OWS Drama: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Wrapping Up Another Great Year!

It's hard to believe but we only have eight more days of school this year! We have been busy finishing up projects in drama classes and reviewing all we've done this year in movement classes.

Kindergarten students just finished a unit all about insects! We moved like caterpillars metamorphosing into butterflies, made up our own insect stories to act out and even had an "Ugly Bug Ball," where we made antennae, wore wings and had a dance party!

First grade students finished creating their fabulous marionette puppets and then used these puppets to make their own fairy tale puppet shows.

In Second grade the students have been busy rehearsing the plays they wrote based on several different folk tales. They will be performing these plays for their classmates before the end of the school year.

Third grade students just finished up their big set design, costume design and monologue projects all using the play CSI: Mothergooseland as a base. I was very impressed by the creativity shown by the students, especially in the original monologues they wrote and performed.

In Fourth Grade we are ending the year with a unit on Improv. The students are having a great time playing improvisational acting games straight out of the Theater Sports playbook. It's nice to finish the year with a lot of laughter!

Movement classes have been spent reviewing all of our previous units, with students having two or three different options each class. It has been fun for me to see which activities they choose to do again, and how much they remember from classes we had back in September!

It has been another fantastic year of Drama and Movement here at OWS! Next year, I will not be teaching Movement any longer, but I will be taking on the additional challenge of teaching Drama at the middle school level. So check back here in the fall to find out what's happening in Drama classes from Kindergarten all the way to Eighth grade!

I wish you all a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you in the fall!

Lisa Edwards

Drama Program Overview

Following is an overview of the drama program at Open Window School. The program was developed to meet the elementary theater standards set by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as well as the OWS drama benchmarks.

These are the ten major goals of the drama program:

A. Students will understand the concepts of character, setting, dialogue, conflict, plot, design and theme.
B. Students will develop theater skills and techniques including using voice, movement and sensory recall to communicate character, contributing to dramatic play, working within a small group to solve a dramatic problem, and using appropriate focus techniques to enhance dramatic performances.
C. Students will understand and apply theater styles from various cultures and times.
D. Students will be able to apply audience skills in a variety of arts settings and performances: self control, focus, active listening, audience response, and respect for the performers.
E. Students will apply the creative process in drama by creating original works, reflecting on them, refining them and then presenting them to others.
F. Students will apply the performance process in drama.
G. Students will be able to express and present ideas and feelings in the context of drama.
H. Students will use theatrical skills to communicate for a specific purpose.
I. Students will be able to see the connections between drama and other content areas.
J. Students will understand how drama and the arts shape and reflect culture and history and understand the role of theatrical skills in the world of work.

As you can imagine, these skills are taught in a variety of ways and at a variety of depths depending on the age of the students. Imagination and creativity are emphasized during drama class as the children play a variety of theater games, learn about and use different acting styles, study the elements of a good story/script, improve public speaking skills and have a great deal of fun!

OWS Drama

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Wrapping Up Another Great Year!

Drama Program Overview

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