Voice Work in Podcasts

By Jessica Stevenson

Voice Work in Podcasts

By Jessica Stevenson

 

Unit Objective:

Students will demonstrate their ability to create a voice for a character by creating podcasts in small groups.

 

Learning Level:

This unit was created for a high school beginning theatre class.

 

Student Prior Experience:

Prior to this unit, students have studied pantomime. Students have little to no experience with voice as a tool for actors.

 

Standards:

  • TH: Cr2.II.b. Cooperate as a creative team to make interpretive choices for a drama/theatre work.
  • TH: Cr3.1.I.b. Explore physical, vocal and physiological choices to develop a performance that is believable, authentic, and relevant to a drama/theatre work.
  • TH: Pr6.1.I.a. Perform a scripted drama/theatre work for a specific audience.

 

Big Ideas:

Character, Voice, Variety, Communication

 

Essential Questions:

  • How does vocal variety create character?
  • Where do I use vocal variety in my own life?
  • How does the way we use our voices help us communicate?

 

Key Knowledge and Skills:

Vocal Variety, Projection, Diction, Rate, Pitch, Tone, Emphasis, Accents and Dialects, Communication, Voice to Create Character.

 

Authentic Performance Tasks:

Creating and performing tongue twisters. Outlining, recording, and editing a podcast.

 

Lessons:

Lesson 1—Diction and Projection

Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of diction and projection by creating tongue twisters and performing them for the class.

 

Lesson 2— Podcasts

Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of podcasts by coming up with an outline for their podcast.

 

Lesson 3— Rate and Pitch

Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of rate and pitch by determining their character’s typical rate and pitch, and a moment where that rate and pitch could change.

 

Lesson 4— Tone and Emphasis

Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of tone and emphasis by determining where they will use tone and emphasis in their podcast.

 

Lesson 5— Accents and Dialects

Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of Accents and Dialects by presenting a dialect to the class.

 

Lesson 6— Recording Podcasts

Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of vocal variety by recording their podcasts.

 

Lesson 7— Editing Podcasts

Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of podcasts by editing their podcasts.

 

Lesson 8— Listening to Podcasts

Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of voice by presenting their podcasts and discussing the vocal variety in each podcast.

 

Voice Work in Podcasts Unit of Lessons.Jessica Stevenson