Lesson 8 - Culminating Task Choice Board: Collective Creation

Drama

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:

• communicate a message about depression, emotional health, and balance through the use of a dramatic form combined with text
• use the fundamental concepts of drama to create and present my drama work
• use drama vocabulary to analyze, interpret and offer feedback to my peers on their creative work
• use the feedback from my teacher and my peers to further explore, revise and refine my creative work

Dance

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

Dance

I can:

• communicate a message about depression, emotional health and balance through the use of compositional elements, dance vocabulary and related text
• use the elements of dance and compositional forms to  create and present my dance work
• use dance vocabulary to analyze, interpret, and offer feedback to my peers
• use the feedback from my teacher and my peers to further explore, revise and refine my creative work

Language

Oral Communication:

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

Reading:

1. read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning

Language

I can:

• use my speaking skills in role to communicate with my audience
• compare and contrast different texts using my own knowledge and experience
• identify the point of view presented in texts and can give proof of any biases that the texts may contain

Markers
Student's Learning Logs 
BLM #14: Collective Creation Choice Board 
BLM #15: Collective Creation Rubric
BLM #16: Collective Creation Checklist
Appendix #5: Teacher Anecdotal Record Choice Board

Individual > Re-visiting the Anticipation Guide

Invite students to go back to their Anticipation Guide from Lesson 1 and reflect on the statements again indicating whether they agree or disagree. BLM #1: Anticipation Guide

Partners > Think-Pair-Share > Anticipation Guide

Instruct students to identify one of the statements where there has been a shift in perspective and one which has stayed the same. Invite them to identify a moment(s) from the drama/dance exploration that may have contributed to either this shift in perspective or the re-affirmation of their belief.

Whole Group > Discussion 

Invite students to report back to the class highlighting their responses from the think-pair-share. 

Instruct them to think about the following questions:
How has stepping into the fictional world of the drama impacted your understanding of depression and mental illness in the real world?

The collective creation is in essence a collection of dramatic and dance work that students have explored throughout the unit.  The idea is to re-generate these in a collective piece that will consolidate their learning and express new understandings of the big idea.

Whole Group > Choice Board -Collective Creation Instructions

Handout the assignment and evaluation rubric (BLM #14: Collective Creation Choice Board and BLM #15: Collective Creation Rubric respectively) and review the assignment with students.

Whole Group > Evaluation Rubric

After the culminating task has been explained, go through the evaluation rubric BLM #15: Collective Creation Rubric with students.  Check for understanding by asking students to summarize the expectations in the assignment.

Whole Group > Handout Checklist

Allow students 3 full classes to work on the Collective Creation.  Provide students with BLM #16: Collective Creation Checklist to allow students to stay organized. 

Small Groups > Peer Evaluation and Feedback 

At the end of the second class, ask students to share their work in progress with another group and ask each group to give two areas of strength and two areas for improvement.

Critical Analysis > Analysis and Interpretation

Each group will also respond to the following three questions after they have have given their feedback to the group and then share this response with the group.

Key Questions for Analysis and Interpretation

Small Group > Refining/Revising

Instruct students to work with the ideas and suggestions that come out of the analysis above. Allow students one full class to explore these ideas and suggestions.

Whole Group > Devising Transitions

Negotiate the order and staging of the small group pieces. Decide on a strong beginning and ending. Devise seamless, fluid transitions between the small group pieces.  

Small Groups > Presenting and Performing

Discuss/review with the class audience etiquette and performance skills.  Invite students to present their pieces in the order negotiated by the whole group.

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Use the critical analysis process, including the peer feedback and revision process to guide and direct students in preparation for group performances.

Use the Culminating Task Checklist to track students progress throughout the creative process.

Collect and use the final Learning Log responses to assess student learning from the unit as well as to inform future planning.

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Use the student responses in the Minds on Discussion to gauge how students perspectives and understandings of the big idea has deepened and extended throughout the unit.

Allow students to track their own progress using the Culminating Task Checklist.

Have students use the final Learning Log Responses to reflect on and record their personal learning and new understandings.

Assessment of Learning (AoL)

Use BLM #15: Collective Creation Rubric to evaluate student work.

Differentiated Instruction (DI)

Offer choice to students in the culminating task using the Choice Board Structure. Students can choose from a variety of themes, dramatic forms and texts. The wild card will allow students to integrate ideas not reflected on the choice board.

Tips and Considerations

Remind students that the collective creation is the culminating task where they bring together all that they have learned.

Individual > Learning Log > Reflections

Learning Log Prompts:

1. What message related to mental health and emotional balance do you feel you conveyed in your piece?
2. How did you contribute to the group decision-making process?
3. What phases of the creative process did you most enjoy? Why?
4. Which phases did you find challenging? Why?
5. Identify a piece that had an impact on you. Why?
6. This unit has taught me....

Whole Group > Sharing One Writing Sample From Learning Log

Invite students to sit in a circle and from their learning log, share one response with the class.

Unit Extension

To further consolidate the concepts and skills developed in this unit and to expand student learning, consider the following unit extension.

Critical Literacy Call to Action

Congratulate the class on an outstanding presentation of their learning. Suggest that it would be valuable to share their performance and learning beyond their own classroom, to help build awareness and diminish the stigma related to mental illness.

Show students the video 'Who I am' and suggest that it may be effective to include as part of their presentation. Explain that this video was created by youth and entered into the Change the View video contest for Mental Health Week 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDdWhi3q-g

Small Groups > Building a Presentation for an Audience

In small groups, have students discuss a) who their audience should be and b) what elements should be included in the presentation. Ask one reporter from each group to share their ideas with the whole class.  Record each group's ideas on chart paper. 

Whole Class > Shaping the Presentation > Reaching Consensus

Invite the class to discuss and reach consensus regarding audience, as well as content, format and order of the presentation. Establish clear goals as a class.

Key Questions for Discussion:

Who is the best possible audience for our performance and our presentation of information?
What elements shall we include in our presentation? e.g., student speaker, youtube video clip, small group discussion, collective creations, large group discussion, planning community action?
What outcome do we hope to achieve with our presentation?
How will we measure our success?

Design and Format

There are many possibilities for this presentation, including:

• a whole class presentation with a student speaker to set the context, you tube video, presentation of collective creation followed by a Q and A with the audience;
• each small group from the culminating task could prepare their own mini presentation and go into different classes to share;
• a small group of students may choose to take on the task of designing and implementing a presentation, perhaps with input from the whole class.

Consolidation > Measuring Success

Provide time and opportunity for the presentation group(s) to consolidate and debrief their learning from this rich experience.  Have students design questions for their audiences that will elicit feedback about the impact of their presentation.

Tips and Considerations

The teacher may wish to give these questions for homework so students have more time for reflection and then share their thoughts the next day.

Deciding to perform for an audience outside the class should be determined based on the readiness of the performers as well as the readiness of the audience the group will perform for. 

Including the 'Who I Am' video as well as a student speaker and follow-up discussion with the audience will provide important, meaningful context for the presentation.

Hyperlink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDdWhi3q-g