Tableau Day 2: Using Visual Art to learn Sequencing

1/27/17 Drama Lesson Plan

Tableau Day 2: Using Visual Art to Learn Sequencing

5th grade, Mrs. McCulloch’s class

Objective: Students will use their frozen bodies in tableau scenes to show sequence by creating a series of events based on a visual arts image.

Learning Target: I can use my frozen body to show sequence.

Vocabulary words: tableau, pantomime

            ELA Words: sequence, before, after, setting, perspective, character

Expectations:

1.       I am silent when the attention cue is given.

2.       I am a courteous audience member.

3.       I am brave.

Intro Drama Game: 10 min

Mirroring/Magic Box Exercise

Rules:

Nothing inappropriate for school.

No weapons can be drawn from the box or anything that could hurt someone.

All students find a partner. Without talking, they mirror all the actions of the partner. Explore with different levels, shapes, etc. Then one partner draws an object from a magic box and handles it for a while. The other partner mirrors their actions. After 30 seconds, the partner tries to guess what they were holding that was drawn from their “magic box”.

Identify target: I can use my frozen body in a scene to show sequence.

Two students mirror each other in an exercise.

Content Introduction: 15 min

Wordless picture book example:

Remind students how frozen images can still tell us so much about the story.

Practice and Apply:

Re-Introduce Tableau: acting with only your body in March for your parents- a whole scene of frozen actors. I will be watching to see who can master the art of a frozen performance.

• A frozen body is powerful. Give examples of anger, pleasure, fear.
• How does not using your whole body affect the power of the performance?
• How does whispering to a neighbor affect the power of the performance?
• How does not being frozen affect the power of the performance?

We will be watching for those students who can show so much emotion and perspective with their body without moving or whispering.

Book: Family Pictures- Whole Class Sequencing Work

• Give background information for book.
• Then go through a few pictures with the written descriptions that the class as a whole depicts. After each picture, give them 10 seconds to make the exact same picture- choosing someone in the scene to “be”. Then ask the class to depict what they think was happening 10 minutes before this picture scene occurred. Have them depict their predictions about what happened before while staying in their same character.
• Remind students where the audience is, how their scene should be facing, and that no one should have their back to the audience or be in front of someone else.
• Then have them depict what they think happened 10 minutes after the picture was “taken”, or drawn.
• Finally, have them do the 3 scenes in the correct sequence- before, now, after.
• For the following pictures, have them re-create the picture, then do before, then re-create the picture again, and then do after.

One student acts as a dead shark the family has captured for dinner. The other students act as the family gathered around the coming meal.

One student acts as a fisherman, reeling in the shark before the catch was made. 

A group of students acts as a group of friends at a Quincinera party after the special girl has arrived. They are enjoying their time, taking a selfie.

More students try to enjoy the post-arrival party, noticing the selfie taking place.

Two students dance at the post-arrival party.

Famous Visual Art: Small Group Work- 15 min

Look at famous paintings on the slideshow:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Da9CYHNrgImWrPgbOixOvfDRSMOqk7xHBZxAcwgHq1Y/edit?usp=sharing

Use the paintings:

• Ballet Rehearsal
• Washington Crossing the Delaware
• Red Sword one?
• The Last Supper

For each painting, have a small group of 5-6 students coordinate, practice, and perform a frozen before, now, and after sequence. If desired, student groups can choose to depict something earlier than 10 minutes before, and later than 10 minutes after- but the longest time they can stretch it to is a few hours.

Before the performances, remind students of the expectations of being a courteous audience member.

A group depicts the action in the painting Oath of Horatio.






The Oath of Horatio group depicts what might have happened before the painting action occurred.


A group of girls depicts what might have happened after the action in the painting Ballet Rehearsal on Stage.

Assessment: informally observe students participation in the whole-class tableau. Individually make anecdotal notes during the small group tableaus.

Student Self-Reflection: What is my strength? What is my weakness? How will I practice next week making my weakness a strength? How can I prepare to be a frozen actor in March better?

Standards:

5.T.CR.5: Create character through physical movement, gesture, sound and/or speech and facial expression with age-appropriate outcomes.

5.T.P.1: Analyze the character, setting, and essential elements (plot) in a story that make up the dramatic structure and use choices to enhance the story in a drama/theatre work.

5.T.P.4: Communicate meaning using the body through space, shape, energy, and gesture.

RI.6.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

5.W.3.a Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

5.V.R Students will understand, evaluate, and articulate how works of art convey meaning for the observer as well as the creator.

6.SS.2.4.b Identify leading Renaissance artists and thinkers and their contributions to visual arts, writing, music, and architecture (e.g. Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Palestrina, Shakespeare, Tallis).

Reflection:

• I was so impressed with the level and quality of the end tableau scenes created by the students! It was much better than when I had the 6th graders at another school do small group work.
• There was a small tussle between two students both wanting to be the shark. I just kinda ignored it and moved on. Was that the best thing to do?
• This lesson integrated visual art, drama, culture (social studies), literature (sequencing, inferences, point of view/perspective) and history (with the images of the Last Supper, crossing the Delaware, and the Oath of Horatii). I may have never done such an integrated lesson before!
• I can’t believe I left my camera battery at home! I wanted to record this lesson really bad- because I think it went really well.