Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

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Giving to Get the Beat
Lesson 1:
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Lesson
Handouts
Academic Standards
Philanthropy Framework
6th-8th Grade
Subjects:

Arts, Language Arts, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view
ART: Theatre
ELA: Drum (The); Analyze/Interpret; Audience; Author's Style/Purpose; Character Development; Compare/Contrast; Folktales; Main Idea; Point of View; Presentations; Production Elements; Retelling; Teamwork
PHIL: Act of Kindness; Need; Philanthropic Act; Selflessness
SOC: Citizenship/Civic Engagement; Cooperative Groups; Good Character

Purpose:

Students read and discuss the folktale "The Drum," a folktale from India. Students determine the central message of selfless giving (giving without expectation of reward) and write and produce a play that communicates that message clearly. They perform it for an appropriate audience.

Duration:

Six 45-Minute Class Periods, Plus Time to Perform the Play

Objectives:

The learner will:

  • listen and respond to a folktale.
  • identify the characters that show giving and selflessness.
  • connect elements of the story to personal experience.
  • rewrite the folktale into dramatic form with stage directions.
  • produce a play from the student-written version of "The Drum."
  • perform the play for an audience.
  • reflect on the reading, writing, and acting experience.

Service Experience:

Although this lesson contains a service project example, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.
Learn more about the stages of service-learning.

After students have written, produced and rehearsed their play, they will perform it to their chosen audience and families to share and teach the idea of selfless giving.

Materials:

  • a collection of sticks--at least one per student (see Teacher Preparation)
  • one copy of the folktale "The Drum" (see Bibliographical References)
  • five signs(12" x 18" paper) prepared with the five student roles in large print: Writer/director, Actor, Publicity, Stage Crew, Costumes
  • props, costumes, materials for making posters and playbills (to be determined and collected by student committees)
  • computer access for research and writing
  • samples of different types of theatre play bills (programs)
  • samples of short, simple plays (see Bibliographical References)
  • rubrics for each group as guides (see Attachments One, Two, Three, and Five for specific group rubrics) See Attachment Six: Rubric for a general rubric and Bibliographical References for online rubrics for the writing, acting, and publicity groups)
  • teacher copy for each student of Attachment Six: Rubric (This form may also be used for students to evaluate their group members.)
  • whole-class copies of Attachment Four: Student Roles

 

Handout 1
Character Analysis
Handout 2
Costume Rubric
Handout 3
Property Rubric
Handout 4
Student Roles
Handout 5
Create a Poster
Handout 6
Rubric

Teacher Preparation:

  1. Before the first day, gather a variety of 6" - 10" sticks. The variety of collected sticks should reflect different interpretations of the word stick: tree branches, pieces of flat wood, polished sticks, chopsticks, sticks of lumber, etc. The number of sticks should be greater than the number of students in your class.
  2. The site http://www.10-minute-plays.com/how_to_write_a_10_minute_play.html contains a concise explanation of how to write a script. Teacher Note: Site has rolling advertising and some content that may not be school appropriate. Do not let students freely search this site.
  3. Suggested items for making horse:
  • broom stick (body)
  • men's tube sock (head)
  • rags or newspaper (stuffing)
  • yarn (main and tail)
  • two large buttons (eyes)
  • felt (ears)
  • string (bridle and to cinch head onto stick)

Instructional Procedure(s):

Day One:

Anticipatory Set:  Place a pile of sticks (see Teacher Preparation) on a front table. As students enter, have them choose a stick from the pile and take it to their place. Ask students to describe their stick briefly to the class. Ask students to come forward who believe they have the "best" stick. Have them tell the class why their stick is the "best."

  • Read aloud the folktale  "The Drum"   www.learningtogive.org/resources/folktales/TheDrum.asp 
  • Discuss the following questions. Discuss as a whole group, in small groups, or in a "think, pair, share" model or combine discussion with some written responses. 
    • What emotions did you feel as the story progressed?
    • How did you feel initially about the mother giving her son a stick she found on the side of the road?
    • Was there any inherent value in the stick? What other value did the stick have?
    • Were there any characters in the story who acted selflessly? What did they do?
    • What else could the boy have done with the stick his mother gave him?
    • Did the boy inspire others to give? How?
    • How did the boy show compassion? In what way did he "investigate needs in his community"?
    • Have you ever felt moved to share something? What happened inside you when you did that?
    • What is the best way to receive a gift? How do we respond to the generosity of others?
    • What message does this story give us about how we can act? Do you appreciate this message?
  • Ask the students if they have ever attended a play. Talk about those experiences (what they saw and felt) and determine how a play is different from a book or film.
  • Tell the students that they are going to rewrite the folktale "The Drum" in play form. They will take different production roles and produce one ten-minute play that they will perform for some appropriate audiences.
  • Ask the student if the play itself could be a gift or act of generosity. Brainstorm ideas for who would benefit from or appreciate the message of the story (e.g., lower elementary, peers, seniors, etc.). Encourage students to take on the responsibility to find places (and audiences) to perform the play. The students can "investigate needs in the community" to determine an appropriate audience. 

Day Two:

Anticipatory Set: Play a giving game with small treats, such as small wrapped candy. Put a bag of treats on a front table. Explain the rules of the game to the class. Then pass a treat to three students. When a student receives a treat (from the teacher or another student), he or she has a choice: 1) keep the gift and get a treat from the front table to give to another student or 2) pass the gifted treat to another student. Students may give a gift only to students who do not have a treat. Don't eat the treat until everyone has a treat. When you give your gift, you open yourself to getting a gift from another student. The game is over when every student has one treat. Then allow the students to eat the treat.

  • Discuss the game: How do you feel when you share the gift you were given? Are you sure you will end up with a treat in the end? Was it important for someone to go to the front table to get new treats? How do you feel when you share the treat from the front table? How does this game compare to the story "The Drum"? How does the game compare to giving gifts in real situations (with friends or people you don't know). You may wish to play the game again to explore how students play it differently after the discussion.
  • Remind the students that they will be creating a play of "The Drum." Discuss how the setting, story language, acting, costumes, and props may be changed from the original in order to meet the interests and age of the audience. Discuss how to make the theme of the story clear in the action. The whole group should come to consensus about the vision for the final product before the individual groups meet.
  • Give each student a copy of Attachment Seven: Student Roles. The play production will be completed by five independent small groups, each with a different set of responsibilities. The groups come together later to create the final production of the story. Tell students to read about the five groups and silently select their first and second choices.
  • While the students read silently, hang up around the room five papers with the five group names written on them (props, main actors, costumes, publicity, and writers/director). After students have read about the five groups, have them stand by the paper of their first committee choice. If the groups are not even, ask some students to move to their second choices. Use problem solving methods to make the committee distribution fairly even or numbers that are appropriate for the tasks.  
  • When the groups are set, tell the groups to meet and determine tasks and get started completing the responsibilities for their group listed on Attachment Seven: Student Roles. Give each committee copies the Attachment that explains their roles in more detail.

Days Three to Six:

  • With teacher acting as facilitator, groups work on fulfilling their responsibilities toward creating the play "The Drum." Meet as a whole group each day to discuss progress and share information so the groups continue to work toward the same vision.
  • After all groups have completed their individual tasks, the teacher will help students coordinate all parts of the production process into a final production. The students practice the play and prepare for the public performances. Students from all teams may be extra actors in the production, as needed.
  • Perform the play for the predetermined audiences.

Post Production:

  • Reflect on the process by discussing the following questions: What went well? What were the positive aspects of the production? How did the audience respond to the message? What else can the students do to pass on the message of the play? How can the students deconstruct the play and all the props in a responsible way?

Assessment:

  • The final product will serve as an authentic assessment of the student's work. 
  • A grade-appropriate evaluation/feedback form may be given to the audiences. 
  • In addition, the teacher completes performance and production rubrics for the final product. (See Attachments for the different roles.)

School/Home Connection:

Lesson Five includes a family night. Students perform their play for that night of demonstration and celebration.

Cross-Curriculum Extensions:

This play could be produced as a readers' theater to simplify and reduce the production time.

Bibliographical References:

About.com. Free One Act Plays http://plays.about.com/od/oneactplaysandscenes/One_Act_Plays_and_Scenes.htm

Folktales from India "The Drum"   www.learningtogive.org/resources/folktales/TheDrum.asp 

Scholastic. "Create A Playbill!" (includes rubric)  www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp

Teacher Planet (Script and Acting Rubrics). "ArtsWork." Teachers> Assessment> Discipline Examples> Theater Examples II.  http://www.sites4teachers.com/links/redirect.php?url=http://artswork.asu.edu/arts/teachers/assessment/discipline2.htm

Ten-Minute-Plays.com "How to Write a 10 minute Play"  www.10-minute-plays.com/how_to_write_a_10_minute_play.html 

Lesson Developed By:

Rosemary Gass
Pinckney Community Schools
Pathfinder School
Pinckney, MI 48169-8186

Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

Character Analysis

Using what you’ve discovered in group discussions, research, and through critical thinking, answer the following questions about your character.

 
As an actor, you must be able to answer every question and understand why every answer is important in creating a character. Some answers will come through discussion, some through research, and some from your own imagination. 
 
  1. How old is your character? Why did you choose this particular age?
  2. Is your character rich or poor? What evidence did you find in the story to support your choice? What personal or group discoveries did you make about your character’s wealth? Give five ways your character might behave because of his or her status.
  3. In everyday life, what is your character’s emotional attitude (happy, sad, angry, depressed, etc.)? What evidence did you find in the story to support your choice? Give three reasons. What personal or group discoveries did you make about your character’s daily outlook on life? (Do not assume that poverty equals sadness/anger or that wealth equals happiness.)
  4. What happened to or what was going on with your character just before his or her scene started? (This is called the “moment before.” Remember, an audience comes into the middle of every scene.)
  5. During the course of the story, what does your character NEED? (Read #4 before answering this question.) As an actor, why is it important to know the answer to this question?
  6. In life, what is the ONE thing your character WANTS more than anything else? Give three reasons why you made this choice? As an actor, why is it important to know the answer to this question?
  7. Your character did not request the gift given. How was he or she feeling just before getting the gift? How did he or she feel after getting the gift? Support your answer.
  8. To make the scene exciting, the gift must be played as the BEST thing that EVER happened to the character. Give three reasons why the gift was the character’s BEST EVER gift.

Handout 2Print Handout 2

Costume Rubric

 

COSTUMES RUBRIC
 

PROCESS
Below Standard
At Standard
Above Standard
Researched the type of (Indian) clothing each character in the play may have worn
 
 
 
Had a clear vision of what costumes should look like and how to create them
 
 
 
Organized process for how costume would be created or collected
 
 
 
Communicated with actors, directors & teacher for input
 
 
 
Managed time wisely
 
 
 
Worked well in group while organizing process and gathering materials for building costumes
 
 
 
Students asked for assistance when needed while building costumes.
 
 
 
PRODUCT
 
 
 
Individual costumes enhanced feeling the poverty or wealth of the character.
 
 
 
Costumes were built to last three performances.
 
 
 

Handout 3Print Handout 3

Property Rubric

 

PROPS RUBRIC
 
PROCESS
Below Standard
At Standard
Above Standard
Researched the props used in play
 
 
 
Had a clear vision of what props should look like and how to build them
 
 
 
Organized how props would be built
 
 
 
Communicated with actors, directors and teacher for input
 
 
 
Managed time wisely
 
 
 
Worked well in group while organizing process and materials for building props
 
 
 
Worked well with others while building props
 
 
 
Asked for assistance, as needed, while building props
 
 
 
PRODUCT
 
 
 
Props were easily seen by audience.
 
 
 
Individual props enhanced feeling the poverty or wealth of the item.
 
 
 
Props were built to last three performances.
 
 
 

Handout 4Print Handout 4

Student Roles

 

  1. The writers/directors: These students rewrite the short folktale into script form. The script should be mostly in dialogue and show character personalities and motivations. The writers must faithfully convey the message of the original folktale. Upon completion of the script, the writers will become the directors. Writers use Attachment Six: Scriptwriting Rubric as a guide.
  2. The actors: The actors complete a character analysis as the script is being written. Each actor completes Attachment One: Character Analysis and uses Attachment Two: Performance Rubric as a guide. Once the script is complete, the actors will begin memorizing lines and practicing the play. Actors perform the play for the chosen audience groups.
  3. The props/stage crew: Students will research and build or gather the props needed for the play. These students use Attachment Three: Property Rubric as a guide. The stage crew works with the teacher to locate and arrange for an appropriate performance space for their performance.
  4. The publicity committee: The publicity committe communicates with the audience for the play production. They create an attractive and informative program (playbill) that includes a synopsis of the story, and names of the writers, actors, stage crew and props, and publicity members. They also create posters, invitations, and/or tickets, as determined by the performance decisions. Attachment Four: Create a Playbill and Attachment Five: Create a Poster provide detailed instructions and guidelines for this committee.
  5. The costume committee: Students research appropriate costume styles and materials for the characters in the story, as determined by the setting of the play and the tone set by the whole class. Students will gather, build, and/or alter clothing to be used as costumes. Attachment Eight: Costume Rubric provides guidelines for this committee.        

Handout 5Print Handout 5

Create a Poster

 

Making Posters
 
Below are the requirements for making a theater billboard. The poster should be:
 
  • Large
  • Colorful
  • Creative
  • Neat
  • Easy to Read
    • All letters at least two inches tall.
    • Each word is informative.
  • Artistic
 
The poster should include:
  • Title of Play (largest letters)
  • Authors Name (second largest letters)
  • Name of Class or Writing Students
  • “Adapted from a folktale by Hindi”
  • Date of Performance
  • Place and Time
  • Cost (free?)
  • An attractive graphic that gives a sense of the story or emotion
If this event is to be advertised as school, place a minimum of two (2) posters in each hall.
  • Each member of the committee will be RESPONSIBLE for one (or two) hall(s).
  • Once you decide on who “owns” which hall, give names to the teacher.
  • Have enough posters
o       To make an impact on the school.
o       To give the impression of an EVENT.

Handout 6Print Handout 6

Rubric

Use this rubric as a self-evaluation guide as you complete your project.

Your teacher will use the same guide as an evaluation at the end.

What is your role in the play production? _______________________
 

   Excellent Good  Satisfactory Not Complete
Planning        
Working with Others        
Creativity        
Attention to the theme and mood of the play/character
        
Responsibility for Self and Final Product        
Problem Solving        

Specific Goals:

 

 

        
Overall
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