Drama in the Classroom

The way you measure a society’s soul is by the way that it treats its children.
Nelson Mandela

Issue No. 129 – 19 June 2013

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Drama in the Classroom

Now you may feel there is more than enough drama in your classroom and you don’t need any more, but I’m talking about teaching kids about play-acting. They will naturally pretend to be a character and certainly, in most cases, know the difference between pretending to hurt someone (for example) and really doing so. Just watch them in the home corner or in the outdoor play setting. So to use what is already present and extend it is not that hard.

If you add music, it makes it so much easier. Pre-schoolers are pre-literate so you can’t give them scripts but you can get them to pretend to be whatever it is that the music is ‘saying’ to them. In this way you are seriously enhancing listening skills. By tuning into the music they are also expanding the language centre of their brains. Furthermore, by using drama you are extending their imaginations while also encouraging them to express themselves physically. Not all children are naturally gifted at sport but everyone can enjoy participating in drama. Moving is what matters from a health perspective, not winning the race. Junior primary children can also have fun this way.

If you have access to the Kidz-Fiz-Biz resources you will see several examples of music tracks which have been adapted for drama. If you don’t, I’ll give you an example of what I’m talking about. I’m sure you can get a copy of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. Play the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies. This music lends itself perfectly to drama. I have the children pretend they are ‘the naughty fairies’ wanting to eat the goodies left out after the Christmas Party when everyone has gone to bed. Get the children to creep on tip toes, looking out for the can that is bound to sense them, eventually. When the first movement ends there is a beautiful flowing passage that I use to represent them flying down the staircase, after which they can pretend to eat the goodies on the table – don’t let them put their fingers in their mouths. Suddenly the music stops and that’s the cue for the can finding them so they must stop. This encourages them to be guided by the music, so they must listen. The next track of music is Trepak. I use this to be the representation of the cat. They now play the role of the cat by running in the opposite direction. This track is quite long so the children will get tired. Anticipate this because if not, they’ll start going silly and you don’t want a shambles on your hands. Instead have them stop and listen, look, feel with their whiskers, feel with their tails and then start running again in the opposite direction. They stop when the music stops. The stopping and using their senses will have given them time to recover their breath while also allowing them to concentrate on what they should be concentrating on. Keep the action going but never tire them out. This is a recipe for disaster. Don’t base their fatigue levels on your own. It’s a lot of fun.

I use this piece of drama in the book/DVD pack of  ‘Scarf Magic‘. It is also used in the PD DVD ‘Let’s Get Physical‘ so if you’d like to do more drama but lack the confidence, I recommend these resources to show you how. The original yellow Kidz-Fiz-Biz book has this music on CD.

End of Financial Year Specials!!

Kidz-Fiz-Biz Learning through Drama, Dance & Song

Kidz-Fiz-Biz Multicultural

Kidz-Fiz-Biz Scarf Magic Pack

Kidz-Fiz-Biz Let’s Get Physical PD DVD

Purchase any of the above Kidz-Fiz-Biz products before 30th June and receive a copy of the Scarf Magic DVD absolutely FREE! (Valued at $27.50)

OR

Spend more than $50.00 from the Kidz-Fiz-Biz catalogue online before 30th June 2013 and receive a copy of the Scarf Magic DVD absolutely FREE! (Valued at $27.50) (excluding Hebi products from New Zealand)

Quotes of the Week

“Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I’ll remember, involve me and I’ll understand.” ~ Source Unknown

“To guarantee success, act as if it were impossible to fail.” ~ Dorothea Brandt (children’s Author)

Entertainment

Not enough drama in your life? Enjoy this hilarious clip!

Get your daily dose of drama here

Feedback

“Hi Marlene,

This week I was using your scarves as well as a lot I’d collected over the years. It was my three year old aboriginal story group and I had an interactional story about writing letters, posting them and the postman delivering the mail. In the first delivery he brought each child a letter and then returned with a parcel which contained all the scarves. After each child had chosen one, we played a lot of scarf games and didn’t they enjoy it? The assistant got more and more excited too as the children pranced around or followed my instructions. They also sat on their boats and were very quiet as they fished, then rowed back and dragged the boats up onto the imaginary sand and went back to their seats while I bundled the scarves away, ready to say goodbye. So another thank you for the book.

Best wishes as always,

Helen” 

Latest book: Reluctant Heroes www.helenevansreluctantheroes.com
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About The Author

Marlene Rattigan B.A., Dip. Ed. (ECS), CELTA

Marlene Rattigan is an Early Childhood teacher, a teacher of English as a Second Language, and from 1987-2000 was a nationally accredited fitness leader. Her background is in music education. A keen interest in motor development in children led to the creation of Kidz-Fiz-Biz which she taught successfully for 13 years. Marlene also conducts workshops for children, teachers and parents at schools, in the community and at festivals. She has produced teaching manuals complete with audio CDs which are an extension of her ‘Kidz-Fiz-Biz’ program.

Kidz-Fiz-Biz
PO Box 6894, East Perth WA 6892, Australia
T: +61 8 9325 1204 M: +61 (0) 410 64 2781 E: info@kidzfizbiz.com

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Until next time … continue being a legend in your classroom.

Marlene Rattigan, Editor
Kidz Newz

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