Learning Activity

Talking Pictures

Subject Area

Arts Education
English Language Arts

Grade(s)

3

Overview

Students will use a piece of visual art to write original dialogue.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.32

Apply knowledge of grade-appropriate phoneme-grapheme correspondences, multisyllabic word construction, syllable division rules, and spelling rules (or generalizations) to encode words accurately.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.3.32

Vocabulary

  • Knowledge
  • Grade-appropriate phoneme-grapheme correspondences
  • Multisyllabic word construction
  • Syllable division rules
  • Spelling rules
  • Generalizations
  • Encode
  • Accurately

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Grade-appropriate phoneme-grapheme correspondences.
  • Multisyllabic words are words that are composed of two or more syllables.
  • Syllable division principles.
  • Spelling rules (or generalizations).
  • To encode accurately means to spell a word correctly.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Accurately encode (spell) single syllable and multisyllabic words using their knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondences, multisyllabic word construction, syllable division principles, and spelling generalization.
  • Accurately divide words into syllables to spell multisyllabic words correctly.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • To spell (encode), they must accurately represent the letter symbols (graphemes) that correspond to the spoken sounds (phonemes).
  • They can use syllable division principles to break a word apart to make it easier to spell.
  • They can use their knowledge of the six syllable types to accurately encode words.
  • There are spelling rules, or generalizations, in the English language that can help them spell words accurately.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 3 - Theatre

AE17.TH.3.4

Participate in methods of investigation to devise original ideas for a drama/theatre work.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.TH.3.4

Vocabulary

Research
  • 6 journalistic questions: (who, what, when, where, why)
  • peers

Analysis
  • levels
  • setting
  • real
  • imaginary
  • constructive criticism
Voice
  • speed
  • pitch
  • volume
Movement
  • improvise
  • gesture
  • tableau
Characterization
  • motivation
Directing
Design
  • sets
  • props
Theatrical production
  • collaborate
  • polish
  • rehearse

Essential Questions

EU: Theatre artists work to discover different ways of communicating meaning.
EQ: How, when, and why do theatre artists' choices change?

Skills Examples

  • Brainstorm ideas for roles, imaginary worlds, and stories.
  • Explore and articulate ideas for costumes for an improvised dramatic/ theatrical work.
  • Explore and articulate ideas for props for an improvised dramatic/ theatrical work.
  • Explore and articulate ideas for sets for an improvised dramatic/ theatrical work.
  • Explore and articulate ideas for setting for an improvised dramatic/ theatrical work.
  • Explore and articulate characters for an improvised dramatic/ theatrical work.
  • Collaborate to determine how characters might move in the dramatic/ theatrical work. Use high, medium, and low levels made by crouching, crawling, leaping, stretching to reach something high, etc.
  • Collaborate to determine how characters might speak in the dramatic/ theatrical work by improvising dialogue and the specific traits of various characters' voices (i.e., pitch, speed, volume).
  • Determine what the given circumstances are of a character in a dramatic/ theatrical work which include the elements that affect a character: his personal situation, the setting, events that are related to the character or historical period, and the character's motivation.
  • Use different methods (i.e., improvisational theater games, research) to devise original ideas for dramatic/ theatrical work.
  • Compare ideas with peers.
  • Make choices with peers that will improve and deepen the group's dramatic/ theatrical work through the use of constructive criticism.
  • Collaborate with the group to fit within the parameters of the dramatic/ theatrical work. Staging choices may vary (i.e., Reader's Theater use of tableau, etc.).
  • Collaborate with peers to polish the group work to fit the parameters of the work.
  • Participate in vocal exploration (perhaps by using vocal exercises and theater games) in improvised or scripted dramatic/ theatrical work.
  • Make design choices to support a improvised or scripted work.
  • Make technical choices to support a improvised or scripted work.
  • Practice and refine or polish the design and technical choices for a devised or scripted dramatic/ theatrical work.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to create original dialogue and produce a short script.

Students will use appropriate conventions of Standard English when writing script. 

Activity Details

Display a work of art with multiple people in the piece. (Example: Las Meninas by Velazquez or School of Athens by Raphael)

Pair up the students and have the students pick someone or something in the painting that they want to become. Have the pairs of students talk to each other in character, using the painting as their evidence for dialogue. Challenge them to stay in character and be able to defend WHY they are saying what they chose to say. The must use to painting as evidence. 

Students will turn their verbal dialogue into written dialogue and create a 1-2 page script. The script MUST contain some sort of conflict and resolution. 

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will read/review each student’s script to ensure they have met both theater and ELA standards. 

The teacher will look for appropriate use of quotation marks with the dialogue. The teacher will assess the drama standard based on participation in the paired discussion.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Teacher will need to find a work of art they find appropriate for their grade level. 

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

coolhandliz
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