Kindergarten Theatre – 6

Lesson 6: I’m Just Putty in Your Hands!

Click here to download Lesson Plan and Instructional Materials for Kindergarten Theatre Lesson #6 (PDF)

Objectives:

  • Students will identify and create shapes that define character.
  • Students will create body movements that match stories while they are being read or told.

6A. Vocal and Physical Warm-up:

Teaching Artist Mike Sears assists the classroom teacher in leading a kindergarten class in warm-up exercises that include both physical and vocal components. These activities increase focus while also expanding vocabulary and encouraging children to speak audibly and clearly.

Kindergarten Theatre Lesson #6: Warm-up [6:26 minute Video]

6B. Modeling/Review:

In this clip, students show how they practiced for homework acting out the stories Humpty Dumpty, Old Mother Hubbard, and Jack and Jill. Teaching Artist Mike Sears offers commentary to them and the classroom teacher about reminders for the actors to be thinking about their audience’s perspective for clarity and communication.  Particular shapes and voice cues are explored.

Kindergarten Theatre Lesson #6: Modeling [9:21 minute Video]

6C. Guided Practice:

Teachig Artist Mike Sears narrates for the classroom teacher how the metaphor of creating more shapes that represent people or objects would work with the story The Sculptor Who Couldn’t Decide What to Make.  He explains along with some brief practice how students would make body shapes as they are encountered in the story.

Alternatively, the lesson plan mentions using a lump of clay or aluminum foil and asking students to make several shapes. Discuss the shapes with the students. Have students try to make those same shapes with their bodies.

Also as an alternative, the teacher might model a shape and ask the class what character this shape could be. The class would discuss how angles and sharp lines sometimes indicate strength or power while curvy lines indicate softness and flow. Select a character and portray it by placing the body into a frozen shape. Discuss the curves and angles seen in the shape and how it defines the character.

Kindergarten Theatre Lesson #6: Guided Practice [2:46 minute Video]

6D. Debriefing and Evaluation:

The class discusses how body shapes can create characters. They explore how creating shapes with our bodies is important in theatre and storytelling.

Kindergarten Theatre Lesson #6: Debriefing and Evaluation [6:26 minute Video]

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