O’Maley Performing Arts - Ms. Sellers
Contact: Leslie Sellers - lsellers@gloucesterschools.com
Course Description:
If you like playing games, working in groups, and activities that involve Theatre, Film, Music, and Movement...then you’ll love this class that focuses on Storytelling through the Performing Arts! No performance experience necessary -- just a willingness to participate!
Essential Understandings:
Through Performing Arts, we creatively explore human thought, emotion and behavior. Through an exploration of Storytelling in Theatre, Film, Music and Movement, students will develop social and emotional learning competencies and 21st century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. Artistic objectives include creating, presenting, responding and connecting. Literacy objectives of reading, writing, speaking and listening are integrated throughout, corresponding to grade-specific ELA Common Core Standards.
*Our essential questions reflect Social/Emotional Learning (CASEL) and Performing Arts Standards:
All Grades: 6th, 7th & 8th
-How do we communicate and collaborate effectively?
-How do we express emotions, thoughts and behaviors?
-How do we interpret emotions, thoughts and behaviors?
There are unifying grade-wide themes at O'Maley, around which additional Performing Arts essential questions have been formed:
6th Grade: Theme - Adaptations & Change
-How do our emotions and thoughts influence our behaviors?
7th Grade: Theme - Obstacles As Opportunities
-How do we effectively manage our emotions, thoughts and behaviors in different situations?
8th Grade: Theme - Perspective & Patterns
-How do we take the perspective of others and empathize with their emotions, thoughts and behaviors?
Critical Content & Standards:
5 Core Competencies of Social & Emotional Learning (CASEL):
1. Self Awareness
2. Self Management
3. Social Awareness
4. Relationship skills
5. Responsible Decision Making
21st Century Skills (Partnership for 21st Century Skills):
Communication & Collaboration
Creativity & Critical Thinking
Problem-Solving
Leadership & Responsibility
Flexibility & Adaptability
Self-Direction & Initiative
Productivity & Accountability
Common Core Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy:
Reading Standards:
6th: RL.3, RL.4, RL.5, RL.7
7th: RL.3, RL.4, RL.6, RL.7
8th: RL.1, RL.3, RL.6, RL.7
Writing Standards:
6th: W.3, W.MA.3.A
7th: W.3, W.MA.3.A
8th: W.3, W.MA.3.A, W.6
Speaking and Listening Standards:
6th: SL.1, SL.2, SL.4, SL.5, SL.6
7th: SL.1, SL.2, SL.4, SL.5, SL.6
8th: SL.1, SL.3, SL.4, SL.5, SL.6
Language Standards:
6th: L.5, L.6
7th: L.5, L.6
8th: L.5, L.
Critical Skills:
MA and National Core Arts Artistic Processes & Anchor Standards
Students will create, perform, present, produce, respond, and connect in project-based Performing Arts (Theatre, Film, Music, Movement) activities.
In Creating, students will:
1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
3. Refine and complete artistic work.
In Performing, Presenting & Producing, students will:
4. Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
5. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
In Responding, students will:
7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.
8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
In Connecting, students will:
10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context
to deepen understanding.
to deepen understanding.
Units:
3 Curriculum Units spiral through each term and progressively develop artistic, literacy and social-emotional skill sets across grade levels:
-Culture & Community Building
-Text/Story Creation
-Text/Story Interpretation
-Culture & Community Building
-Text/Story Creation
-Text/Story Interpretation
*Grade-wide themes are integrated into each unit of study, linking to core classes:
6th Grade: Adaptations & Change
7th Grade: Obstacles As Opportunities
8th Grade: Perspective & Patterns
6th Grade: Adaptations & Change
7th Grade: Obstacles As Opportunities
8th Grade: Perspective & Patterns
Sample Performance Tasks:
Theatre Games & Improvisation: students participate in games/improvisation activities that develop
communication and collaboration skills
communication and collaboration skills
Story Creation & Presentation:
Generation of original stories: students create, present, respond and connect
their original stories (live presentations/via technology) in improvisations, skits,
writing, movement patterns/dance routines, storyboarding/design elements, film/media
their original stories (live presentations/via technology) in improvisations, skits,
writing, movement patterns/dance routines, storyboarding/design elements, film/media
projects
Active interpretation of others' stories: students rehearse & present script readings,
rehearse and perform movement patterns/choreography routines, replicate film sequences
Active interpretation of others' stories: students rehearse & present script readings,
rehearse and perform movement patterns/choreography routines, replicate film sequences
and design elements
Story Response: students analyze emotion, thoughts and behavior in (non-fiction) presentations
and (fiction) selections of Theatre, Musical Theatre, Film, Film Scores, Music Videos,
Movement patterns/Choreography and Visual Art (production design elements such as set,
costumes, etc.)
Story Connection: students connect content to themselves, society, culture, history and other
subjects; reflective expression options include discussion, writing, movement/dance, acting,
film/media, and artwork
film/media, and artwork
Assessment:
Work is assessed through the use of rubrics, teacher evaluations, student self evaluations, peer evaluations, and participation.
Grading is calculated:
25% - Connecting to topics under study
25% - Creating/Presenting artistic work
25% - Responding to artistic work
25% - Participation
