Category Archives: Writing

LOVE Drama (Lesson 1)

Posted on by
Reply

Drama/Theatre Lesson
by Teresa Love
Drama /Theatre Specialist, Fullerton School District
All the Arts for All the Kids
Storytelling:
This set of lessons explores dramatic work as one learns to express a story.  Since drama can be defined as “an actor with a conflict”  and, in most theatre, drama is contained and expressed through  story, story literature and character archetypes from six different cultures are explored.
The lessons are linked both to theatre arts standards and history/social science and language arts curriculum standards.
Emphasis is placed on expressional fluency, critical thinking, divergent thinking, cooperative learning, creating solutions to problems, and comparing and contrasting cultures and style. 
Students participate in acting exercises, games and playmaking.

April 2002
Lesson One
Title:  The Storyteller’s Art
Overview:  Storytellers have existed throughout time, with the necessary consent and participation of  their audiences.  Storytellers’ audiences range from the nursery to political gatherings, religious disciples to  the farmers’ hearth,  the royal court, to the lecture hall.  Storytelling exists to teach, explain, demonstrate devotion, entertain or all of the above.
Storytellers learn to engage their audiences, with their  material and their manner of presenting the material.  Unless an audience listens, the story stops and the goals of the storyteller fail.  Audiences learn to support the story teller through social and cultural mores. (For example, some cultures listen in respectful silence.  Some cultures respond verbally to cues, becoming integral to the performance.)
Objectives: 
1.    Children will participate in sound and motion stories, responding to appropriate cues.
2.    Children will, through their participation, demonstrate the concept that as a storyteller cooperates with an audience, the audience cooperates with the storyteller.
Materials Needed:
(Note:  In this lesson, as in subsequent lessons, stories and books will be suggested.  However, other stories and books can be substituted depending on teacher choice.
The teacher can choose a different Hero, Villain or Fool story.  There are plenty of these stories  in every country and culture.  It is important that the teacher be excited about the story, and prepare to tell the story in as an exciting and engaging manner as possible.  The storyteller’s art is one of the dramatic arts!  So, in looking for substitute stories,  chose a story you really enjoy telling.
Picture Books
·        How I Spent my Summer Vacation, by Mark Teague, Dragonfly Books, published by Crown Inc., a division of Random House, 1995;
·        Tasty Baby Belly Buttons, by Judy Sierra, Illustrated by Meilo So, a Borzoi Book, Albert Knopf,  publisher, 1999.
·        White board and markers (or prepared word strips “The storyteller’s job is to make the story interesting.”, The audience’s job is to have Open Ears, Open Minds, and Open Hearts.”, “ Stories Teach, Warn and Entertain.”
·        World map
Optional: (To be used in every lesson, if desired.)
·        A potted live or silk plant or tree, large enough to support “ornaments.”  Use these ornaments to represent various characters and items in the various stories.  The ornaments can be placed on the “Storytelling Tree”  as a review tool, or as items to pique interest about the story the students will hear during the lesson.
The following are a list of items I have used.  These “ornaments” will be noted in the following lessons as optional materials, and the teacher can make his/her own choice as to which items to use, if any.  Also, naturally, as the choice of stories and books will vary depending on teacher choice, so will the ornaments. That said, here is a list of ornaments and their corresponding story.
·        small wrapped gift box (“a story is like a present…”)
·        Dog, bird, monkey:  Tasty Baby Belly Buttons
·        Egg:  Horton Hatches an Egg
·        Mortar and pestle, dog, cat, comb:  “Baba Yaga”
·        Artificial mini lettuce head:  “Magic Field”
·        Miniature broom:  Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like
Vocabulary:  (as grade appropriate) Note:  Vocabulary listed will match with the suggested stories.  If the teacher makes other choices, substituting a different story, the vocabulary will, obviously be different. 
 
stampede, cattle, wrangler, matador, buckaroo, oni, millet, dumplings, pheasant, minuscule, storyteller, cooperation, cue
Background:
Have a short discussion with the students regarding their last vacation, or school break.  Ask them to shut their eyes and make a “remember picture” in their mind of the best thing they did during that vacation or break.  Remind children of various activities they might have experienced.  (“Did you spend time at your grandma’s home… did you go someplace fun with your family… did you stay at home and read a million books… did you play outside with your  neighbor…?” etc.)  Ask students to share with you their memory, or “remember picture.”
Choose a few students and listen to their stories.  Draw students out, asking for details, being delighted that they will share with you.  Thank each student for telling you his or her story.  Use and emphasize the words story and storyteller.
Tell the students you liked their stories so much you might go share their stories with someone you know.  (“  At dinner tonight I might say to my daughter that  there was this child in my class today, and he had such a great time when he went to the mountains with his Dad and Mom,” etc.)  Honor the fact that the students shared with you.  Demonstrate that you were a good listener.  Repeat specific details of the stories as you speak, so that the students will notice how closely you paid attention.
Tell the students that you feel as if you received a gift, a present, today, when they told you their stories.  Tell them you are going to pass the present along when you share their story with someone else.  (“A story is like a present.  You give someone a gift when you share a story.”)
Procedure: 
1.  Invite students to listen to a story about a boy and what he did on his summer vacation
2.  Present How I Spent My Summer Vacation, by Mark Teague.
3.   Help the children discover all the storytellers involved.  Discuss the fact that Wallace Bleff shared his story with his class.  Also, a man named Mark Teague made up the story and pictures of the book.  Then point out that you (the teacher) were a storyteller also, because you told the story to your students. 
4.   (“In the next few drama lessons we have we’re all going to learn about stories and how to express stories—share stories ,  with other people.)
5.   Using prepared word strips, or writing on the white board, discuss the following concepts in light of the story you just read.  Refer to illustrations as examples of these concepts.
·         Stories Teach, Warn and Entertain (“Did Wallace’s story warn us of anything?” etc)
·        The Storyteller’s job is to make the story interesting. (“How did Wallace make the story interesting?”)
·        The Audience’s job is to have Open Ears, Open Minds, Open Hearts.  (“What does it mean to have open ears?” etc.)  Students will have many ideas regarding these concepts.  You may want to note that open ears can mean listening well,  and open mind may mean using one’s imagination.  It can also mean not deciding before you hear a story whether or not you’ll like it.  Having an open   heart can  mean letting oneself be touched emotionally by a story.(“So if the story is supposed to be funny, go ahead and laugh.  And if the story is supposed to be a little scary, go ahead and feel a little afraid. And if the story is a little sad, go ahead and …that’s right, feel a bit sad.)
5.   Prepare to presentTasty Baby Belly Buttons, by Judy Sierra. Tell students that in Japan(refer to map) the audience is invited to help tell the story.  Tell students that when you give them a signal, or cue,  students are invited to follow what you do and or say.  Review vocabulary students may need to know to understand the story. (dumplings, millet, oni, pheasant, etc.) 
6.   Each term noted in italics in the text  can be accompanied by a motion as you say them.  Share the story as described. (”One morning , as the old woman was washing clothes in the river, a melon came floating along, tsunbara, tsunbara”  Using your hand, imitate a melon floating down the river, and say “tsunbara, tsunbara, tsunbara,”  inviting and indicating the students to do the same. You might even say, “This is your part!” if students don’t join in right away.
7.   Other opportunities for sound and motion, for yourself and students:
·         “Zushin, zushin!” Sway back and forth as if you are a monster marching.
·        Chant “Belly buttons, belly buttons, Tasty baby belly buttons!”  in a monstrous voice. (Make sure students chant with you.)
·        Walk your fingers in your palm as you say “Tontoko, tontoko.”
·        Use a high pitched voice for the pheasant as you say “Ken, ken, ken, ken, I smell millet dumplings!”
·        Use a goofy monkey voice as you say “Kya, kya, ,kya, kya, I smell millet dumplings.”
·        Use your hand to toss the dumplings to the pheasant and monkey.
·        Knock on the castle door, using a deep voice, “Don, Don, Don!”
·        Cry like a baby, rubbing your eyes for “Boro,boro,boro,boro!”
·        Pretend to get your toes nipped, knees knocked, and head bopped as the animals attack the monsters.
·        Use a swift sword motion and sound to cut the rope tying the babies.
8.   Praise the students for their work.  Discuss how they did their job as an audience.  Thank them for their help in making your job easier as a story teller, by helping to make the story interesting.  Ask, did the story teach us? How?  Warn us?  How?  Entertain us? How? 
9.   If you are using the Storytelling Tree, invite students to put representative items on it.  Include the present to remind everyone that sharing a story is a wonderful gift. Tnank the children again for their stories with you.
Assessment:
·        Did the students participate in sounds and motions?
·        Did the students demonstrate their responsibilities as audience members demonstrating open ears, open minds, and open hearts– criteria you discussed and decided together?
Integration/Correlation/Extension/Modification:
·        With young children, bring in some millet (pet stores have it) and pass it around.  Bring pictures or actual dumplings.  Discuss how many different cultures have a special type of “dumpling” in their cooking.
·        Set a movement pneumonic for Open Ears, Open Minds, Open Hearts.  (For example, point to ears, brain and heart, each time you mention the Audiences’ job.)
·        Ask students to draw or write a version of their own summer vacation.  However, they must have an open mind, and extend their thinking and add some fun exciting new fictional details to their stories.  Have the students read or tell their stories to classmates.  Classmates may  guess what is “real” and what is fictional.
·        Sing some story songs: “The Cat Came Back”, “The Ship Titanic”, “On Top of Spaghetti”, “Found a Peanut”, etc. 

Contractions (Lesson Plan)

Posted on by
4
 I really enjoyed this game. The kids get to get out of their seats and can practice contractions at the same time! I’ve done this game successfully with third graders and sixth graders, so it can pretty much work with any group who needs a review of contractions (helpful for ELL students).
Context
Name: XXXXXXX                            Date: March 18, 2009                         Grade level: 6th – 3rd 
Subject/topic: Contractions                 Length/minutes: 20-30 minutes          Group size: whole class
Sequence: ongoing
Purpose
Standard/core: Standard 8, objective 4, indicator a
Standard 8 Writing-Students write daily to communicate effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Objective 4. Edit written draft for conventions.
a.Edit writing for correct capitalization and punctuation (i.e., capitals in holidays, titles, dates, greetings and closings of letters, personal titles, contractions, abbreviations).
Learning goal: Students will understand how to form contractions with the word not.
Major concepts:
Contraction: a shortened form of two words; making two words into one
Apostrophe: shows where letters have been taken out (in most contractions with not, it takes the place of O.)
Contractions:  is not – isn’t
                              are not – aren’t
                              was not – wasn’t
                              were not – weren’t
                              have not – haven’t
                              has not – hasn’t
                              had not – hadn’t
                              do not – don’t
                              does not – doesn’t
                              did not – didn’t
                              will not – won’t   apostrophe takes out two letters: n and o.
                              cannot – can’t      apostrophe- three letters disappear an the o changes position
Assessment
Given a worksheet, students will be able to write the correct contraction form of the word with 80% accuracy.
Management
Self starter: none
Expectations: Sit and raise hands (no calling out) even when on the carpet; Students will focus on the topic; No sharpening pencils, getting out of seats going to the bathroom during the lesson.
Procedures: work with your table buddy; raise hands to speak.
Fast finisher: write a story using contractions on the back of your paper.
Instructional Strategies

Attitude Orientation:You probably already use contractions more than you realize. What are some common phrases that use contractions? (example: Don’t do that!)

Tell objective: “Today, are going to see how many contractions we can make. At the end, you’ll have to be able to tell me the contractions that go with a set of words, so pay attention!”
Schema Orientation:
There are times when we do not want to say two whole words, so we shorten them and make a contraction.
Explain definition of contraction (making two words into one).
Explain that an apostrophe (takes the place of missing letters) is used to shorten the words.
Let’s go over some of the most common contractions and see what they mean. Place word card pairs on the board. State two words and see if students can name the contraction before you put the card on the board.
Now let’s see if we can find some in this paragraph. Read the paragraph out loud (taking turns reading aloud) and have students raise their hands when they think they see/hear a contraction.
Please come sit on the carpet up front. We have a game to play after we write some of our own contraction sentences. Please do not talk to your neighbor so we will have time to play our game.   As a class, use interactive writing to construct sentences or a story using contractions. Have students take turns writing the sentences. Teacher can write parts of the sentence to help speed up process, but be sure that students are writing the contractions. Be sure to point out apostrophe placement in each contraction and double check spelling of contractions so students can see which letters are left out of the contraction.
Example: Let’s write a story using the following prompt: “Don’t do that,” Jimmy’s mother yelled.
    Discuss what Jimmy’s mom could be warning him not to do, then let students write a story while sharing the pen. Have students help contribute ideas. Try to engage every student and use ideas form many students to write the story.
Now we have a game to play. Contraction Bases: Place signs with contractions around the room. Use the word cards from the beginning of the lesson to help you choose bases.
Activity:
Model/Explain: Now that we understand contractions, let’s play our game. I have put contraction signs up around the room. By the time I count to 5, find a contraction base to stand by. Don’t move until I start counting. You must be frozen at a base by the time I’m done counting.  (This game is similar to the classroom game “corners”.)
            Check for understanding:
            As you call out words that form contractions (to get student out of the game), check to make sure students know the corresponding contraction. Have students point to the contraction that goes with the set of words.
Then play the game ! Have students who are out sit at their desks and be “Freeze Police” that make sure everyone is at a base when you get to 5. You can also have students help choose the base. Start over after calling a few bases to let everyone participate. When students get out, they can help you choose a contraction to call.
Independent practice:
Have students go back to their worksheet and ask students to write the contraction that goes with each set of words. Remind them about the fast finisher (write a story using contractions on the back of your paper).
Closure: Lead a class discussion about why people use contractions. When would you choose to use a contraction over a formal set of words?
Accommodations
            Visual learners- word cards
            Kinesthetic learners- active game
            ELL students- word cards with oral language
Resources
Word cards
Large writing paper
Markers
Easel
Signs for game
Worksheet
Reflection
Step 1: (Instruction and Management) What went well? What should be improved?
Step 2: (Student Learning) What did the children learn? How do you know?

Lesson Planning with Multicultural Students in Mind

Posted on by
Reply

Diversity  makes classrooms beautiful. This diversity, however, requires careful thought and attention in lesson planning. Here’s an example of planning a lesson with a multicultural student (Erica) in mind…


Context
Name: XXXXXXX                            Date: March 18, 2009                      Grade level: 3rd           
Subject/topic: Contractions                 Length/minutes: 20-30 minutes          Group size: whole class
Sequence: ongoing
Purpose
Standard/core: Utah Standard 8, objective 4, indicator a
Standard 8 Writing-Students write daily to communicate effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Objective 4. Edit written draft for conventions.
a. Edit writing for correct capitalization and punctuation (i.e., capitals in holidays, titles, dates, greetings and closings of letters, personal titles, contractions, abbreviations).
Learning goal: Students will understand how to form contractions with the word not.
Erica is a high energy student who is constantly moving in her seat. Her family speaks Spanish at home, making English her second language (ELL student). Her English language skills are basic and her verbal language is stronger than her written. Knowing where the apostrophe belongs in contractions may pose a problem. In addition, she learns best with kinesthetic activities. Her favorite part of school is PE and is always the first one in line for recess. This lesson deals with contractions, a requirement for the Utah3rd grade state core.
Major concepts:
Contraction: a shortened form of two words; making two words into one.
Apostrophe: shows where letters have been taken out (in most contractions with not, it takes the place of O.) (Make sure to review what the word “contraction” means and what it looks like.)
Contractions:  is not – isn’t                       are not – aren’t                    was not – wasn’t         
were not – weren’t                        have not – haven’t               has not – hasn’t
had not – hadn’t                do not – don’t                      does not – doesn’t            did not – didn’t            
             
will not – won’t   apostrophe takes out two letters: n and o.
cannot – can’t      apostrophe- three letters disappear an the o changes position
Assessment
Given a worksheet, students will be able to write the correct contraction form of the word with 80% accuracy.  
Management
Self starter: none
Expectations: Sit and raise hands (no calling out) even when on the carpet; Students will focus on the topic; No sharpening pencils, getting out of seats going to the bathroom during the lesson.
Procedures: work with your table buddy; raise hands to speak.
Fast finisher: write a story using contractions on the back of your paper.
Instructional Strategies (contractions indicate speech)

Attitude Orientation: You probably already use contractions more than you realize. What are some common phrases that use contractions? (example: Don’t do that!) Put up a word card that says “contraction.” This will help Erica see the word I keep using. She will know how to spell it, and when she sees it in the future, she will remember this lesson.

Tell objective: “Today, are going to see how many contractions we can make. At the end, you’ll have to show me you can make contractions, so pay attention!”
Schema Orientation:
Invite students to come sit on the rug. Let Erica sit in the back of the group where she can sit on her knees or wiggle a little bit and not get in anybody’s way. Because she is a high energy student, this will help her be comfortable even though she has to pay attention to the lesson.
There are times when we do not want to say two whole words, so we shorten them and make a contraction.
Explain definition of contraction (making two words into one). Refer to the word cards to reinforce the new vocabulary.
Explain that an apostrophe (takes the place of missing letters) is used to shorten the words. Put up another word card that says “apostrophe.”
Let’s go over some of the most common contractions and see what they mean. Place word card pairs on the board. State two words and see if students can name the contraction before you put the card on the board. Have them think about the answer for a few seconds and then call on someone to give their answer. Instead of going over these common contractions orally, allow students to see the word cards. This will be especially helpful for ELL students like Erica. Be sure to give enough time for Erica to think. Since she is an ELL student she may need the extra time to think about it and make sure she knows how to communicate it effectively. By writing these on the board, Erica can see how they come together; she can see the pattern that the apostrophe takes place of missing letters.
Now let’s see if we can find some in this paragraph. Read the paragraph out loud (taking turns reading aloud). This will help Erica stay with the group when reading and help her hear how to pronounce the words she may not know how to say. Be sure it is clear how to say the contractions (Helpful for ELL kids).  Have students raise their hands when they think they see/hear a contraction. Then discuss what the contraction means/how to say it without using a contraction.
Now we have a game to play. Contraction Bases: Place signs with contractions around the room. Use the word cards from the beginning of the lesson to help you choose bases. Give students 5 seconds 5 seconds to choose a base to stand by. Then call out a few contractions. Students standing at that contraction base are out. Be sure to review what the contractions mean when you call them (example: can’t means cannot). Students who are out can help you choose the next bases to call.
This game will be especially appealing for high energy students like Erica. They can move around the room within the rules of the game. By adding movement like PE to the required content, Erica will enjoy the activity and be more motivated to participate. She will focus on the base she wants to run to, thus reinforcing the contractions. She can learn contractions while getting out some energy.
Activity:
Model/Explain: Now that we understand contractions, let’s play our game. I have put contraction signs up around the room. By the time I count to 5, find a contraction base to stand by. Don’t move until I start counting. You must be frozen at a base by the time I’m done counting.  
            Check for understanding:
            As you call out words that form contractions (to get student out of the game), check to make sure students know the corresponding contraction. Have students point to the contraction that goes with the set of words.
Then play the game! Have students who are out sit at their desks and be “Freeze Police” that make sure everyone is at a base when you get to 5. You can also have students help choose the base. Start over after calling a few bases to let everyone participate. When students get out, they can help you choose a contraction to call. By letting Erica help choose a contraction when she gets out, she will have to find the contraction pair that goes with the one she picked. This can be a type of informal assessment and a way to keep her involved even though she can’t run from base to base.
Independent practice:
Have students go back to their worksheet and ask students to write the contraction that goes with each set of words. This assessment reinforces the content just taught. By having the words printed, Erica can more easily connect it to the word cards and bases signs we just used. Remind them about the fast finisher (write a story using contractions on the back of your paper). Be sure to give Erica and the other ELL students enough time to complete the worksheet. Be patient and encourage the other students to do the fast finisher so Erica has ample time to do the work.
Closure: Lead a class discussion about why people use contractions. When would you choose to use a contraction over a formal set of words?  
Accommodations
            Visual learners- word cards (ELL)
            Kinesthetic learners- active game (Erica’s high energy)
            ELL students- word cards with oral language (ELL)
           
Resources
Word cards
Large writing paper
Markers
Easel
Signs for game
Worksheet
Reflection
Step 1: (Instruction and Management) What went well? What should be improved?
Step 2: (Student Learning) What did the children learn? How do you know?
Step 3: (INTASC and/or Moral Dimensions) Make a connection to INTASC and/or a Moral Dimension.

Everyday Writing Project: Story Starters (free!)

Posted on by
Reply

My kids love writing and sharing stories, but sometimes they’re missing the basics (setting, conflict, etc.) or they don’t know what to write about. So this helps them stay focused and gets them started if they’re stuck. I have them write a rough draft (and maybe final draft) on another piece of paper. You could easily require the use of vocabulary/spelling words, specific kinds of figurative language, etc. in the story also.

Click here for the free printable PDFs: Story Starters 1-4 PDF   Happy writing!

Story Starter- Misc 1 Story Starter- Misc 2 Story Starter- Misc 3 Story Starter- Misc 4