English Newsletter Winter 08-09 Issue

VOLUME II

ISSUE I

WINTER 2008-2009

E ng lish Newsletter CONTENTS 1.1-2.1 DRAMA IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM-THE VOICE 3.1- 4.1 OUR FAVORITE AUTHORS! Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams & George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen 4.2 WEBSITES FOR THEATRE 4.3 IN MEMORIAM Some writers we have lost this year. . 4.4 BULLETIN BOARD IDEAS 5.1 YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY- DRAMA RESOURCE BOOKS 5.2 FAMOUS AUTHOR BIRTHDAYS 5.3 RECOMMENDED READING 5.4 BOOKS INTO MOVIES 6.1 Puppet Play Assignment 7.1 Creating a Model Set Using simple materials to create a 3-D diorama or model set for drama or English classes.

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

Drama in the English Classroom: the Voice 1.1 Drama in the English curriculum is often either relegated to the occasional oral reading of a script from a text, or it is studied as a distinct genre apart from short stories, poems, and novels. If drama becomes performance, then we separate the drama from our classroom and it becomes “theatre” and is taught by the drama teacher or theatre teacher, but not often in the “English” class. I taught drama for all of my 33 years and I incorporated it into all my classes, not just those that were designated as “theater” or “drama”. This article will focus on vocal activities that mix literature and vocal practices. I.Reader’s Theatre: This dramatic form has many advantages. You can use any reading material, including nonfiction pieces, to create a script. Students do not need or use props, costumes, or other common drama equipment, although you may add such things if you wish. The focus is on the text the performer is reading. Students are allowed to have text/scripts in hand and to read from that. It helps to encourage readers to practice before performance. This VOLUME I I

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reduces the risk for the student. Creating a script and practicing helps readers recognize the different voices that exist in a text: concepts of tone, subtext,and character. The following websites are excellent resources: Reader’s
Theatre
scripts:
http:/ www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE.html Reader’s
Theatre
scripts:
http:// www.teachingheart.netreaderstheat er.htm Reader’s
Theatre
Lesson:
http:// www.readwritethink.org/lessons/ lesson_view.asp?id=172 Script
formatting
sample:
http:/ www.proteacher.com/cgi‐bin/ outsidesite.cgi? id=11452&external=http:// www.humboldt.edu/~jmf2/ Jloss323rt.script.example.html&orig inal=http://www.proteacher.com/ 070173.shtml&title=An %20Example%20of%20Script %20Formatting Reader’s
Theatre
Basics:
 http:// bms.westport.k12.ct.us/ mccormick/rt/ RTHOME.htm

II.Choral Reading is not for the elementary school alone. High school students can enjoy the activity as well. Although it is similar to Reader’s Theatre, it relies more on group reading than RT has to. Voices can be divided by BELINDA BAIR

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VOLUME II ISSUE I

male/female, high, low, etc. Pacing, tempo, rhythm are more important . Listening skills are enhanced so that everyone in a group will be speaking in unison. Begin with whole group reading and then re-read several times changing the pattern each time. Poetry and play text work best. There are a number of ways to organize the reading: 1. unison everyone reads aloud together; 2. two part with group alternating with another - girls vs. boys for example; 3. solos and chorus. One person speaks and a group responds. 4. varying volume during the reading; 5. read with musical accompaniment. The act of choral reading is the origin of theatre - all Old Greek theatre was choral reading. Thespis created the first actor when he had one performer speak alone in front of the chorus. I used to choose a poem and have students read it aloud several times - each time a different style. Finally we would add in music and match the rhythm. Sometimes we would add movement to match the text or the mood. This is a great way to help struggling readers, to improve vocal performance, and best of all to engage a text in a personal and fun way. Some websites with additional info: Choral
Reading:
http:// members.tripod.com/~emu1967/ choral.htm Choral
Reading:
http:// www.edb.utexas.edu/ readstrong/ choralreading.html

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

WINTER 2009

Choral
Reading
lesson:
 http://www.classzone.com/ books/ language_of_lit_gr06/ page_build.cfm? content=sl_choral_reading_u 5&u=5 Choral
Reading
sample:
 http://loiswalker.com/ choralgh.html Story
Theatre:
http:// www.ncela.gwu.edu/practice/itc/ lessons/storytheater.htm Choral
reading
guide:


www.readwritethink.org/ lesson_images/lesson1121/

IntroductionandGuidelinesChoralR eading.pdf

Choral reading also helps students understand concepts of alliteration, rhyme, meter, and onomatopoeia. III.Radio Theatre: RT and CR are related to Radio Theatre in that they emphasize the voice, but a radio script allows students more freedom to use sound effects, background music, and create character voices. Scripts can be found online and can be written by students based on stories, plays, or novels they are reading. Since a radio show has to fit a set time, a script needs to condense and abridge the original and the process of writing helps students focus on main ideas, key events, adapting text to script etc. Some websites to help with this: Radio
Days
–
a
wonderful
 webquest
with
many
resources:


VOLUME I I

WINTER 2008-2009

http://www.thematzats.com/ radio/ Old
Time
Radio
–
the
Golden


Years:
http://www.old‐ time.com/golden_age/ index.html

Format
for
a
Radio
Script:
 http:// www.greatnorthernaudio.com /audio_theater/format.txt Vintage
Radio
scripts:
over
 130
scripts
from
classic
 shows:
http:// www.genericradio.com/ library.php Writing
for
Radio:
http:// www.balancepublishing.comCl assroomWritingWritingStruct ure.htm IV.Oral Interpretation: This performance art usually is a solo activity. High schools and college often include this as part of their forensics (speech) teams. A good starter activity is to have students read aloud a children’s book to a group. Performing
Oral
Interpretation:
 http://www.scsk12.org/ STT99_WQ/STT99/Houston_HS/ parkern3/TheatresWebPg/POI.htm Oral
Interpretation:
http:// glory.gc.maricopa.edu/~kshinema/ INTERPMAIN1.HTML Oral
Interpretation:
http:// debate.uvm.edu/NFL/rostrumlib/ interpJigliola0295.pdf Oral
Interpretation:
 http://unjobs.org/tags/ oral‐interpretation Oral
Interpretation
in
 Competition:
http:// www.lhup.edu/speechNdebate/ oralinterp.html Teaching
Oral
Interp:
http:// eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/ custom/portlets/recordDetails/ detailmini.jsp?

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_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_Searc hValue_0=ED098642&ERICExtSearc h_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED0986 42

3.1 Our Favorite Authors!

It is impossible to include all the wonderful playwrights who have enriched our literary canon. So I have chosen four whose work transformed the art of playwriting in profound ways. This issue’s favorite authors represent four distinctly different ‘voices’ in the American and World Theatre. Most high school curriculums include one or more of these authors’ works. Arthur Miller: With plays such as All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, and The Crucible, Miller showed a profound understanding of the desperation of the middle class, the impact of events beyond their control and the conflict between the struggle for the American Dream and the reality of modern life.A recent revival of All My Sons , currently playing on Broadway, is especially contemporary as an anti-war play. Although set in the Salem witch trials, The Crucible is a thinly veiled condemnation of the madness of the Communist witchhunts of the McCarthy Era but it also has insights into the dangers of authoritarianism. His plays offer rich opportunities for discussion and analysis because most of these issues continue to haunt us. Arthur
Miller
–
a
PBS
American
 Master:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ americanmasters/episodes/arthur‐ miller/none‐without‐sin/56/ Arthur
Miller
biography:
http:// www.kirjasto.sci.Ji/amiller.htm Arthur
Miller
lesson
plans:
http:// www.webenglishteacher.com/ miller.html The
Crucible
Lesson
Plan:
http:// edsitement.neh.gov/ view_lesson_plan.asp?id=440 Arthur
Miller
lesson
plans:
http:// www.lessonplanet.com/search? keywords=arthur+miller&rating=3 The
Crucible
lesson
plan:
http:// www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cruc/ crucsg1.html

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

WINTER 2009

Death
of
a
Salesman
guide:
http:// www.teachervision.fen.com/ curriculum‐planning/teaching‐ methods/3499.html Death
of
a
Salesman
lesson
plan:
 http://www.teach‐nology.com/ lessons/lsn_pln_view_lessons.php? action=view&cat_id=4&lsn_id=1785 4 Plays
to
Movies: 
 All My Sons (1948) All My Sons (1986) Broken Glass (1996) The Crucible (1957) The Crucible (1996) Death of a Salesman (1986) Everybody Wins (1990) Focus (2001) ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Tennessee
Williams:
 With
plays
such
as
Cat
on
a
Hot
Tin
 Roof,

The
Glass
Menagerie,

and
 Streetcar
Named
 Desire,
Williams
 established
his
place
 as
one
of
America’s
 greatest
playwrights.
 More
than
Miller,
 Williams
was
a
 deeply
personal
playwright
whose
 subjects
often
reJlected
the
pain
and
 pathos
of
his
own
life.
His
plays
are
a
 character
driven
exploration
of
the
 human
experience
.
The
Glass
 Menagerie

is
probably
the
best
to
 teach
at
the
high
school
level
and
 provides
many
opportunities
for
 discussion
of
complex
family
 dynamics. Tennessee
Williams:
http:// www.imagi‐nation.com/ moonstruck/clsc9.htm TW
Lesson
Plans:
http:// www.webenglishteacher.com/ twilliams.html The
Glass
Menagerie
Study
Guide:
 http://www.latw.org/acrobat/ glass.pdf Streetcar
Named
Desire
Lesson
 Plan:
http://artsedge.kennedy‐ center.org/content/3277/ Streetcar
Named
Desire
Lesson
 Plan:
http://www.southernct.edu/ organizations/hcr/2001/nonJiction/ lessonplan.htm VOLUME I I

WINTER 2008-2009

Streetcar
Named
Desire
Lesson
 Plan:
http:// www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/ printables/penguin/Streetcar.pdf TW
–
Online
Literary
Criticism:
 http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/ litcrit.out.pl?au=wil‐74 Plays to Movies: Many of TW works were made into movies with Streetcar... filmed at least 3 times. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1984) The Fugitive Kind (1960) The Glass Menagerie (1987) The Night of the Iguana (1964) A
Streetcar
Named
Desire
(1951) A
Streetcar
Named
Desire
(1984) A
Streetcar
Named
Desire
(1995) ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ George
Bernard
 Shaw:
Perhaps
most
 famous
for
Pygmalion
 which
was
adapted
 into
My
Fair
Lady,
 Shaw
has
many
other
 plays
worthy
of
study
 and
discussion
such
as
 Man
and
Superman,
Arms
and
the
 Man,
and
Major
Barbara.

Shaw
used
 his
plays
as
a
forum
for
exploring
his
 deeply
socialist
views
on

morals,
 politics
and
economics.
These
plays
 offered
witty
commentary
on
 important
issues
of
the
day,
many
of
 which
are
just
as
relevant
today.

 GB
Shaw:
http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw GB
Shaw
lesson
plans:
http:// www.webenglishteacher.com/ shaw.html Arms
and
the
Man
pdf
unit
plan:
 http://www.shakespearefest.org/ PDFs/Arms_Man%20Guide%20.pdf The
Pygmalion
Effect
Drama
 lesson
plan­http://www.yale.edu/ ynhti/curriculum/units/ 1985/2/85.02.06.x.html Pygmalion
Study
Guide
Questions:
 http://drcsbritlit.blogspot.com/ 2008/11/pygmalion‐study‐ questions.html ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Henrik
Ibsen:
Modern
theatre
owes
 Ibsen
a
huge
debt.
He
introduced
the
 concept
of
realism
in
plays.
Widely
 regarded
as
the
‘father
of
modern
 BELINDA BAIR

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drama,’
he
believed
in
creating
a
 drama
focused
on
important
ideas
 and
he
had
a
wide‐ranging
interest
 in
social
issues.
A
Doll’s
House
 explores
the
repressive
nature
of
 marriage;
Enemy
of
 the
People
explores
 the
individual
vs.
 society
and
is
hugely
 relevant
today.
 Ghosts

challenges
 conventional
views
 of
morality
both
 Victorian
and
 contemporary.
Homosexuality,
STDs,
 inJidelity,
and
psychological
trauma
 were
subjects
Ibsen
explored
in
his
 many
Jine
dramas.
Although
A
Doll’s
 House
is
most
often
taught,
other
 Ibsen
plays
are
worth
teaching
as
 well. Henrik
Ibsen
lesson
plans:
http:// www.lessonplanet.com/search? keywords=henrik+ibsen&rating=3 Ibsen
notes:
http:// script.vtheatre.net/ibsen.html Novellinks
for
HI:
http:// english.byu.edu/novelinks/Novel %20Pages/Doll's%20house.htm Ibsen
Literary
Criticism:
http:// www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/ litcrit.out.pl?au=ibs‐295 Hedda
Gabler
lit.
analysis:
http:// www.helium.com/items/149636‐ literary‐analysis‐hedda‐gabler‐by‐ henrik‐ibsen

============================ 4.2 Websites of Theatre Interest Teaching Drama in the Classroom: http:// www.angelfire.com/ ego/edp303/index.html Theatre Games: http:// www.creativedrama.com/ theatre.htm Theatre Lesson Plans: http:// www.teach-nology.com/teachers/ lesson_plans/arts/drama/ Fuzzyʼs Game List: List of theatre games w/description: ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

WINTER 2009

http://fuzzyco.com/super/improv/ games.html Improv Encyclopedia: http:// www.improvencyclopedia.org/ index.html The Living Playbook – improv terms and activities: http:// www.unexpectedproductions.org/ living_playbook.htm Theatre History: http:// www.theatrehistory.com/ Theatre History: http:// www.cwu.edu/~robinsos/ppages/ resources/Theatre_History/ Theatre History: http:// www.videoccasions-nw.com/ history/jack.html Theatre lessons: http:// www.webenglishteacher.com/ dramagen.html

======================= 4.3 In Memoriam It’s always sad when we lose gifted writers who have enriched our lives and broadened our appreciation for our culture and life. We lost two such writers in October - Studs Turkel, whose oral histories are amazing for their insights into the American experience. Generations will know us better because he asked us the important questions and recorded our thoughts. Tony Hillerman was one of my favorite mystery writers and I will miss the opportunity to enjoy more of his wonderfully complex and exciting stories. He revealed the world of Navaho in ways few writers have done. Michael Crichton died in November after a long battle with VOLUME I I

WINTER 2008-2009

cancer. His work excited and terrified us as well as caused us to think about how science and technology impact our lives. Although he wrote non-fiction, he is best remembered for his “fiction as fact” style in novels such as Jurrasic Park, Prey, Andromeda Strain and Congo. He contributed his many talents to television and movies as well. =========================

4.4 Bulletin Board Ideas 1. Create a bulletin board highlighting books that feature winter or snow in the title. Below is a list of examples: Winter
Books:Brian’s
 Winter

by
Gary
Paulson
 (teen
Jiction) The
Coldest
Winter

by
David
 Halberstam
(U.S.
and
the
Korean
 War)(NF) Winter
Study

by
Nevada
Barr
 (mystery) The
Long
Winter

by
Laura
Ingalls
 Wilder
(youth
Jiction) Winter
World:
the
ingenuity
of
 Animal
Survival

by
Bernd
Heinrich
 (NF) The
Winter
Solstice:
The
Sacred
 Traditions
of
Christmas

by
John
 Matthews
(NF) Winter’s
Heart
(book
9
of
Wheel
of
 Time)

by
Robert
Jordan
(fantasy) The
Winter
Queen
by
Boris
Akunin
 (historical
mystery) ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Snow:
A
Retelling
of
Snow
White…
 by
Tracy
Lynn
 Snow
Crash

by
Neal
Stephenson
 (SF) Snow
Falling
on
Cedars

by
David
 Guterson Snow
Treasure
by
Marie
McSwigan
 (youth
Jiction) ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ I
Have
a
Dream...

Using
Martin
 Luther
King
as
a
starting
point
,
have
 students
write
out
their
dreams
on
 index
cards
and
post
on
a
bulletin
 board
next
to
a
poster/picture
of
 MLK.
 ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ BELINDA BAIR

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Inauguration
Day:

Create
a
bulletin
 board
with
pictures
of
recent
 Presidents.
Compare
the
inaugural
 addresses
of
2‐3
20th
century
 Presidents.
 ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Chinese
New
Year
­

focus
on
 writers,
novels,
etc.
of
China.
 ============================

5.1 YOUR PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES **Theatre Games for

Young Performers: Improvisations and Exercises for Developing Acting Skills by Maria C. Novelly. Includes excellent activities for Vocal Presentations, Improvisations, and Pantomime. If you have never taught drama and want something that is easy to follow and creative, this is the book I would recommend. It is almost a complete curriculum in itself. Includes suggested worksheet guides for students. (Amazon 4+ stars) $12.21 The
Drama
Teacher’s
Survival

 Guide:
A
Tool
Kit
for
Theatre
Arts:
 Margaret
F.
Johnson
(Amazon
5
stars
 ‐
$13.57) 112
Acting
Games:
A
 Comprehensive
Workbook
of
 Theatre
Games…
by
Gavin
Levy
 (Amazon
4+
stars)
$12.21 Reader’s
Theatre
in
the
 Classroom:
A
Manual
for
Teacher
 of
Children
and
Adults:
by
Melvin
 Campbell
(Amazon
$20.95) Improvisation
Starters

by
Philip
 Bernardi
(Amazon
4
stars)
$10.39.
 Dozens
of
situations
for
 improvisational
drama
with
focus
on
 teens.

======================= 5.2 Famous Author Birthdays Jan. 1 - J.D. Salinger Jan.
2
–
Isaac
Asimov Jan.
3
–
J.R.R.
Tolkien Jan.
4
–
Jakob
Grimm Jan.
6
–
Carl
Sandburg Jan.
12
–
Jack
London Jan.

18
–
A.A.
Milne Jan
19
‐
Edgar
Allan
Poe

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

WINTER 2009

Jan.
27
–
Lewis
Carroll Feb.
1
–
Langston
Hughes Feb.
2
‐
James
Dickey,
Ayn
 Rand,
James
Joyce Feb.
3
‐
James
Michener,
 Gertrude
Stein Feb.
7
–
Charles
Dickens,
 Laura
Ingalls
Wilder Feb.
8
–
Jules
Verne Feb.
11
–
Jane
Yolen Feb.
12
–
Judy
Blume Feb.
26
‐
Victor
Hugo Feb.
27
–
Henry
Wadsworth
 Longfellow,
John
Steinbeck ============================

5.3 2008 Books Recommended for Reading Recommended by NPR


American
Wife
by
Curtis
Sittenfeld Tallgrass

by
Sanora
Dallas I
See
You
Everywhere

by
Julia
 Glass Unaccustomed
Earth

by
Jhumpa
 Lahiri Mrs.
Astor
Regrets

by
Meryl
 Gordon
(NF) Recommended by Nancy Pearl Firmin

by
Sam
 Savage Alice
in
Sunderland

by
Bryan
 Talbot Borges
and
the
Eternal
 Orangutans

by
Luis
Fernando
 Verissimo The
Ghost
in
Love

by
Jonathan
 Carroll The
Lost
Spy

by
Andrew
Meier The
Ginseng
Hunter

by
Jeff
 Talarigo Recommended on “All Things Considered” on NPR Supreme
Courtship

by
Christopher
 Buckley Just
After
Sunset

by
Stephen
King Still
Alive

by
Herbert
Gold
(essays) John
Lennon

by
Philip
Norman
 (bio) Birdscapes
:
A
Pop
Up
Celebration
 of
Birdsongs
in
Stereo
Sound

by
 Miyoko
Chu
($60
–
but
worth
it
for
 this
remarkable
use
of
actual
bird
 songs
and
pop
up
visuals)

VOLUME I I

WINTER 2008-2009

For
more
detail
on
all
these
books
 plus
many
other
recommended
 books
of
all
types,
including
 cookbooks,
graphic
novels,
mysteries
 etc.
check
out
this
website:
http:// www.npr.org/templates/story/ story.php?storyId=96539642 ============================

5. 4 Upcoming Movies from Books

Inkheart

based
on
 the
popular
fantasy
 series
about
book
 characters
who
come
 to
life
and
the
readers
who
become
 book
characters
themselves.
 (January) He’s
Just
Not
That
Into
You
 (PG‐13)
based
on
the
humor
of
the
 book
by
the
same
name.
(January) Killshot
based
on
the
Elmore
 Leonard
thriller

(Jan.) The
Last
Templar
based
on
the
 novel
will
be
on
TV
as
a
mini
series
 Jan.
25. DeXiance

based
on
a
true
Holocaust
 story.
Starring
Daniel

Craig.
(R
 rated)
(Jan) Coraline


Animated
version
of
the
 children’s
classic
by
Neil
Gaiman

In
 the
style
of
Nightmare
before
 Christmas.
(
PG
13)

(Feb.) Watchmen

based
on
a
graphic
 novel
and
features
superheroes.
 (March
release)
(R
rated)

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That’s Entertainment!

Congratulations! You and your partner have been hired by Puppetry Inc. to develop their latest project. The Challenge: Create a new puppet play for the Puppetry Inc. company. You may adapt a previously created work of literature, folklore, mythology, etc. You may create an original story that teaches a lesson, expresses commentary on a modern problem or situation, or simply entertains. General Guidelines: 1. The language and situation used must be suitable for a family audience. 2. The total program should run approx. 10 minutes but no longer than 20. 3. The play must feature more than 1 puppet and more than 1 change of scenery. 4. The play must have a balance of dialogue spoken by the puppets and narration read by a narrator who may be human or puppet. 5. The puppets may of any style you wish to use: paper bag puppets, finger puppets, sock puppets, shadow puppets, wooden spoon puppets, or any other style you have time, materials and skill to produce. Research on various styles may be needed as you proceed. 6. You will need a puppet theater. I recommend the use of a tri-fold presentation board. You can cut out a stage opening and hang dark cloth across the two side panel ends to create a place to hang scenery and block view of the puppeteers. However, you are free to try another style or type. Again, you may find suitable models on the internet. 7. Divide responsibilities among group members so that everything gets done on time.

Before final approval: Before issuing final approval for production, the board of Puppetry Inc. needs to see your ideas. Please submit the following: A. A plot sequence chain to show the general movement from beginning to end of the story. This will be text that describes or explains the order of events in the story. B. A story board collection of sketches with text/dialogue that shows the step by step presentation of the story exactly as you expect it to be presented.

Permission is given to copy this. ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

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Volume II

Issue I















Winter 2009

Set Design Project Objective: 1. Create a model set that illustrates basic design elements ( line, color, mass, space) Materials: two sheets of white or ivory card stock or a regular manila folder crayons or colored pencils (avoid magic markers as they “bleed” into the paper too much) rulers, scissors (some with small blades for fine cutting) pencils Desirable: model samples of paper dollhouse furniture. Available online at the sites listed at the end of this project. These models will help students create simple paper furniture. Students may also want to use scrapbooking stickers and embellishments to enhance their design, but these are not necessary to create an effective, interesting and creative elements. Directions: 1. Fold one sheet of the card stock in half. (If you use a file folder, just open it up.) 2. The “back wall” of the set is one side and the “floor” is the other side of the folded card. 3. Draw and color in the back drop of the set. If it’s an interior set, include a window and/or door if appropriate. 4. Decorate the “floor” side as appropriate to the scene. 5. Use the second piece of card stock or folder to make your set pieces (tables, chairs, trees, etc. ) The card stock can either be the base you draw on, or used as backing for items you have stamps or stickers for. Be sure to add a tab on the bottom of each piece so it can be glued to the base and stand up. 6. At least one and preferably two items should be glued to both the base (floor) and the back (set wall) in order for the setting to sit up at the 90 degree angle. Possible scenic designs: Students can create set or scene designs for classes other than theatre classes. Below are some suggestions: 1. scenes from a Shakespeare play for any English class - It’s a great idea to compare different student interpretations of the same scene. 2. scene from a reading (I used to give my students an assignment to recreate a scene from Beowulf based on their understanding of the text. folded card stock forming back and floor of set. Back of set - in this case, a cave interior photo. Drawings work well too.

Rocks and a Viking warrior are added.Also a cave floor.

Completed “set” - Beowulf battling the dragon.

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

VOLUME I I

WINTER 2008-2009

BELINDA BAIR

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