Unit 1: LESSON 8
Create & Rehearse Tableaux for Character Clues in Action! Performance
LITERACY OBJECTIVE
By the end of this lesson students will be able to select key moments in a story to share with an audience. Students will be able to communicate their understandings of characters to others through tableaux.
LITERACY "I CAN" STATEMENT
“I can reflect on my talking tableau choices and how they represent characters’ traits and perspectives.”
LESSON AT A GLANCE
Standards Alignment
Speaking & Listening
SL 3.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL 3.1b: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
SL 3.6: Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
SL 4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL 4.1b: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
SL 4.6: Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 here for specific expectations
SL 5.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL 5.1b: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
SL 5.6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 5 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
Reading: Literature
RL 3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RL 3.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
RL 4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL 4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
RL 5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL 5.3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
Speaking & Listening
SL 3.1a: Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
SL 3.1c: Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.
SL 3.1d: Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
SL 4.1a: Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
SL 4.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
SL 4.1d: Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
SL 5.1a: Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
SL 5.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
SL 5.1d: Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.
TEACHING RESOURCES
Unit 1 includes the following Life & Learning Skills:
-Reflective thinking
-Creative problem-solving
-Critical and analytic thinking
-Collaboration Communication
Differentiation Options
Differentiation Options will appear throughout the unit to suggest ways to scaffold or challenge student learning. Use the number of helping hands to select the level of differentiation that best supports student learning.
Highest level of scaffolding. Select this option if students are learning strategies for the first time, if the text is challenging for them, or if students require more guidance during activities. The Unit is written for the highest level of scaffolding.
Moderate scaffolding. Select this option if students require some support comprehending the text or navigating the activity.
Least amount of scaffolding/Extending the instruction. Select this option if students are ready to work more independently, move more quickly through the material, or are ready for additional challenge.
Leveraging Moments
Key instructional steps where the arts are used to leverage literacy-learning (and vice versa) are marked with . Smaller leveraging moments also occur throughout the lessons.
Process: Review the Unit Overview with students to show them their progress so far. Tell students that in the next series of lessons, they will create and rehearse a Character Clues in Action! performance that they will present to an audience. It's a fun celebration of their detective work finding clues about characters. They will spend time planning, rehearsing, reflecting, refining, and then performing for an audience.
Differentiation Options Scaffolding Theater Skills & Techniques
During the unit, students have gradually developed the following skills and techniques:
Individual statues
Dynamic tableau
Vocal expression
Projection
Gesture & Movement
Some students may be ready to add gesture and/or small movement within their tableaux. You may hear, "Can we move?" or "We want to do more than tableau.
If students have mastered distinct and bold physical choices, tell them to add one gesture or small movement when their character speaks.
Process: Give an overview of the lesson objective. Work with reading groups to create a series of talking tableaux for the performance.
Suggested Dialogue
"Today you will work with your reading groups to create a series of talking tableaux for our final performance."
"By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to say, 'I can identify key moments in a story that communicate characters' traits and perspectives'."
Process: Tell students how they will rehearse over the next few days. Feel free to adjust the process to support students and to align with selected reading and performance options.
Suggested Dialogue
Provide an overview of the rehearsal process
"For the next series of lessons, we will be up on our feet planning and rehearsing for our performance. The rehearsal process is broken into three parts:"
"Part One: Review the section (or chapter) your group will perform--the text and the Story Map; cast yourselves; create talking tableaux for the section your group will perform; and present and reflect on our work."
"Part Two: Practice smooth transitions between tableaux; refine physical and vocal choices based on feedback; work on projection (speaking with a loud, clear supported voice for the audience to hear); and present and reflect on our work."
"Part Three: Put it all together so each group flows into the next and so you can be heard by the audience."
Process: Assign each group a section of the chapter for the performance or allow groups to choose. Tell students to review the Story Map to refresh their memories of what happened leading up to that part of the story, what's happening in that section, and the characters' traits and perspectives. Tell students to select 1-3 moments in the section for their talking tableaux. Have students think carefully about each moment they will present and why, explaining how it represents the problem and/or the characters and their relationships. Students can begin recording their ideas on the Tableaux Preparation Chart on pages 17-19 in their A4L Student Notebooks.
Decide how to use the room--open space, pockets of space, etc. Tell students where to rehearse and to bring their Unit 1 Texts and A4L Student Notebooks for the Story Map and Tableau Preparation Chart.
Process: Guide groups to create talking tableau. Revisit the Tableau Elements Checklist (see menu below), focusing on creating dynamic stage pictures for an audience. Direct students' attention to the vocal qualities and vocal expression guiding questions to support students in showing what their character or inanimate object is like and what they are thinking and feeling. All students should record their tableau decisions on the Tableau Preparation Chart on pages 17-19 in their A4L Student Notebooks. Some decisions will be made during rehearsal.
While groups rehearse, coach them on tableau elements and vocal expression. See the menu below for Teacher Tip: Coaching Student Actors and then use the following Rehearsal Sequence.
Teaching Tips: Coaching Student Actors & Vocal Expression
When rehearsing, coach students toward acting choices rather than direct/tell them what to create. Coaching guides an actor to discover and express a unique interpretation of text and character. During rehearsal, coach students. Directing unifies individual elements of a production into a cohesive whole. When putting it all together, direct students.
How to Coach
Reframe "telling" statements to questions that prompt students to think through and solve dramatic problems independently. For example: Instead of, "I can only see your back. Turn around and face the audience." Ask, "How can you open your body up to the audience?"
Vocal Expression
When introducing, coaching, or prompting for expressive vocal choices, highlight what you hear with comments like "That's a low pitch and gravelly voice, which matches the traits we've investigated for your character." Coach for what you want with questions like "Your character is really afraid right now. I wonder how you could show that in your voice?" (Student responds) "What if you tried a high pitched, shaky voice?
1. Cast the parts. If more than one student wants to play the same character, have them take turns in each tableau, create the same statue at the same time, or play different parts of the same character (top/bottom).
2. Create the tableaux using tableau elements.
3. Decide what the characters or inanimate objects say, using Guidelines for Talking Tableau (under Classroom Charts & Graphic Organizers, below).
4. Make vocal choices to show the characters' traits and perspectives.
Timing for rehearsing talking tableaux is 20-30 minutes. To help students manage time and collaboration, you can use a timer to give groups 5-8 minutes per tableau.
Classroom Charts & Graphic Organizers: Guidelines for Talking Tableaux
-All actors speak
-Use vocal expression to show what your character is thinking and feeling
-Options for what characters say:
Select a word or phrase from the text--more than one character can say the same word or phrase
Create a line of dialogue to say to another character
Create a thought or feeling for your character
Make an exclamation to show how your character is feeling
Make a sound to show setting or action
Tableau Elements Checklist
-Character relationships
Physical contact--using positive or negative space (touching or not touching)
Eye contact--eye-to-eye to another character or intentionally looking at something else
-Levels
Characters are on low, medium, and high levels
-Body shape and facial expression
Use the whole body
Show character, action, and emotion
-Audience awareness
Keep body open to the audience
Classroom Charts & Graphic Organizers: Vocal Qualities
Pace- rate and speed of words and phrases in speech
Pitch- lowness or highness of a person's voice
Projection- loud, clear, supported voice
Timbre- quality or texture of speech--soft, gravelly, breathy
Volume- amount of sound, used interchangeably with loudness--speaking loudly or quietly
Teaching Tip: Vocal Expression and Guiding Questions
Students can ask themselves questions to help make expressive vocal choices that match the characters they are portraying. The following questions can help coach students toward expressive vocal choices.
-What character am I?
-What's happening in this part of the story?
-What are my character's traits? What's my character like?
-What's my character's perspective right now? What is my character thinking and feeling?
-How can I say my dialogue (word, phrase, thought, feeling) so that it matches these things?
-What vocal qualities could I use?
-What kind of emotion can I show?
Process: Guide groups to present talking tableau. Begin to coach on projection--speaking with a loud, clear, supported voice for an audience to hear. Until now the unit has focused mostly on the ideas and expression of what characters say. Now that the unit is moving toward performance, students need to practice projection.
Create a presentation space with enough room for actors to present. Tell groups the order in which they will present. Cue each group to present its tableau and tap students on the shoulder to cue voice. This time they have three tableaux to present. They may or may not need shoulder tap. In either case, tell students this is the last time they will be shoulder tapped.
After each group presents, engage the class in a reflection. Feel free to have students do written reflections using Reflecting on Your/Your Peer's Acting Choices on page 6 in their A4L Student Notebooks and Page 7 prior to class reflection. Reflection focuses on acting choices that tell the story and on revisions that groups can incorporate to make their performances better. Appreciate actors with a unified clap and move on to the next group.
Timing for each group to show work and reflect is 3-5 minutes.
"As we work toward our performance, use your big voices--loud enough for an audience to hear."
"In theater, this is called 'projection'-speaking with a clear and supported voice for an audience. Also, this will be the last time we use shoulder tap. Next time we present, you'll try to remember what your character says and when you say it. The order you will perform is..." (Give the sequence.)
"Let's have Group 1 come into the presentation space. Actors, places (Actors respond, 'Thank you, places' and come into the space.) Do you have an order you'd like to be shoulder tapped?"
"Audience ready? Actors ready? 1-2-3-Freeze! (Actors create tableau. Tap each student on the shoulder to cue voice.) Relax."
"Let's appreciate. 1-2-3 (clap) Huh! Actors stay in the presentation space." (Actors stand or sit. This is to receive feedback and in case they re-create their tableaux during reflection.)
"Audience, what did the actors do with their bodies, faces, or voices? How did those acting choices help you to understand who they are and what they think and feel about this event?" (2-3 students respond.) Do you have feedback for the actors on how they can make their performance better? Anything they can do with their physical or vocal choices?" (2-3 students respond.)
"Let's give a final appreciation. As Group 1 leaves, Group 2, take your places. 1-2-3 (clap) Huh!"
Repeat process for remaining groups.
Process: Close the lesson with a look forward and an optional closing ritual.
Vocal Expression Guiding Questions
Students can ask themselves questions to help make expressive vocal choices that match the characters they are portraying. The following questions can help coach students toward expressive vocal choices.
-
What character am I?
-
What's happening in this part of the story?
-
What are my character's traits? What's my character like?
-
What's my character's perspective right now? What is my character thinking and feeling?
-
How can I say my dialogue (word, phrase, thought, feeling) so that it matches these things?
-
What vocal qualities could I use?
-
What kind of emotion can I show?
Suggested Dialogue
"When we come back together, we'll practice smooth transitions, rehearse to incorporate revisions based on today's feedback, and present."
Performing the Closing Ritual (Optional)
"Let's appreciate our work and each other with a unified clap. 1-2-3 (clap) Huh!"
CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING LESSON 8! YOU ARE NOW READY TO MOVE ONTO LESSON 9 OF UNIT 1.
