Archive for the ‘The Arts: Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts’ Category

Co-operation Drama Game – A Family Portrait

Monday, September 24th, 2007

Organisation:

This game is suitable for most ages. No equipment is needed. The teacher just has to organise to children in groups of five. This game is suitable to be played in space where groups are not touching and interfering with each other.

  • The idea is to get the students to act out and be in a family portrait. This portrait however is not a ‘normal’ family portrait. It is a portrait of a ‘theme’ that the teacher suggests. For example it could be a portrait of cats. The teacher calls out ‘a family of cats’ and every group has to freeze in their positions.
  • Each group has only 30 seconds to a minute to form their final portrait of the chosen theme.
  • Try giving each group of five an envelop with a family they have to act out for the rest of the class. Ideas could include fish, royal families, sports players, super heroes.
  • Each group has a practice then the other groups in the class have to see if they can guess what the other group is a family of.

Try:

Send one group out of the classroom, while the other groups take a pose of something. Each group has a go at going out of the room and then coming back to guess.

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Walk of Life – Drama Teaching Game

Monday, September 24th, 2007

The purpose of this game is to provide the opportunity for children to use their imagination and to break down any barriers and to have fun. It is appropriate for all year levels and ages.

Set the scene for this activity by discussing the different ways people and animals move. For example, a soldier walks upright with arms and legs straight, a snakes slithers across the ground.

Teaching Sequence:

The class makes two even parallel lines that face each other. Whisper a type of walk into a child’s ear. They start at the beggining of the two lines and ‘walk’ between them to the end. The rest of the class try to guess the walker’s identity.

Some ideas:

  • A bride walking down the aisle
  • Someone walking through some thick mud
  • A proud lion
  • Someone who has sore feet from walking in high heels
  • A spy
  • Someone who is walking into cold water at the beach

Once children have played this game for a while, encourage children to create their own ‘walking roles’

Reference:

Energizers and Other Great Co-operative Activities for All Ages. Quest Books: Written and compiled by Carol Apacki

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Anything Fabric – Game Idea for Teaching Drama

Monday, September 24th, 2007

This game can be played with children 5+ and the only resource needed is a large piece of fabric. The purpose of the game is to stimulate children’s imagination by encouraging multiple answers for the same question.

Teaching Sequence:

The class stand in a big circle. The teacher shows the fabric to the class saying "What could this piece of fabric be? We’re going to pass it around the circle and each of you will show us something it could become." The teacher models, turning the fabric into something (for examples see the list below) and children have to guess what it is.

The fabric is passed from one person to another or the child who guesses the correct answer acts with the fabric next. If an idea is repeated, such as ‘hat’, the teacher asks the child to be more specific, (e.g. a turban or bonnet), thereby making the child to come up with their own idea.

If the pace of the game is moving slowly, organise the children into half or smaller groups. A variation of the game is to limit the ideas to a category such as clothing, or things that are the colour of the fabric.

Possible Ideas:

  • Superman cape
  • Nappy
  • Flag
  • Wig
  • Magic carpet
  • Picnic blanket

Reference:

http://www.creativedrama.com/theatre.htm

The ‘Selling Game’ – Primary School Teaching

Monday, September 24th, 2007

The purpose of this game is to develop creativity in children and to give children a chance to express themselves. It also encourages children to ‘think outside the square’ and think of non-verbal ways to communicate to others. It is a great game as no resources are needed.

There is one person (shopper) acting in front of the audience/class (they are the shop assistants). The shopper is trying to buy something but cannot speak the same language as the shop assistants. The shopper has to use body language, sounds, and actions to let the shop assistants (class) know what they want to buy.

When a class member gusses what the correct item is, it is their chance to perofmr. They don’t have to if they dont want to and they can choose someone else.

Possible items to act out:

  • Sunglasses
  • Stapler
  • Spaghetti
  • Roller Skates
  • Lipstick
  • Chainsaw

If there children who do not have the confidence to perform infront of the whole class, this game can be played with the class divided into two or in groups.

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Drama Beginning and Individual Activities

Sunday, September 23rd, 2007

Beginning Activities

  • Instruct the children to move slowly out into an area quietly and find an individual space. The children will know this in their spot because they wont be able to touch anyone else.
  • The children stretch up as high as they can in their space.
  • Crouch down as low as they can in their space.
  • Become as wide as they can in their space. Explore other ways of using space such as being as round or being skinny.

Individual Drama Activities

Read these instructions to the children. Roam children and praise their efforts and remember to enforce the no talking rule!

  • Use a drill and a screw driver to screw your name plate on your front gate. Make sure you get it straight. Remember to stand back and admire your work.
  • Become an elephant in a circus. Show how enormous and heavy you are by walking around. Now climb onto your stool and raise you trunk.
  • Make and eat your breakfast. What kitchen utensils and food do you use? Where do you go to find it? Sit down and enjoy it, remember to use your table manners!! Tidy your things away.
  • Climb carefully up a tall tree to the top branches. They get thinner as you climb higher so e careful. When you get to the top enjoy the wonderful view. A breeze comes along and the tree begins a sway so be careful. Climb carefully towards the ground. When you reach the ground show that relieved.
  • Pretend you are a mountain climber moving very carefully along a long narrow edge. Try not to look down. You accidentally look down and realise you are very high up. Try to climb carefully back down.
  • Walk across a pond on some stepping stones. Be careful not to slip. Your next step has some slimy moss.
  • Become a swan swimming gracefully on a still peaceful lake. Now become a frog jumping over water lilly pads in the pond.
  • Scramble up a steep sand hill at the beach. Now tumble down the sand hill to the bottom. Remember to brush the sand off.
  • Try to find your way through a think bush. Now do the same but this time it is during the night.
  • You and your sheep dog try to herd a flock of sheep through a paddock gate.

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Sheet of Music (OHT)

Sunday, September 23rd, 2007

C: Competency

S: Satifsfactory

D: Still needs development

Beat

     
Can explain what beat is C S D
Can echo a beat from the teacher C S D
Can play a beat to a song C S D
Can find a beat in a song C S D
Can use the beat circles to play the beat C S D

Rhythm

Can explain what a beat is C S D
Can echo a rhythm from the teacher C S D
Can play a rhythm from a rhythm card C S D
Can play a rhythm to a song C S D
Can find a rhythm in a song C S D

Pitch

Can echo a note after the teacher C S D
Breathes correctly C S D
Can sing the scale C G C S D
Can jump notes in the scale C S D
Can sing a whole song using the correct pitch C S D

Etching with Crayon

Monday, September 17th, 2007

Coming Soon

Art Unit – Kowhaiwhai Patterns

Monday, September 17th, 2007

Achievement Objectives

D1: Developing ideas in the Visual Arts – Students will generate and develop visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, using imagination, observation, and intention with materials.

C1: Communicating and Interpreting in the Visual Arts – Students will describe how selected objects and images communicate different kinds of ideas

Learning Intentions/Specific Learning Objectives

  • Students will recognize kowhaiwhai patterns and appreciate that they have meaning outside of their visual characteristics.
  • Students will understand, name and recreate some of the shapes used In kowhaiwhai.
  • Students will combine oil pastels to create value and depth.

Success Criteria

  • The students will use their knowledge and skill to produce kowhaiwhai patterns of their family.
  • The children will anecdote the ideas of their kowhaiwhai patterns on their draft copy.
  • The children will demonstrate the use of kowhaiwhai art in their family portrait.
  • The children’s kowhaiwhai patterns will keep in tradition e.g. bulb head of koiri will not touch the stem.
  • The children use different colours to represent different ideas e.g. red/orange = warm.
  • The student will use a contrasting colour scheme.

Assessment Methods

  • Observation of class room discussion
  • Work sample analysed using criteria

Lesson One

Introduction:

Show the children different kowhaiwhai patterns.

Ask the children to name examples of places they have seen them before e.g. marae, kapahaka costumes

Development:

Introduce a kowhaiwhai pattern. Practice pronunciating the vocabularly (koru, koiri, mangopare, patiki, puhoro, rauru, marama).

Point out the visual features of the pattern out e.g. koru ends in a round bulb. Draw the pattern on the whiteboard, commentate the steps like handwriting.

The children then have lots of practice drawing it in their bad pads. Repeat with the different patterns

Closure:

Review the different patterns. Discuss similarities/differences.

Lesson Two

Introduction:

Review the kowhaiwhai patterns (visual characteristics/ideas).

Brainstorm what could be in a family portrait e.g. Show the chn an example and ask the children if they can add the brainstorm.

Development:

Ask how the chn can portray a family member using pattern and colour. The children start a draft. They must include on it the ideas and the colours being used. They must be able to give reason for certain patterns and colour. Show children exemplar. Discuess using colour to achieve an effect e.g. warm/cold colours

Closure:

Show a good standard of students work to the class. Share the similarities with the exemplar. Outline the next lesson.

Lesson Three

Introduction:

Show a student’s piece of work that is ready to start a good copy – have the children analyse their own work to see if it is up to the standard of publishing.

Development:

The class work independently on their kowhaiwhai family portrait.

Roam the class and question each child on their ideas/features of their portrait.

Closure:

The children will have time at the end of the lesson to share their kowhaiwhai portraits to the class. Teacher marks to the criteria discussed in previous lessons


Above are most of the class’s kowhaiwhai unit all published.

Art Teaching Projects and Resources

Monday, September 17th, 2007

Art Unit – Kowhaiwhai Patterns
(Click here to see an example)

Etching with Crayon

Drama Teaching Games and Resources

Monday, September 17th, 2007

Before you start teaching drama activities it is essential to set your expectations to help the students enjoy their experiences and to make things run smoothly – especially if it is new to them! Here are some guidelines to share with the children.

  1. Establish the boundaries where the drama will take place, for example if you are teaching drama in a classroom establish that the children do not go behind the teacher’s desk etc. If using the school hall/gym, mark out a certain space such as half or a third of the hall. Make sure that the children do not cross these boundaries.
  2. Establish a stop signal for example a bell or a whistle. When the children hear this signal they will ‘freeze frame’.
  3. Insist on a ‘no talking rule’ unless you have instructed the children to do so. Encourage the children to be serious and that you expect quiet concentration. "Drama is not a noisy time, in fact it’s quieter than maths!"
  4. If the children are moving around in the space, state a direction of movement, for example clockwise.
  5. Establish a no touching rule unless the drama activities requires touching.

Below are some fun drama activities.