Unit: Guideposts
Application: Duet Acting
Students will spend a week applying the first of Michael Shurtleff's Guideposts.
Guidpost 1: Relationships
After the completion of this week of study, students will spend a week on the second guidepost and then present their final duet performances with the emphasis of mastering both of the first two guideposts (relationship and conflicts). It is my philosophy that we are all a work in progress. Students will be informally assessed throughout the learning process.
A formal assessment will be made based on evidence of the two guideposts in their duet scene, as well as, the class critiques that students make on their edmodo web page identifiying the relationship and conflicts of their classmates scenes.
A formal assesment will be given based on the guide post packet that students will turn in at the end of the first guidepost process.
Overview
Objective:
-The student will be able to apply the first of Michael Shurtleff's 12 Guideposts RELATIONSHIP to a duet scene.
-The student will be able to analyze their duet scripts and create a character analysis based on the text. (What does your character say about themselves? What does your character say about the other characters in the scene? How does this affect your approach to the work? Are there key factors about the relationships that aren't stated but can be inferred from reading the text?)
-The student will observe their classmates performances and be able to clearly identify the evidence of the clearly established relationships in their classmates scenes by using the online reflective web site edmodo.
TEKS: 117.64 Theatre 1 (c) (1) a, b, d (2) a,b,c (3) e,f (5) a,b,c
Population:
-Theatre 1 High School Students (10th-12th graders)
Materials:
-Text Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to get the Part
by Michael Shurtleff
-I-Pad cart
-Student's theatre binders
-Internet Access
-Prezi presentation
-Student's Duet Script
-highlighter and pencil
Pre work:
Students will come to class having already read the chapter on Guidepost 1: relationship. From the reading, students will select three pearls (key points that stood out to them) from each reading to share with the class in discussion. They will type a one page paper including the three pearls.
Additionally please note, this lesson will take place two weeks after students have had adequate time to select a duet scene and they have had adequate time to learn the lines and become familiar with the piece.
Warm Up:
The student will write a reflection on a relationship that they have experienced or observed. Students should be able to elaborate on every aspect of the relationship. What does it look like? What does it sound like? Students will use the ipads to find the definition of a relationship. Addtionally, students will use the ipads to search images that best symbolize the relationship with their duet partner. Students will be provided access to the prezi presentation web page created by the teacher with the lesson outline. Students are encouraged to edit the prezi by adding additional thoughts and comments.
Lesson:
Energizer
Whatcha' doin? The students will play a game of whatcha' doin and only choose actions that go along with relationships.
(Whatcha' doin is a theatre game where students stand in a line or in a circle and the first actor begins with an action, the second student says "whatcha doin", the first student says something other than what they are actually doing. It is a fast acting game that requires focus, attention, and ensemble work.)
Introduction
The teacher and students will discuss the first guidepost and the reading of the text. This discussion will be student lead with the teacher guiding the discussion. The teacher will share personal experience of the importance of being prepared to approach a work with careful consideration to the characters and their relationship. It should be discussed that the most important factor of understanding the guideposts is that you believe in the relationship. It isn't enough to think about it. You have to know that it is true.
The teacher will show an example of a character analysis chart and pass around the show binder. The teacher will show the images that she has pulled to represent characters and their relationships of the characters in the script. Because Incarnate Word Academy places a high priority in the usage of technology, the teacher will also use her ipad to show her online collection of images, songs, and other documents that she has pulled to show evidence of character analysis on relationship.
Application:
After the class has had ample time to study the character analysis example and discuss with the teacher, the students will work with their duet partners and create a character analysis chart. What do they say about themselves? What do they say about other characters? What is inferred? Why? Students will be expected to defend their responses using the text. The students will be expected to turn in their character analysis the next class period. The teacher will actively moniter the class by walking around to each group and checking for understanding.
Rehearsal:
Physical warm up
Students will stretch with their partners and begin to focus their work by saying lines directly from their script that focus on the relationship. If they are comfortable with exploring further, they can begin to speak freely saying things about their character to their partner and allow their partner to respond.
Wrap Up:
The teacher will lead a wrap up discussion with the class on what students may have discovered differently about their characters today regarding the relationship.
FREEZE- Students will close at the class playing FREEZE. However, each scene needs to be focused on a relationship.
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After the lesson:
Students will spend an entire week in class applying the guidepost of relationship to their scene. As in the previous lesson cycle, students will be given ample opportunity to share their duet performances with their classmates and to "coach" one another on establishing the relationship. Students will be asked to journal their rehearsal experience.
Post Work:
Students will turn in a packet including the pearls on the guidepost 1, the journal entry on relationship, images that they have gathered that represent the relationships of their character with their scene partner, an illustration that they have created representing the relationship. When students perform their duets, they will be critiqued by their classmates on the emphasis placed on establishing relationship in their scene. Please see attached evidence of work below.
Run Thru
Students will run thru their duets with the focus being on relationship. The teacher will walk around and check for understanding. Students will need to use their scripts to follow any notes or highlighting they have made on their scripts.