Wrapping Up 2011

As we are quickly approaching winter break the students have been very busy in drama classes!

Kindergarten students have been learning about the dramatic elements of plot, setting and character.  We have read several stories looking for these elements and then had a great time acting the stories out.  The students also got the opportunity to create their own short plays to perform for one another.  All of their plays had interesting plots, clear settings and strong characters...and they were great fun to watch!

Students in First Grade participated in a First Thanksgiving narrative pantomime activity to compliment their study of the First Thanksgiving in class.  We planted and harvested crops, went fishing and hunting and then prepared and enjoyed our feast.  It was fun for the kids to explore the content in a different way!  We then spend some time reviewing the dramatic elements and the students worked in small groups to write and perform winter scenes.

Second Grade students have been busy exploring the concepts of Space and Community.  We spent several weeks working on a Reader's Theater play called Space Wrecked about a group of space tourists who find themselves stranded on an unfamiliar planet and have to create a community in order to survive.  Next, we did an activity called "Coming Together" which encouraged the students to explore how communities form from groups of individuals in an abstract way.  I was impressed by the complex connections the students made during this activity.

In Third Grade we have been studying the 5 W's:  Who, What, When, Where and Why and how they are related to drama and acting.  The students have created characters, drawn set design plans, written plots and applied different motivations to their acting.  After we return from break we will begin rehearsing for the Third Grade performance.

Fourth Grade students have been working on their stage voices.  We have been doing different exercises to help with our breathing, articulation, rate, projection, clarity, expression and pitch.  The students used their stage voices to do dramatic performances of poems.  They had the choice of several poems and were able to perform either individually or in small groups.  They all did a fabulous job in their final performances!

I hope you all have wonderful break from school and I'm looking forward to more adventures in drama class when we return in 2012!