Friday
a. Objectives:
The students will produce a 3-5 minute comedic bit or skit based featuring 3 of the physical stunts and one of the critical principles of physical comedy learned in class.
b. Essential Question: How do we present physical comedy?
c. Standards:
State: 7th Grade Writing Standard 3. Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
IB: Reflective Students- give thoughtful considerations to their own learning and experiences, learning from both their successes and mistakes.
c. Materials:
Clown noses, tumbling mats, any costumes or props students bring in, paper, pencils, and video camera.
d. Procedure:
1. Introduction: 5 Minutes
Get started with regular classroom greeting. Students will greet each other as always with a handshake/high five and a joke.
2. Vocabulary Review: 5 Minutes
Instructors will quickly review vocabulary with students.
To the gym!
3. Warm up: 5 Minutes
Students and instructors will stretch and warm up their voices.
Warm up games- 10 minutes
Energy ball- students pass an imaginary ball of energy around the circle incorporating sound and action into their passing
Cat and mouse- students stand in a circle and link arms with one other student so all students are divided into pairs. One student is the cat, another is the mouse. The cat chases the mouse around the circle. The mouse is safe if it links arms with a group of two. Once the mouse links arms, the student on the opposite side of the pair has to break away and now becomes the mouse.
Hum circle If there is time, and the instructors feel that this is necessary instead of, or in addition to cat and mouse, this exercise can be utilized to calm, and focus the students. The instructors and students form a circle and put their arms around the people on either side of the people next to them. The students will be told that the point of the circle is not to sound beautiful, but to hear each other and work together to make a sound. The instructors tell the students to close their eyes and on the count of three, start to hum. Once everyone has started to hum, the students move from the hum to an open vowel sound and riff off the sounds they hear swirling around them. After a minute or two, the instructor will ask the group to find a note to end on, and the hum circle comes to a close.
Instructors will quickly remind students of what they’re supposed to be doing in skits, then get to work!
Skit Preparation: 15 Minutes
Instructors will spend time helping students prepare their skits and reassuring them if they are nervous.
Class Showing of Skits: 20 minutes
The students will be asked to jot down what elements of comedy discussed in class they observe as they watch their colleagues. After each group performed, students will be asked to share the elements of comedic performance they observed. The instructors will film the skits to make DVDs for the students of their creations.
Wrap Up: 10 Minutes (transition time included)
Everyone will transition back to the classroom. The instructors will retrace our steps through the class, reminding the class of where we’ve been and how we got here. The instructors will then thank the students for all their hard work and close class together. Students will turn in their observation sheet.
Student Survey: 5 Minutes
Students will fill out a survey about the class that the teachers pass out.
Laffy Taffy good-byes: 5 Minutes
Instructors will give Laffy Taffies to students. Before eating their Laffy Taffies, students will take a moment to share the joke on their Laffy Taffy as well as one thing they learned during class and their favorite activity. After the DVDs are formated, the instructors will return the skits to the students as a keepsake of the unit.
The students will produce a 3-5 minute comedic bit or skit based featuring 3 of the physical stunts and one of the critical principles of physical comedy learned in class.
b. Essential Question: How do we present physical comedy?
c. Standards:
State: 7th Grade Writing Standard 3. Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
IB: Reflective Students- give thoughtful considerations to their own learning and experiences, learning from both their successes and mistakes.
c. Materials:
Clown noses, tumbling mats, any costumes or props students bring in, paper, pencils, and video camera.
d. Procedure:
1. Introduction: 5 Minutes
Get started with regular classroom greeting. Students will greet each other as always with a handshake/high five and a joke.
2. Vocabulary Review: 5 Minutes
Instructors will quickly review vocabulary with students.
To the gym!
3. Warm up: 5 Minutes
Students and instructors will stretch and warm up their voices.
Warm up games- 10 minutes
Energy ball- students pass an imaginary ball of energy around the circle incorporating sound and action into their passing
Cat and mouse- students stand in a circle and link arms with one other student so all students are divided into pairs. One student is the cat, another is the mouse. The cat chases the mouse around the circle. The mouse is safe if it links arms with a group of two. Once the mouse links arms, the student on the opposite side of the pair has to break away and now becomes the mouse.
Hum circle If there is time, and the instructors feel that this is necessary instead of, or in addition to cat and mouse, this exercise can be utilized to calm, and focus the students. The instructors and students form a circle and put their arms around the people on either side of the people next to them. The students will be told that the point of the circle is not to sound beautiful, but to hear each other and work together to make a sound. The instructors tell the students to close their eyes and on the count of three, start to hum. Once everyone has started to hum, the students move from the hum to an open vowel sound and riff off the sounds they hear swirling around them. After a minute or two, the instructor will ask the group to find a note to end on, and the hum circle comes to a close.
Instructors will quickly remind students of what they’re supposed to be doing in skits, then get to work!
Skit Preparation: 15 Minutes
Instructors will spend time helping students prepare their skits and reassuring them if they are nervous.
Class Showing of Skits: 20 minutes
The students will be asked to jot down what elements of comedy discussed in class they observe as they watch their colleagues. After each group performed, students will be asked to share the elements of comedic performance they observed. The instructors will film the skits to make DVDs for the students of their creations.
Wrap Up: 10 Minutes (transition time included)
Everyone will transition back to the classroom. The instructors will retrace our steps through the class, reminding the class of where we’ve been and how we got here. The instructors will then thank the students for all their hard work and close class together. Students will turn in their observation sheet.
Student Survey: 5 Minutes
Students will fill out a survey about the class that the teachers pass out.
Laffy Taffy good-byes: 5 Minutes
Instructors will give Laffy Taffies to students. Before eating their Laffy Taffies, students will take a moment to share the joke on their Laffy Taffy as well as one thing they learned during class and their favorite activity. After the DVDs are formated, the instructors will return the skits to the students as a keepsake of the unit.
