Drama and Story: Click on page below

Session 3 Drama for Literacy

TIR using Forest Child

Imagination abandoned by Reason produces impossible monsters: united with her, she is the mother of the arts and the source of their wonders. Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes

Game Openers: Concentrator: Key words concentration. Rules. Step in count .if not done last week then Fizz Buzz. [1] VGI .5 senses. [2] Keeper of the Keys . [3] Trad picture examination. Small/big. Sims /diffs. Use the cover picture as base.

Read the story or, even better, tell it .
Spread out the blanket. Light the candle. Walk around the room and see each eye. Then sit and watch the candle. Start the story.
· In voice of a forest animal. Against the hunter.

· Make a list of the 5 main events: Orally
· Using the blanket: make the group into 5’s. Then ask each group to name the five main points of the story. Then ask each group to name the five most important places for the Forest child. Then each group names ONE. Write/Draw on PAPER and place it on the blanket. When each group has named one- then each person takes a slip of paper and makes the unmentioned things in the story. Unmentioned places things. Hidden things. Secret things. Like hidden or forbidden path.

In five groups.
1. Show or Make a map of the main events and where they happened. What were the special places for the FC.
2. List the Important scenes in symbol ( pics, not words)
3. Signs on the landscape: what would a traveller see as they pass through the Valley.E.g. Danger! ( where would it be put) Ask pupils to suggest others.
4. Time line with pupils drawn images cut out OR Comic strip;
5. Interior of cave ( One secret object or photo etc)
6. Man Village ( Mapping)
7. Hunters house( Mapping- character exploration)

Tableau Worst moment for the forest child: groups of 4. Building sympathy for the child. Read images as anti-hunter. Question the Child only –build up against the Hunter.

· Hot seat the hunter. Role Motivation: Concentrate on the way the hunter should or should not have behaved. Ask for questions in advance. Rehears how the participants will tackle him If he gets angry then we won’t find out-so how should we question him to not make him angry. Take suggestions: Indirectly, slowly in.

· Raise issues. Don’t reach a decision.
· How will it end? Five years time. First day at school
· Get into groups. Decide on a happy end or a sad one or a mixture.
· Make a play. Only one line each at the most two.

· Identify Themes, Underlying question, poss. other TIR’s

Session Two Persuasion

Session two : Role Exercise

Exercise to bring people gently into role:

Persuasion in two’s. em>

Using same partner as you had in the previous game, explain terms:

Brief

Concern

Desired outcome

Tension

Status

Part one: A is tired and wants to watch a favourite TV show. B arrives and wants to watch a show on other channel. There is no VCR or TV channel changer in the room. Without any body contact, A must achieve their desired outcome and B also. Pupils are told " You must not give up!"

Part two: Teacher and Pupil. Same A +B ( esp. with pupils, to create real safety) ) School is having open day. Teacher has beautiful room prepared . Enter B as pupil who has been absent for some time and is not a good attender. B has a Snake in box which s/he wants to put on the nature table. Teacher is afraid of losing this child and also the benefits of having the child back at school. She also is also aware of losing her reputation if the snake should misbehave. The pupil ( B) has been told by his very strong parent that s/he must go to school or else. The difference in these two role plays is that each has something to lose and gain from the interaction.

Part three: Same A+ B( if group are happy they may change partner at this stage to create new ideas.

This time the pairs are of different status; One is a senior staff member at a Football Museum. Money has been donated by the National Lottery. The other is a new graduate form Art school. A new exhibition is happening and the two must agree to mount it in an attractive way. The senior person has their own well tried ideas whereas the junior has their own. The tension is in each wanting different approaches to presentation.,The status of the two means that the younger may have to negotiate in softer way than they might otherwise.

Play for three minutes. Then evaluate each approach with your participants-

Part ONE: Much energy and antagonism. Non solvable without one backingdown

Part TWO: Status is different. Adds tension.

Part THREE: Status , tension and roles are very different.

You have now developed from playing yourself in role ( Part one) thru' a familiar role in a scene ( Part two) to an unfamiliar role ( Part three) which is definitely not you.

Congratulations! - you have now been in role, accepted a brief, achieved( or not) a desired objective and become aware of the effect of status on a scene,especially in terms of tension. This was the Tension of differing status.

This structure was used with Setanta and Conor in conflict over whether Setanta should be sent home. You will remember we set up the Concern of each character. This was a received Brief as opposed to the given brief of the arguing flatmates earlier.

Then we set up the King by making statue of how Setanta might have first seen him int he hall of Armagh. Each person made one change,with discussion in between.Further, we created Setanta in the way that he would have been seen by Conor. This creation of characters invests the participants much more in the outcome.They now want to see how it works out.

End lesson