Students will demonstrate their ability to collaborate and act as responsible citizens as they portray a self-created superhero and decide as a group how to critically solve a problem.
Standards:
TH:Cr1.1.3.b. Imagine and articulate ideas for costumes, props and sets for the environment and characters in a drama/theatre work.
TH:Cr1.1.3.c. Collaborate to determine how characters might move and speak to support the story and given circumstances in drama/theatre work.
Ask questions: “Batman changes his voice, does your superhero change his voice?”
WARMUP
Superhero runway with Marvel theme song
Give students a chance to showcase their superheroes.
INCITING INCIDENT
Show students newspaper clipping and ask them to share what they have learned/what has happened
EXPOSITION/BUILDUP
Introduce Teacher in Role moment – one of us will act in role as one of the headmasters of the academy, with the students being superheros in training. Allow students to ask any questions about the situation at hand. Propose a discussion about whether we should help Dr. Hyde (and bring him back to the good side) or if we should just shut him down completely and lock him up. Is there hope for him?
NEWSREEL
This will be a controlled way to experience the climax. As we fast forward, the students have a chance to together improv the final scene.
TIR as the news reporter, students as their characters (superheroes).
“Students, we are going to step out of role for a minute. We have decided what we are going to do about Dr. Frederick Hyde. We are going to step forward in time and imagine that it has already happened. When I put on this scarf, I will become a news reporter. I need both an interview and some shots for the evening news tonight. You all will come to the front of the class and we will nonverbally act out what happened. I will interview _____ while you are acting it out, and _____ will describe the action to me as you all are acting it out.”
DISCUSSION (use these to start and bounce questions off of their responses.)
How did you come to a conclusion about what to do about the Dr. Frederick Hyde as a group? Talk about your experience collaborating with your peers? How did you have to collaborate when doing the news reel activity?
Ask about the development of character and how their actions helped them to create their characters. Did they have imagined costumes and props? Were they able to imagine the setting? Did this help them? How?
Let’s talk about civic responsibility a little bit. What does that mean to you? What are your responsibilities as a citizen? As a member of a community? As a friend? Did any of those dictate your choices about what to do with Dr. Frederick Hyde?
^(image from link above)–this was very easy to make so feel free to suggest any changes
–What? Theme/Learning Area—structure this as an educational objective
Civic responsibility
–Where and When? Context—this is the pre-text, a jumping off point or point of inspiration and the dramatic context you will establish for the process drama
Superhero training academy. What’s the name of our academy? — Legit we could just do Superhero Training Academy (STA for short) lol
New York City
Newspaper clipping
–Who? Roles—these are the characters in your process drama—most of them will come from your context
Us: a teacher of the academy
Students: superheroes
Hyde: abstract character/no one is playing him. Used to be one of the teachers or students at the academy.
–Why? Frame—this helps you focus on the POV the different roles might have. Whether it’s TIR or roles the students are playing themselves—how can their POV help create tension?
The bad guy used to be one of us, do we fight against him or not?
We will take the opposite view of the students.
–How? Signs—these are tangible things that can help the students become more invested in the process drama. These might be props or items to help you utilize your strategies below. Signs, maps, pictures, etc.
Newspaper clipping
Mask for TIR.
Scarf for TIR
Organize chairs into a runway for the students to walk down
–How? Strategies—these are the process drama conventions listed in your Structuring Drama Workbook or other drama-based activities, where students get multiple opportunities to be in-role, you find useful (Use 2-3 of these).
