Personal monologues are the centerpiece of this program. Explain to the students that a monologue is a piece to be performed alone. These pieces are to be chosen works, improvised or written, then performed by the student. The only criteria for developing monologues are that the student should have strong emotions towards what is chosen and feel comfortable or capable of performing the piece for the class. The pieces do not need to be memorized but they may be. The students should be encouraged to be creative with real life situations; changing outcomes and changing names of the persons involved in written and improvised monologues are helpful guiding tools. Give them class time to work on writing and deciding what they would like to do. The teacher can use the time to answer questions regarding ideas and to work with individual students. The suggested time for writing and preparing a monologue is three to five one hour sessions. At this point the teacher should not sit behind the desk, but should reach out to the students. When the students have been briefed on the freedoms given within this unit, they will more readily respond when given time to deal with the teacher on a personal level. After the teacher feels that the students have all been given a chance to work on some type of idea and has spoken with many of them, it will be time to begin calling on students to perform their Personal Monologues.
Each student will display a different area of proficiency when performing. Many will display apprehension. Students may suddenly lose ideas they worked on. The teacher only needs to take a few moments to go over the ideas again with the student. If the student still does not seem ready, the teacher can allow the student to perform the piece to the teacher on stage. Another method that can be used with the frightened student is a distracting action, an example of which would be to give a student the task of tearing up a piece of paper into tiny pieces while performing the monologue. This relaxation exercise, or silently counting to ten and breathing will also help in this situation. Students can begin by taking a breath, counting silently, exhaling and taking a breath again when necessary. This exercise gleaned from the relaxation phase can be used while performing. If a student chooses to read the piece, try to get her/him to look up when speaking. It is best if all students are advised to choose a focal point above the audience members’ heads. Looking at the audience may unnerve the student and should usually be avoided. The basic actor would begin to work past this problem but for our purposes it is not necessary. The student needs to project the voice and feelings; finding key lines to repeat and emphasize. This type of work, along with allowing an opportunity for a repeat performance, will help insure that the student feels he/she has been heard and been given a chance to fully express themselves.
When beginning the performance of the monologue, it will probably be advisable to choose a student to go first who is likely to excel. Then give something extra to the student who does well in front of the group and be prepared to give the student actions to go with the piece. An example of something extra would be: A student does a piece on the death of someone, suggest they do the monologue again and improvise a conversation with the spirit of the person. An example of added action would be physically reenacting the event described. *(See Lesson Plan) If students who excel are resistant to extras try not to push them. If any student is unable to perform, have them write down and turn in what they would like to do.
During this phase, compassion and warmth, supportive statements and positive feedback from the teacher should be used. It may be necessary for the teacher to work with one student for the entire hour. The teacher should also have information on hand to direct students to extra help if necessary; such as books on presentations, experienced people, other students who have met with success.
This phase will also give the teacher some clues into what the student is like emotionally. The beauty of this phase is that it becomes a time of stepping out of the basic day to day doldrums. Whether a student does something silly or serious, as the emotions flow, everyone’s stress becomes lessened. There is no secret to why it works. It is simply wonderful to have the chance to express oneself. The personal monologues will help the teacher and student get to know one another. Personal Monologues can be done as long as the teacher chooses.
Lesson Plan II: Personal Monologue
Objective
The student will learn to express themselves creatively through a monologue, speak in front of an audience as well as learning to be a good audience to others.
Materials Needed
Space provided for a stage area, a chair
Procedures
1.
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Give students an explanation of monologue, and that it will be performed by them alone in front of the class. *Allow students time to prepare a personal monologue of their choice. (written or improvised)
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2.
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*Meet with students for several one hour sessions and work with individuals to help them formulate and feel comfortable with the subject chosen as well as the personal monologue itself.
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Explain to the students that being an audience is as important as being a performer. Classrooms that do not naturally respond to being a good audience can be given letter and/or conduct grades for being an audience member.
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4.
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Set a chair up on ‘stage’ (real or created) and choose a student to perform their personal monologue.
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*See essay portion for suggestions in dealing with problems.
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5.
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Have a student perform their monologue and when finished give him/her additions and/or new ideas and the opportunity to perform again with these additional suggestions.
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Examples: Action movement that fit the story:
Miming a sporting game or event.
Action movements that fit the character or a distraction for the nervous performer like pacing, jumping or skipping.
6.
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*Close out student work on the monologue when deemed necessary. Have the audience applaud.
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7.
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Give student personal words of affirmation.
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“I really liked ____________________________________”
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“It was funny when ____________________________________”
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“I could really empathize with ____________________________________”
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Evaluation
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Was student successful at choosing a monologue?
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Did the student perform monologue?
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Was the audience supportive?
Optional
Letter grades may be used if the teacher feels they are helpful. Talent and effort should be balanced for letter grades.
Excerpts from Monologues actually written and performed by students . . .
“Has someone really close to you ever died? Well it’s happened to me. Two people within two months. First it was my Grandmother. Not only was she my Grandmother but she was my best friend. She gave me everything I needed . . . food, clothes, money and shelter. She was always there for me and always took care of me. But then things changed. I had to start taking care of her. The doctors said that she had cancer. After 3 weeks, she passed away.
Then, my Grandfather. He got really sick the day before my Grandmother died. He was admitted into the hospital. After two long months in the hospital bed, he died.
I really didn’t know what I was gonna do. I mean my friends were there for me, they were really supportive. But, I mean do you know how it feels lying awake at night and crying. I mean first you’re guilty cause you didn’t even get to say goodbye then you keep asking, ‘Why God, why this person?’ I mean you always think they’re gonna be there for you and they’re gonna see you graduate high school. But, as the months passed I realized that even though that person passes on their memory will be there forever.”
“Have you ever really been in love? Well, I have, and it’s really shocking because I’m not the type of person to fall in love, and all my friends know that. They were really shocked when I poured my heart out to them and cried on their shoulders.
Now this is how it all started. It was about 2 weeks before Valentines Day when this certain person who never even looked at me started noticing me and saying ‘Hi!’ when he passed me in the halls. Then he started calling me. Well I thought he was just being nice. I never knew what I was in for. One thing led to another and we started going out. I wasn’t sure how much I liked him. I knew I liked him a lot but I has no idea it was love. It finally hit me on Valentines Day when he didn’t even call me. I was really upset, cried all day. I kept the crying to myself, I didn’t let anyone know it effected me. The next night he ditched me. I got dumped. Yeah, I guess you can say he played me. After that we didn’t talk. Well actually I didn’t talk to him for about two months. I went out with a few people that didn’t really mean much to me to try to take my mind off him and to help me forget him. But I knew no matter what, I still wasn’t over him. I wanted to kill myself, I was so miserable, until April vacation! He called me, I said ‘Wait a minute, this has to be a joke, you’re actually talking to me?’ We talked for an real long time and then just out of the blue he asked me out. I didn’t understand why, but I didn’t care at the moment because I was happy and going out with him! This relationship was going pretty good, well that’s what I thought. On our one week anniversary he called me up (himself) and said ‘I don’t think we should go out anymore, but he wants to stay friends’. Well I just said O.K. and hung up and cried for days. That is the worst thing to say, and he said it. I couldn’t believe what he was putting me through. I couldn’t even look at him, my eyes would get all glassy, but I refused to cry in front of him. I kept on saying to myself ... ‘He isn’t worth it’, but I knew in my heart it really was. Recently he started talking to me again, just when I was trying to get over him. Now I love him even more. I try to get over him, but I just can’t help myself. He tells me he likes me but I don’t believe him and I don’t want to because I really don’t feel like getting hurt again. He told me he would ask me out, but his best friend likes me. That was like a knife going through my heart. In a way I wanted to believe him but I couldn’t. Sometimes I say to myself . . . ‘Why do I love him? Why am I wasting my time on someone I don’t have a chance with? Why me?’
I guess I don’t really have a choice. There is one thing I know, and that’s he is my first true love and even if I never get him back I will never forget him.”