Poetry in Drama and Dance

Our theme this week in Drama and Dance was Language. Our inspiration in Drama was a children's book and in Dance we looked at a poem. Incorporating Drama and Dance strategies and elements enriched the Language lesson. As students, we were able to actively engage in the texts we were reading.

The book and poem this week were geared at primary students. After class, I was curious about how I could create a similar lesson for intermediate students. I wanted to create a similar lesson but for older students. Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” is a perfect example of literature that lends itself well to drama and dance interpretations. This poem would be appropriate for students in grade 7 and 8. In my last practicum, we studied this poem in our Poetry unit.  

The poem explores themes of imprisonment and the desire for freedom. Angelou's poetry was often considered ground breaking and inspiring. Her poetry powerfully captures the struggle of many African Americans in the early-mid 1900s.

Students can weave the elements of spoken word, drama, and dance to convey their interpretation and retell the story in the poem.

Learners Theory

According to Dwyer's Learners Theory students...

Dwyer's theory examines how knowledge is absorbed and retained during learning. Students are much more likely to retain new knowledge when they discuss, experience, and teach what they are learning. Intermediate students typically have less opportunities to engage creatively and experience concepts they are learning in class.

Creating Language lessons that are cross curricular with Drama and Dance will help students remember what they are learning. Students are more engaged and involved with the work when they are experiencing and teaching it.

Drama

In our Drama class we read the book Jeffrey and the Sloth  for the Language component. To create a cross-curricular lesson with drama and language I would use this poem, or another similar poem, and have students explore the multiple perspectives within the piece using dramatic elements.

This activity would incorporate the element role/character which requires students to analyze the background, motivation, actions, and speech of the characters using voice, stance, gesture, and facial expressions.

After analyzing the meaning and even exploring the author’s motivation for the poem the students can start to identify the various roles and perspectives present. We have the role of the caged bird and the free bird. Students can also incorporate the less obvious role of the oppressor, the force that has caged and clipped the wings of the bird. A strategy to help students express these perspectives could be hot seating.

Hot seating is a strategy where a student volunteers to be in the hot seat and assume the role of a character. Other students ask the student in the hot seat questions about their emotions, feelings, perspectives, and attitudes about what is happening in the poem.

An exercise like this would meet the grade 8 curriculum expectation B1.1 “engage actively in drama exploration and role play, with a focus on examining multiple perspectives and possible outcomes related to complex issues, themes, and relationships from a wide variety of sources and diverse communities” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009).

Hot seating allows students to explore the complex issues and themes in the poem by assuming a role/perspective.

Opportunities to Accommodate
To create a lesson that is accessible to all students:
- read the poem out loud to students
- provide written and oral instructions
- small groups for hot seating activity
- provide written prompts for questions

Dance

In our Dance class the poem "Departures" was the inspiration to the dances students created.

Caged Bird could also be interpreted and expressed through Dance. The curriculum expectation A1.2 requires students to “use dance as a language to communicate messages about themes of social justice and/or environmental health” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009).

The elements of dance that can be explored in this lesson are space and energy. Space refers to the levels, pathways, directions, positive versus negative space, and proximity of dancers to one another. Energy refers to the force with which the body moves (e.g., light, strong, sustained, or sudden).

Students can use the choreographic form call and response to communicate the themes in the poem. One or more students will perform movements and a second student or group will perform in response to the first. Students can interpret the roles and perspectives in Caged Bird to communicate the message and theme of the poem.

Opportunities to Accommodate
- verbal/musical cues for transitions and movements
- use physical markers to guide students

Conclusion

Designing Language lessons that are cross curricular with Drama and Dance gives students the opportunity to explore Language through movement and dialogue. Students can interact and express their understanding in various ways. Both Drama and Dance encourage creativity among students.