Відео

As the narrator, I am improvising just as the children are improvising. They respond to

Through the decades, I have found that using sign language gets the attention of children, teens, and adults. Even if you learn a few phrases in sign language (signed English or American Sign Language) you will find that people are captivated watching and learning. I tried signing with children here who are four years-old. We talked about the fact that some people who cannot hear use their hand...

Once children have practiced becoming something that will be found in the poem they will dramatize, they will then move easily into dramatizing the poem. Older children can create images in small groups. For pre-k children, I usually have them respond to images as individuals. Then they are ready to act out the poem, becoming the animals, people, wind, etc.

You as narrator are in a powerful position. You move the story along, you soothe a child that is suddenly afraid to be the cow, and you help actors who need support in navigating. You are the one who gives all the prompts necessary for a successful dramatization. The good news is that children will need less prompting as they become familiar with the sequence of events in a story, and the essen...

In this workshop, the children listened to me tell the story, and then we chose different actors to play different characters from the story. It is important to note that as the children become familiar with the story, they need less prompting.

The class was comparing and contrasting two stories; one with a gingerbread boy and the other with a gingerbread girl. The biggest contrast is that the children learned that both ran from animals who wanted to eat them, but that the gingerbread girl took charge of the fox and even taught him manners.

In this workshop, children are learning about words that begin with the letter "B." By taking them on a train ride to The Land of the Letter "B" we are anchoring in the learning. The structure of "going to the land of" seasons, community helpers, feelings, etc. bring to life the concepts that are being discussed in class. Before you take the trip, ask small groups to be the things that will app...

With older groups of children (grades 1-12th) I put participants together in small groups and give them phrases or words from the poetry they are about to dramatize. With young children, I simply have them spread out and become different words/images that they will later be familiar with when they dramatize a poem to music.

Always end a workshop with children with a time to reflect on what happened, what they enjoyed most, what you enjoyed seeing. It validates the actors and brings a closure to the workshop.

I always choose both music and sound effects to help create an atmosphere and to lend support to the actors. Look at how exciting it is just to have the sound of a train engine and a whistle.

Reading or telling the story first is all you need to do before dramatizing it. Choose actors to be different characters, emphasizing that every character is important! Then tell the story. This is a dance between the actors and the narrator.

Through the process of reading and then dramatizing this story by Ann Tompert and Lynn Munsinger the learning is anchored in more deeply. Children will remember more by stepping into the shoes of another character. Add music and you have created an atmosphere for both the actors and the audience.

In this scene from the story "Nothing Sticks like a Shadow" Mrs. Fox tried to cut rabbit free of her shadow with a pair of scissors. Story by Ann Tompert and Lynn Munsinger.

Young children love dramatizing poetry and becoming whatever is in the poem such as this lovely piece about a boy standing by a hill and saying hello to the evening star he sees.

Another moment from "The Gingerbread Girl"

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Theatre in Education

Señor Billygoat

Iguaka

Wind ties whip my body

Wanbobo

IMG 6527

Puerto Rico Video

News, police, frustration

Closing a Workshop with Sign Language

Thank You to Puerto Rico

Sleep Between The Waves

I Let the Sun Enter

the story dramatized