Lesson 5 - Poetry in Performance // leçon 5 - la poésie en spectacle

Guiding Questions

• How can choices in performance create meaning for an audience?
• How can group creation be aided by taking on specific roles such as director, actor and designer?
• What makes performance of poetry affective?
• How does poetry benefit from performance?

Questions directrices

• Comment les choix en matière de représentation peuvent-ils créer du sens pour un public ?
• Comment la création d'un groupe peut-elle être facilitée par l'endossement de rôles spécifiques tels que ceux de metteur en scène, d'acteur et de concepteur ?
• Qu'est-ce qui rend la représentation de la poésie affective ?
• Comment la poésie bénéficie-t-elle de la représentation ?

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Perform a piece of poetry for peers
• Use voice techniques to add meaning to a piece of poetry
• Use the performance space to add meaning to the performance of a piece of writing
• Use tableau and movement to add meaning to a piece of poetry
• Use costume, staging, props, and tech to enhance a performance
• Experience a variety of interpretations of a piece of poetry
• Identify how choices in the performances highlights a variety of meanings in the piece of poetry
• Critique peer work identifying the successes and areas of possible growth
• Critique their own work identifying the successes and areas of possible growth

Buts d'apprentissage

A la fin de cette leçon, les élèves seront capables :

• d'interpréter un morceau de poésie devant leurs camarades
• d'utiliser des techniques vocales pour ajouter du sens à un morceau de poésie
• d'utiliser l'espace de représentation pour donner du sens à l'interprétation d'un texte écrit
• d'utiliser le tableau et le mouvement pour donner du sens à un morceau de poésie
• d'utiliser les costumes, la mise en scène, les accessoires et la technique pour améliorer un spectacle
• de faire l'expérience d'une variété d'interprétations d'un morceau de poésie
• d'identifier comment les choix dans les représentations mettent en évidence une variété de significations dans le morceau de poésie
• de critiquer le travail de ses pairs en identifiant les réussites et les domaines dans lesquels il est possible de progresser
• de critiquer son propre travail en identifiant les réussites et les domaines susceptibles d'être améliorés

Whole Class > Warm Up

Invite students to stand alone in the performance space. Ask students to walk around the room in a regular, neutral walk. Ask students to select and think silently about their favourite line or word in the performance they are about to give. Ask students to continue to walk around the room and on your call say the word or line in a quiet voice, repeat as the students continue to walk about the room asking them to increase the volume slightly each time. Call "freeze" and ask students to end the exercise by freezing in their walking stance. Point to individual students and ask them to say their line aloud; move throughout the room and point to each individual in the room to ensure each student utters a word or line from her or his performance. 

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Reflect with groups on their to-do lists from lesson four. Provide support, guidance and formative feedback to ensure groups remain on-task.

Discuss with groups their artistic choices and question their reasons for the choices. Support by providing formative feedback on the defence of artistic choices. 

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Provide opportunity for final self-assessment by students through the use of the assignment expectations prior to performance.

Utilize peer feedback and critique to engage students with the work of others in the class.

Allow for debate and engagement with the topic through the use of artistic choice defence statements.

Differentiation (DI)

Perform for larger school audiences.

Pair-up groups to provide feedback prior to full-class performance.

Allow students to provide written feedback to groups using formal or informal review techniques. 

Engage with technical lighting and sound experts in the school to expand tech opportunities.

Allow for filmed versions of the performances focusing on adding in editing and cinematic techniques to heighten the work.

Quick Tip

Engage with children's poetry for touring and performance of works to elementary classrooms.

Class size and number of groups will inform the amount of time needed for rehearsal and performance. 

Tech/dress rehearsals can be scheduled out of class by groups or extra time can be provided with an additional work-period.

Link and Layer

Remind students of the expectations for them as audience members and as performers. Link learning back to the initial questions of the unit.

Small Group > Final Preparations and Performances

Provide groups with approximately 10 minutes to prepare and finalize their poetry performances. Allow groups to get into costume, prepare set, props, and technical needs. Gather groups together for group presentations. Remind audience to consider the artistic choices being made in performance by the group as these will be discussed at the end of each performance.

At the end of each performance ask the members of the group to share their three specific artistic choices and the reasons behind them.

Key Questions for Discussion:

• Was the group successful at communicating their ideas using this choice?
• What made that choice successful?
• How else could the group have conveyed a similar message?

Questions clés pour la discussion :

• Le groupe a-t-il réussi à communiquer ses idées en utilisant ce choix ?
• Qu'est-ce qui a fait que ce choix a été couronné de succès ?
• Comment le groupe aurait-il pu transmettre un message similaire ?

Use performance and defence statements as evidence of learning and complete evaluation of final performance. Refer to PDF #3 - Culminating Task Rubric (English Only).

Whole Class > Revisiting Definitions from Lesson One

Ask students to revisit their anchor chart from lesson one.

Key Questions for Discussion:

• Are there any changes we would like to make?
• How can we define each of these terms differently now that we've experienced them together?
• What rules did we initially set for poetry, performance and movement that we broke during the work in this unit?
• How does breaking these rules allow us to see how art can stretch our ways of thinking and seeing our world?

Questions clés pour la discussion :

• Y a-t-il des changements que nous souhaiterions apporter ?
• Comment pouvons-nous définir différemment chacun de ces termes maintenant que nous les avons expérimentés ensemble ?
• Quelles sont les règles que nous avions fixées au départ pour la poésie, la performance et le mouvement et que nous avons enfreintes au cours du travail effectué dans cette unité ?
• Comment le fait d'enfreindre ces règles nous permet-il de voir comment l'art peut élargir nos façons de penser et de voir le monde ?

Individual > Self-Reflection and Extension of Learning //
Individuel > Auto-réflexion et extension de l'apprentissage

Post performance, ask each student to consider the following questions in an exit card:

• How have I learned about poetry by performing it?
• What is the most difficult part of creating a performance with a group; directing, acting, organizing, or designing?
• How has my perception of movement changed now that we have completed this unit?

Après la représentation, demandez à chaque élève de réfléchir aux questions suivantes dans une carte de sortie :

• Comment ai-je appris à connaître la poésie en la jouant ?
• Quelle est la partie la plus difficile de la création d'un spectacle avec un groupe : la mise en scène, le jeu, l'organisation ou la conception ?
• Comment ma perception du mouvement a-t-elle changé depuis que nous avons terminé ce module ?

Use the responses to exit cards to inform follow-up activities, extensions, and next-unit possibilities.