Last week, we worked with our students in 11A to complete their first science/playwriting project. The assignment for the class, which began in Ms. Buck's 1st period class, and then moved to Ms. Reed's 2nd period class (and continued the next day in 2nd period), was to create a scene that included a character trying to test a theory. The character's theory could have been based on evidence, suspicion or just desire. We told the kids that they did not have to include science in the piece, although they could, and that the scene must be at least two pages long. We also told them that we would, together, read all the scenes and ask for a few of them to be presented as staged readings for the class. Finally, we gave them all notebooks especially for playwriting (big thanks to the folks who donated the notebooks through my
DonorsChoose project!) which were a big hit. (One student asked that if he wrote "very many" plays, could he have another notebook. Yes.)
When we sat down to read the scenes, we saw -- as I mentioned in the page on my initial ELA asssements -- that the difference between writing for the theatre and writing a film script is not clear to the class yet. We also saw that many students chose to write multiple short scenes instead of one, longer, sustained scene. We saw a large gamut of plots -- from one student who wrote a word-for-word transcription of an interaction about a theory that he had verbally with Kelli earlier in the week -- to a student who wrote a beautiful piece of prose-poetry that did not have anything to do with a theory or theatre. We were impressed, though, by the number of students who did write what had been asked -- a scene (or series of scenes) about someone developing a theory.
In the end, we chose to have six students present their scenes. Kelli made copies of the scenes, and then we distributed them to the students, telling them to cast and rehearse their scene. (Mention must again be made that we teach in a theatre arts high school -- these steps would not be so instinctive, perhaps, to most high schoolers).
Here are two of the scenes we presented. First, Adama's, about a student who has a theory about her teachers, and the second is Steven's, who wrote about a very interesting (and upsetting) theory.
When we sat down to read the scenes, we saw -- as I mentioned in the page on my initial ELA asssements -- that the difference between writing for the theatre and writing a film script is not clear to the class yet. We also saw that many students chose to write multiple short scenes instead of one, longer, sustained scene. We saw a large gamut of plots -- from one student who wrote a word-for-word transcription of an interaction about a theory that he had verbally with Kelli earlier in the week -- to a student who wrote a beautiful piece of prose-poetry that did not have anything to do with a theory or theatre. We were impressed, though, by the number of students who did write what had been asked -- a scene (or series of scenes) about someone developing a theory.
In the end, we chose to have six students present their scenes. Kelli made copies of the scenes, and then we distributed them to the students, telling them to cast and rehearse their scene. (Mention must again be made that we teach in a theatre arts high school -- these steps would not be so instinctive, perhaps, to most high schoolers).
Here are two of the scenes we presented. First, Adama's, about a student who has a theory about her teachers, and the second is Steven's, who wrote about a very interesting (and upsetting) theory.
We also asked the students to critique the scenes they saw. Our kids are used to giving criticism that is pointed and precise but not cruel. We did hear a lot of response that boiled down to "it should have been rehearsed more" or "it would have been better staged differently." Ms. Reed talked to the class about how playwrites need to hear their works read/performed far before they're necessarily ready to be produced. But the class is skeptical about this!
We also asked the six playwrights whose works were performed to respond to the experience. Their words -- which are quite interesting -- are here.
Overall, we were pleased with this beginning to the unit. We felt the kids learned and enjoyed it, and we are eager now to move into using scientific core content with playwriting!
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