OK,+yeah+but...(FAQ)

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I teach all the middle school Reading/Language Arts classes, and the total number of students in these classes for next year will be around 40. The eighth grade might have 15 students, and the seventh grade will have around 12. I know there are plenty of professional troupes where 5 people do an entire play, but I just didn't know if 12 is enough or if I should try to combine my seventh and eighth grade classes for this opportunity. [|[delete]] || [|betsyferrer] Jul 17, 2010 8:45 pm I think 12 is actually fairly ideal. Most of the plays have a relatively small cast. You could have the seventh graders do the technical parts of the play and that would be good preparation for them and give them something to look forward to in 8th grade. [|[delete]] ||
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 * = [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/user_none_lg.jpg width="48" height="48" caption="mcobanion" link="http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/mcobanion"]] ||< [|mcobanion] Jul 8, 2010 12:26 pm
 * = [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/user_none_lg.jpg width="48" height="48" caption="betsyferrer" link="http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/betsyferrer"]] ||< **re: Drama at a small school**

I'm not exactly sure if I should ask questions for the discussion, so instead I'm going to just vent. I have to be honest, the idea of teaching drama to students frightens me. One reason I'm scared is because I think a unit devoted to a play would require precise planning over an extended period of time. I know that makes me sound lazy, but many times throughout last year, I would get so caught up with certain activities and units that I would end up rushing through things because I felt pressure to complete something else. I don't know if this is a question that can be answered, but how long is an appropriate amount of time to devote to a unit on drama in which students would produce a play? [|[delete]] || [|alipari] Jul 7, 2010 10:24 pm I understand! I ended up taking a more text-based approach to "The Diary of Anne Frank" with my 8th graders, because I didn't really think I had the management skills to pull off a full-on performance. Advice / resources for actually putting on a play (now that we're old and wise 2nd year teachers ... a-hem ... ) would be great to read, at least to help bounce around ideas. [|[delete]] || [|betsyferrer] Jul 17, 2010 8:46 pm The Action unit plan on the lesson plan page breaks down the performance and lists how many days (approximately) should be spent on things like blocking. ||
 * < [|bjmuell] Jul 7, 2010 9:40 pm
 * = [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/user_none_lg.jpg width="48" height="48" caption="alipari" link="http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/alipari"]] ||< **re: Drama**
 * = [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/user_none_lg.jpg width="48" height="48" caption="betsyferrer" link="http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/betsyferrer"]] ||< **re: Drama**

Shakespeare is not my strong suit. I see the value in this, but how do I avoid doing more harm than good? What prep would I need to do to do this well? Besides your resources, what other resources would you recommend to incorporate this effectively? [|[delete]] || [|Corourke86] Jul 8, 2010 2:10 pm Yeah! I agree with Kelly I loved Shakespeare in school but feel unprepared to begin to teacher it. I think it would be best to do another non-shakespeare play first to get a feel for drama with your students any suggestions for non-shakespearean plays. [|[delete]] || [|betsyferrer] Jul 17, 2010 8:20 pm Great questions! The best resource I've found in terms of understanding the plays well is Harold Bloom's Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human ( [] ) He dissects each play and focuses on how Shakespeare best expresses what it means to be human through his characters. Ciaran, there are some scripts in the script section (How Will Got Me out of Detention and Perchance to Dream) that mix modern dialogue with Shakespeare text. I wrote them both and they helped my students not only understand Shakespeare but also to connect to the situations in the plays. [|[delete]] ||
 * = [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/user_none_lg.jpg width="48" height="48" caption="kelavelle" link="http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/kelavelle"]] ||< [|kelavelle] Jul 8, 2010 11:27 am
 * = [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/user_none_lg.jpg width="48" height="48" caption="Corourke86" link="http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/Corourke86"]] ||< **re: Resources**
 * = [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/user_none_lg.jpg width="48" height="48" caption="betsyferrer" link="http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/betsyferrer"]] ||< **re: Resources**

MSU senior Sarah Nabaty interviewed Betsy about engaging in drama with her English students. The video contains the interview and the images are from Tucson seniors' production of //Twelfth Night// and Seattle eighth graders' performance of //A Midsummer Night's Dream//.

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