Reflection #5

Chapter 9 in our textbook discusses ideas on how to use drama skills and techniques for higher order thinking. Energizers and Warm-ups can be useful in motivating students. These activities can also stimulate the brain for use in creative problem solving, and can help increase concentration and focus. Pantomime can be a good tool for shy students or ESL students to make it easier for them to be able to express themselves in a comfortable way. Improvisation can be very useful in reviewing material. It also requires different ways of thought process. The use of drama in Literacy will bring about increased participation and is a great starting point for a theme or idea for writing projects.

I learned that there are many ways to implement a variety of skills while reading a book to the class. I particularly liked the activities that will help my students feel empathy toward the characters, especially in Non-Fiction books. When we participated in some of these activities in class, it was really cool to put ourselves into the place of the character and/or scenes. The story of Ruby Bridges can be a life changing experience as students learn about the challenges that she went through and that one person can make a difference. It was kind of sad to experience the kinds of treatment she received from other people as we as students participated in the “CarWash” activity. As we shouted at “Ruby” it really helped our class feel sympathy and a little empathy for her. The Imaginative/Sensory activities we participated in as we read some of the other books helped us feel like we were in the character’s shoes. These activities can draw students into the story and can be a powerful tool in teaching about real people and the sacrifices that they made. They can also stimulate creativity and imagination.

I would like to try several ideas from the information sheets and also from the textbook. There are so many ways to use drama and I will be able to refer to these ideas as I make my lesson plans. They will be very beneficial to me as a teacher.

I love the idea of Process Drama through reading books aloud in class. I particularly think these activities would benefit students in the study of Social Studies and Literacy Skills. I also liked the drama activities in class, such as the Reporter and the Panel activities. I especially like the idea of activities in groups, so that everyone can feel comfortable and not be put on the spot. These activities can be really good assessment techniques for end of units. I was amazed that we can even use drama in learning grammar (such as in the adverb game) and also in math. Who knew?