Critical Learning

Guiding Questions

Students will learn to listen to each other emotionally.  They will understand that their emotional reactions and responses to other characters are what drive a story and vice versa. They will project and interpret body language to recognize and replicate specific relationships.

By the end of this lesson, students will create specific relationships and invest their characters with clear attitudes towards their scene partners' characters.

What makes the relationships in our lives specific?
How does a relationship drive a scene?
How do we make stories about people and not things?
How does an emotional reaction provoke action?
Why do we want our scenes and stories to be driven by relationships?

Curriculum Expectations

Learning Goals

A1.3 Use role play to explore the possibilities of different scenarios, situations, and characters 

A2.2 Use a variety of drama conventions to clarify roles, relationships, and themes in individual and ensemble drama works 

A3.2 Select and use appropriate role development techniques during rehearsal and performance

B.2.2 Identify ways in which drama can promote self- and social awareness

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

  • Spontaneously generate specific relationships with their scene partners
  • Use emotional offers to drive the action of their scenes
  • Use attitudes

Instructional Components

Readiness

Students should understand how to use the concept of "yes and" in their improvised scenes.  They have an understanding of emotional, physical and verbal offers.  Students should be capable of setting a platform in a scene.

Terminology

Emotional offers
Attitude (towards another character)
Platform
Tasking

Materials

Journals for reflective writing after classes.

 

Approximately 20 minutes

Minds On

Pause and Ponder

Whole Class > Rapid Fire "Park Bench"

Set two chairs on stage with a student sitting in one chair, saying nothing; perhaps engaging in a small, inconsequential task (she is not telling a story or entertaining us with the task). Instruct a second student to enter with the two students making eye contact. Tell students they must "in that one moment know how the other person feels towards them."  They have an emotional reaction.

Tell the second student to sit down next to the first and say one line of dialogue.  The first student replies.  They may sit together for a short time, but may not speak, only making emotional and physical offers. Instruct the first student to leave and a third student to enter. Repeat the activity.
If students take too long, side coach them to increase the pace of the activity.  Encourage all students to have a turn.

Whole Class > Discussion

Ask students which relationships they would most like to see a scene about.  What was most interesting about these relationships?  Which characters did we most enjoy and want to see more of?
Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Ask students to name one thing that makes a relationship with one of their friends specific to that friendship (for example, you both love superheroes and often visit comic book stores together).  Look for:  Do students understand that even though we all have the same generic relationships in our lives, there is something about each which is specific. Have students use journals to respond to the questions in the consolidation activity.

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Ask students to give specific compliments to each other about skills used in improvisation (peer feedback).
Observe students during Reaction and One Word Response.  Are they responding emotionally?
Assess their answers to the questions at the end of Consolidation. Encourage students to explore what skills they used to stay in role.

Differentiation (DI)

Have students write down their answers to the questions in the whole class discussion before they answer.  Ask students to bring in photographs or draw pictures of somebody who has a distinct relationship in their lives to share.  Some students may need specific tips on how to illustrate attitudes towards others and how to identify them.

Quick Tip

The extensive use of emotional offers may be difficult for students with non-verbal learning disorders and may need explicit instruction on identifying and illustrating the non-verbal offers.

Link and Layer

Ask students to consider why emotional offers may be more powerful than verbal offers.
Approximately 30 minutes

Action!

Pairs > Reaction and One Word Response

Demonstrate this game for students and/or coach two students to demonstrate.  Break students into pairs and have them practice: A starts the scene with an emotional offer and one word. B reacts emotionally to that word/offer and then says one word. Repeat.
Walk around and listen to the conversations.  Ensure students are using one word.  Encourage them to "be changed" by the offers. 

Small Groups > Starting Scenes with Emotional Offers

Demonstrate the following activity using two students in the class: Have student A start the scene by tasking a setting. B enters the scene and makes eye contact with A.  The two show their attitude towards each other in that one moment of eye contact.

Instruct the two students to begin to task activities within the scene without interacting but making eye contact as they begin their activity.  Encourage students not to speak for the first few moments of the scene.
Instruct the two students to eventually start a conversation within the context of the scene.  If students need more to start their scene, give B something to begin the scene with e.g., "You want A to participate in an activity," "You have a confession to make," "You would like to tell B how you feel about him/her."
Break students into groups of four.  Two will present, while the other two watch.
Approximately 30 minutes

Consolidation

Pairs > Performances

Divide students into pairs and have them present short improvised scenes for the class that features characters who all have the same general relationship i.e., parent/child, domestic partners, roommates, classmates, siblings, etc. 

Encourage each pair to show how their relationship is specific and different from the relationships that the others have played.
Side coach students as is necessary to encourage them to make their relationships as different as possible (even though the general relationships are all the same).
Ask students to identify what was specific about the different relationships and which of the relationships seemed to offer the most opportunity for play within the scene and why.