New York University
School of Cultural, Education, and Human Development
Department of Teaching & Learning
Program in English Education
Course:
Dramatic Activities in the English Classroom. ENGED-GE2507-001.
Spring 2013 Mondays 6:45 - 8:25 Room: Silver 500
Instructor: Dr. William Heller
Office Hours: By appointment only
Home Telephone: (917) 520 - 3435
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: NYU Classes
Objectives:
• Students will understand the philosophical difference between process-based drama
and theatrical production, and how this relates to classroom practice.
• Students will be exposed to a variety of techniques for using drama in the English
classroom from Grade 5 through college.
• Students will be able to use works of literature as pre-texts to design original lessons
that use drama as a teaching tool.
• Students will learn new methods to promote literacy using drama.
• Students will learn specific core strategies such as teaching in role and the tableau, and
will be exposed to a variety of functions and techniques for using these strategies.
• Students will learn a variety of techniques for teaching Shakespeare.
• Students will learn methods of using drama for conflict resolution.
• Students will understand how use of dramatic activities can be aligned with the
Common Core standards.
• Students will be empowered and inspired to use elements of drama in their own
teaching.
1
Course Requirements:
1. Class Participation: As this is a practical class, participation is extremely important.
This means participating in all drama activities and, afterwards in debriefing discussions,
being willing to reflect on feelings and social processes as they develop during these
activities. It means coming to class having done the assigned readings. It should go
without saying that attendance is a must! Lateness to class and unexcused absences will
be reflected in your final grade.
2. Readings: Readings will be assigned in class, including articles and works of
literature. Student groups presenting unit plans may also assign readings the week before
their presentation.
3. Journal: Please download the weekly lesson plan for the course from NYU Classes,
add your own reflection in the areas marked in yellow, and e-mail the file to me. This
reflection should indicate some depth of thought, but can take any form you feel will be
useful to you in the future. For example, you may choose to include or not include any
of the following: appropriate classroom applications, how you feel about what you and
the others did, what you may have discovered, personal progress, problems that arose or
which may arise upon replication and potential solutions, questions that were raised for
you, suggested follow-up activities or alternative activities to achieve the same goal,
observations about the group dynamic and how it affected the exercises, your reactions to
the readings and how the in-class activities relate, etc.
4. Online Discussion: Because practical activities often leave less time for discussion
than is desired, an Internet message board will be accessible through NYU Classes. It
will be a requirement of the course to post to this message board no less than six times
over the course of the semester, including one original message and one response to
another person’s message in each of the months of February, March, and April. The
original posting need not be anything more than a passage of your weekly journal that
you’d like to share, or that you think would provoke discussion. This requirement is
only a bare minimum; you are encouraged to post freely to the message board throughout
the semester whenever you have something to contribute or discuss.
5. Shakespeare Scene: With at least one other person, choose a passage from one of
Shakespeare’s plays that you will commit to memory and orally present before the large
group [about 24 lines or so per person]. As you work with this passage explore how
different oral interpretations yield variant meanings and possibilities. Focus on the
process of working toward performance without worrying about any perfected final
product. Presenters should also be prepared to discuss their process. Please submit to
me by March 11 a copy of the scene you are planning to perform. The performances
will be on April 22.
6. Teaching Project: In groups of three or four, design a unit plan based on a specific
text. This may or may not be a literary text, but it should be something you consider
appropriate for an English classroom. Your project will include three lesson plans from
2
this unit that use drama as a teaching tool. Each group will give a 35-minute presentation
that presents a segment of this unit that uses some aspect of drama to explore the selected
text.
The unit lesson plan should include a background section. This section includes an
overview of the unit, and how the three lesson plans fit into the overall structure. Please
include a description of the real or hypothetical class for whom the unit is designed, as
well as any UDL considerations that went into your planning.
The unit lesson plan should clearly outline instructional objectives. Discuss the text
you’ve chosen, and the value of introducing it to students. Each activity in the lessons
should include a description of the activity, a rationale for the activity, amount of time
allotted, and materials needed. Presentations will be given on April 29 and May 6. The
project will be due on May 6 regardless of your presentation date.
Please submit to me a copy of your proposed in-class lesson plan by April 8. All this
needs to be is the name of your text (and a copy if possible), a list of the activities you’re
planning to do during your 35-minute presentation, and the amount of time you’ve
allotted to each activity. Any more than this will be welcomed but not expected. You
are not committed to the plan you hand in on April 8, but rather are encouraged to
continue to develop your lesson.
Come to class wearing clothes that will allow you to move comfortably. Costuming is
not necessary.
Enjoy your semester!
3
Course Calendar
Dramatic Activities in the English Classroom
Spring 2013
January 28 – Introduction to the Course
February 4 – Teaching Literacy through Drama
February 11 – Teaching in Role
February 18 – NO CLASS (Presidents Day)
February 25 – Structuring Drama Lessons; Read “A Rose For Emily” by William
Faulkner
March 4 – Dramatic Inquiry; Read Saskatchewan Education’s “Planning in the Drama
Strand” webpage
March 11 – Teaching Shakespeare; Read Acts I and II of Macbeth by William
Shakespeare; Shakespeare Scenes Due
March 18 – NO CLASS (Spring Recess)
March 25 – NO CLASS (Passover)
April 1 – Teaching Shakespeare, cont.; Finish reading Macbeth
April 8 – Conflict Resolution through Drama; In-Class Lesson Plan Due
April 15 – Dramatic Activities and the Common Core
April 22 – Perform Shakespeare Scenes
April 29 – Teaching Project Presentations
May 6 – Teaching Project Presentations, Unit Lesson Plan Due
May 13 – Extra Credit Presentations, Wrap Up, Extra Credit Due
The journal is due each week.
At least two web postings are due by the end of February, March, and April. (one
original, one response). A minimum of six postings are required during the course.
The Final Exam period will be announced.
4