Fall 2021 Student Teaching
E. Jancsy Student Teaching Unit Plan.pdfStudent Teaching: 6th Grade Unit Plan
E. Jancsy Student Teaching Lesson Plan.pdfStudent Teaching: High School Lesson Plan
My student teaching took place in a public school, teaching students grade 6-12. The drama classroom consists of one teacher. The classroom is located on the fifth floor of the building. The classroom is accessible via the stairs or elevator.
The classroom is a large space, similar in style to a dance studio. The classroom consists of an instructor desk and work area, various chairs for students, movement space, technology, and general theatre props, set pieces, and costumes. Full length mirrored walls cover two out of the four walls. The other walls hold various classroom essentials; such as props, set pieces, costumes, and technology. The classroom has a Promethean Smart Board at the front of the room that is used for daily slideshow presentations, media viewing purposes, and text. The speaker is also attached to the Promethean that allows for volume of any viewing materials. A storage room is located inside the drama classroom where all costumes, props, and set pieces are stored during productions and for class use. A piano is located in the classroom.
This school uses a Mastery-Based learning system, where students are assessed by the school’s ten shared outcomes. These outcomes are connected to the state standards for each course. When assessed, students are given one of three abbreviations that indicate if they are still working towards meeting the outcome, have met the outcome, or have exceeded in reaching the outcome.
This is the final product of our class Character Tree, depicting the 3 Core Elements of Character Development, through the character of Cinderella. The Three Core Elements are General, Personal, and Core Memories.
The course that the 6th Grade Unit Plan was completed in is called “Introduction to Drama”. The curriculum for the class is flexible, depending on the knowledge students enter the space with, and the pace at which topics are covered. Topics include vocal conventions and physical conventions, character development, audition prep, blocking, directing, and beginning acting. Students will take part in a rehearsal process for a final showcase at the end of the semester. There are 25 students in the class. All of the students are in the 6th grade. The class meets for 45 minutes per day, five days per week.
Each class had the opportunity to fill in the tree with their own imaginative information. The questions written on the side of the tree were questions to consider about the character of Cinderella. This was a standout moment in this Unit because each student had a chance to create and write their thought on the Tree. It was clear students felt a sense of autonomy, as they were eager to create more information about Cinderella than ever before!
Student Example 6-2.pdfStudent Example 6-2.pdfThese are examples of the Self-Assessment portion of the Unit, following their Character Development Physical Conventions. Following the Mastery Based Grade Rubric, students reflected on their performance and the creation of their own Character Tree. Self- Assessments are an extremely helpful way to gage a student's honest understanding of the content and how they feel their learning is going in your classroom.
Students were tasked with creating their own Character Tree, based off of the characters they are portraying in their in-class performances. Students used the class demonstration with Cinderella as the inspiration. Students considered the 3 Core Elements of Character Development while answering questions about their character. Each section of the Character Tree is dedicated to a Core Element. The answers are written in the drawing.
The Leaves were the General Element where students considered questions regarding basic facts about the character. The Trunk was the Personal Element. Students considered questions that went a little deeper into the interests, hobbies, and passions of their character. The Root was the Core Memories Element. Students described moments in their character's life that deeply impacted and defined them. Students demonstrated their understanding through the in-depth descriptions provided on the Tree, going much deeper than surface level facts and crafting their character moments that went beyond the life of the script.
The course that the High School Lesson Plan was completed in is called “Theatre for Social Justice”. The curriculum for the class is rooted in devising theatre practices. Students are introduced to a range of physical and vocal conventions that serve as springboards for the content they devise in the class, surrounding social topics and issues facing our world today. Students create a series of short devised pieces with routine feedback from classmates and Instructors. These short pieces become a part of a larger final showcase presented at the end of the semester. This is a 9-12th grade course. The class consists of 25 students, ranging in 9-12th grade. It meets for 45 minutes every day, 5 days per week.
Student Example HS 3.pdfStudent Example HS2.pdfStudent Example HS 1.pdfStudents used independent work time to imagine, research, and create a "Moment Before" for their devising scene work. It was important that each student created a "Moment Before" that felt tangible to complete backstage in preparation for their Final Devising Performance at the end of the semester. Students selected from a list of approaches that included free writing, the use of selected source material, the lyrics to a song, or a sequence of physical conventions. Students were asked to share what approach they used, what their "Moment Before" is, and how they believe it will be helpful for them backstage before their scene. These examples provide a glimpse into the vast creativity students leaned into for this assignment. Following the lesson, students gravitated towards mantras and songs that they could repeat to themselves backstage or listen to prior to the start of rehearsal. Many students' characters became clearer sooner in the scene because of this character work.