ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN



ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN - Core Program Year 2 Art-Infused

THEATER LESSON - The Story Volcano

Theater/Reading Lesson

Artist-Mentor - Dave Quicksall (modified: from Carrie Nath) Grade Levels: Third – Fifth Grade

Examples:

Enduring Understandings

Parts of a story can build cumulatively from the beginning through a sequence of actions to the climax and resolution.

Target: Knows and identifies the parts of a story.

Criteria: Records the introduction, rising action and climax, and falling action and resolution/denouement) on the Story Volcano Worksheet.

Target: Understands and demonstrates the cumulative actions that move the story through its different parts.

Criteria: Creates a series of short scenes that incorporate sequential key events from the recorded information and build action.

Target: Applies understanding of the story’s structure to a presentation/performance.

Criteria: Shows rising and falling action through presentation/performance.

Teaching and Learning Strategies

Introduction to Arts-Infused Concept through Classroom Activity:

Concepts for reading instruction: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution/denouement

Concepts in everyday life:

• Oh Yeah! Start with the students touching their toes and have them unroll to a standing position, with their arms ending up straight above their heads. AS they straighten up they say “Ohhhh” with rising pitch and intensity. When they reach their full upright position, arms over heads, they use their big voices and say “Yeah!”

This lesson could be divided into three sections if needed. The first section is the brainstorming and recording section, the second is the creation of scenes that incorporate the written information, the third as the performance section. Also, the preliminary written part of the lesson could be done individually by each student before putting them into groups.

BRAINSTORMING

1. Selects the story (or stories) the class will be working on. It should be a story with which everyone is familiar, if needed leads the class through a verbal retelling of the story. Divides the students into groups and assigns them a story. Introduces the Story Volcano Worksheet to the class.

Prompts: This is a lesson that is a theater lesson and a reading lesson at the same time. If you look on this worksheet, you will notice that the structure of a story could be thought of as a VOLCANO. The action of a story is like the molten lava in a volcano: it keeps rising until it explodes at the top. Once the explosion happens, the lava pours out and flows down the other side. The two sides of the volcano are called the RISING ACTION and the FALLING ACTION.

Student: Gets into his/her group and follows the introduction to the worksheet.

2. Guides the students in recording the information needed on the INTRODUCTION TO THE CHARACTERS section of the worksheet. Prompts: Think of the beginning of the story as an introduction to the characters. As we have previously learned, characters are defined by who they are and what they want. Determine who the main characters are in your story and write down their information on the worksheet. Remember we use the word OBJECTIVE when referring to what a character wants. If the story doesn’t clearly lay out what the characters want use your imagination and create objectives that make sense.

Student: Brainstorms with the group to determine who the main characters are and their objectives. Records this information on the worksheet. They should refer back to the book if needed.

Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist

3. Guides the students in recording the information needed on the POINT OF CONFLICT/PROBLEM section of the worksheet. Prompts: As the story heads up the slope of the volcano there are spots where the action grows in strength or intensity. We call those spots points of conflict or, simply, the problem. The problem could be between characters, i.e. their different objectives colliding. It could be something presented to a character that he/she must overcome. The idea is that the rising action keeps moving up the side of the volcano from point of conflict to the next point of conflict. Write down at least three points of conflict on your worksheet.

Student: Brainstorms with the group to identify at least three key points of conflict/problems in the rising action in sequence. Records the information on the worksheet.

Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist

4. Guides the students in recording the information needed on the CLIMAX section of the worksheet. Prompts: Now, we are at the top of the volcano and the explosion that is caused by the rising action. We call this explosion the climax of the story. It is usually the biggest moment in the book where everything turns around or changes, for better or worse. Where does your story have its big explosion? What happens in the story that makes everything unravel or change? Write your story’s climax on the worksheet. Does your story have more than one climax?

Student: Brainstorms with the group to identify the climax and records it on the worksheet.

Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based self assessment with checklist

5. Guides the students in recording the information on the RESOLUTION section of the worksheet. Prompts: Now we are heading down the falling action side of our volcano to the resolution. How does your story end? What are the actions that bring the story to a conclusion? What do the characters do? What do they want? Have they changed since the beginning? Another word used for resolution is the French word denouement, which means “to untie.” How does your story untie? Is it a quick resolution or a long, drawn out one?

Student: Brainstorms with the group and records the story’s resolution on the worksheet.

Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist

CREATION OF SCENES

6. Leads the students in creating 10 – 15 second scenes that communicate each section of their worksheet and build cumulatively through points of conflict to climax and resolution. There should be an introduction in which the characters and their objectives are presented, followed by at least three short scenes demonstrating the points of conflict/problem, followed by the climax, and ending with the resolution. The students should use words an/or dialogue as they create the scenes. The teacher should float through the room and touch base with each group as they rehearse and refine their choices. Each member of the group should perform in some capacity. Prompts: Each group has to create a small 10 – 15 second scene that incorporates all the key information. There should be an introduction scene, at least three points of conflict scenes that build, a climax scene, and a resolution scene. Remember to always think about the actions of the characters. We need to see the story action BUILD from point to point, so make that clear to us.

Student: Using the information on the worksheet creates the scenes with the group. Rehearses and refines the scenes as they work on them showing how the story builds, guided by the teacher.

Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist

PRESENTATION OF SCENES

7. Guides the students in presenting their scenes to the class. Prompt: Now each group will show us how the actions that make up their Story volcano build rising and falling action.

Student: Performs scenes with the group

Embedded Assessment: Peer reflection

|Vocabulary |Materials and Community Resource |WA Essential Learnings & Frameworks |

|Arts Infused: Theater and |Performances: |Essential Learnings |

|Reading: |Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Tacoma, WA |AEL 1.1 concepts: character, parts of a story, plot, |

|climax, falling action, | |resolution, conflict |

|point of conflict/problem, |Seattle Children’s Theater, Seattle, WA |AEL 1.1.2 principles of organization: sequence of actions |

|resolution, rising action, | |AEL 1.2 skills and techniques: movement, feelings of |

|sequence |Performance Materials: |characters |

| |selected stories |AEL 2.2 artistic process: working to solve a dramatic |

|Theater: | |problem: conceptualization |

|denouement | | |

| | |REL 2.2.3 understand story elements |

| | | |

| | |Arts State Frameworks |

| | |Kindergarten: identifies main character(s) |

| | |Grade 1: identifies main and minor character(s) |

| | |Grade 2: identifies and describes main and minor action in a |

| | |scene/ply/story |

| | |Grade 3: identifies the sequence of actions within a |

| | |scene/play/story |

| | |Grade 4: identifies and describes probable actions leading to|

| | |conflict resolution with a scene/play |

| | | |

| | |Reading State Frameworks |

| | |Kindergarten: identify story elements of character and |

| | |important events with teacher guidance |

| | |Grade 1: identify and explain story elements |

| | |Grade 2: retell the important events of a story |

| | |Grade 3: describe the problem faced by a character and how |

| | |he/she/it solves the problem |

| | |Grade 4: identify the main events in a plot, including the |

| | |case and effect relationship in problem solving |

| | |Grade 5: identify the major actions that define the plot and |

| | |how actions lead to conflict or resolution |

THE STORY VOLCANO WORKSHEET

ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN - Core Program Year 2 Art-Infused

LESSON TITLE: Story Volcano

ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET

|Disciplines |READING |THEATER |THEATER |Total |

| | | | |Points |

| | | | |7 |

|Concept |PARTS OF A STORY |PARTS OF A STORY |PERFORMING | |

| | |Sequential Key Events | | |

|Student | | | | |

| |Introduction |Rising action, climax |Falling action, |Introductio|

| | | |resolution |n |

|Concept |PARTS OF A STORY |PARTS OF A STORY: |PERFORMING | |

| | |Sequential Key Events | | |

|Student Name: | | | | |

|Introduction |Rising action, climax |Falling action, resolution |Introduction |Rising action, climax |Falling action, resolution |Shows storyline through performance | | |

| | | | | | | | | |Criteria-based Reflection Questions:

Self-Reflection: What are the actions that bring the story to a conclusion?

Peer to Peer: What actions did the group use to show rising and falling action?

ARTS IMPACT FAMILY LETTER

THEATER AND READING LESSON – Story Volcano

Dear Family:

Today your child participated in a theater and reading lesson in which we used the Story Volcano worksheet to explore the points of conflict, climax and resolution of a story.

• We brainstormed and wrote down the parts of the story on our worksheet and learned how the building action is like a volcano with bubbling lava.

• We created scenes to dramatize the points of conflict, the climax, and the resolution of the story’s action

• We performed our key scenes in sequence for the class.

At home you could take your favorite story and see how it fits into the Story Volcano, and then act out the actions.

Enduring Understanding

Parts of a story can build cumulatively

from the beginning through a sequence of actions to the climax and resolution.

-----------------------

[pic]

Introduction to the Characters

Who are they?

What do they want (objectives)?

Who are they?

What do they want (objectives)?

Point of Conflict/Problem #1

Point of Conflict/Problem #2

CLIMAX

RISING ACTION

FALLING ACTION

Point of Conflict/Problem #3

Resolution

(Denouement)

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