Career and College Prep in Middle School Theatre

I don't know about you, but I am feeling the pressure to include more obvious college and career prep lessons in my curriculum lately.  Administration and parents love to hear that children are being offered this kind of instruction and support these days, but they do not realize they are already receiving it in their Fine Arts electives.  It's not in an obvious way, but the skills we teach in theatre directly pertain to college and life skills.

In Texas, the standards require that we teach theatre careers to older grades.  This year I had my advanced class (7th and 8th grade) create a theatre resume and I took a "headshot" (they ended up calling them mugshots) and laminated it to put on the wall next to their resumes.  This is something I saw my  high school director do with his advanced kids as they prepared for college, prep school, or a career.  Since schools are forcing kids to think about their future as early as 6th grade (!) I figured my kids could do their resumes, too.  My advanced kids participate in every production in some shape or form and are required to attend our speech contests, so they had plenty to put on their resumes.  I checked out a cart of chromebooks and had them do the assignment in Google Docs in a shared folder.  I can monitor their progress, give them feedback, and print the final product.  Easy.  This three days, starting with an interactive notebook lesson on jobs in theatre.

The next project I had them do was partner up and research a job in theatre, using local theatres as an example.  They had a week to research, analyze, and create a poster to present to the class on their career.  The poster had to be sturdy enough to be displayed to my other classes, and they did an assignment on this "Career Fair" while I had a sub.

Here's the finished Career Fair! (as you can see, one group didn't realize they were under a deadline...)

I've included the lesson plan, rubric, and PowerPoint for this lesson on my TeachersPayTeachers store for FREE!  It won't be free for long, though! Click HERE for Careers in Theatre Unit!

Cheers!

TeachersPayTeachers

TeachersPayTeachers is a great collaboration and sharing site for teachers.  I just set up my own account to sell a few things I've created.  I've added documents for the Make Your Own Lesson Plan Book that I blogged about last year and still make!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Lesson-Plan-Book-2301269

Check it out if you want to customize the way you organize your days.  It's not just for Theatre educators, but the weekly template has the Theatre TEKS on it that you can take off.

Enjoy!

Why a Good Website is Important for a Theatre Director

Did you notice how I said "Theatre Director" instead of "teacher"?  That was on purpose. We not only teach 5-7 classes a day, but we also have after school activities nearly every single day that vary throughout the year.  Districts are also pushing technology use for students in every classroom, including the arts.  A good website is a very important tool for theatre directors.

Your website should look like you spent time on it and update it often, otherwise parents and students will not use it.  Our district uses Weebly.  You can view my site as an example: http://mskorth.weebly.com

The Homepage

On the homepage I have an image of drama masks.  My district requires special permission to post photos of students so check before you post any.  Images enhance the aesthetic of the page.  I have my Twitter feed on the page, as well, for parents and students who are not on Twitter.  Substitute teachers will look at your webpage to see your class schedule, so I put mine at the bottom. (I know I did this as a sub; I always wanted to know when I was going to eat that day!) I don't want to have too many tabs along the top of the page so I added a few buttons/links about why and how children benefit from theatre classes.  Keep in mind that prospective parents and students may look at your page.  You can use this site as a recruiting tool, as well, by printing up QR codes on your informational flyers on Electives Fair or Open House nights.  I also list items that I would like to be donated to the department if parents/students wish.

Calendar

We have a million things happening in theatre and you can keep them all organized with Google calendar and embed it on your webpage.  It updates automatically when you add something!  I add notebook lessons, due dates, rehearsal calendars, drama club meetings, progress reports/report card dates, etc.  With Google Calendar, I can create a separate calendar for each show or speech and print them separately for students with my website address written on them.

Assignments

Your students should be able to find work online.  I have my students complete a quick warm up at the beginning of every class.  If they are absent (or lazy...) they can go to my website to find a link to a Google slide file with all of the warm ups.  The worksheet is also there to download.  I have a link to Google Classroom where I post images of our interactive notebook lessons for the day taken with my document camera.  On my assignments page I also have the district's policy for late work copied and pasted there, along with FAQ about what letters and symbols mean on Parent Portal when they are viewing grades.

Curriculum

On this page I list several things that we cover (or may cover) for prospective parents/students, or current parents.  It helps for admin to see this, as well.  What exactly do we do in theatre?  Well, this is it!  This would also be a good place to post information about how skills in theatre can prepare students for college and work.  High school directors may even have an extra page dedicated to auditioning for university or preparatory programs. 

Shows

I have a page for our musical, one act play, spring show, and speech.  On the musical page I included info to sign up for our Remind account, and I added a form for cast members to fill out if they knew there were going to miss rehearsal.  That was a lovely tool; I got an email several days ahead of time instead of a student telling me and me forgetting that they even told me.  I also have a page for our drama club activities.

About You

Parents and students want to know more about you.  Include a little biography with your teaching philosophy, experience, and education.  Bragging about your college to your kids is always a good thing!

Weebly has the option in the paid accounts to add password protected pages where you can post work without violating copyright laws.

Not only do you want your students to be able to access work, but you want your website to be a great tool to recruit new students and inform the public about your upcoming shows while keeping the cast and crew informed.

Now when my kids ask the dreaded question, "Ms. Korth, do we have rehearsal today?" I can tell them to check my website because it sounds like they lost their calendar! :)

Middle School Theatre: Why I Love Google Drive

There is nothing more exciting than finding a tool that I can share with my students that actually works!  I find that Google Drive has been amazing for keeping up with all that I do at work (and personally), and my students can easily use this tool.

How I Use Google Drive in My Theatre Classroom

Most kids (and parents!) question why we have to write in theatre.  Not only is drama a genre of literature, but performance is the analysis and study of writing and the human condition.  When it comes to getting middle school students to write in an elective, it's important to start out small and work your way up.  I start with daily warm ups, short monologues, and short scenes.  My advanced class by far does the most writing.  I teach them modern oratory as we prepare for our speech contest.  I would only do this unit for this class as they are competition-driven and want to be in the class.

Modern oratory, for those that don't know, is a 3-6 minute long speech written by the student about one of the given UIL topics.  Students must define the problem, determine the pro and con issues, research the issue, look at both sides of an issue, reach a conclusion, and support that conclusion with documentation.

This means we will need methods of finding such research.  That's where technology comes into play.  My school has a few carts with Chromebooks, so I checked out one for a week and a few days.  I gave the students a few days to research their topic online, copy and paste their articles into a Google Doc in a shared folder, then discuss their research with students who chose the same topic.

First, I created a folder just for Advanced Theatre Arts.  Then I shared this folder with every student in the class.  Then I created a folder for each unit so it would be organized.

Students submitted their research through Google Classroom, and typed their speech on a document in the shared folder.  This way I was able to see them working on it live, see if they worked on it at home, and give them live suggestions as they wrote.

I love this feature about Google Docs the most!  I can keep my students accountable and give them instant feedback.  Throughout class I would hear students say, "I see you on my speech, Ms. Korth!" and it would motivate them to work.  Or, "Thanks for the suggestion!" It saved me time, as well, from having to print and read all 18 of their papers and make corrections by hand after school.  I read them and made corrections as they worked.  

I could also print them from my computer, which is already tied to the printer, when I felt they were ready.  We only needed to print the final draft so they could annotate and memorize for the performance.  Google absolutely made this project so much smoother than hand-writing, and my kids who have a tougher time writing found it an easy mode of doing so.

I also love Google for auditions.  I have a separate folder for each unit and each production that I do.  Instead of printing out an unknown set of copies of the audition forms and contracts, I had students scan a QR code or go to the URL for the Google Form to sign up.  I added at the bottom of the contract that students agree to said contract by signing up.  All of their info is sent to a spreadsheet so I can number and organize and make notes during auditions, then have that information for students who make the cast.  It's such a breeze!

My school has really pushed to have assignments and lessons online, so I have been using Google Classroom since it's password protected.  Students must use their school district Google log in to access your classroom (or personal if you have them set up their own accounts).  I post all kinds of things, like the link to the Daily Warm Up questions on a Google Slide, or screen caps of their interactive notebook lesson for the day, and especially make up assignments if they miss a performance or day.

Google has definitely been a time saver for this busy theatre director and has made life easier for both me and my students.  I encourage you to play around with this fabulous tool if your district has not implemented it yet.  My students also use Google Slides and other apps when we use iPads for presentations of information.

I love new technology and finding ways to make teaching and learning easier!

Happy Googling!

Kasey

Middle School Theatre Arts: Teach Every Procedure

Let's face it: middle school is tough.  It's tough on the students, parents, and teachers alike.  It really does take a special person to reach out to these kids and be their champion.  How can you make life easier in your middle school classroom?  Teach every procedure!

I use CHAMPS, as most schools do these days, from Safe and Civil Schools.  Students need to know exactly what to do, down to every specific detail.  Take the entire first week of school to go over your procedures.  I know, it's exhausting going through this seven times a day, but they really need it and going over these procedures will help your classroom run smoothly so you have time to focus on individuals in your classes.

I created CHAMP posters for 4 classroom situations in my theatre room.

1. Instruction CHAMP. For those days when I'm teaching and they are note-taking.

2. Group Work CHAMP. Most of my curriculum is group-based, so we spend most of our time working in groups.

3. Rehearsal CHAMP. Middle school students do not know what it means to practice, especially theatre.  This will help you teach what rehearsal should look and sound like.  I also use activity rubrics as daily grades to make sure they are following this CHAMP.

4. Performance CHAMP. Audience etiquette!!  Super important for in-class performances, also for outside of class!

I use interactive notebooks, so I had them write the CHAMP poster for rehearsal in their notebooks.  Now, when I say, "Rehearse your monologue" they know what they should be doing.

I added these documents to my TeachersPayTeachers page: Ms Korth's Theatre Arts Classroom

I'm also going to upload these files in Theatrefest Friends on Facebook.

Remember to display them in your room and refer to them before you start.  It also helps to stop a lesson midway through and "Champ it out" if it gets out of control.  I use these procedures to document discipline, as well.  If a student habitually disobeys one of the CHAMPS, then I start them on the discipline track.

Cheers and happy CHAMPing!

Middle School Theatre Arts: Grading Made Easy!

I realize that my last post about Theatrefolk podcasts seems a bit rushed.  It was very rushed; I tried to blog on my conference.  HA!  I tried to be productive on my conference; imagine that.  I've decided if I'm going to write a coherent and helpful post I should wait until I'm not at school.  Also, we've started our musical (Legally Blonde, Jr.!) so I'm hoping my posts won't disappear.  No promises.

I had an interactive notebook quiz last week with all seven of my classes.  In the past, they were quizzed over their warm ups and it was a disaster.  I would ask what the entry was for four different dates and they would be writing the entire period and many failed because, let's face it, middle school students do not do warm ups.  My school loves them, and I do, too, because they help to focus the kids and give them a task to do before and after the tardy bell so I can deal with issues before we start each class.  Anyway... I don't want my kids to fail and putting so much weight on a warm up was not efficient.  Instead, I am quizzing them on their interactive notebook.  It's an open-notes quiz, and multiple choice.  Instead of writing the entire period, they fill in a bubble on an answer document.  Instead of spending too much time grading, I hold the answer document up to the camera on my laptop and it grades it for me!  How, you ask?

GradeCam.

This little website is amazing!  First you must create an account.  I always use my school information when creating an account, that way I will always know it.

When you log in, your dashboard looks like this:

You must add all of your students.  This seems daunting, but many gradebooks have an export feature.  My district uses GradeSpeed and this link is on the left.  You must click this link for each period and section you teach.  It will automatically go to your Downloads folder.

In GradeCam, click on Classes and add a new one.  Import your students through the file you created and hit next until they are all there.  Do this for every class.  It seems tedious, but it's worth it.

Once all of your classes are made, create an assignment.  Make sure you create a key that is accurate!

To print forms for students, click on Forms.  There are different options for the choices and such.  I printed four copies, then cut and taped them to one paper and made several copies from there and use a paper cutter to cut them.  Saves paper.

When students take the quiz or assignment, they must bubble in their GradeCam ID, which is the same as the last four digits of their ID that was imported with your roster.  TIP: have them also write their name on the top.  We know them by name, not numbers.  So much easier when handing back.

Students can use pencil or pen.  When you're ready to grade, click on the assignment and correct class period, and hold the answer document up to the camera until it makes a little noise. Viola!  Graded!  When I enter them into my district gradebook, I make each browser small and put them next to each other and just enter the grades.  BAM!  They are done in a few minutes!  I cannot express how much time and paper and stress this little tool has saved me and it's only been one quiz!

For absent students, I place the class set of the questions with extra answer documents in a labeled folder in the dish rack I have next to the bookshelf.  When a student presents me with an excused slip and asks what they missed, I can easily give them the documents and they can take the quiz in the hall.  I can grade it in seconds and the grade is saved online to enter in later.

This can be used for quizzes, tests, take home assignments, etc.

We all need more time, and GradeCam gives us a bit more in our busy educator lives.

Cheers!

Middle School Theatre: Easy Professional Development!

This will be a quick and simple post, and maybe more of free advertising.  One of my favorite things to do while on my conference period is to put on a theatre podcast in the background as I work.  Theatrefolk has amazing podcasts just for drama teachers.  Thank you, Lindsay Price, for these little gems.  I also download a few on my phone for the trips to Houston during the holidays to visit family.  Even if it's something I may already use in the classroom, it's good to hear other perspectives or hear other drama teachers doing what I'm doing.  Most of us are the only drama educators on our campus, and most of the time our administration taught core subjects and stay away from the arts.  I find this podcast to be helpful and I feel supported.  We are not the only ones!

My absolute favorite podcast has to be the Mission Statement lesson.  I used this podcast to create a lesson plan for my advanced class in which they created a mission statement for our program.  Here's our mission statement:

You can find the link to the podcast here.

What podcasts do you like to listen to as theatre teachers?