Welcome Back!

And we're off!  Another fabulous year of fun filled drama classes is just beginning!  This year I have the privilege of teaching every student at Open Window School and Vista at Open Window School.  That's right every student, Kindergarten through Eighth Grade, will be having weekly drama classes this year.  I think this is such an exciting change and I can't wait to see what the middle school kids can do!

I will be updating this blog twice a month with news about drama classes and any other information I think you will find useful.  If you're curious about what goes on in drama classes, this is the place to look for answers.  You can also feel free to contact me directly with any specific questions.

lisae@ows.org
(425) 747-2911  ext. 280

I'm looking forward to another wonderful year with all of your amazing children!

Lisa Edwards

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

Why are performances important?

Here at Open Window School the students have many opportunities to perform every year. From small performances during drama classes, to all school assemblies and grade level performances on the stage for friends and family. This time of year is filled with grade level performances, at least one a week for the next several weeks. Planning and rehearsing these performances is one of my favorite aspects of my role as drama teacher. In the midst of switching from second grade's fabulous show, Everyday is Earth Day, last Friday to the Kindergarten Multicultural Parade and Performance this Thursday, I found myself reflecting on the importance of performance and how wonderful it is that our students get so many opportunities to perform.

You may or may not be aware that, according to several different surveys, the number one fear among adults is speaking in public/performing in front of an audience. Many adults are so afraid of public speaking that it has held them back in their careers and social lives. I want all of my students to have the confidence to speak or perform in front of audience if they ever want or need to. I am well aware that the majority of my students are not going to pursue an acting career, but public speaking is an important skill to master. One of the goals of all our performances is to give the children the confidence they need to feel comfortable speaking or performing in front of people.

The performances start out simple with large group song and dance numbers and become more complex with individual students speaking/singing/dancing alone. By Fifth grade, the students perform a complete musical comedy and I am blown away by it every year. Many students tell me that these performances are one of their favorite parts of the year. I am thrilled to hear these type of comments because I want to make performing a fun and positive experience for all of my students.

Working with Scripts

Beginning in First Grade, students are exposed to scripts in drama class and work with them in different ways in each subsequent year. Younger students use Reader's Theater scripts and learn how scripts are written differently from stories or books. Following along and reading the parts out loud at the correct times are the focus for this age group. In Second Grade, students have the opportunity to become playwrights by turning familiar stories into scripts. The students must include all dialogue and stage directions and write their scripts in the proper format. They then get to act out the plays they have written. In Third Grade, we do some really in-depth script work. Using a short play called CSI Mothergooseland, the students have to read the script with a director's eye really focusing on the stage directions and technical elements. They then use the information from the script to design sets, costumes and even write additional scenes that could be in the play. In Fourth and Fifth Grade, the students use all of their previous learned knowledge to direct and perform scenes from plays. They also have opportunities to write their own original scripts for performance. Knowing what to do with a script is an important element of drama. Students leave OWS with a deep understanding of how scripts are written and how to interpret them.

The Art of Pantomime

Fourth grade students are in the middle of learning how to communicate effectively without using their voices, otherwise known as pantomime acting. The students have been challenged with different games and activities that ask them to communicate character, plot, setting, theme, tone and object without speaking, making any vocal sounds or using any props. They have discovered the importance of facial expressions and body language through these challenges. Every student has improved dramatically in their ability to make the audience understand their non-verbal communication since the first class.

I have found that students who are able to master the art of pantomime acting become better all around actors. They become less reliant on their voices and use their whole bodies when playing different characters. When working with older elementary children this becomes especially important. Students this age are beginning to get stuck in their heads, worrying about what classmates are thinking. This tends to make them less physical in their acting and more reliant on only their voices. Beginning the semester with pantomime takes away the "safety net" of voice, they all know how to communicate that way, and requires them to get creative and look a little silly. This makes all of the acting for the rest of the semester higher quality.

Jumping for Joy!

In movement class, Kindergarten and First Grade students have been learning all about the importance of aerobic exercise, especially jumping rope, in keeping their hearts healthy. The students began the unit at a variety of different skill levels, from beginner to advanced jump ropers. All of the students are improving their jump roping ability by increasing their jump count, how many jumps in a row, increasing the length of time they can jump without stopping and learning some new jump rope tricks.

OWS is not doing an official Jump Rope for Heart event this year, but we are still doing many of the activities in movement class to make sure the important message of keeping your heart healthy through exercise and healthy eating is communicated to the students. We are also having a lot of fun jumping rope!

What's Happening in Drama Class?

Lots! We have been very busy since returning from winter break. Students in Kindergarten and First Grade have begun a unit on puppetry. They had the opportunity to explore my puppet collection and learn how different types of puppets are controlled. Now they are busy making several different types of puppets. They began with simple finger puppets then will move on to stick puppets, hand puppets and even marionettes for the First Graders. They will use their final puppets to create puppet shows to perform for each other.

In Second Grade Drama, the students are hard at work writing plays. Each group was given a story to turn in to a play which will be performed for an audience of their peers upon completion. First, we worked together to make outlines of the important plot points from the story and now the students are working in small groups writing the script. Each group has been assigned one section of the story. Once the script is finished we will choose parts and begin rehearsing. The students will also have the opportunity to design and create sets and props for their plays.

In Third Grade we have been busy rehearsing for the Third Grade Performance: Folktales from Around the World. The show is next Thursday, February 3rd and the kids have been learning their lines, blocking, orchestra parts and dances. They have all put in a lot of work and the show is going to be great!

Fifth Grade students had their last drama class yesterday and it was really a celebration! Since winter break the students had the choice of either writing and performing original plays or making their own modern day film versions of Hamlet. Yesterday we watched the films and the plays and they were all incredible!

Fourth Grade will start to have Drama classes next week...so fourth grade parents keep checking here for information about what your kids are up to.

-Lisa Edwards