Lesson 5 - Choral Dramatization

Drama

B.14 Creating and Presenting: communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas to a specific audience, using audio, visual, and/or technological aids to enhance their drama work

Drama

•  I can use physical gestures and my voice to  communicate thoughts, feeling and ideas about animals in their habitats

Literacy

1.8 Oral Communication: identify the point of view presented in oral text and ask questions about possible bias
 

1.5 Reading: make inferences about texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts as evidence

1.3 Writing: gather information to support ideas for writing using a variety of strategies and oral, print and electronic resources

Literacy

• I can look at flyers and see how certain features like pictures and bolded words help me to understand the meaning
• I understand that the author of the flyer has certain opinions
•  I see that the author is biased because of certain words and pictures that are used
• I can make inferences about the flyer from what is directly said and what is hinted at by the pictures and use of certain words

Science

Understanding Life Systems-Habitats and Communities:
 

1.2 Analyse the positive and negative impacts of human interactions with natural habitats and communities taking different perspectives into account and evaluate ways of minimizing the negative impacts

Science

• I can consider both positive and negative impacts of human interactions with natural habitats and I can think of ways to lessen the negative impacts
• I can research to learn how plants and animals depend on their habitat

Whole Class > Introducing a New Character in the Drama

Review and list all of the characters that have been introduced in the unit so far. Tell the students that you have just discovered a flyer (BLM #9: Animal Rights Rally flyer) from one of the people who wrote a letter to the editor, and that we have not heard from this person yet - LB, President of the Rights of Animals group. Re-read LB's letter to the editor to remind students of this character.

Whole Class > Questioning

Show the class the flyer (either on the smart board, overhead, or make copies to be pasted in student journals). Read the flyer aloud to the students.
Ask the students to describe how LB feels about the building of the community centre. Prompts: ^CL How do you know this? What words or questions are used to show LB's  bias? Refer to the working definition of bias that the class created. (Examples of biased words in BLM #9: Animal Rights Rally flyer - land 'belongs' to the animals). Besides words, how else does LB try and get the reader involved in her cause (e.g. use of pictures of live animals)?
Post the following questions on the board: 

Key Questions for Discussion: ^CL

• How do these pictures make you feel?  Would you feel different if the flyer only used words? 
• How does this flyer make you feel about the building of the community centre? 
  
• What questions would you like to ask LB to understand her opinion?

Small Group > Research

Whole Group > Choral Dramatization

Once the research is finished, show BLM #9: Animal Rights Rally flyer  again. Post the rally chant (found in the centre of the flyer) on chart paper for all to see.  Prompts: ^CL What is the purpose of this chant? Who is the audience? 

Together, read the chant aloud.
 

There comes a time where we must say
What really matters on this day
Living creatures need a voice
They have rights, they need choice
Only you can make this right
So speak out loud, Let's win this fight!

Engage students in a read-aloud, playing with the  elements of choral dramatization (tempo, volume, voicing, movement and formation, and rhythm and repetition). See Appendix #2: Sample Choral Dramatization Exploration. Invite students to suggest different ways to read this poem and enjoy just playing with the sounds and words. Once the poem has been thoroughly explored, decide on the best way to read it out loud to support the meaning (e.g. when it says speak out loud, use loud voices). Mark up the copy on chart paper to remind students who is saying certain lines, when to get quiet, loud, fast, slow, etc. Practise together until it is unified and smooth. Record on a tape recorder and play back for students to hear. Consider possible changes to strengthen the dramatic impact of the words. Make revisions based on their feedback of the recording and record once again.

Whole Group > Modelling Writing a Chant/Choral Dramatization

Ask students to skim through their animal research once again.  Based on what they learned, write a whole group chant that focuses on animals of the temperate deciduous forest. ^CL Facilitate a class discussion to establish a clear purpose and audience for this chant. (e.g., a chant for young children to teach them about the variety of animals in their habitat). The chant should be no more than four lines long. Once finished, chorally dramatize this poem (using the model of play and exploration described earlier). 

Small Group > Writing/Choral Dramatization

Invite students to write their own chants based on what they learned about the animals living in the temperate deciduous forest. This can be done either individually or in small groups. (See teachers notes for DI tips). Students must decide upon a purpose and audience for their chant. (See poem/chant suggestions in the Teachers notes.) The chants should be no more than four lines long. Allow students to peer edit each others work. Once the poems are finished, divide the students in small groups and practise chorally speaking them. Give students BLM #10: Choral Dramatization Group Checklist to help them with the creative process.

Have each group perform their choral dramatization. Invite classmates to suggest an appropriate audience for the chants.

Variation: Choose several chants/poems and chorally dramatize them as a class.

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

BLM #10: Encourage students to use Choral Dramatization Group Checklist as success criteria for creating and performing well.

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Use Appendix #2: Sample Choral Dramatization Exploration  to assess how best to support ongoing development of choral speaking

Differentiated Instruction (DI)

 -  some groups can  work independently

Critical Literacy Focus ^CL

Students practise constructing their own texts, to reflect/advocate a specific point of view. This practice will help them understand that all texts contain bias.

Poem/Chant Suggestions:

1. a cry for help from the perspective of an animal who is losing its home;  
2. an informational piece that teaches students about animals and their habitats;
3. a piece that express the beauty and joy of nature, written to those that may not have much experience being in nature;
4. a political rally protest cry written to change the mind of politicians ^CL:1, 3 and 4 intentionally generating texts with bias to persuade

Related Picture Books:

Individual > Writing (all reflect ^CL)

Instruct students to respond to one of the following prompts in their journal:
1. Was LB biased in the flyer that she created? How do you know this? (give specific examples)
2. Consider the chant you wrote and the intended purpose. Is your chant biased? Why or why not?
3. Describe what a flyer is (key features) and what the purpose of a flyer is.

Assessment for/as Learning (AfL/AaL):

Assign reflection questions to gauge student understanding of bias and the text features of a flyer.

Use Appendix #3: Choral Dramatization Teacher Observation Checklist  to assess choral reading skills.