Grade 7 Drama and Language Arts

The following lesson is a cross-curricular lesson blending Drama and Language Arts, designed for Grade 7’s. I found this lesson inspiring because it added a kinesthetic aspect to the Reading strand of the Language Arts curriculum. 
Acting fairytales out in tableau format allows students who benefit from a hands-on approach to be able to better understand and retain the story. Also, for students who struggle with independent reading, this activity allows them to work with their peers to derive meaning from the fairytale. I think that the lesson below could help students at all levels use the dramatic strategy 'Tableau' to better understand reading material.

Curriculum Expectations:

The Arts - Drama:

Overall Expectation: B1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process (see pages 19–22) to process drama and the development of drama works, using the elements and conventions of drama to communicate feelings, ideas, and multiple perspectives;

Specific Expectation: B1.2 demonstrate an understanding of the elements of drama by selecting and combining several elements and conventions to create dramatic effects (e.g., develop a drama presentation incorporating a series of tableau, a group soundscape, a movement piece, and a rap/song).

Specific Expectation: B1.3 plan and shape the direction of the drama by working with others, both in and out of role, to generate ideas and explore multiple perspectives (e.g., In role: use thought tracking or writing in role to explore the feelings and motivations of a character; introduce a new perspective during role play to foster a sense of empathy with the character; Out of role: use a placemat activity to select ideas that group members agree upon; use invented notation to explain the movement of the character.

Language Arts: Reading

Overall Expectation: 1. read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;

Specific Expectation: 1.4 demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex texts by summarizing important ideas and citing a variety of details that support the main idea (e.g., key information in manuals, surveys, graphs, online and print encyclopedias, websites, tables and charts; theme and related ideas in magazine articles, dramatic monologues, television programs).

Specific Expectation: 1.5 develop and explain interpretations of increasingly complex or difficult texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts to support their interpretations

Drama Strategies/Conventions Used:

Role/character: Students will be able to consider the motivations of fictional characters by exploring various dimensions of the character. Characters can be revealed through the use of props and movement (action and freezing) during the tableau, while maintaining commitment to said role.

Relationship: Students will develop and analyse multi character relationships within the tableau.

Time and place: Students will use improvisation techniques to establish setting and mood. Tension: students are encouraged to use lighting and effects to heighten tension and create suspense.

Focus and emphasis: Students are encouraged to use a range of devices and effects to highlight specific aspects of the performance.

Guiding Theory:

In a tableau, participants make still images with their bodies to represent a scene. A tableau can be used to establish a scene that involves a number of characters. Because Tableaus do not have movement (other than getting into new positions), there is great opportunity to extend drama activities. 

Prompt: students begin by reading a story of a fairy tale of their choosing (5 selected).

Brainstorm/practice: students should use the step by step scene guide to brainstorm how the tableau will take place. After students have written down their scenes, they should practice a few times. Students should hold their positions in scenes for 5-10 seconds, then move on to the next one. Present: students present their final freeze-frame product to the entire class.

After each presentation, students can guess which fairy tale was present, and what characters were present.

Overview of the Activity:

Students will be divided into groups of 4-5. Each group will be assigned a fairytale (e.g. Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, 3 Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Boy who Cried Wolf). 

In groups, students will read the story assigned to their group they will then collaborate to create a tableau to retell their fairytale. In 6-8 frozen scenes, students will present their assigned fairytale to the class. The class will guess which fairytale was presented based on the tableau.

Potential Accommodations and Modifications:

Role/Character: Teacher can provide students with a point form summary of each main character within chosen story. This can help students develop a sense of direction in terms of how they can describe/present the chosen character.

Relationship: Teacher can create different relationship connections and have students select which relationship best fits their chosen character/story. By providing students with these options, they can still focus on the task at hand (discovering multi-character relationships) with necessary assistance needed to understand the connection chosen.

Time and Place: Teacher can provide examples of setting by relating the story to real-life scenarios or settings in order to gage the students’ understanding of developing a proper setting (ex: “Little Red Riding Hood” takes place in a forest). Think about a forest near your home or that you may have travelled in. Was it dark? Cold? What kind of noises did you hear? Animals?

Tension: Teacher can help develop the appropriate tension for the story by having a quick discussion with the students.

Guiding questions such as Is this story a happy one? What does the mood feel like? How can we show that the setting is becoming scarier? Happier?

The teacher can also present a central question regarding the problem in the story. This can help initial discussion as to what kind of setting the story takes place in.

Focus and Emphasis: Explain to students what the main climax of the story is. How can we develop or show emphasis to this event/character? (Ex. 3 Little Pigs - When the wolf can't blow down the brick house, it is a happier moment for the pigs therefore the lights can be brightened) A Narrator/Music can also be used to show important points in the story.