My final reflection in this portfolio connects with the
workshop that we participated in during week 4 of our drama class. We connected
various drama strategies like musical gist, tableaux with tap in, alter-ego and
hot seat using the Q-Chart. We used these strategies in connection with
Kari-Lynn Winters book titled Gift Days. I was really interested in the book
when our instructor and author of the book Kari-Lynn Winters presented the book
to us.
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Winters. K.L. (2017).
Week 4 Drama (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from https://lms.brocku.ca/portal/site/EDBE8P48D13FW2016LEC002/page/c0f18f76-1b58-4871-bbc7-ae56e3556964
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First Part of Activity:
I liked how we started by looking
at the statics in terms of the barriers that prevent girls from staying in
school for at least 9 years. Having a discussion around the statics got me
really hooked onto wanting to know more about the book and how we will
incorporate drama with literacy. I further liked how Kari-Lynn presented the
story to us using the musical gist strategy
to chant the important phrases from the book. It was nice that different groups chanted
various phrases over and over again in different volumes. I liked how different
groups started at different points and ended at different points. It really set
the mood and anticipation to want to know more about the story.
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| Winters. K.L. (2017). Week 4 Drama (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from https://lms.brocku.ca/portal/site/EDBE8P48D13FW2016LEC002/page/c0f18f76-1b58-4871-bbc7-ae56e3556964 |
Second Part of the Activity:
We then
engaged in tableaux with tap in. We all created a tableaux pose based on the
backdrop of the working in the fields in Africa. Later our instructor cam
around and tapped us and we had to say how we were feeling that moment as we
took on the role of working in the fields. This is a great technique that helps
students take on the perspective of the character and demonstrate how they
would feel in that role. It was interesting to listen to the different words
that peers said. It’s a great strategy
to listen to the different words that everyone comes up with even though you
are in the same situation.
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| Arts Curriculum |
Third Part of the Activity:
We then
continued reading a little more of the book and then stopped the book to engage
in the alter-ego activity.
Alter-ego: a process convention in which students work in pairs, one as the
role, one as that role's thoughts. The role plays out the action and dialogue
and the alter-ego plays out the inner thoughts and feelings.
We used
this strategy to understand the differing thoughts the main character Nassali
was having in terms of whether to go to school or stay home and take care of
her family. Three peers partook in this activity and the person playing the
role of Nassali then made her decision after considering the various thoughts
and feelings that were told to her by the two different inner voices (acted out
by 2 other peers). In this strategy the student playing the role of Nassali sat
on a chair and the other two students stood on either side of the character to
represent their conflicting inner thoughts. I think this strategy is a great to
visualize and listen to the inner battle people face when making
decisions. It helps students understand
the characters inner thoughts and feelings, which in turn help students,
connect with the character.
Fourth
Part of the Activity:
We then read a little more of the
book and moved onto participating in the drama strategy Hot Seat.
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| Arts Curriculum |
In this
activity, we had one person from out class take on the role of the Nassali’s
brother and then rest of us asked him questions using the Q-Chart. Video below
shows an example of the strategy we partook in.
I
really like this technique, as the student that is on the hot seat will really
have to understand the character and answer like the character in question. The
Q-chart was a great visual resource to use to help students ask meaningful
questions that help us to understand and analysis the character in question. I
also think that the Q-Chart is a great tool for teachers to use to model the
questioning process for students and assess the level that students are at in
terms of their the questioning skills.
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| Winters. K.L. (2017). Week 4 Drama (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from https://lms.brocku.ca/portal/site/EDBE8P48D13FW2016LEC002/page/c0f18f76-1b58-4871-bbc7-ae56e3556964 |
To conclude the workshop, our instructor finished reading the book and used the musical gist strategy again
at the end to chant the powerful phrases from the book.
Extension
of Activity:
This activity can be
extended into a writing activity which will further interconnect the language
and arts curriculum. At the end of the book we see that Nassali has become a
teacher and is writing a letter. So as an extension, we can get students to
take on the role of Nassali and write in role.
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| Arts Curriculum |
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| Language Curriculum |
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