Learning Goals

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to …

  • Shape the direction of a role play by creating clear tableaus with different levels, emotions, and characters
  • Demonstrate the drama elements: role & character, relationship, and time & place through tableaus. 
  • Describe their strengths and ways to improve as participants in drama
  • Engage in peer assessment
Materials
  • Optional: chart paper/white board and markers
  • PDF #3 Kindness Brainstorming T-Chart
  • PDF #4 Drama Participation Checklist
  • PDF #5 Tableau Rubric
Terminology

Minds On

Whole Class > Defining Terminology

As a class, define the term kindness. Prompt: Today we are going to explore what it means to be kind. When/how are we kind to others? When/how are others kind to us?

Display PDF #3 Kindness Brainstorming T-Chart. Invite students to share their response to each of the sentence stems. Record ideas on the chart.

Pairs > Personal Storytelling

Model the activity by telling a personal story of kindness (e.g., the time that I shoveled an elderly neighbour's walk). To activate prior experience, encourage students to consider stories of kindness between friends, in families and with teachers.

Put students in pairs. Encourage students to share a story of kindness with their partner. Remind students to share stories that they are comfortable sharing in public and will not make them sad. Invite volunteers to share their stories with the whole class. 

Whole Class > Images of Kindness

Invite students to walk about the room independently. Inform students that you will call out different acts of kindness from the lists on the Kindness Brainstorming T-Chart (see PDF #3), and from examples shared with the class. Tell students to make a frozen statue depicting each act of kindness.

Examples: walking the dog, cleaning your room, helping in the kitchen, playing with your baby brother, etc.

Small Group > Tableau of Stories of Kindness

Explain the concept of tableau to the class and the importance of using low, medium and high levels when creating tableau. 

Put students in groups of three or four. Ask students to create a tableau to portray a moment of kindness. Remind students to include everyone in the frozen picture and to use different levels. This activity can be repeated with group members switching places in the tableau, changing who portrays what character in the moment of kindness, or even becoming an object.

Invite one half of the class to share the tableaux and statues with the other half and switch.

Consolidation

Whole Class > Reflecting through Discussion

Following the sharing of the tableau, students discuss the tableau.

Key Questions for Discussion
  • What did you see in the picture?
  • Who was being kind?
  • How do we know when someone is kind?
  • What worked well in the tableau?
  • What might you change about the tableau or add to it?
Assessment for Learning (AfL)
  • PDF #4 Participation Checklist 
  • PDF #5 Tableau Rubric