Drama- 2/8/11

Drama= So much fun. There are endless ideas to incorporate drama into teaching. I love that drama will get you out of your shell. Some of my favorites that we've done in class:

• Story as One- One person selected to start the story, they talk slow so everyone else can follow along with them. Then they point to someone else to take over and everyone tells the story at the same time following the selected person. It incorporates focus, creativity, and on the spot thinking.
• Mirror Game- You can either do this in pairs or as a group. If in pairs, person A will do slow motions with hands and person B follows them as if they were a mirror. If doing in a big group, one person goes out in the hall, the rest of the group follows the "leader" mysteriously and the person tries to guess who the leader is. As the teacher you can side coach, or give instructions.
• Machines- In groups of 5-6, make a machine given criteria of lines, etc. You each make sounds to go with your machine. Super fun.
• Interview a Character- This would be great for history. You pick a character (president, war hero) to be and bring him/her to life. Someone else interviews you.
• Character as One- This is when 3-4 people are all the same character. The teacher guides or interviews them as if they are that person. The risk level is lower as far as shy or embarrassed students.
  

Our class did presentations on the Social Studies curriculum. Everyone did a great job. The book we chose was Henry's Freedom Box. Click here to see our lesson plan incorporating drama. It was hard to do a 1-1.5 hour lesson in just 15 minutes but I think overall we did well. The activities were fun to do. I will definitely remember the books everyone presented on much more than a book that was only read.

It was so ironic because a few days after I checked out the book from the library my 2nd grader made a comment about slaves. It was an easy way to explain to him by reading him that book. We talked about how hard it would be to be torn from your family.

Drama shows the greatest impact among students. We must incorporate drama into teaching. We discussed 4 of the elements of Drama

1. Character
2. Setting
3. Story/Plot
4. Audience- very critical that kids learn how to be an audience

You must incorporate the following 6 principles of drama with the elements:

1. Symbol
2. Focus
3. Tension
4. Contrast
5. Balance
6. Form

There are UNLIMITED possibilities!!

Vincent Van Gogh- Field Trip #1

February 1, 2011. My awesome sister who works, has 2 kids, and is recovering from a shoulder injury offered to watch our kids so we could have some "alone" time. My eccentric, fun art teacher had mentioned this play in class that very day so we purchased tickets and enjoyed every minute of it.



I've never been to a play where there is only one character. At first it was a little strange to me. As it went on, I thought how hard it would be to remember all the lines, not to have a break for a drink of water, and how intense the vocabulary was.



Most adults have heard of Vincent Van Gogh, but to hear it from his brothers perspective who supported him throughout his life was a different story.



The actor, Dr. John Newman, did an incredible job portrying Theo (pronounced TAY-oh), Vincent's brother. Throughout the hour I learned several things about Vincent Van Gogh from letters he wrote. It was fun to witness it first hand and be entertained. Here are a few fun facts that you may or may not know about Vincent Van Gogh.

• Vincent's mother had a still born little boy a year prior to Vincent's birth that she also named Vincent. That is why people say he was born 2 times.
• Vincent's father was a pastor and didn't approve of his lifestyle.
• Vincent didn't think he was worth anything, always thought he could do better and be better.
• Only one painting sold in Vincent's lifetime, within the year of his death.
• He was in love with a beautiful woman and borrowed money from Theo to go see her. She didn't love him and wasn't there when he came. He was heartbroken. Vincent had several other unhappy love relationships.
• Vincent became involved with a prostitute named Christine. She had a baby and was pregnant when they met on the streets. He felt the need to take care of them. Their relationship didn't last.
• Theo was a huge financial support throughout Vincents life.
• Vincent lived in an assylum in St. Remy voluntarily. He did many of his paintings there.
• In the last year of Vincent's life, he moved to Auvers, France and completed 200+ pieces of art.
• Vincent's suicide was likely because he didn't want to be a burden on Theo and the rest of his family.
• Theo passed away just 6 months after Vincent of a nervous breakdown.
• We can thank Johanna, Theo's wife, who preserved and helped popularize Vincent's artwork.