Lesson 7: Put It Together! Part One of Culminating Task

Drama

Overall Expectations:

B1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process to process drama and the development of drama works, using the elements and conventions of drama to communicate feelings,ideas, and multiple perspectives

Drama

 I can:

•  use performance and media to communicate feelings, ideas, and points of view
• think critically about the topic of cyber bullying and use drama to engage and challenge others

Dance

Overall Expectations:

A1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process to the composition of short dance pieces, using the elements of dance to communicate feelings and ideas

A2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate their feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of dance pieces and experiences

Dance

I can:

• use dance to communicate feelings, ideas, and points of view
• think critically about the topic of cyber bullying and use dance to engage and challenge others

Language

Overall Expectations

Oral Communication 1:  listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes
 

Oral Communication 2:  use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes
 

Oral Communication 3: reflect on and identify their strengths as listeners and speakers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in oral communication situations.
 

Writing 1:  generate, gather and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience
 

Writing 2: draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience
 

Media Literacy 1:  demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts
 

Media Literacy 2:  identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning

Language

I can:

• listen to understand
• speak to communicate with others
• know and use my strengths as a speaker and a listener
• organize my writing ideas and information
• draft and revise my monologue
• understand  and create a variety of media texts
• explain and use a variety of video techniques

Chart paper and markers
Paper & Pens (each student)
CD player or other sources to play music
BLM #11 Elements of Dance

Small Groups > Voice and Movement Warm up

Have the students gather in the small groups. Explain that this is a warm up exercise to get their voices and bodies ready for rehearsal. Ask each group to stand in their own circle. Turn on the music. Direct one volunteer in each group to begin by performing a simple, repetitive movement with an accompanying sound over and over again. The rest of the group joins in by copying the leader's movement and sound. After several repetitions, the person to the left of the leader introduces a new movement and sound, and the group begins to copy the new leader. This transition should happen seamlessly, with no pause in voice or movement. Let the group cycle around the circle so that everyone has two or three turns leading. When you you sense that they are adequately warmed up, have them find an ending in stillness.

Pre-Lesson Preparation:

Small Groups > Integrating the Dances and Monologues 

Ask the students to regroup with their team for the dances.  Inform them that they are going to find a way to integrate their monologues from lesson five into the structure of their choreography. Suggest that they begin by having each group member briefly outline their character, as well as where in the dance they imagine their monologue happening. They can begin by discussing or writing down ideas, but encourage them to stand and walk through the choreography early on, so that they can problem solve different dance/text combinations in action. There are many ways they can approach integrating their dances and monologues. Some suggestions you may offer include:

Prompt: While one monologue or scene is performed:

• the rest of the group could freeze in a tableau 
• movement could continue in the background, perhaps in slow motion, or using simple repitition, so that it doesn't detract too much attention
• monologues could overlap in a choral speaking/movement structure (as practiced in previous lessons)

As they work, encourage students to explore how they can use their voices and body language to deepen their characters' words, as they practiced during Lessons 5 and 6. Suggest that they can expand their movement relationships based on the monologues, and vice versa.

Make sure that they still have a clear sense of a beginning, middle and end to their scenes, using the original tableaux as markers. As you circulate between the groups to provide an outside eye, provide Prompts: What is the progression of your piece? Does it end somewhere different than it begins? Do we come full circle? The progression can be based on a shifts in power, a story line, character development, energy, space, or some combination of different elements. Continue to encourage them to draw on their learning from past lessons. They can integrate existing structures and techniques from past classes, and draw on the elements of dance outlined in Lesson 6, as well as on BLM #11 Elements of Dance.

Whole Class > Sharing for Peer Feedback 

Have the groups perform the scenes one at a time for the rest of the class.  In between each showing, have the observers comment on what they saw in the scenes that was effective, using "I" statements, e.g., "I appreciated how so and so used a lot of facial expression in his/her monologue" or "I liked how you overlapped those two monologues".  These positive reflections will help to draw out what is working well in their scenes, so that they can expand on it.

Small Groups > Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse!

Have the students rejoin their small groups, and rehearse their scenes based on peer feedback.  

Prompts:
Are there parts of your scene that you want to expand on, or parts that you think you can cut?
Does anyone need more time to practise their monologue?
Do you want to work on any transitions between movement and monologues? Could you clarify or deepen the relationships between characters?

Give the groups time to practice and problem solve, and have another group sharing of the scenes, time allowing. Prompts: Where is your scene taking place? How can you use the classroom space and resources to create an appropriate environment for your scene?  Are there music, costume and lighting choices you could integrate to enhance communication?

Whole Class > Performance

As a class, have a discussion about the focus and content of each piece. Determine a draft running order of the pieces and consider some transitional techniques that will link the pieces to create a unified overall performance. Run it through once, and discuss ways to strengthen the links and unity of the performance. Prompts: Should we consider any changes to the running order? How might we tighten up the transitions? Can you suggest any other elements that would unify the performance? Let's brainstorm some possible titles for the performance, and then vote as a class to finalize the title.

As students layer elements in their creation, think ahead to the next lesson, which will require students to share this learning beyond the classroom.

Run it through once more as a full performance.

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Use Appendix B: Culminating Task Rubric to record anecdotal observations.

As the students collaborate in small groups, observe their communication skills as listeners, speakers, and active participants.

Circulate through groups, and give prompts to challenge their use of voice and body expression, as well as how they develop the structure of the scenes.

Assessment as Learning (AaL) 

Observe how the groups integrate peer feedback. 

Note students' abilities to provide constructive criticism to peers.

Give students time to self-reflect on their group and personal strengths and weaknesses during the consolidation.

Assessment of Learning (AoL)

Use Appendix B: Culminating Task Rubric to evaluate students in this first part of the task. 

Notes

If you observe a lack of flow or an imbalance between the dancing and speaking in the pieces, you may suggest that students edit their monologues by suggesting three to five key lines to share. Additionally, suggest ways that they can continue to overlap movement and monologues for a layered performance.

Optional: Students may choose to add some verbal dialogue between characters in their scenes, as they explored during the prepared improvisation scenes in Lesson 5. 

Individual > Self Assessment

Have each student get a piece of paper and pen to write a short self evaluation. Explain that they are going to complete some "I" statements based on their experiences creating the dance and monologues thus far.  Post the following questions on chart paper for them to see:
I am proud myself in this activity because...
I am proud of my group because...
I think that my monologue could be improved by/if...
The most interesting part of our dance was....
I think that my group could work more effectively if...