DMP Artist Educator Statement

For our project, we compiled a bunch of quotes, photos, and videos describing individuality and then posted them to Instagram. As an artist, I had to learn how to use certain apps for this project – like canva, premier rush, and quotes creator. We also learned that you have to input the desired script backwards on Instagram so the end result is the right way. I also learned how to put a specific color filter on a picture. As an educator, I learned there were many ways we can present something we want to teach, or projects we want to undertake. I loved the way we were able to use Instagram.  It took thought and effort, but it was exciting.  It’s a platform I’m familiar with, but I learned even more about it as we did this project.


I contributed to this project by being in class every day and voicing my opinions.  I had a weird situation of needed to be muted most of the time because I had a baby who was making noises, but I feel like I was still able to contribute like my peers. I helped with the initial theme that this entire project would be based off of. I also helped work the kinks of Instagram because I’m familiar with the platform.  For example, I was able to walk through Instagram TV with a fellow classmate so they could post a longer video to our Instagram feed. I helped post things to the Instagram and offered help when it was needed.


In my future classroom, I would like to do a similar project.  I love the relevance of social media.  Students are more inclined to enjoy a project like this because it uses something they’re used to.  I can see this project working for a variety of assignments. For example, the students could explore an element of theatre and create an Instagram that would teach others about that element in a fun way.  Or you could do the Finsta idea where the student creates an Instagram that teaches others about a character in a script.  Or the Instagram talks about a sensitive subject the class is discussing.  The idea is that the students can use visuals, audio clips, and quotes to depict this assignment.  It will hopefully engage all of the learning types.

DMP Final Script

Below is a link to our final script. We edited our photos and quotes to make them personal and revised the order of our posts.  We also changed our question posts to look the same.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s8FDDolcZiJNomRx_ejD1nxrwccp84fa8sfTb78ChF4/edit

DMP Devised Script Draft

For our script, we wrote out an instagram feed. It detailed out the types of posts we would use, color scheme for each post, and who was in charge.  Everyone was in charge of creating different types of posts for different questions, this way we all have a chance to create each type. I've linked the google doc that contains our script. At the beginning of the document, you have the chart that details who's doing what.  After that, you have each person's actual post and the caption they'd put with it. We were able to follow this script as we created our actual instagram feed.


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s8FDDolcZiJNomRx_ejD1nxrwccp84fa8sfTb78ChF4/edit?usp=sharing

Mediascape Draft

The media we plan to use for our project consists of images, videos, audio, and quotes.  We've selected a few interview questions that we thought were impactful and have organized it so each question will be represented by the various types of media. Every team member will have the chance to create a type of media for different questions.  This will help give a full idea of the interview question as it's explored in different ways.

DMP Sound scape

For our project, we will use sound in our various Instagram posts. We plan to have a highlight bubble with sounds that relate to our general theme. For example, I could add the song “from now on” from the greatest showman to show the moment of having everything stripped away and finding what’s important. Or the sound of a door opening and closing to describe when I feel at home. We will also use sounds for the actual Instagram posts to help “answer” the different interview questions we had. So if I were to post about my own story with how I found myself when I moved to Florida, I might have the sound of a busy Magic Kingdom Main Street or Adventureland and describe why the sound is important in the caption. Sound will enhance this project and bring about a new way of understanding our theme.

Script: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q2Fpat1Nghab7JqtWLmuqzLcWd8BVcQwYT8v8Ai99VY/edit?usp=sharing

DMP Key Texts

From Now On (the Greatest Showman) -

This song describes the moment when someone realizes that they've been distracted by the glamorous things of the world, and their resolve to go back to the important things in life.  This specific song talks about going back to family and how that should be the priority in life.  The realization came after the character lost "everything", like money, fame, and such. But then sees that he still can have everything, like his family and close friends.

How to Build Community When You Feel Isolated -

This TED Talk talks about how we can build a community around us, especially when we feel isolated. There is power in connection as we reach out to others and realize that we aren't alone in our feelings. Once the connection is made, it motivates us to do better in various aspects of our lives.

How to Stay Connected with Family and Friends While Self Isolating -

This news article talks about the ways we can use technology to stay connected to family and friends from a distance.  They encourage Skype/Facetime calls, since it shows the persons face in addition to hearing their voice. The technology we have at our fingertips is amazing.

DMP Pitch

I think it would be neat to randomly put in parts of Emma's interview, almost in places where it doesn't really make sense.  It would help bring out the message that she was a little lost throughout the interview, but doing her best to contribute. Random things to include would be like her bunny comment, or how she feels most comfortable in the computer room.  I also liked the shift that happened in the interview with her adjectives.  If we put her adjectives at the beginning and ending of the script, it would help show her growth, even within the 13 minute interview. It would finish her portion of the interview in a strong viewpoint.

DMP Interview

I interviewed my 9 year old sister, Emma. She's the youngest child, and it certainly shows. She's known as being the annoying child, and asks a million pointless questions all the time. I know my family could be a little more patient with her in general, but it gets old fast.

It was a challenge to adapt these questions in a way she'd understand. For example, she hasn't moved away from home, so we related it to her going to school. I still don't think she fully understood some of the questions, but we were mostly there. The main takeaways I got from her interview were that she could identify the fact she acts differently when she's at home verses when she's at school, and that her adjectives changed from the beginning and ending of the interview. It was also cute that her object she described herself as was a bunny.

Interview Questions: 

1. Describe yourself using 5 adjectives.
2. What relationship do you have with yourself?
3. What made you realize that you were an introvert or extrovert?
4. How does that definition of yourself define how you feel about yourself?
5. Can you describe your feelings/experience of first moving away from home? (For school or work, etc.)
6. How does your spirituality affect your feelings of identity and self-worth?
7. What object could you use to describe your identity?
8. What does it look like when you first meet someone?
9. If you’ve been away from home for a while, what is it like to go back home? How does your identity change? 
10. Where is a space that you feel home/or like your authentic self?
11. How does your relationship with your parents reflect how you relate to others?
12. In what situations do you feel like you have different authentic selves? How does that affect how you relate to other people?
13. In what circumstances do you feel like your relationship with yourself has changed? What experiences have changed you?

Transcription of key portions:
(first time) Becca: Describe yourself with 5 adjectives. Emma: umm... annoying, cute, umm.. kinda smart?, friendly, quiet.
(second time) B: Describe yourself with 5 adjectives. E: again? umm... confident, brave, caring, nice, and a little addicted.

B: What relationship do you have with yourself? E: I would say I have a lot of confidence.

B: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you like to spend time with yourself, or with a lot of people? E: It's kinda in the middle. 

E: How many more questions do we have? B: Quite a few.

E: I think when I went to school and I was being myself. People were like, being okay with that.
B: Did you feel like you could be more yourself at school than when you were at home? E: A little.

B: Do you feel better about yourself because you know you're a child of God? Or does that not change anything? E: it changes a little.  And it also reminds me that Heavenly Father and Jesus and the Holy Ghost are always there for me, that I'm not alone through the trials. B: So does that make you feel special? E: Yeah.

B: What object would you use to describe your identity? E: A bunny? B: Why a bunny? E: Bunnies can be cute, they can be confident.  They're always ready to do the next thing. Sometimes bunnies are shy. So, I think a bunny.

B: Do you feel like you act different at school than you do at home? E: A little. B: Like what do you do? E: I'm not usually as annoying at school as I am at home. B: So you're more annoying at home than you are at school? E: Just a little.

B: Where do you feel at home or like you can be your true self? E: Probably the computer room.

Close

Minute theme videos

Florida living

Quality over quantity

Intentional community building

Technology Infused Lesson Plan

For this lesson plan, a lot of my revisions were adding details to parts of the lesson. As I write lesson plans, I usually have it all planned out in my brain and it works wonderfully, but then some of the finer details are missed in the written version of it. Because of this oversight, there are times when I stumble over my words as I'm actually teaching because the little details were skipped. I had to go back and add a lot more instruction to the introduction of script analysis. Hopefully, the added instruction will help students really have an understanding of script analysis rather than just breezing through it in order to get to the "fun activity." This way, they'll be able to transfer the knowledge and skills of script analysis to other projects. The added details to the assignments also help keep boundaries for the Belief Boards, thus helping students be more creative as they work within the boundaries stated. From the rough draft to the current lesson plan, I feel more confident that the students will understand what's being taught and create meaningful belief boards. Speak Lesson Plan - Becca Christiansen

UNIT TITLE - 

Speak Unit

LESSON TITLE - 

Character Analysis 

NATIONAL STANDARDS -

TH:Cr1.1.HSIc. Use script analysis to generate ideas about a character that is believable and authentic in a drama/theatre work. 

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE - 

Students will demonstrate their understanding of script analysis as they analyze individual characters from the novel Speak and create a Belief Board that portrays the character’s inner and outer perspective.

MATERIALS NEEDED -

List of Characters: 

Melinda 

Andy Evans

Heather

Mr. Freeman

Rachel

David Petrakis

Mr. Neck

Mom

Dad 

Image of Cinderella (found at end of lesson plan)

    TECHNOLOGIES USED

        Blog for posting

        Powerpoint

        Collage

        Instagram - picture is outer view, description in inner monologue

        Pinterest - create a board with different visuals

       

FLIPPED LESSON PLAN

Before class, assign groups of students to individual characters from the character list above.  Once they’ve received their assigned character, have the students go through the novel Speak and note the times they’re mentioned in the book.  Instruct students to pay attention to ways the character behaves, interacts with others, and the unique descriptions Melinda gives them.  Once this has been done, students should find three images to help depict that character. These images should depict the inner thoughts of the character, the way they choose to act, or how other people view them.  Students will need to bring these pictures to class, which can be done by posting them to a blog they’ve been working on throughout the school year.

HOOK/WARM-UP - 10-15 minutes

• Begin class by playing the game “What Are You Doing?”
• Students will create two single-file lines that have the end students facing each other.  

• As one student pantomimes an action, the student facing them asks the question “what are you doing?”  The pantomiming student then states an action that is anything except the action they have been pantomiming.  The student who asked the question then starts doing the stated action.  The student who had been previously pantomiming then goes to the back of the line and the next person in line asks the other student what they’re doing, and the cycle continues.  Continue the game until every student has had the chance to pantomime and state an action.
• Once the game has been completed, gather the students together and facilitate a brief discussion by asking the students what they observed throughout the game.  
• Was it ever difficult to think of something other than the action already being done?  
• Did students predetermine the action they were going to state? 
• Did anything unexpected happen? 
• How could we compare this game to our real lives and the perspectives we have for ourselves and others? For example, have you ever thought someone was doing one thing, and then they reveal that they were doing something completely different? 
• What might that say about how we view others? Do we view others based off stereotypes?  Do we perform our perceived stereotype? Is there a difference between our inner thoughts and our outer performances?

LESSON PLAN -

INTRO TO CHARACTER ANALYSIS - 10-15 minutes

• As class starts, pull up an image of Cinderella and ask the class to share things they know about this character. 
• Possible answers: She’s a princess.  She has a step-family. Her father died.  She’s hated by her step family. She cleans a lot. She’s a poor girl that falls in love with a prince…
• Ask the students how they know all of these things about Cinderella. They could have watched a movie, read a book, heard from a friend… 
• Inform the students that they have unknowingly done a quick example of character analysis.  They were able to identify facts about a character using a “script,” whether that be a movie or book script.  Students will be using script analysis to analyze individual characters from the novel Speak. Facilitate the following discussion:
• Ask the students if they know what script analysis is.
• Possible answer: script analysis is when you pick apart a text and find the smaller details within.  
• How might script analysis be used for character analysis?
• Possible answer: You pay attention to the way the character is described in the text. This can be done to observe the inner and outer portrayal of a character. Their thoughts, actions, and why they might be doing those things.
• What are some effective ways to do a character analysis? 
• Possible answers: Be familiar with the text. The text is the base knowledge that everything needs to be supported through.
•  Think about the character’s inner thoughts. What might be motivating the character to do this or that?
• Create a backstory that would support the character’s actions. What happens to the character when they aren’t on stage?  How does this change their motivations and objectives? 
• Look into relationships the character has. Are they an only child? Are they in a healthy relationship with their family and friends? How does this change their actions?
• Answer basic get to know you questions about the character using the text and your imagination to fill in the blanks.There’s a lot of things you can make up about a character as you read between the lines, but it needs to be supported by the written text of the script.  For example, you could say a character’s favorite color is pink and that’s why they wear it all the time, but this made up fact wouldn’t work if it specifically says the character is a goth that loves black.
• Why would this kind of information be useful to know in a theatre setting?
• Possible answers: It helps you empathize with the character.  You make more informed acting decisions on stage. It can support design choices.
• We’re going to use character analysis to get a deeper understanding of some of the characters in Speak. Keep in mind, character analysis looks at both the outward appearance of the character as well as their inner thoughts. Today, we will be exploring and depicting both using Belief Boards.

BELIEF BOARDS - 25-30 minutes

• Explain to the class that Belief Boards are a collection of images that depict the inner thoughts and outer appearances of an individual.  Throughout the class today, students will be able to use devices like their phones or laptops to collect images that help describe the characters they researched in the flipped lesson plan.
• Before class, students were expected to find 3 images that helped describe specific characters.  Have the students split into groups of 3-4 to show their findings to their peers. Students will ideally be showcasing different characters from the book within their groups. The students need to describe why they chose the specific pictures they posted. Students will have about 5 minutes to do this.
• Now, divide the students into groups based on the characters they had researched for the flipped lesson.  For example, the people who researched Melinda will come together, those who researched Andy will come together, and so forth. 
• Once everyone is divided into their character groups, have the students come up with a character belief statement.  This needs to be a single sentence that describes the inner and outer feelings of the character. What is it that the character believes? What motivates them throughout the novel?
• Students will now work together to create a Belief Board for their characters based off the belief statement they just created. 
• The Belief Board should contain at least 6 images to describe the character’s outer image, 6 images to describe the character’s inner self, and 6 statement words to describe either the outer or inner self.  As they work with their group, they will need to justify their decisions to their peers. 
• 6 images to describe the character’s outer image - clothing, stereotypes, how they want others to see them.
• 6 images to describe the character’s inner self - insecurities, secrets, how they truly feel inside
• 6 statement words to describe either the outer or inner self. - what are some power statements that sum up this character? 
• Inform the students that they can use their phones or laptops to find the required images or statement words.  
• Every student must be involved in finding the images and statement words.  Suggest that if a student doesn’t have a smartphone that they contribute by thinking of statement words or tag teaming with a fellow student that does have a smartphone. 
• Students are encouraged to display their Belief Boards via Pinterest, Instagram, collage, powerpoint, or blog.  If the students have another idea for displaying their board, it needs to be approved by the teacher. 
• Students can find images from google, pinterest, instagram, or clipart.
• Students will have 15-20 minutes to put this together and should be prepared to share their creations with the class. The final board can be a collection of images on one page, or something that can be scrolled through (like pinterest or instagram).
• Allow the students to work in their groups.  The teacher should roam around and be available to answer any questions.

PRESENTING BELIEF BOARDS - 20 minutes

• Gather the students together to present their Belief Boards.  Each group will go to the front of the room and display their Belief Board and explain why they selected the images and words they did. 
• At the end of each of the presentations, discuss with the students some of the things they learned as they took a deeper look into the individual characters.
• Were there differences between the outer portrayal and inner thoughts? Did any of these differences create conflict within the character? Could the statement words selected describe the character’s motivation throughout the novel? How might we apply our findings if we were to do a performance of this novel? Do you have a greater empathy for this character now?  If so, why? Also, why would this empathy be important? Do you agree with the images and statement words? Why or why not? 
• Students are also encouraged to share “I noticed”, “I loved”, or “I wonder” statements.
• Accordion - if there’s extra time at the end of class, ask the students to create a frozen image in their group to help display the discoveries they made about their character in class today.  The image can display some of the inner thoughts, outer portrayals, or statement words they used in the Belief Board.  Ideally, this will help students implement their findings into a physical character.

CLOSURE - 5 minutes

• Conclude with reemphasizing the fact that script analysis is crucial as we go into character analysis, which helps deepen our understanding and empathy for others. It can help improve an individual performance as well as we have a better knowledge of the person we’re trying to portray.  It can also help with design choices.

ASSESSMENT

Belief Board:

Concerns	Criteria	Advanced
	Six inner thought images
	Six outer portrayal images
	Six statement words
	Compiled into a digital format that can be displayed to classmates

ACCOMMODATIONS -

Visual and/or reading impairment - The student may have needed to listen to an audio version of the book.  For this assignment, they could create audio clips that help describe the desired statement words and images.

Student who has English as their second language - Provide the book in their first language.

Students without access to technology - Allow the student to use the resources provided in the library.  Or create groups within the classroom and make sure at least one group member has access to the needed technology. 

I selected pinterest, instagram, and powerpoint to support students in being able to display the Belief Boards. The affordances of this tool allow students to display pictures as well as write descriptions below to explain their choices.  As a result, students are able to achieve curricular standards and learning outcomes by compiling various pictures and statement words.

Backup plan if the projector isn’t working: have the students create a museum of their Belief Boards where their boards are displayed on smaller devices like laptops or phones, and one student from the group explains their board to the students walking around.  Rotate who is with the board so everyone has a chance to look at their peers’ work.