-
1. Introduction and the Geologic History of Long Island Sound (5-7 minutes); 35mm slide presentation; narration rehearsal.
-
2. Long Island Sound, A Living Time Line (5-7 minutes); costumes and props; narration and acting rehearsal.
-
3. Sound Ecology, Profile of a Tidal Wetland (10 minutes); life-size diorama and slide presentation; narration and stage crew rehearsal.
-
4. Protecting The Environment (3 minutes); narration rehearsal.
-
5. What is a Town Meeting?” (5 minutes); giant flow chart; narration and acting rehearsal.
-
6. “The Ecological Viability of Long Island Sound” (six individual presentations; 3 minutes each); slide presentations; speakers rehearsal.
-
7. “What We Can Do”—a panel discussion (45 minutes); dias and audience microphone stand.
Each presentation will also require lighting and sound technicians. (See an Eighth Grade Town Meeting on Long Island Sound in the introduction to “The Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School Team.”)
APPLICATIONS:
In hands-on fashion, students will be apprised that technical production includes: sets, props, costumes, makeup, sound, lighting, and sometimes slide and video projection, or special effects. These are the things that help to make a play believable or a presentation effective. In a play, we want the audience to feel like they are really in a different time and place. During a presentation, we want to grab their attention and hold it. As our town meeting will take place in our auditorium, students will be instructed in the preparation for various aspects of technical production (as shown below). Students will also be involved in the scheduling of rehearsals, directing, stage managing and performing. Presentation narrations and mini performances will be rehearsed, focusing on vocal technique, movement and blocking, method acting, and utilizing visual aids.
TECHNICAL PRODUCTION
-
¥ Microphones; sound system
-
¥ Screen for slide/video projection
-
¥ Projector and stand (audience center aisle)
-
¥ Lighting technician’s equipment
-
¥ Speaker’s podium (on stage)
-
¥ Set Design for a platform (off-stage; to left or right of proscenium) displaying life-size diorama of a section of the beach and sound such as Wilson’s diorama in the Peabody
-
¥ Exhibition wall space right and left of audience seating, plus additional flats to display poster projects, charts, photography and information culled from student research and field trips
Two weeks before our final presentation, we will hold after-school rehearsals and fine-tune any technical production aspects as need be. Students who put in this extra time, obviously will receive extra credit. Finally,
An Eighth Grade Town Meeting on Long Island Sound
will be presented to an audience of eighth graders (all of whom will have participated in some capacity in bringing this project to fruition), their teachers, school administrators, parents and invited guests.
EVALUATION:
Students will be evaluated on their willingness to participate, effort given to the tasks at hand, imagination and creativity with regard to design work and writing, organizational skills, and presentation effectiveness.
MATERIALS:
(As stated above in “Applications” with respect to setups.) Additionally, we will need period costuming for students appearing in the “Long Island Sound Living Time Line” (which we will gather from our Theater Department); and art supplies for construction of our diorama (which will gather from our Art Department). Major equipment regarding microphones, sound and projection are also available in our school.
In conclusion, by using the curricular approach discussed herein, where students work on “real world” targets for “real world” activities; where they are given ample support to explore a variety of resources and to “experience” their topics, it is my hope that they will gain the kind of bone-marrow learning that results in critical as well as creative thinking, evocative and provocative exposition and persuasive and articulate speech. It is also my hope that by the end of the unit, students will be able to freely express themselves with confidence in their answers to the first two questions asked of them:
“Who are you?”
and
“Where did the world come from?”
