One of the most powerful tools we have for developing reading comprehension is drama. If students really understand a story - the setting, the characters, the conflict, and the resolution - they should be able to act out that story. Drama also develops oral language skills and interpersonal abilities.
Today, we worked to incorporate theater arts into our language arts program. Our theme is "Friendship" and our first story, Gloria who Might be my Best Friend, deals with a boy learning to play harmoniously together with a girl. We talked about how all of this involves cooperation, and we explored what cooperation means. We then work with two classic theater games which involve cooperation: Mirror and Machine. Mirror is an exercise where two students face each other, and one tries to imitate the other at exactly the same time. This requires not only a great deal of concentration on the part of the imitator, but also forces the partners to work slowly and carefully together. Machine has a group of four or five students working together to create an imitation of a complex piece of machinery. Students have to think how their movements build upon the movements of others, and how they can contrast levels and sounds and speeds. These exercises are used in theater from beginning classes to the professional level because they can develop almost infinitely in depth and complexity.
Homework: Students should be finished at least through page 13 of the math assignments. If possible, finish through page 15 to be ready to take the quiz tomorrow. Students also received a worksheet on Point of View before they left today. That should be done and turned in tomorrow. If other assignments are not complete, please get those done and turned in. Check the on-line gradebook to find out what is missing.
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