LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

Adolescents love to be the center of attention. Why not let them? Our ArtLit visitors (5441) highlighted the importance of student centered drama and community building activities. Allowing students to act out emotions and movements in a text helps them to understand and remember these concepts more vividly. This incorporation of drama also allows students to present material in an individualized, subjective way without worrying about being “right” in their interpretation (TL). Students respond well to these dramatic activities and are motivated to participate. Dramatic activities also allow an opportunity for technology integration. Taping or recording these performances will be a fun way to assess student achievement or motivate student self reflection. However, a great deal of front-loading and scaffolding is often required to ensure that students are participating correctly and effectively contributing to the overall classroom goals of these dramatic activities.