Phase III is basically a time for the teacher to relax. It is included to provide the classroom with a place in which to move into for expansion of their personal monologues. Activities used in Phase III can be used intermittently during Phases I and II.
Scene Work
is any written work that can be performed by two or more people. It can be derived from the list of plays in this unit’s resource book, or, it can be written by the students, the teacher or both. Scene work should concentrate on listening skills of the performers involved to better improve their success at working together. The use of subject matter that the student finds interesting is usually the most successful.
Role Play
is similar to scene work but it is specifically used for working on standing in another person’s shoes. A common use of role play is to allow students to solve daily problems on stage. Problems with parents, teachers and one another are possible options. Role play can be very helpful in dealing with conflict situations.
Improvisational Work
can be fun or a way to tackle serious issues. It is a great way to play while performing. It is work using thoughts from off the top of one’s head. There are many improvisational games. One is called the one word story. Each student is allowed to use one word with the next student adding a word and together the words are to form some sort of story. Another improvisation game is “draw the idea from the hat.” Different ideas for scenes are put into a hat and drawn by groups of 2 to 3 people. The students then must perform a scene using the idea. Listening and cooperating are focal points for improvisational work. Other improvisational games can be found in theater books, some of which will be included on the unit teacher resource book list.
Character Development
is yet another area of enrichment. Character development can be done through the study of character within a play or through real people and their personalities. When deriving a character profile from a play, traits can be determined from context clues and/or personal interpretation. This project may be done by individuals or as a group. When using everyday people; observing and the use of stereotypes are fun. The key to developing a well rounded character is using one’s own life experiences and expanding them with observations and imagination. *(See Lesson Plan)
All of the suggestions of further enrichment in Phase III are easily found in books that deal with theater. Using the strengths of stressful emotional release found in Phase I and II in combination with other areas of drama, stress can be released in new and innovative ways. The teacher can create a system that works for his or her classroom.
Lesson Plan III: Improvisation Work, Role Play, Scene Work, Characters
Objectives
Students will learn to work from instinct and think quickly.
Materials
Paper and pen (optional)
Procedures
The following is a basic outline for improvisational work.
1.
|
Participants are chosen.
|
____
Initially, working with smaller groups is easiest.
2.
|
Ideas are chosen. Conflict situations are usually the simplest to work with.
|
|
Parent/child conflicts
|
|
Boy/girl conflicts
|
|
Friendship conflicts, etc. . . .
|
3.
|
Short discussion among performers (teacher may also participate) about how the improvisation will go.
|
4.
|
Put the scene on stage.
|
|
If necessary, the teacher can ask students to find way to end the scene.
|
Evaluation
As the class discusses choices made on stage new or alternative choices can be discussed. Now the option to restage with new choices exists.
Lesson Plan IV: Character Development
Objective
Students will learn to observe the characteristics that create personalities in life and stage.
Materials Needed Any written play (optional)
Procedures
This is just one of several basic observation lessons used to give insight into character development and the following can be transposed for usage in other ways.
1.
|
Discussion: Personalities, What creates them? Voice, movement, nice, cool, villain, hero . . .
|
2.
|
Have each student choose one person to observe for one week. The way they walk and talk. How do they act when happy, angry, upset, nervous, etc. . . . Noting as many characteristics, physical and/or emotional, as possible.
|
3.
|
Have students report their findings and emulate at least one thing observed.
|
4.
|
Discuss these traits as building blocks for characters.
|
5.
|
If using a play, after completing steps 1 through 4 have the class read the play and discuss possible traits of one or two characters and how they relate to the actual people observed.
|
Evaluation
Did student participate in the discussion?
Was student able to observe characteristic traits?
Was student able to transfer this knowledge to understanding characters in a play?