STUDENT DRAMATIC TEACHING PROJECT

                        

Unit title	Students Dramatic Teaching Project
Subject area	Creating the drama is English Language Arts; however, the topic can be from any subject area.
Secondary subject	This example is based on Social Studies.
Grade	3rd - 12th
Duration/time	Three weeks of 30-45 minute work sessions in grade five.
Overview	We learn 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss with others, 80% of what we experience personally, and 95% of what we teach someone else.  With this in mind,  ultimately,  the Students Dramatic Teaching Project gets students teaching other students by creating and presenting informational dramas.  In this lesson description, the students creating and presenting the drama are referred to as students, while the young people in the audience are referred to as learners.  The concept of developing informational dramas evolved from the Theater in Education movement in Great Britain. Drama takes time, and may take some justification.  Look for the Why Teach Drama? essay at www.childdrama.com/mainframe.html
Technology overview click on level for description	Level 1: Students will access information.  Students went on to the Internet and searched websites. Level 2: Students will collect data for research. Students gathered information from various websites for their topic. Level 3: Students will analyze information. Students put the information into the framework of a drama about their topic; they needed to sift through their information to do this. Level 4: Students will synthesize and communicate information. Students present the information as a drama, then videotape the presentations to share with others.  (Examples of this videotape are found in the Lesson Plan section .)
Focus questions	For the students:  What would you do if you disagreed with a decision by the president?  How do you think you would react to injustice directed at you?  At someone else?  What are the stories behind injustices suffered by local tribes?  For the teacher:  Have students been taught a lesson so they can work with the information, add to it, and prepare a presentation using this information? What can students learn by presenting to other students?   Can any topic be presented using visual arts?  Does your topic have enough information available?
Content standards and benchmarks (Mastery)	Your benchmarks will vary depending on the topic students are presenting.  The following benchmarks from English Language Arts will be covered for any presentation.  ELA.I.3.LE.1-Integrate listening, speaking, viewing, reading, and writing skills for multiple purposes and in varied contexts. ELA.I.3.LE.3-Read and write fluently, speak confidently, listen and interact appropriately, view knowledgeably, and represent creatively. ELA.IV.6.LE.1-Practice using elements of effective communication to enhance their relationships in their school and communities. ELA.IV.6.LE.2-Explain the importance of developing confidence and a unique presence or voice in their own oral and written communication. ELA.VIII.10.LE.2-Combine skills to reveal their strengthening literacy. ELA.IX.11.LE.4-Using multiple media, develop and present a short presentation to communicate conclusions based on the investigation of an issue or problem.
Content standards and benchmarks (Secondary)	ELA.I.1.LE.1-Use reading for multiple purposes, such as gathering information. ELA.I.2.LE.1-Write fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions. ELA.I.2.LE.2-Recognize and use authors’ techniques in composing their own texts.
Technology standards and benchmarks (Mastery)	For a list of National Educational Technology Standards for Students, see http://cnets.iste.org   Technology activities fall under three of the content standards:  #3.  Technology productivity tools, #4. Technology communications tools, and #5. Technology research tools.  Because this lesson can be taught from grades 3-12, the performance indicators vary depending on your grade level.  For this grade 5 example, these performance indicators apply: 3-5.3.4  Use general purpose productivity tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, remediate skill deficits, and facilitate learning throughout the curriculum. 3-5.4.5  Use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. 3-5.5.7  Use telecommunications and online resources to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities for the purpose of developing solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. In this unit, students use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.  In this project, students use i-movie technology to record the presentation.  Later, students can critique their work before going to the next presentation.
Technology standards and benchmarks (Secondary)
Resources	Detroit StoryLiving  joshwhitejr.com
Lesson Plan(s)	This is an example lesson, but teachers can use any topic. Social Studies-Trail of Tears   Resources- First, students learn about the Trail of Tears using a variety of media.  Submerge the students in the topic using any teaching styles you wish.  We used not only textbooks, but also the Internet, library books, presenters, and electronic encyclopedia.  Students took notes on the Trail of Tears and kept track of references in case they needed to refer back to the resource later. Next, divide the students into the following small groups.  I allow the students to choose the group they are most interested in.  You can show the following information to your students, so they better understand each group.  After viewing the information and videos on the links, student groups will develop their part of the drama. Transition Team   This team takes the audience back in time and also makes the links from one team (below) to the next.  They do this by communicating during planning with the teams to find out what concept the team will focus on, then finding something historical to read or tell the audience about that concept.  Their job is to keep the learners in the audience in the mindset of the Trail of Tears. 1-2-3  Freeze Team  From their research, this team chooses topics about the Trail of Tears that can be acted out.  The team demonstrates the process for the learners, and then divides the learners into small groups and secretly assigns each group a topic to act out.  After each group has had time to practice, the team has the groups take turns acting out their topic.  Learners try to guess what is being acted out.  The Freeze Team may read something they have written about the topic. Living, Moving Statue Team  This team does research to come up with a broad topic that can be acted out in various ways, such as "Surviving on the Trail of Tears."  This differs from the 1-2-3 Freeze Team activity in that the learners are not assigned something to act out, they have to think of something and join in with their pantomime. Song Team  With the help of a local songwriter, the song team uses all they have learned about the Trail of Tears through their research to write a song.  The process is easiest if they choose a simple tune and substitute lyrics.  The more information they know, the easier it is to rewrite lyrics for a tune.  The team should provide the learners with copies of the lyrics so that the learners can join in the chorus or during the second singing of the song. Writing Team   During their research, this team thinks about a topic or a point of view that the learners would be able to write about near the end of the presentation.  They decide whether the writing should be a letter, a newspaper article, a journal entry, or some other format.  A team member explains the writing assignment, and every learner writes.  The team sets the time depending on how much time is left.  Usually five to ten minutes is enough for the writing time.  Then, team members collect all of the writings and read as many as time allows. Transition Team II  If your class is too large for the teams listed above, you can make teams larger or create a second transition team.  This team could do some of the transitions from team to team, and will be responsible for bringing the learners back to the present.
Example student materials	See movie examples above.
Assessment*	The presentation to another group of students is the assessment.  Once the information is learned by the presenting class,  and they have practiced their presentation, then they will go on the road to present to other classes. This presentation can be assessed using this  Informational Drama Rubric.   Alternatively, have your students create a presentation rubric.  By working with your students to build a rubric, they become active in the process and understand the expectations.   To assess the learning group (the group taught by the presenting class), the last segment of the presentation is a written component where students write a letter or a journal entry.  This is a culminating activity where learners write about what they have learned.  Also, after the presentation, the learners' teacher will facilitate a list from the students of what was learned and post this in the room.
Reflection	I used this lesson in the spring, and the students became very focused on the task because they worked as a team to present to their peers in another elementary building.  After each presentation, there was a feeling of unity and strength.  Parents commented that their children were so proud of themselves.  It built self-confidence and formed new bonds between students.  Not only did they become experts on a curriculum topic, but they also learned how to work with and teach other students.  This sometimes meant that students had to change or add to their presentation to get their point across.  I remember one of my students asking a learning group, "Do you understand what I am asking you to do?"  Some of the listeners blurted out, "No!"  At that, my student asked for a volunteer and acted out an example so everyone would better understand, and they did!!!   That was powerful.  I try to say nothing when my students present.  This is difficult when they struggle, but they learn how to problem solve on their own.    After each presentation, my students and I debrief the presentation.  At first, we view a student-made  i-movie of the presentation, but later, as students gain experience, we debrief through discussion.  Through this debriefing, they learn to critique themselves as communicators and make improvements for the next presentation.  It was during these discussions that I discerned that all students had mastered the English Language Arts benchmarks listed above.
Home activities	Go to www.educationworld.com/arts/drama.shtml for a look at how other schools are using drama to enhance curriculum.
Credits	Detroit StoryLiving  joshwhitejr.com  Michelle Dykema, Fifth Grade teacher, Franklin Elementary, Escanaba Public Schools, Escanaba, MI         mdykema@dsisd.k12.mi.us