinct and unique, and what works for one person may not work for another.

Whole Group > Setting the Context

Explain to the students that they are going to be introduced to a character through a poem. They will be invited into a dramatic exploration of one person's personal struggle with maintaining emotional balance. Emphasize that the group will be building, developing and refining their drama and dance skills as they explore the character and her story.

Small Group > Framing the Drama > Challenge and Inspire

Distribute copies of the poem BLM #5: I Have Lost My Balance Poem and allow time for a silent reading. Invite students to read the poem aloud together in their small groups.

Whole Group > Think Aloud

Invite students to be curious and generate a list of questions. Using the think-aloud strategy, model a few questions, and then invite the students to share their questions while you record on chart paper. (e.g. Who is speaking in this poem? What has happened to this person? What has changed in his or her life?)

Think-Pair-Share > Discussion > Initial Reaction

(include some of the questions generated by the group in the Think Aloud, as well as the ones suggested next)

Key Questions for Discussion

Who might be speaking?  Are we able to infer anything about where, when and why the speaker has lost balance? Why do you think so? Have students discuss with their partners. Invite students to share a few of the responses from their discussions.

Whole Group > Choral Reading 

• Read the poem all together.
• Repeat after me - echoing tempo, volume, gesture, repetition of lines etc.
• Call and response - (e.g., invite half of the class to speak the lines underlined in red and the other half to speak the lines underlined in blue.) 

Whole Group > Walk Around

Invite students to choose a line of text that they like. Ask them to walk through the space saying this line of text repeatedly. Ask students to listen carefully for other students who may have the same line. Ask those who have the same line to walk together as a group repeating the line chorally together. (Note: groupings will be a random combination of solos, pairs, small and large groups.) Once students have connected, ask them to pause. As the 'conductor',  signal to each group when to say their line, playing with volume (raising and lowering your hand), order of the text etc.

Small Group > Preparing a Choral Dramatization

(see BLM #6: Elements of Choral Dramatization Checklist )

Divide the students into small groups and assign a section of the poem to each group. Ask each group to continue to experiment with the text in a variety of ways including: volume, pace, rhythm, tempo, combinations of voices. Instruct each group to find movement and gesture that supports the text. Ask each group to make a final decision on how they will present their excerpt.

Whole Group > Composing and Performing a Choral Dramatization

Notes

Distribute to each group a copy of BLM #7: Elements of Choral Dramatization Chart (or post as an anchor chart)

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Circulate and record anecdotal observations while students are working in groups. Provide specific feedback to individuals and groups as they plan their choral dramatization.

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Distribute BLM #6: Elements of Choral Dramatization Checklist. Ask each group to complete the checklist, and then revise their work.

Ask students to complete self -assessment questions in BLM #6: Elements of Choral Dramatization Checklist  

Partner groups for peer feedback.

Differentiated Instruction (DI)

Use Think-Pair-Share, Think Aloud and the Exit Card as High Yield Instructional Strategies and to gauge student learning throughout the lesson. These and other DI structures and strategies can be found at http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/di/strategies.htm

Allow students to work independently if necessary. An audio or video recording may allow some students to successfully complete the task.

Hyperlinks

Teachers may wish to refer to the Metaphor DI Card found on the EduGains website at http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/di/strategies.htm

Critical Literacy Focus (CL)

Individual > Exit Card > Metaphor for Emotional Balance

Instruct students to develop a metaphor based on the concept of emotional balance. Brainstorm with the group a variety of objects or images that share the same characteristics as emotional balance.  Describe how these two concepts are the same and how they are different.  

Invite students to choose one of the objects or images that the group brainstormed, or another one they can think of, to write their own metaphor. Ask students to hand in their exit card as they leave the class.

Examples of Metaphors

emotional balance is like a see-saw,  justice scales, jigsaw puzzle, etc.