Learning Goals

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

  • apply techniques of tableau, gesture, and choral speaking to suit specific purposes in drama works
  • identify and explain their personal response to the drama works they are interpreting
Materials
  • Appendix 3 Persephone's Diary
  • Student reflection journals (optional)

Minds On

Whole Class > Persephone’s Diary: Relaxation/Visualization Exercise

  • Students relax on the floor, with the lights dimmed slightly. Students close their eyes and relax different parts of their bodies, from the tips of their toes to the tops of their heads.
  • When they are sufficiently relaxed, begin reading the Appendix 3 Persephone’s Diary.

Whole Class > Discussion

  • Discuss what details they have learned from Persephone’s diary. Teacher Prompts:
    • What has changed?
    • How does Persephone feel about Hades? Her mother?
    • What questions remained unanswered?
    • What is Hades’ plan?

Action

Whole Class > Conclusion

Narrate the conclusion to students.

When Hermes, Zeus’ messenger, arrives in the Underworld and asks for Persephone’s return, he finds that she is even more beautiful and wise than when she left. 

She feels torn between her mother and Hades, but decides to get in the chariot and return to her mother, Demeter. When she arrives, Demeter is overjoyed, and the crops return to health and the sun shines. But after learning of Persephone’s experiences in the Underworld, Demeter fears that things can never be the same as they once were, and she remembers that Zeus declared that, in order to stay in the Physical World, Persephone must remain pure. 

Because she has tasted the pomegranate seeds, Persephone has tasted the fruit of life and cannot stay in the Physical World eternally. It is decided that because Persephone has tasted four seeds, she shall remain in the Physical World for four months, and then return to the Underworld for four months. This event explains the change from summer (when Persephone is with her mother) to winter (when she is with her husband).

Extension

You may wish to have some students enact the story as you narrate.

Whole Class > One Seed Chants

  • Split students into two groups: summer and winter. They create a symbolic movement in a circle and a chant for their season that begins “One seed, one month of. . .” for four chants.

For example:      

One seed, one month of cold wind

One seed, one month of withering trees

One seed, one month of ice and frost

One seed, one month of winter chill

  • Five volunteers play Zeus, Persephone, Demeter, Hades and Hermes. Demeter and Zeus stand in the centre of the “summer” circle and Hades in the “winter” circle. Hermes guides Persephone from one circle to another while the groups take turns chanting and presenting their symbolic movements.

Consolidation

Whole Class > The Space Between

  • The students playing the roles of Demeter, Zeus, Hades and Persephone stand apart from one another in the space.
  • The rest of the class stands in close proximity to the character for whom they feel the most sympathy.

Whole Class and/or Individual > Discussion and/or Journal Prompts

  • Follow this exercise with reflection questions for the class:
    • Why did you choose to stand near a certain character? Why do you feel sympathy for this character?
    • Is there a particular character you relate to? Why?
    • How does the story of Persephone relate to our own lives? How does the story connect to themes of growing up, leaving home, falling in love, separating from our parents and “leaving the nest”?
  • In a journal, invite students to reflect on the drama using prompts like:
    • This drama made me feel. . .
    • This drama reminded me of. . .
Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Suggestions:

  • Side coaching during the One Seed creation
  • Anecdotal records about student use of the Critical Analysis Process when reflecting on their thinking about the characters and/or their journal responses to the entire drama
Assessment as Learning (AaL)
  • The Space Between exercise
  • Drama journal reflection