Zooming In on Learning Through Drama in the Elementary Classroom
Resources
Drama resource mentioned in episode - Drama Notebook
Printable Poems to Recite and/or Act Out -poets.org
My third graders from years ago performed a play for parents called Cheetah and Sloth. There were commercial breaks built in to the script and the students wrote the commercials. Super fun.
This is the tree that Cheetah lazily sleeps under. The student playing Cheetah was able to climb onto the table to sleep and still be seen by the audience. The tree was created and painted by the students. See below.
Students painting part of the tree for the Cheetah to sleep under.
Our cheetah!
Same year of third graders: Frog and Toad Reader’s Theater for fluency building.
I created Frog and Toad reader’s theater scripts straight from the classic books.
Outline
Introduction and Overview of the Podcast
Melissa Milner introduces herself as the host of the Teacher As podcast, expressing her curiosity and inspiration as a teacher.
She mentions the growth in the number of educators listening to the podcast and encourages listeners to rate and review it on Apple Podcasts.
Melissa announces the sponsorship of the podcast by the career mentorship program Major Choice and provides a link for those interested in becoming mentors.
Reflecting on the Season and Upcoming Episode
She reflects on the previous season, listing the various guests and topics covered, including Ed Goyette from Major Choice, music teacher Mel Emerick, AJ Cullen on animal-assisted interventions, and many more.
Melissa expresses her excitement about the guests and topics covered in the previous season, encouraging listeners to revisit missed episodes.
She explains the purpose of the current episode, which is to discuss learning through drama in the elementary classroom.
Melissa shares her personal excitement about incorporating drama into her teaching, especially as she prepares to return to teaching third grade.
She highlights the benefits of using drama in the classroom, such as building important skills, bringing reading to life, and developing confidence and empathy.
Benefits of Using Drama in the Classroom
Melissa elaborates on the various skills drama helps develop, including speaking and listening, vocabulary, and collaboration.
She emphasizes that drama allows students to explore characters and conflicts in a hands-on way, strengthening their communication skills.
Melissa discusses how drama can help students see the world from different perspectives and develop empathy.
She mentions that drama provides opportunities for all learners to shine, whether they enjoy being center stage or have talents in other areas like writing scripts or creating props.
Getting Started with Drama in the Classroom
Melissa introduces Drama Notebook as a valuable resource for incorporating drama lessons into the school day.
She shares tips from Eleni Dougekou, the founder of the English Drama Method, on the benefits of using drama for active and interactive learning.
Melissa provides practical tips for using drama in the classroom, such as starting lessons with warm-ups, using drama games, and incorporating role-playing.
She highlights the importance of having props, costumes, and realia to enhance the drama activities.
Incorporating Drama into the Curriculum
Melissa discusses how she plans to incorporate drama into her third-grade curriculum, starting with social emotional learning and getting-to-know-you activities.
She mentions specific curriculum units, such as the Magic Treehouse books and fairy tale unit, and how drama can be integrated into these topics.
Melissa shares ideas for using drama to improve students' fluency, such as recording monologs and performing them for parents or other classes.
She emphasizes the importance of making learning fun and engaging through drama activities.
Addressing Common Concerns and Final Thoughts
Melissa acknowledges the common concern that drama might be an additional burden for teachers and explains that it should be seen as a way to enhance existing lessons.
She shares insights from ChatGPT on why drama is not just one more thing, highlighting its role in building essential skills and making learning more memorable.
Melissa encourages teachers to think of drama as a powerful teaching tool that can bring learning to life.
She concludes the episode by wishing listeners a great summer and expressing her excitement for the upcoming school year and new opportunities to incorporate drama into her teaching.