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PORTFOLIO OF ACTIVITIES AND

GAMESBY: CARLY TUNKS

0791831TEACHING DRAMA TO CHILDREN

SHARON REID DECEMBER 1st 2015

Group of Children With Teacher Enjoying Drama Class Together, n.d. Colourbox. Web. 28 Nov. 2015

“Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves.” ― Viola Spolin

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Table of Contents

Portfolio Components Page

1 Introduction & Statement of Teaching Philosophy 3 - 4

2 List of Goals with Rationale 5

3 What should children watch: Production Critique6 – 7

4 Drama Workshop: Lesson Plan 8- 9

5 Drama Workshop: Reflection 10-11

6 Story Theatre Backstage View & Poster 12-13

7 Free Choice: Promotional Activity Script

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Introduction and Statement of Teaching Philosophy

What Kind of Teacher am I? The curtain opens and my monologue begins…

My name is Carly Tunks and I am a fourth year Early Childhood Studies student at the University of Guelph Humber. I have had the opportunity to participate in a Teaching Drama to Children’s class this semester. This class gave me the chance to go back and time and relive the moments from my childhood, while using my imagination to play drama games. As a child the arts were always a big part of my life because I danced competitively for 10 years and attended Mayfield Secondary Regional Arts High School where I danced in many theatre productions. There is an element of adrenalin while performing live and receiving a standing ovation or positive reaction from the audience is a great feeling. I believe incorporating dramatic arts into the curriculum is imperative in preparing a well-rounded student.

Since I was young I knew that I wanted to be a teacher or work with children in some form of capacity. Taking this class was an extension of developing my skillset and furthering my education. Preparing activities and games for children is pivotal in opening their minds to using their senses and imagination. This class has taught a new way of preparing lesson plans for children to incorporate spontaneous dramatic experiences. Although in my ECE program, there is a structured lesson plan. This class has allowed me to view lesson plans with a new innovative way of teaching.

I believe that everyone can learn from one another and bring their own skills to have an impact on children. Children learn in many different ways and to be a great teacher you need to accommodate your teaching methodologies to support their learning styles. As a teacher my philosophy is to incorporate compassion and empathy into everyday life lessons. Teaching children to be more accepting of other cultures, races, religions and be more empathetic will create a society with less discrimination. Personally, I am fit and energetic and love to incorporate high energy games and activities into the classroom. I enjoy music and dance and will encompass this into my daily programs. I am compassionate, caring, with a non- judgemental personality where I have excelled in working with children with special needs. My positive attitude reflects on my day to day teaching style and will ultimately reflect in my students.

As a teacher I believe in setting goals for students both in their educational and personal life. This was always an important factor in my upbringing because being a competitive dancer there was always a goal to meet. I have always maintained by beliefs and never wavered to follow the crowd. I will instruct my class to be proud of who they are and what they can accomplish. I am very personable and open and believe in having an open door policy where my students can speak to me candidly for support and advice. I try to instill good values and strong family morals to ensure they are supported during times of confusion. Understanding students and where they are coming from is imperative to helping solve their issues. I plan on accommodating different learning styles within my classroom to foster a healthier learning

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environment. Full understanding of students and family structures is important to allow us as teachers to support their day to day needs.

Being diagnosed in 2005 with a communication disability has made me understand what it feels like to be segregated from my peers. What makes me different from other teachers is my ability to care unconditionally for children with special needs. My openness to try different methods and be spontaneous within the school curriculum will set me apart from other structured teachers. My personal goal in life is to become a teacher but most importantly make a positive impact in children’s lives. It would be an incredible feeling to watch children grow and prosper. I will know that I have achieved my goal once I view my students being successful. The three main actions that I will implement into my daily program will be to stay organized to document growth and development. Provide activities that will help to build their compassion and empathy with each other. Practise new innovative teaching styles and stay current with the latest teaching techniques.

I have grown as a teacher throughout my educational journey with the confidence to speak in front of a class. My patience level has grown with a better level of understanding for the children. My communication skills have enhanced with the ability to relay information in a formative way. My organizational skills have increased due to the level of assignments and the ability to prioritize projects. All my experiences throughout my academic life have shaped the person I am today and the caring supportive teacher I will become.

There are many right ways to becoming a good teacher, the key is find your own path and I am well on my way within my journey to becoming a teacher. (….)

My monologue is ending but your journey into my portfolio is just beginning!

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Winter Issue Parents Newsletter

Goal Rationale

Are your children setting SMART goals? It’s that time of year again for our annual winter newsletter. We will be discussing details on how parents can teach their children to set SMART goals. First of all, what is a SMART goal? Smart is defined as Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. These factors can support children through their development. This newsletter will provide you with information to guide your children to be successful. As the writer of this newsletter and your children’s grade three class teacher, we have been studying goals related to life lessons.

Goal setting is so important to start this at a young age for a number of reasons. It helps kids lead their own life and take ownership for their actions. It allows them to reflect on their progress and see how far they have come. It is a sense of accomplishment once the goal is attainted. As a teacher, I have a great opportunity to teach these life skills throughout our daily lessons.

I introduced a new game within the classroom, teaching them a new and fresh way of learning. This game is called Identifying Objects. This game is relevant to our daily curriculum as it is age appropriate. During class we are currently working on identifying attributes from shapes and abstract objects and this game will help this skills. This game was used as a teaching tool to implement goal setting within the classroom.

I used a chart to document children’s thoughts and goals prior to starting the

game. I rewarded them for making their own goals and told them the objectives they would achieve by playing this game were as followed;

Cognitive: The student will identify the object as they recall the information and knowledge from their mind.

Psychomotor: The students will be able to manipulate the object with their hands as they feel the edges and sides.

Affective: The students will value the well honoured sense of touch as they are introduced to a form of braille as well as interact with the object. The last objective was introduced as a student showed interest in braille.

As the children began to realize goals can be applied everywhere. I encouraged them to make their own goals as our first project of the month. This project was to list 3 goals with dates in which they hope to achieve them. Watch for the assignment sheet in your child’s binder. As stated before goal setting is imperative to start at an early age because it teaches them the importance of setting and achieving goals. As parents we are able to work as co-partners integrating moments of goal setting into the child’s life. At Bloom’s Elementary school, we are here to support your children and will set them on the path for achievement. Stay tuned for the spring issue on story creation.

Have a safe and Holiday Season…see you in the spring.

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Critique of a Production

“Is this play appropriate for my child”? Many parents are faced with this question when choosing a play and how it may affect them. Taking children to the theatre is important for many reasons because it gives children a chance to learn by enhancing their imagination and creativity while engaging all their senses. Family oriented plays provide life lessons about “the value of trust, friendship and imagination” which is important to develop at a young age (Reid, 2011). Some plays showcase life lessons; this can be beneficial for children in helping them with problem solving strategies (Reid, 2011). Although plays can be beneficial for children, they can be harmful if they portray offensive material that is not suited for their age group.

I am here to review what makes a production appropriate and how parents can choose what will be suitable for their child. On November 5th, I watched “Legally Blonde” based on the book by Heather Hatch, under the direction of J. Bethurne. The play was advertised as a family musical and held in the auditorium located at 5000 Mayfield Road in Caledon.

Legally Blonde was about a young girl named Elle Woods who followed her ex-boyfriend on a quest to Harvard University to win back his affections. There she discovers more than just ways to win him back, she also discovers a passion for law. Elle went through many challenges with professors and other students not taking her seriously. Elle used her quirky personality to standout and attain her goals. The important message within the play was to be a leader not a follower and believe in yourself, which is an ideal message to teach young impressionable children.

During intermission, I interviewed an 8-year-old girl to discuss her views on the play. She explained how she enjoyed the singing and dancing and felt the music was upbeat and cheery. Although, there was a positive message in the play, there were some inappropriate moments. The language used was not only inappropriate but also complex and not suited for all ages. There was vulgarity and sexual references throughout many scenes along with multiple drug and drinking expressions. Although, the 8-year-old enjoyed the play, most of the jokes and in appropriate references went over her head.

The five techniques used in the play to appeal to children was comedy, colourful costumes and set, dancing and amazing lighting effects. Within the first scene Act 1 – the song “Omigod You Guys” was engaging allowing the audience the opportunity to clap and sing along. This is a technique that would ideally appeal to children because it gives them an active role. During scene 2 within Act 1 – Elle portrayed by Jenna Brown did a marvelous job appealing to the audience while she sang her song “Serious” about her getting engaged which showcased her emotion. During this song she wore a sparkly pink gown that was enhanced by the lights. This is a clear example of how the producers used costumes to appeal to a younger audience because she was portrayed like a fairy princess. The lights enhanced the mood of the audience by changing colours and timing sequencing which helped portray a different emotion.

The producer lacked full understanding of his target audience because it was advertised as a family show but clearly focused on high school students. The play lasted 2 hours and

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finished quite late for young children. Families have different age groups and usually bring the entire family to an event to save on time and money and this may not have been ideal for them.

In conclusion, if the producer eliminated the swearing, sexual and drug references and the complex terminology used in the monologues it would be more age appropriate. This would mean a complete rewrite of the play therefore I don’t feel it is appropriate for a younger audience. To better suit this play to a younger audience they could have used more vibrant props or having her dog play a larger role in the play with more interactive with singing scenes.

The theatre is a place where families can enjoy quality time together. I would recommend researching the rating and reviewing the online reviews. Overall, it was a great performance by some very talented students. For children’s growth they should be involved in the theatre but it is the parent’s job to make sure the play is appropriate for their age group.

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Drama Activity Lesson Plan Name: Carly Tunks

Game Title: Identifying Objects Page #: 106

Target Age: Children aged 4-7 years of age

Purpose: To develop the players sense of touch as they discover various attributes of objects.

KSA/CAP Objectives:

Knowledge - The student will be able to identify the object by stating previous memories they have encountered with the object to recall what it is.

Skills - The student will be able to manipulate the object with their hands to feel each part of the object including the sides and edges to understand what it is.

Attitude - The student will value the well honoured sense of touch as they keep their eyes shut to gain the full experience of feeling the object and following the instructions of the game.

How is this game age appropriate?

The game Identifying Objects is an age appropriate game for a variety of reasons. Children 4-7 are in the prime time of growth and development and this game fosters each domain. Children at this age enjoy more hands on learning experiences as they learn better this way. This game provides the children with hands on sensory experience with objects which is perfect for this age group.

Descriptions (Steps to take necessary to play the game)

1. Get the children in a circle and count off into groups of five2. Split them up into the groups3. Select a player 1 to start in the middle and player 2 to hold the bag of objects4. Player 1 chooses an object with their eyes closed 5. Begins to feel the object fully feeling each side, edge and face6. Player 1 will guess the object and when guessed correctly7. Player 1 will describe when they have encountered this object last8. Once guessed correctly, the object is returned to the bag 9. Player 2 passes the bag to the person on their left and switches spots with player 110. Repeat this whole process with player 2

Focus: The children will focus on recognizing the item by using their sense of touch.

Organization: Must have a spacious room big enough to have 6-7 groups of five groups playing at once. I will prepare bags for each group ahead of time filling each bag with various objects for the children to feel and play with. Each group will receive this bag at the beginning of the game.

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Side Coaching:

I will use these side coaching phrases as a way to keep the children on task and focused on the activity.

Is the object hard of soft? What kind of texture is the object? Imagine what you would do with this object? Feel with your eyes closed.Problems Solutions A problem would be if player in the middle takes too long to identify to object this doesn’t allow the other players a fair chance to participate in the center and feel the object.

A great way to solve this problem would to put a time limit on how long the child has to identifying the object and if they don’t guess it by then the teacher and peers can assist the child if they require help.

Another problem would be if the child cannot guess the object and they have run out of guesses and have felt the object for several minutes.

The teacher can then solve the problem by giving the child small clues to point them in the right direction. If this still doesn’t work the teacher can switch the object to make it easier. As we want everyone to feel like they have succeeded.

Another problem could possibly be if the child has a sensory delay and is unable to feel the object as it brings them discomfort. This would be a problem as they can’t participate fully in the activity.

A teacher can solve this problem by becoming aware of the child’s history and accommodate the activity based on the child’s needs. This could be picking objects that are easier for them to touch or describing what it feels like to the child so they could still have a chance to guess.

Reflection question: Did you find it easy or hard to identifying the object through touch alone and were you able to recall any memories you had when feeling that object?

Positive Reinforcement

It is important to use positive reinforcement during the drama activity to let the child know you have acknowledged their hard work. This will build their self-esteem and their confidence as student.

I like how everyone is sharing the spotlight and taking turns during the game I noticed you felt the object by feeling all the edge, face and sides I liked your description of this object from your memory

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Drama Workshop Reflection: Carly Tunks

Game Title: Identifying Objects

Taking on the role as a drama teacher was a great experience. It gave me the opportunity to feel

what it feels like to lead a class and be in the hot seat. At times it was nerve racking but I was

able to overcome my anxiousness and lead a great lesson. My personality was visible through my

unique teaching style and this gave me confidence to teach further lessons. The qualities I

portrayed during my explanation of the drama activity were my ability to be clear and concise

and understanding to the student’s needs. As this as my first time taking on this role I noticed

some challenges that I experiences during this process. In the process of explaining the activity I

noticed I spoke fast when delivering the rules which may have caused some confusion. I wanted

to get the group in a big circle this did not allow enough space for a demonstration of the game.

In the future, I would have performed a demonstration and then bring them to the circle to do the

count off after reviewing the rules. I was able to solve this issue by side coaching and going

around to the groups to clarify any confusion in the moment. Some of the feedback received was

that the objects used were too simple and they could easily identify them. It is important to

remember that this game is meant for children aged 4-7 not university level adults. This game

was able to achieve its goal of developing the player’s sense of touch as they discover various

attributes of objects. It was stated through the comments of students that they enjoyed taking part

in feeling the objects. The players were able to identify the objects as they used touch alone to

recall memories they had when touching the first object. This game can be used as a warm up

game when coming into the classroom. It will allow the children eliminate distractions from

outside sources and get them up and moving.

Every student is unique and requires different teaching styles this game can be adapted to suit a

variety of student’s needs. This game focuses on exposing children to the use of their sense of

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touch to explore objects. To adapt or expand on this activity, a continued focus on senses will be

used however another sense would replace sense of touch. If a student has a sensory process

delay, this game can be adapted to fit with other senses, such as getting someone to describe the

object to them while they still close their eyes. This would allow them to still participate while

accommodating their needs. I could also bring in another lesson of braille to the children.

This experience was a learning lesson and I will continue to grow in my experiences of teaching

as I take on this role in the future.

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Spring Issue Newsletter

Story Theatre Backstage View

Blooms Academy presents a glimpse into Disney’s twisted tales. Welcome to our annual spring

newsletter presented by the teachers of Blooms Academy. We encourage all families to attend

the shows as each one depicts a somewhat funny twist on the classic Disney fairy tales. You will

be taken on a wild journey that will enhance your imagination and boosts your senses.

This play will start off at the Mad Haters tea party where the White Rabbit who is a detective

takes the audience on a journey through time discovering crimes within different lands. On his

quest he travels to various places such as Rapunzel’s Tower, the Three Little Bears house and the

Wizard of Oz. As the play travels through time it outlines the dangers of crime with a comedic

overview. This play is an original and spontaneous which utilized improvisation process

throughout. The journey will review each crime and possible suspects and try to encourage the

audience to solve the crimes.

This newsletter will give you a backstage view to story creation and some of challenges in

creating a production. There were challenges working in a group because everyone had different

ideas on how they saw the play developing. Timing was a factor because you are relying on

people to learn their parts and be prompt during session rehearsals. Delegation seemed to be an

issue because multiple people want to lead the group simultaneously. There were also

fundamental challenges with creating one cohesive play around individual story themes.

There were multiple drama games that were used to overcome these challenges and they are as

follows: Exits and Entrances, Stage Picture, Puppets on a String, Tableau, Snake Trust Exercises

and improvisation.

As team participant, I felt my contributions to the production were valuable because I was

always on time, always receptive to other ideas and took on extra challenges. I remained

professional and diplomatic when managing differences of opinions.

In conclusion, this play depicts the dangers of crimes and uses comedy to help children stay

focused on the themes. It is important to have valuable life lessons during theatre productions to

ensure people are left with something to think about after the show. This play is memorable,

witty with a splash of twisted storylines.

13MAD HATTER & WHITE RABBIT

REPU

NSAL’S TO

WER

Goldilocks & the Three Bears House

Wizard of Oz

B&E…who broke into the house?

Tale of kidnapping…

MURDER!

MURDER!

MURDER!

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Free Choice

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Drama Activity: Workshop Group #4

PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY

RE: SKIT

Setting the scene: A family of five is off to Japan. They arrive in Toronto Pearson Airport and are in the process of checking in and going through security.

Characters:

Alessia: Check in desk at Air Canada

Connor: Family Member (Knocking guy)

Megan: Family Member (Hat lady)

Joelle: Family Dog

Lauren: Family member (little girl that sings)

Nick: Family member (Spills Coffee)

Ryley: Provides information on the plane

Jimmy: Directs people to the plane (spells out words)

Connor, Megan, Joelle, Nick and Lauren walk up to the desk check in desk.

Connor knocks three times: Hello, Hello, Hello

Alessia comes out from around the corner: Hello welcome to Air Canada, how may I help you today.

Connor: I am travelling to Japan with my family

Alessia: Boarding passes please

*scans boarding passes*

Alessia: Please make your way to the security desk

Connor follows to security

Carly will inspect the bags with eyes closed and make sure there is nothing in the bag

Megan can give her boarding pass next and follow to security when she’s done.

Lauren can be holding Joelle on a leash and follows the family to security

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Nick will spill his coffee on Joelle and she will scream and bark.

He wipes off the coffee with the bottom part of his arms and apologizes.

Jimmy will give everyone directions to the plane while he spells out different words.

As they are on their way to the plane Lauren is singing “Here we go round the mulberry bush”

Everyone is seated on the plane now and Ryley gives information about the plane ride and how we will play various games on the flight.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, I very much enjoyed participating in this class. Although, challenging at times

when working with so many different personalities within the same group it was extremely

rewarding to complete the play. I learned a lot about myself in that I enjoy incorporating drama

into my daily program. It brings spontaneity and laughter into a daily program that maybe

boring without it. Drama enhances the senses and allows for the imagination to prosper.

Therefore teaching this to a class will give them more opportunities to grow as well rounded

individuals. I did find it difficult to switch my current structured way of thinking to be more

open to spontaneous suggestions allowing them to flow through the classroom. This type of

lesson planning or teaching is far more interactive and I think children will get more out of the

class because they will be involved.

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References

Group of Children with Teacher Enjoying Drama Class Together, n.d. Colourbox. Web. 28 Nov. 2015