The Play’s the Thing: Expanding Literacy and Critical Thinking Skills Through Drama COOL Workshop

What can drama do? Drama can develop the following skills in both  the participant and the spectator: observation, creation, reflection, revision, collaboration, response, listening, cooperation,  acceptance, self-discipline, trust, and focus. These skills mirror many basic listening and comprehension skills needed for learning, exploring, and demonstrating knowledge in school and in life.

They are also part of the 21st Century Learning and Innovation Skills  Creativity and Innovation Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Communication and Collaboration

AGENDA Meet and greet Put the answer to these three questions on post it notes and place on the chart paper. What do you know about using drama in the classroom? What do you want to know? What questions/concerns do you have?  

Group building and imagination games: building the tool box (a selection of activities will be done) Common ground/step ins Name and Shape Pass the prop/What else could this be? Mirrors 1-3 Changes Walking in Space Narrated shape Sculpting Tableau (from text)

Reflect, apply, discuss How did the exercises feel? What did you notice about yourself while doing them? What did you notice about your comfort level? How might you use these activities in class? What adaptations might need to be made? What are skills need and developed to do these activities? Where else are those skills used in school? In life?

Curriculum Applications: King Midas Reading Street Grade 5 Unit 6

ELA Skill: Predicting Decoding the illustrations Break into groups. Each group gets a picture. Create a list of words and phrases that describe the picture.   Embody/recreate the picture: you can be both animate and inanimate objects, or add characters not in the picture frame. Show what you think comes happens next. Show the opposite outcome

ELA Skill: Making connections, understanding concept Create a skit that shows what wealth means to you. (You can choose to use body, voice, object, texture) Brainstorm ideas, decide on story Create scene and practice Share scenes Discuss: What did you notice? What ideas stood out? What did the scenes have in common? What separated them?

ELA skill: Sequencing, identifying key moments in a story. Sequence cards: create a frozen picture for each  card.

Reflect, apply, discuss How did the exercises feel? What did you notice about yourself while doing them? What did you notice about your comfort level? How might you use these activities in class? What adaptations might need to be made? What are skills need and developed to do these activities? Where else are those skills used in school? In life?

Application to other texts: Non-Fiction Read the text, make a list of the sequence of events. Consider drama tools that could be used; how can you teach or explore content with them?

Germination: How a seed begins to grow 1. Sleeping The seed lies dormant (sleeping) in the ground all winter long. When the spring comes the sun warms the earth and the moisture from the rain brings the seed to life. 2. Waking up in spring and beginning to grow The water goes inside the seed through its skin, making it swell and get wrinkled. It sprouts a root (the radicle) that pushes down into the earth. The root absorbs the water and minerals (food) from the soil. 3. Growing leaves Next the plant begins to grow up towards the surface of the earth, reaching for the sun. Once it is above the ground it straightens up, and the first leaves begin to grow Germination: How a seed begins to grow

Wrap up workshop: Brainstorm other Content and texts Questions and next steps.

Reflect, apply, discuss How did the exercises feel? What did you notice about yourself while doing them? What did you notice about your comfort level? How might you use these activities in class? What adaptations might need to be made? What are skills need and developed to do these activities? Where else are those skills used in school? In life?

Link to web resources: http://community.udlcenter.org/group/cool/page/drama