September 21, 2018
The night before my first lesson, I was nervous beyond belief. I am so passionate about education and theater, and I worried that my teaching would not reflect this. After conversing with a friend and giving myself a pep talk, I felt confident and ready to teach.
After playing a game to help the students be focused and use their bodies, I invited them to gather around me to learn more about theater. I explained that theater is an art form like visual arts, music, and dance. The main difference is that theater uses bodies, voices, and minds to tell a story. I continued by asking if they knew what an actor was and invited the students to pull out their actor's toolbox. This imaginary toolbox contained tools like body, imagination, and creativity.
The students helped me define each of these words and I included that the students use these three words every day when they are playing or pretending. This helped the students make a connection between theater and their own life.
Then, I invited them into the "area of imagination" and asked them to walk. Next, I asked them to pretend that the floor was made of grass, ice, marshmallows, lava, etc. I reinforced that they should show me with their bodies and not their voices. I was worried that I was moving too fast so I next asked them to show me how they were feeling with different frozen images. The students were very expressive in both activities!
I ended the lesson with an assessment that used pantomime. I asked each of them to say their name and act out something they enjoyed doing. Then, everyone would repeat the movement. This helped me to learn names and get to know the students better. This assessment took me much longer than I anticipated. Thankfully, the students were focused and attentive throughout.
I had a great experience with my first lesson. The students were engaged through the entire lesson and understood the concepts well. I thought my classroom management was effective and encouraging.
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