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Dramatic Arts
NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 225 Youngstown, Ohio 644 Overlook Dr. Columbus, OH 43214 Volume 51, Number 2 • Summer/Fall 2011 A Publication of OCTELA, the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Language Arts Dramatic Arts Table of Contents The Ohio Journal of English Language Arts Co-Editors Jeff Buchanan, Youngstown State University Meg Silver, Columbiana South Side Middle School OJELA • 644 Overlook Dr. • Columbus, OH 43214 ABOUT OJELA As the official journal of the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts, Ohio Journal of English Language Arts is published twice per year and circulates to approximately 2,000 language arts teachers of ele mentary, secondary, and college students. Within its editorial columns, departments, and feature articles, the journal seeks to publish contributions pertaining to all aspects of language arts learning and teaching. ©2011 OCTELA/OJELA Printing Ð Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH Cover Art by Brooke Lancey. All other art is courtesy of the authors of the respective articles in which they appear. Pages 30, 47, 48, 56 © 2011 iStockPhoto.com Ò By mere instinct, if not by specialized training, teachers have utilized handson, visual, and performancebased learning strategies for generations. . . . Drama, whether analyzing, talking, and writing about it, creating original scenes, acting it out, designing costumes and staging, or performing it, can be a playground for student engagement and for tapping into students’ unique intelligence profiles. Ó Linda J. Rice Announcements Call for Manuscripts .................................................................. 2 Author Guidelines ..................................................................... 3 Manuscript Guidelines ............................................................... 3 OCTELA Executive Board ............................................................ 5 Editors’ Introduction .................................................................. 6 Meg Silver & Jeff Buchanan Our Theme: Language Arts / Dramatic Arts “Rehearsal Methods for Student-Centered Writing”.............................. 7 Michael B. Sexton “Text Lingo as Idiosyncratic Communication: The New Frontier of Dramatic Interaction” ...................................15 Brigette A. Kaiser “Permission 2 Play: Using Ensemble Storytelling to Improve Writing: A Dialogue” .................................................. 23 Kevin Cordi & James Carr Departments Interlude Prose: “How Writing Is”.......................................................... 27 Tom Romano Poetry: “Ducks” .................................................................. 28 Michael Salinger Teaching Matters “Say What? How Oral Communication Has Played Second Fiddle to Reading Instruction in Language Arts Classrooms: A Dramatic Approach for Remedy” ........................................... 29 Brendan D. Pentzell “Get Your Act Together: Web Tools to Enhance the Drama Process and Product” ................................................. 33 Katina D. Childers and Christa Preston Agiro “Using Ohio History as a Source for Dramatic Monologue Production” ...... 39 Edgar H. Thompson 4Sites Post-Secondary, Kevin Cordi ..................................................... 45 Secondary, Trisha Nord........................................................... 47 Middle, Heather Burley and Whitney Thomas Eads........................... 49 Elementary, Melanie Strohecker .................................................51 The Conference Room Table “Analyzing, Performing, and Writing: Drama in a Context of Student Engagement” ............................... 55 Linda J. Rice A Closing Lesson .............................................................. 63 Peggy A. Moore Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 1 OJELAÕ s Call for Manuscripts The Well-Prepared English Teacher Volume 52.1 (Winter/Spring 2012) Deadline: March 15, 2012 Call for Manuscripts “Highly Qualified” is a adverb/adjective pair Ohio teachers have become accustomed to hearing. The state adopted the designation in response to a federal mandate requiring that it show evidence of its teachers’ qualifications to teach. The designation is wellintentioned, but, in practice, “highly qualified” has come to mean the pursuit of a graduate degree, 30+ hours of coursework in the content area, National Board Certification, and 90 hours of professional development. What has been lost is thoughtful consideration of what, foundationally, prepares one best to teach. With the Winter/Spring 2012 issue of OJELA, we propose to shift the conversation away from qualifications, and the superficial evidence of those qualifications, to preparation, and the complex theoretical and pedagogical knowledge that informs our teaching. We are asking you, What does it mean to be wellprepared? What does being wellprepared require? What do English/ language arts teachers have to know and be able to do to teach effectively? How do we continue to prepare ourselves every day, every semester, every year for the work we do in our classrooms? We invite submissions, then, from administrators, trying to meet accountability requirements; classroom teachers, searching for ways to improve their effectiveness; English educators, working to prepare future English teachers; mentor teachers, resident educators, supervisors, specialists, and consultants, charged with supporting the work of teachers. What is a wellprepared English teacher? Academic Memoir: Stories of Learning Volume 52.2 (Summer/Fall 2012) Deadline: September 15, 2012 Memoirs reflect on a limited period of time and of personal experience; they are episodic. Memoir writing that focuses on time in school, time as a student or as a teacher, writing that focuses on learning or being educated, have become almost conventional. Because learning is powerful, it changes us. And when we are moved to change, we often feel an impulse to account for it. For as teachers, we are especially attuned to learning, its processes and implications, the impulse to talk about our own learning and the learning around us is almost second nature. As learners and teachers, we tell stories of these kinds of changes and encourage our students to do the same. We sometimes can’t help ourselves—after encounters with transformative texts, when we have found our pedagogical sea legs, when theory and practice finally wed. These stories—about the powerful effects of learning—have come, too, to have a genre: academic memoir. The stories of academic memoir are both personal and professional; this is a genre in which the two merge. For the Summer/Fall 2012 issue of OJELA, we invite submissions in and on the genre of academic memoir. We invite stories that attempt to capture the effects of teaching and learning for both teachers and students, to account for professional growth and to explain how and what our students gain, and to develop a sense of efficacy for us and our students’ in this place we call school. Please address any questions concerning manuscripts to editors Jeff Buchanan or Meg Silver at [email protected]. 2 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 Author Guidelines Author Guidelines The Ohio Journal of English Language Arts (OJELA) is the official journal of the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (OCTELA). Published twice per year, OJELA circulates to approximately 2000 language arts teachers of elementary, secondary, and college students. The journal seeks to publish contributions on all aspects of language arts learning and teaching. Articles Submissions are invited for the 2011 issues of OJELA on the following themes: • Volume 52.1 (Winter/Spring 2012): The Well-Prepared English Teachers • Volume 52.2 (Summer/Fall 2012): Academic Memoir: Stories of Learning See the Call for Manuscripts section of this issue for the full calls for submission. The OJELA editors also welcome manuscripts on any other topic concerning language arts teaching at any level. Poetry Poetry submissions with teaching or teachingrelated subjects will be accepted for review. Submitters should follow the Manuscript Submission Guidelines. Teaching Matters OJELA is continuing to spotlight Teaching Matters and, as a result, invites submissions focused on classroom strategies for teaching English language arts at any level, Kcollege. Submissions must be original teaching ideas. Descriptions of activities, practices, and procedures are welcome, but these should be accompanied by rationale, explaining how methods were developed and used and for what purposes. Submissions might include a lesson’s objectives, materials, target grade level, appropriate assessments, and classroom handouts. Teaching Matters submissions should build a kind of howto knowledge for other teachers. 4Sites Submissions are invited from various educational levels (elementary, middle, secondary, post secondary) to provide a perspective on a specific question related to an individual issue’s theme. The goal of the 4Sites section is to provide perspective on an educational issue across sites and levels. We’re accepting submissions for the following issues, loosely focused on the question that follows the issue’s theme. • The Well-Prepared English Teacher: Where and how did you learn what has best prepared you for the classroom? • Academic Memoir: Stories of Learning: What personal story do you use in your classroom for pedagogical purposes? The Conference Room Table The metaphor of the table is invoked to promote conversation. One goal for this OJELA section is to provide opportunity for professional development but not in a topdown, lecture style. Instead, we ask submissions to capture the way books and articles in the field are used in classrooms and in professional lives, to convey experiences that illustrate the significance of our professional literature. Submissions should be related to each issue’s proposed theme. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 3 Manuscript Guidelines Manuscript Guidelines The following guidelines are intended to answer the most common questions related to preparing and submitting manuscripts to OJELA. More detailed questions and other inquiries should be addressed to the editors: [email protected] • Manuscripts should be submitted electronically. Manuscripts should be formatted using 12point font, doublespacing, and either APA or MLA style. All pages should be numbered. In general, manuscripts are expected to be 1020 pages in length. • All manuscripts should be submitted as three at tachments in Microsoft Word. The first attach ment should be a cover sheet that lists the title of the manuscript, author’s name, address, school affiliation, telephone, fax, email address, and a breif author bio. The second attachment should contain the title of the manuscript and the manu script text, which should be free of any internal references to the author’s identity. The third at tachment should be a letter that guarantees that the article is your original work and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. • Authors should submit their submissions to: oje [email protected] Style Issues: The readership of OJELA includes language arts teachers at all grade levels, so we rec ommend you adopt a conversational style that avoids jargon and highly specialized terms. The use of “I” is appropriate. We do not accept term papers or other lengthy manuscripts overburdened with references. Manuscripts should also adhere to the “Guidelines for Nonsexist Use of language in NCTE Publications,” available from NCTE (1111 W. Kenyon Rd., Urbana, IL 618011096). Accepted manuscripts are edited in consultation with the principal author. Because of publication dead lines, however, the editors reserve the right to make minor revisions without seeking prior approval from the author. If you reference other writers’ work, please follow either MLA or APA style, as outlined in the current MLA or APA style manuals. Tables, graphs, and charts are often difficult to read and expensive to typeset. Unless absolutely nec essary, please do not submit manuscripts containing these items. Photographs and artwork are accepted with manuscripts, although you should keep in mind that permission to use images is required. Authors must ob tain written permission from the photographer and the subjects in the photograph. (See Permissions Policy). 4 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 If tables, graphs, charts or other artwork are an essential part of your manuscript, you must submit these items as separate files. Embedded images will not be accepted. Charts and graphs that are drawn using numerical values must have these values accessible, either as separate line list items or on the art itself. This allows us to accurately reformat this information to fit the column width of the issue. Art/Photography: We encourage readers to share art and pictures that reflect the learning com munities in your school and your classroom. All repro duced artwork should be at least 8” x 10” and on high quality, opaque paper. Photography submitted as prints should be printed on at 5” x 7”—or bigger—glossy paper. Digital images must be 3 megapixels or better. Permissions Policy: As author, it is your re sponsibility to secure permissions for copyrighted work if it appears in your article. While short excerpts from copyrighted material may be quoted without permis sion, any excerpts from poetry and song lyrics al most always require the author’s written permission. Likewise, any student work requires a signed release from the student, and, if the student is a minor, the signature of a parent. To protect students’ identities, it is generally recommended that you use pseudonyms. OJELA can provide forms for permissions and releases, though the author must pay any costs associated with permissions. If you are using student work, please re quest the StudentConsenttoPublish Form. Manuscript Review Process: The editors will acknowledge receipt of your manuscript with an email. We initially read all manuscripts to assure that they are appropriate to the journal. If we think your manuscript does not fit our journal, we contact you and suggest, when possible, other outlets for your work. Inquiries about possible manuscripts can be sent to ojelaeditor@ gmail.com. If we deem a manuscript appropriate for OJELA, we send it out to at least two reviewers. Reviewers make recommendations for publication and for revision. Once recommendations have been received by the editors, we make final decisions about whether to publish or not. If we accept your manuscript for publication, we will contact you and, more than likely, remain in contact with you while working through the revision/editorial process. This process usually takes three months. How to Contact the Editors: Send manuscripts and correspondence to: [email protected] or con tact Jeff Buchanan, English Department, Youngstown State University, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555 or by phone: 3309411641 or email: jmbu [email protected] Executive Board OCTELA Executive Board OCTELA Executive Board Elected Officers: President Karen Carney Campbell Elementary President-Elect Jessica Bennett Brookpark Middle School Vice President Sarah Ressler Hayes High School Past-President Karen Tollafield Kent State University Treasurer Margaret Blevins West Union High School Secretary Carol Hart Retired, McDonald High School Secretary-Elect Martha Copp Miami Trace High School Executive Committee: Executive Director Karla Bisig Wilmington High School Advisor Ruth McClain Ohio University, Chillicothe Elementary Liaison Deborah Thomas Granville Intermediate School Middle School Liaison Travis Morris Granville Intermediate School Secondary Liaison Stephenie Eriksson Blanchester High school Vocational/Technical Education Liaison Terry Billock Mahoning County Career and Technical Center Awards: NCTE Liaison Colleen Ruggieri Bexley High School Ohioana Robert Fox Award Ruth McClain Ohio University, Chillicothe WROTE Liaison Carol Hart Retired, McDonald High School Bonnie Chambers Award Sue Malaska ODE Liaison Elizabeth Bridges Ohio Department of Education Membership Co-Chairs: Cindy Bowman Ashland University Virginia McCormac Beachwood Middle School Alesha Trudell Hilltop School (Beachwood) Professional Liaison Michelle Bednarczyk Upper Valley Career Center Multicultural Liaison Amanda Schear Withrow University H.S. (Cincinnati) Legislative Liaison Sam Whitaker Outreach Liaison Michele Winship Ohio Education Association Vendor Liaison Sarah Ressler Wright Hayes High School Outstanding ELA Educator Award Karen Tollafield Kent State University Buckeye Book Award Amy Forchione Perry Local Schools NCTE Literary Magazine Colleen Ruggieri Bexley High School NCTE Promising Young Writers Martha Copp Miami Trace High School NCTE Achievement Awards Colleen Ruggieri Bexley High School Publication Editors: Webmaster Margaret Ford Retired, Campbell City Schools OJELA Meg Silver Columbiana South Side M.S. Jeff Buchanan Youngstown State University Ohio Teachers Write Sally Lamping Wright State University OCTELA Newsletter Karla Bisig Wilmington High School University Liaison Regina Rees Youngstown State University Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 5 EditorsÕ Introduction Editors’ Introduction If you’ve opened this issue of OJELA without noting the date of the issue, we are grateful for your oversight. Yes, the calendar has turned to 2012. But, yes, this is the second issue of 2011. Sorry. How did it get away from us? In many ways, this issue of OJELA has been unwieldy. We would like to blame that on the quirkiness of you drama teachers, but now that wouldn’t be fair, would it? Still, there was something about this call—on teaching drama and teaching as drama—that inspired writers to reach. We think that must have something to do with an actor’s training. The fact of the matter, though, is that every English teacher spends a significant amount of his or her class time teaching drama—Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Greek tragedy, Ibsen, A Raisin in the Sun— and using drama to teach—reader’s theater, creative dramatics, readalouds—but rarely do we ever treat drama as a genre or teaching method that demands an alternative pedagogical approach. The question of drama pedagogy is at the heart of this OJELA issue, and we hope you enjoy investigating it with us. But we also learned, in the process of compiling this issue, that many of you use what you’ve learned as dramatists in your everyday teaching practice; you have made your teaching practice dramatic. And that drama—that reach to connect with our students, our listeners, our readers—we hope, is worth the wait. This issue of OJELA features three articles that give our classroom dramas their due. Michael Sexton delves into the rehearsal period of our instruction to offer insight about how students write—and how we might best lead them to stellar performances. Brigette Kaiser examines the interactive drama of our instantmessage lives, both in the classroom and out. Her research leads us to ask how we, as teachers, might step into the role of directors. Kevin Cordi and James Carr become dramatists themselves and perform their piece as a dialogue to discuss ways to help their students perform as writers. 6 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 The three articles that make up our Teaching Matters section focus on doing activities borrowed from dramatists, making course content dramatic, and communicating responses to literature more dramatically. Katina Childers and Christa Agiro examine web resources, Edgar Thompson investigates artifacts of Ohio history, and Brendan Pentzell combs through drama pedagogy, yet all three articles help teachers enrich their students’ engagement with literature, with reading, and with writing. As a whole, these articles illustrate just how farreaching the subject of English can be. We hope you also discover usable teaching practices from Linda Rice’s Conference Room Table piece. But we hope you also notice how Rice turns theory—professional resources readily available to all teachers—into practice—methods teachers draw on everyday. For that is the purpose of the Conference Room Table department: to show how teachers enrich their practice and make their classrooms more productive sites of teaching and learning. This issue of OJELA also features a couple of performances from teachers—one in prose and one in poetry. Michael Salinger writes of being inspired by a duck handler to suggest aspects of teacher work, and Tom Romano describes the work of the writer. These are performances we hope please you; they are also performances that reach, that we think will give you pause, and inspire you to think. Finally, Peggy Moore’s Closing Lesson is a performance of another kind, one that perhaps reaches beyond even the unwieldy scope of this issue. There is so much going on in her piece that it feels... well, it feels just like real teaching, and when it ends we think it compels us to tell more stories, to perform our own dramas, to participate in our world as readers and writers. And isn’t that what we are? Even if we are also just a little late. –Meg & Jeff Language Arts / Dramatic Arts Rehearsal Methods for Student-Centered Writing –Michael B. Sexton The Catalyst Standing in front of the class, I delivered my fivestep writing process lecture, “Everyone should brainstorm, prewrite, and, then, draft…” Amy’s hand shot up. “Yes Amy?” “I don’t write like that,” she said without any flicker of emotion. “Well, everyone writes like this – we get ideas and then we draft the ideas and then we revise and rewrite…” I continued, mechanically. Her hand shot up again. “Mr. Sexton, I don’t write like that. I like to say it out loud and try a few things and if I like the sound, I write… It’s not like that,” she pointed to the poster that boldly proclaimed The Writing Process! A chain reaction erupted after that – Whoosh! Hand after hand, a flood of opinion, not one single student agreed with the poster. I didn’t know what to say. I did not even agree with the poster, so I blurted, “Well, this is how you are supposed to write.” When my students called my bluff, I knew that they were right, and that something had to change. I was fueled by questions: How does writing happen? What is the process? I believe anyone can write well with the proper motivation, effort, and experience, and since the problem was in my methods, I strived to understand the writing process so that I could correct where I went wrong and fix the problem. I thought it would be as simple as adjusting a lesson or two. My students wrote hastily, if at all, submitting work with little planning or revision, so I sought the advice of experienced teachers. I was met with strained looks and few answers; teachers’ opinions mirrored my students’ process. One of my colleagues told me, “I don’t blame them. I always just wrote my papers in college, and, if an outline was required, I went back and made one based on the paper.” Our staff room erupted with laughter as other teachers recounted their “been there, done that” scenarios. One veteran of over 35 years told me, with utter sincerity, “I don’t think you can teach writing at all. I think some people can write and some people can’t.” I had noticed that strong writers often change little, and struggling writers change even less, but why? Writing is something that improves through instruction and practice. Was there a system that worked? Since feedback from teachers provided little direction about processbased writing, I traced the roots of the fivestep writing process but discovered little to support that writing is limited to five steps. I can only surmise that the fivestep writing process is an oversimplification of many theories, a generalization overlooking significant steps and stages that aide instruction. It is like reducing grandma’s chocolate chip cookie recipe to (1) Prepare cookie dough, (2) Bake, and (3) Eat. Flowers and Hayes (1979) and Sondra Perl (1979) used composealoud studies and interviews to observe writing habits, identifying how successful When my students called my bluff, I knew that they were right, and that something had to change. I was fueled by questions: How does writing happen? What is the process? student writers utilize experience and present ideas after careful planning. Each study suggested a logical structure to processbased writing, yet there was no easy 123 recipe. It was unanimous that writing is not simply defined, that it is nonlinear. Writers rarely followed the same exact pattern even though they used similar steps. After observing ten teachers for three years, Perl came to the conclusion that processbased writing instruction was not definite: “Just as there is no one way to write, there is no one way to teach the writing process” (8). My head began to spin as I thought: Then how do we learn how to teach processbased writing? Michael B. Sexton has a B.A. in English from Baldwin-Wallace College and an M.A.T. in English from Miami University. Mike currently teaches 8th Grade Langauge Arts at Edgewood Middle School in Wooster, Ohio. This research on rehearsal was conducted in the 2010-11 school year at Arcanum Middle School in conjunction with the Ohio Writing Project through Miami University. Many thoughtful and supportive OWP-ers as well as Mike’s wife, Amy, were significant contributors, editors, and allaround amazing supporters throughout the process of this research. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 7 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts Seeking a Recipe for Writing Instruction Since there was no simple answer, no easy recipe to follow, I resolved to teach myself. I wondered what would happen if I gave my students the same freedom to explore topics and develop their writing that professional writers enjoy. Don Murray’s advice became my guiding principle: in order to understand effective processbased instruction, “We [must] observe successful students and [professional] writers during the prewriting process, and to debrief them to find out what they do when they move effectively from assignment or idea to completed first draft” (Murray 37). I required students to record their writing steps, and I watched as they completed narrative writing activities. I used Murray’s conferencing strategies to debrief my class of 61, Caucasian, 13/14yearold, rural eighth graders. I asked them about their work and their steps while writing in order to understand their process. I compared their behavior to the testimony of published, professional writers to seek similarities and guide me to understand stages in the writing process, how writing happens, as an instructional tool instead of a passive activity. It was like helping grandma bake, gaining firsthand wisdom, and learning her recipe. After we completed a Neighborhood Map, Danny wrote a story about a fourwheeler ride through his yard and into his neighbor’s property (Fletcher 13 14). Danny told me that he was ready to conference because he finished a draft of his story. His writing was heavy in pronouns. If submitted as finished work, I could have easily written comments like, “Include more detail.” And, knowing Danny, he would have included little effort in response to vague suggestions. After listening to him read his piece in its entirety, I went through my routine questions, “What sticks out to you most about this piece – what interested or surprised you most?” Danny replied, “Probably how much I wrote because I can’t usually write so much, and I wrote this easily.” He was proud, and he had a right to be. To him, it was a job well done, a long piece (a page and a half), and Danny had initially struggled to write anything in class. “Why do you think that happened? What made it easy?” I asked. “Just that I could really picture in my mind what happened like I was seeing it – like you said about reading, I could visualize it. Usually, I can’t get the picture in my mind onto the page – it’s like I know what I want to say, and by the time I start to write it’s gone.” I encouraged Danny in the sections of 8 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 his writing that were heavy in sensory description, highly visual. After our conference, without my direction, Danny revised his draft. He told me, “Last year, and in all the other years, I’d just hand in the first thing I wrote because I didn’t know what to do next. No one made us write it again.” I laughed about the last remark because the only person making Danny re write his paper was Danny. It was not required for this assignment. Danny’s initial draft led him back to the drawing board. Why? Danny was emphatic about how he was not a writer; in his initial writing survey, he used the word, “hate.” I looked to the testimony of professional writers to gain an understanding of this phenomenon. Somerset Maugham, an early 20th Century playwright and novelist, described the primary motivation for writers: “We do not write because we want to; we write because we must” (quoted in Murray Shoptalk). It is an impulse, a need to be clearly understood. Now, a struggling student displayed a trait of professionals. Danny was successfully communicating, even though he disliked writing. Conferring with me was his way of visualizing his idea, guiding Danny to develop his topic and apply a structure. Danny charted out a plot and considered characterization only after the conference. The closest comparison to Danny’s process of developing an idea is what Don Murray called rehearsal, a highly dynamic process, entailing more than one simple activity or step, which leads a writer from an idea to a draft. I could see the potential for this to help other students, both struggling and advanced, plan before drafting. Thus, Danny’s process became a rough model as I explored the writing phase of rehearsal. An Evolving Understanding of Rehearsal I discovered that rehearsal was much more complex than it appeared at first glance. Danny had trouble finding an idea, but once he did, writing came naturally. The most important step for Danny, like the majority of my students, was generating a topic. Students generated ideas in different ways. Danny’s first steps of rehearsal were similar to that of Phillip, but the methods were very different. During a study hall, Phillip made a sketch of Superman. I asked, “Do you like superheroes, Philip?” He nodded. Previously, he told me that he didn’t Language Arts / Dramatic Arts enjoy writing or reading, and he struggled to find ideas he could use in writing. I felt that this was a good opportunity to direct his interests toward an idea. I encouraged, “Have you ever created your own heroes? That could be something to think about.” Again, he didn’t say much. With a shrug of his shoulders, he started to put the picture away. I and needed to write; it was the essential writing ingredient of rehearsal. Three basic strategies helped my students tap their experience and find topics: inspiration, free writing, and inquiry. In Phillip’s case, an inspiration to draw directly generated a character. This character found his development in a story. In the case of Danny, it was the question, “Where do you feel most at home,” followed by a focused free write about his memories. As long as I selected activities that allowed my students to use their expertise, their memories, even students who felt Three basic strategies helped my students tap their experience and find topics: inspiration, free writing, and inquiry. that they could not write well were willing to write. I provided general categories, asked questions, told my stories, and asked students to jot down childhood memories in the front of their writer’s notebooks. The result was internally motivated writers. continued, “You’re not in trouble. If you’re done with your other work, it’s fine to doodle. In fact, it’s a good way for some people to get ideas for writing.” Two days later, Philip came up to me with a drawing. I could tell it was a man with a cape and what appeared to be a tail. It was his own creation: Monkey Man! For Phillip, who had no interest in writing, this was the beginning of his rehearsal. It was not writing or a formal writing conference that he used to generate his idea; it was comic books. He told me, “My dad showed me all these comics, and I think this could be like a combination of Spiderman and Batman.” Phillip’s experience with his father was a memory that united his interest in comics to his interest in writing. After studying students composing habits, Hayes and Flowers (1979) observed experience as an essential writing skill: successful writers consult their experience and memories, as did Phillip, in order to effectively write. Danny did this as well. Danny had a memory; his product was a memoir. Phillip’s product was a fantasy. It was nearly impossible to narrow this first step of the rehearsal process down to one activity, method, or term; topics came from a wealth of experience and memories and this cycle of accessing experience triggered topics that students wanted Envisioning Once students used one or more of their experience based topics on several class writing exercises, I asked them to establish a “fixed topic” for a piece of writing that they would develop and submit for a grade. I provided class time for writing and guided students with focused writing conferences as they developed the structure of their story, as in Susan’s case: As Susan prepared to read five pages written during a 25minute free write for her conference, I inquired about her topic, “So, what is your story about?” “My family vacation.” She proudly proclaimed. It was common for even the best students to equate an entire trip, days or weeks, to one story; thus, even though there could be a hundred possible stories contained in one trip or family event, students would smash everything together. As Susan read, I counted seven possible leads. I probed further to identify what story she really was trying to tell, “What sticks out to you about the story? What part did you like the best? What memory is most important?” “Well, I think the crab was really funny…” Susan then launched into a hilarious five minute retelling of the funny things they did and said about a crab that they found in the sand: the screaming, her mother’s ironic comments, the curious elderly woman who “just had to” get involved, and the mockfuneral for the crab, who was actually dead the whole time. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 9 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts I was laughing out loud when I interrupted, “Is your story really about the crab?” Her head tilted and her mouth opened wordlessly. I clarified, “You talked a lot about these two lines, and you have not really talked about all of the other things you wrote down about the vacation. So, I’m wondering if you would enjoy writing about this one part of the vacation – telling the story of Kokomo the Crab?” Susan nodded slowly, staring at the lines with brighteyed comprehension. “Yes,” she said as if to herself. It was an “OMG” kind of response that told me she just saw the story in a whole new light. Susan was excited to make other students laugh, describing the story with a narrative structure – conflict, climax, and resolution. She stared at those lines and developed a vision, a structural concept of what her writing might look like. I reviewed other conference notes, Danny and Phillip’s feedback. Danny told me that he had been able to “picture in my mind what happened like [he] was seeing it” and Phillip described in detail how his character would have the same traits as two other well known superheroes. Another student described this as “a day dream” of your story — what the writing could be like. This was the same for nearly all of my eighth graders. Their stories flashed before their eyes, in a stage that Katie Wood Ray terms envisioning. I sought out confirmation of this step in the testimony of professional writers. A noted American pulp author, Alfred Coppel, concurred, “I visualize and then I write what I see.” I remembered that Danny called it “visualize,” just like Coppel, and I found that the study of literature established this skill. This connection between my students’ rehearsal process and professionals’ process led me to believe that a cognitive initiative, envisioning, could enhance writing. When students struggled to see possibilities with their topics, I showed them other text structures, asking if they could see themselves exploring their idea in that way. It worked time and time again. This form of rehearsal was freeing struggling students, giving them the confidence to write. Once they had envisioned their idea, their goal, they could plan their draft. Planning Thus far, I understood rehearsal as a method of generating ideas and envisioning writing possibilities. 10 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 Next, I watched and waited to see how students plan before drafting when they were not told that they must create outlines. Instead of writing an outline, most of my students planned verbally through conferences and cognitively while I was teaching literature based lessons for reading. Sometimes they would just sit without doing anything identifiable, and a plan emerged from a stray thought. Planning was not what I expected. It was like watching popcorn pop and trying to find a pattern. The majority of my students planned during conferences, during the study of literary craft, or, oddly, during rest, a fermentation of sorts. I did not understand the full impact of writing conferences until I reviewed my conference notes and I realized that students were developing, planning the voice of their texts during their writing conferences. Immediately, Tennessee Williams came to mind. He describes this very same stage of rehearsal, “When I write, everything is visual, as brilliantly as if it were on a lit stage. And I talk out the lines as I write” (quoted in Murray Shoptalk). This transition from envisioning to verbal vision was consistent with many of my students. In his second conference, Danny said, “I started trying to write my story for Brian, who doesn’t know anything about fourwheelers, and Tom, who knows more about engines than me, so that they can both follow my story at the same time.” He showed me a few examples of what he termed “practice,” how he wanted the writing to sound, and I noticed that he was reading it aloud to his friend, Brian, during study hall. Danny continually said, “I want it to sound right.” Voice was crucial to Danny. While reviewing his polished piece of four typed pages, Phillip explained that he envisioned the old Batman show, staring Adam West, as he wrote the dialogue. He wanted the pieces to sound like the show: Bam! Pow! Slam! Phillip was doing the same thing as Danny. He was inadvertently viewing his writing through the oral tradition of language. Writing today as in Homer’s time is intended to be read aloud, and my students were demonstrating this by developing the voice of their writing through conferences with peers and myself. By increasing opportunities for studentto student conferences, 100% of my students reported that the verbalization was helpful as they progressed from class exercises to drafts. In fact, an odd side effect was that students began to use more and more dialogue (internal and external) in their writing. I had classrooms full of Williamses. While I was slowly becoming aware of the need Language Arts / Dramatic Arts for opportunities and lessons on verbal vision, I was hit by the influence of crafting vision all at once. One of my students, Edmond, was reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies at the beginning of the year. Before I went into any lesson on point of view, he had discussed it with me as it related to his writing. He was planning to tell a zombie story from the point of view of three different characters, all zombies. I could not gauge the extent of insight he received in conferences. His characters were among the most complex in all of the writing in the eighth grade, but his work changed little from conference to conference. After a lesson on characterization, he abandoned his writing concept, telling me, “My characters are not really well developed, and I have something I’m working on that I think you’ll really be interested in.” The next day we conferred. His story was unique, and it was far better than his previous piece. It was Orwellian in concept, and his central character was not the narrator. I was impressed. It was difficult to resist giving him a standing ovation. Instead, I said, “Your other piece was really interesting. What caused you to abandon all that work for this idea?” Edmond replied, “Well, when you talked in class about how complex traits were important for round characters, I noticed that my characters were all one sided, and I started to think of a cool character with lots of sides, and this story just started to come out. Since my other characters were flat, I wanted to really show this one character, different sides of him, like he sounded good but his words were twisted.” For Edmond, lessons over characterization were essential to his writing process. He envisioned a character with lots of traits, and he made decisions for the point of view and tone based on his goal of developing this character. He planned to include plot twists to surprise the reader. As Edmond applied concepts of professional craft to his ideas, a crafting vision, he approached the drafting phase. free write into a fivepage draft after we discussed sensory imagery in class. Her hilarious internal quips about the setting changed the piece. Luke, who constantly shifted topics, began writing the story of his struggle to find a story after a class discussion on internal dialogue. He used various abandoned story concepts as inclassdaydreams. Because the students’ planning strategies for narratives changed as they learned craftbased concepts of literature, crafting vision was tied to the plan preceding a draft. Now that I was beginning to understand how rehearsal led students to a draft, I realized that some students were not experiencing success even after lessons and conferences. I began to review their struggles and I asked myself, “Where did their writing process fail them? How can my methods work for them?” The answer was not obvious. Adam was the poster child of a student who had followed through with all of the class activities and homework, but his writing was, in his own words, “Rushed.” I gave him time, I gave him freedom, and I made sure he had deadlines. I talked with Adam about his draft after I read it. The draft was nearly identical to some of his free writes. I wanted to know why. “So, in the conferences, we talked about your plot and your character, but I don’t see much change from class activities to this draft. What happened?” He was very honest; he told me, “I waited too long, I think. I didn’t make many changes after the conferences and I sort of forgot some of what we talked about.” I could have gone into the standard don’t procrastinate speech here, but I asked, “Do you think that waiting too long hurt your writing?” He said, “Yes, I had to rush to finish and I couldn’t remember much from the conferences. I didn’t do much after the conferences, and then I just waited until the due date was closer before I wrote the ending.” I noticed the same or similar responses from other students – I saw that they were conferencing and then just forgetting everything they were gaining from their verbal vision. Although they had great plans for their stories, they forgot their plans through delay. This interaction made me more aware of similar behavior in other students. Donna turned a onepage Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 11 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts However, in other cases, students who postponed writing after planning were successful. They told me they needed space for the idea to rest before they could handle it. This was the case for both Edmond and Luke who hatched their ideas in my class and waited until the following day in study hall to write. Thus, the fermentation of an idea was helpful, but lengthy delay killed ideas, as in Adam’s case. Time I had big plans to have students go through a drafting phase and a revision phase so I could allow them to experience what real writers experience. But this was annihilated by the reality that my middle school classroom is confined by time, one fiftyminute period to cover all the standards. Additionally, after students completed their initial draft, they lost all steam. It was nearly Christmas break, we were transitioning to a new school, and there were so many calamity days and distractions that I started to get resistance from students when I reminded them that their work, thus far, was just the start of the process. Eleven students failed to submit their writing as a polished piece, including Danny and Luke who spent considerable time developing their work into a draft through rehearsal. I was flustered because this contradicted what should have happened – students should have had the same reaction as professional writers. They should love writing. But, forcing them to continue drafting one piece was not helpful. Abigail, an accelerated writer, told me, “My story was a memoir, something I experienced, so I just wrote it like I remembered. I didn’t need another draft. It won’t change.” This was a common view amongst many of my high level writers. Very few wished to revise their writing, and they did the minimum. Several students who generally struggled with writing piped in; “It’s too much work,” became an echo in my ear. These students were the ones who needed to continue drafting the most. I began to wonder where I had failed. The students had the freedom to write, and they had the opportunity to develop their own memories. All my students were excited up until I suggested that they change their drafts, most of which were rough sketches of what their ideas could become. I went back and began to ask students about their process of rehearsal again. One comment struck the core of the problem. Isaiah, a very smart but not very motivated student, told me, “I didn’t plan anything – I wrote what was in my head,” he clarified before I could say anything, “because I’m lazy.” 12 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 I challenged, “What might have happened if you made a plan for your story beforehand?” He smiled, “It would have been easier writing it.” His frank perspective told me that my students struggled to express ideas once they sat down to write. This was why students who delayed longer also struggled most. Since the writing was difficult, they did not wish to prolong the displeasure. A written plan before drafting was not a prominent part of my students’ rehearsal phase, and I wondered what would happen if I forced it. Would it change things? The Next Writing Assignment My students needed a fresh start and they needed to map out their ideas. This was not to serve as a restriction on the writing process but as a reminder of their vision for their draft. Otherwise, delay between developing a plan for an idea and drafting the plan would cause the first draft to hemorrhage and atrophy before it even had a chance for life as a story. I took note of what I knew about the writing process of my students so far, and I selected activities and organized the activities so that they would achieve all of the ideal conditions for students to follow their natural process with the addition of a written plan. I allowed them the opportunity to generate ideas with free writes and responses to literature, pictures, and questions. Students selected five ideas they liked best. Next, I launched a prewriting avalanche before they had a set sense of voice and craft. I allowed students to build in the other planning concepts and revise their prewriting before they ever drafted their stories. I hoped that lessons organized based on the theoretical framework of my students’ writing process would allow all of my students to write more effectively. I used three methods for prewriting that I learned in Ohio Writing Project seminars. The activities progressively built into one another. First, I asked my students to write three of their five topics in twenty words, a TwentyWordTweet. I showed them an example of my own story in twenty words, and I explained the critical components: conflict, climax, and resolution. Their initial reaction was much like a crowd chanting, “Boo!” However, once my students got into the activity it became fun for everyone. Some strived to tell their stories in fewer words. I had them share the Language Arts / Dramatic Arts work with a few other students for feedback so that they could limit their topic to one writing concept. I followed the TwentyWordTweet activity with a timeline activity. Students mapped out the day that the story took place, including bits and pieces that may otherwise have not been important. Again, I modeled the activity in front of the class, telling my own story from the tweet and drawing out a timeline. I then asked them to help me eliminate material that I should not tell, the details that will not entertain an audience who listens to my story. Thus, students mapped out all possibilities for their story, and began to select essential information. Many students told me that they remembered crucial details that they had forgotten. The class attitude was changing, and even struggling students were willing and able to complete the tasks at hand. The last prewriting activity was a story board; I showed several video clips about the process that Pixar went through while creating Monsters Inc. (special features disk). Again, I modeled the process with my own story, and, again, all students were successful. The story boards were detailed, and they were able to organize and reorganize scenes for their stories. I required my students to plan out their story concept. I followed this with peer conferences; they told their stories verbally to three different partners before drafting a word. While they presented the stories, I asked partnerpairs to suggest crafting techniques to one another. Their suggestions ranged from adding similes to including the rule of three. Students discussed where sentence structures could speed up or slow down scenes. They listed the suggestions with their own crafting plans underneath the boxes of their story boards, and I reassured them that it was a tentative plan, not a law, that they use what they wrote down. This adapted blend of prewriting, verbal vision, and crafting vision seemed to work when it followed experiencebased topics that students envisioned. Finally, students drafted. In one fifty minute period, over half of my students finished their initial draft. Even though I told them they did not need to finish for homework, most did. Over 95% were finished by the following day. Five typed a second draft. The students who did not finish had additional time, and then I checked to see what they thought about the process. Student Feedback Early in the year, Students viewed much of their free writing, character sketches, and other class activities as finished, polished, turn inable pieces. Rehearsal strategies changed this for many students, and after I organized my instruction based on the rehearsal steps, including prewriting, I watched and waited for the students’ reaction to the draft. I asked the class to close their eyes and put their heads down, and I counted off the number of students who felt that writing this draft was easier than writing the first piece: 55 hands, 90% of my students, reported that writing was easier. They didn’t stop with simply raising hands, they told me: “I wrote six pages on what happened in fifteen minutes!” “The story board helped most because I knew what I wanted to say.” “Listing all the techniques I wanted to use helped most because I knew what I wanted to do when I got to that part of the story.” “I am really excited that this isn’t the last draft, because there’s so much I want to change in my next draft. I want to add more dialogue and make it feel right, make it flow.” The list went on and on. I conferred with students on the initial draft. One student took the draft immediately after the conference, re wrote the story, read it to his friends, reread it to me, and even read it to his father and mother Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 13 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts and family. He repeatedly told me, “I can’t believe that I wrote this.” This has launched him into the drafting phase, and he is selfmotivated. For him, it worked. He was not alone. I saw a major difference in the students’ attitudes toward revision. Rehearsal is critical to the success of writing. Students who struggle to write need it the most, and students who are already gifted writers benefit from it. It prepares students to express themselves before they write a draft. Since preparation for writing is the point of writing instruction, rehearsal should be utilized as a framework for instruction. Grandma’s cookies were amazing because of all the time and effort spent preparing the dough before baking. The same is true for our students as they prepare an idea through rehearsal before an initial draft. Our students don’t want to give us easybake papers, so we need to give them the time, the feedback, and the freedom to rehearse. Works Cited Fletcher, Ralph. How to Write Your Life Story. New York: HarperCollins, 2007. Print. Hayes, John R., and Linda S. Flowers. Ò A Cognitive Model of the Writing Process in Adults.Ó National Institute of Education Grant NIEF780195 (Oct. 1983): 192. PDF file. Murray, Donald M. The Essential Don Murray: Lessons from AmericaÕ s Greatest Writing Teacher. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook, 2009. Print. . Shoptalk: Learning to Write with Writers. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook, 1990. Print. Perl, Sondra, and others. Ò How Teachers Teach the Writing Process.Ó National Institute of Education Grant NIEG820011 (Jan. 1985): 1873. PDF file. Wood Ray, Katie. Wondrous Words: Writers and Writing in the Elementary Classroom. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English, 1999. Print. NCTE Presents... Teaching Romeo and Juliet A Differentiated Approach Delia DeCourcy, Lyn Fairchild, and Robin Follet Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most-taught plays, yet teachers are always looking for new and effective ways to make the material engaging and adaptable for all students. By using the concept of differentiated instruction, they provide a practical, easy-to-use guide for teaching the play that addresses a wide range of student readiness levels, interests, and learning styles. An entire curriculum for teaching the play, the book features: • Lesson plans focused on key scenes • Scaffolded reading activities that address the different needs of novice, on-target, and advanced learners • Quizzes, mini-lessons, and compacting guidelines • Close reader handouts geared toward different levels of readiness Approx 296 pp. 2007. Grades 7–12. ISBN 978-0-8141-0112-4. No. 01124 $24.95member/$33.95 nonmember To Order: Visit our website at www.ncte.org or call toll free at 1-877-369-6283 NCTE... The Professional Home of the English Language Arts Community 14 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts Text Lingo as Idiosyncratic Communication: The New Frontier of Dramatic Interaction –Brigette A. Kaiser Technology: A Dramatic Engagement Technology is everywhere. Every day new and improved ways of communicating are mainstreamed into our society through the use of technology. This rapid evolution is revealing some discord between real world use and appropriate educational application leaving many suspicious of the lasting impression it may have. It is generating conflicting perceptions, not only in terms of what it means to be “literate,” but also what is considered to truly be “literature.” Most teachers today are comfortable utilizing technology by means of teacherdirected instruction, research and assessment. However, a metamorphosis is occurring in our younger generations as they are quickly taking the lead role as contemporary technology users. With newly created social networks and micro blogging services, such as Facebook and Twitter, a “new language” as well as a “new literacy” is being hatched that some feel may compromise or even damage our current state of literacy. The simplification created by and embedded in this new literacy leaves the larger audience of society wondering what ramifications this may have on language as we know it. Historically speaking, when one thinks about language it is generally understood that language morphs and is forever changing. It is in a constant state of flux and changes dependent upon the needs of What is fascinating with this shift in language is that, perhaps for the first time in history, it is being initiated and peddled, not exclusively, but mainly by our youth. This shift becomes even more apparent as it unconsciously seeps into the work our students produce in schools its user. The language we produce as we communicate is intended to generate a meaningful interaction. The players involved produce situation specific, pleasurable language that is often unconventional yet, effective. What is fascinating with this shift in language is that, perhaps for the first time in history, it is being initiated and peddled, not exclusively, but mainly by our youth. This shift becomes even more apparent as it unconsciously seeps into the work our students produce in schools. This is having a dramatic effect regarding how this form of idiosyncratic communication is being perceived. An Investigation into the Role of TM as a New Literacy The type of language that is being produced is called TM or text messaging. It is a technological short hand comprised of acronyms and abbreviations. This new language has largely been developed based on the cultural needs of our youth. However, the ease of this form of communication is seductive to all ages of language users and is quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon. Due to the dramatic spectacle surrounding TM, it is worth investigating the mark that this new literacy could possibly be leaving on language. Therefore, an exploratory qualitative study was designed with the purpose of learning more about people’s thoughts on how technology mediums such as text messaging, instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, and blogging are creating a new literacy. While there is a growing body of research addressing technology, little research is found on how this new literacy is changing our traditional language and whether or not it is useful or can be complimentary in traditional academia. This qualitative study was designed to address the surfacing views of this new literacy, as well as to raise questions regarding its merge into traditional language especially in the traditional school environment. Procedure The qualitative research design consisted of sampling students, educators, parents, administrators and professional writers in order to gain a more diverse perspective. Data collection was conducted through an openended survey designed by the researcher. Brigette A. Kaiser has been a public school teacher in Northwest Ohio for over 10 years. She began her career teaching on the Navajo Reservation in Leupp, Arizona. She holds a BA in music performance from Bowling Green State University; A post-degree Elementary School teaching certificate from Northern Arizona University; and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from Ashland University. Brigette is currently working on her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Akron University. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 15 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts Two surveys were developed; one for adults (18 and over) and one for our students (those in high school and younger). Most participants chose to fill out the survey by means of paper and pencil, email or Facebook. After the initial survey, five of the adult participants were asked to elaborate on their responses based on their interest in the phenomenon, which resulted in a more extensive interview. Three student participants elaborated in interviews with their parents present (including one that took the survey using Facebook). Both a purposeful and snowball sampling technique was used. Those who participated in the openended survey ranged from the ages of 8 to 65. The majority fell between the ages of 2540 and encompassed a broad occupational spectrum. They represented students, educators, parents, administrators, and professional writers. The educators were recruited by word of mouth through two courses offered at a local university during summer semester: one was a literacy course, the other a writing course. The professional writers were all members of a local literary organization and were invited to participate also by word of mouth. As these participants either use language as a tool for creative expression or teach language, I felt that they provided information rich cases that would illuminate the language phenomenon of interest. As this is an exploratory study, and a snowball sampling technique was used, the purpose of this study is not to generalize, but to raise questions and gain insight regarding the usefulness of this new literacy. The Survey Both surveys (the one for adults and the one for students) were developed to elicit responses which would reflect an emic perspective of this sample population who intimately deal with this new literacy. The questions evolved from conversations with parents and educators regarding their justifiable concerns, and interesting possibilities technology and the language produce. Several revisions of the questions occurred through meetings with experts. The following questions were developed and became the heart of this study: 1. What do you think about the “new literacy” that is being created by technology and the different forms of communication it promotes? (i.e. TM/IMtext/instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging) 2. How do you think this “new literacy” 16 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 (especially text messaging) is changing and/ or affecting traditional language? 3. Would you encourage the use of this “new literacy” in the educational setting and how would it be useful? 4. If you are a teacher, do you see the effects of this “new literacy” in your students’ final products and can you provide any examples? (for the Students) 1. How often do you use TM, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc.? 2. How do you think your parents/teachers feel about this form of communication? 3. Do you think it would be helpful/harmful to use TM language in school? Analysis Upon completion of the surveys, the data was coded and categorized. As I was looking for an indepth emic view of the participants, I allowed the coding categorizes to emerge from the data. Each survey was analyzed individually to identify meaningful units that emerged from each participant’s response. The coded data were operationalized and further analyzed through content analysis. I used several sources to guide my analysis. As I was interested in the lived experiences of my participants, I drew from Hsieh and Shannon’s idea of conventional content analysis. Researchers void using preconceived categories (Kondracki & Wellman, 2002), instead allowing the categories and names for categories to flow from the data. Researchers immerse themselves in the data to allow new insights to emerge (Kondracki & Wellman, 2002), also described as inductive category development (Mayring, 2000) (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005, p. 1279). For guidance in the content analysis, I used Mayring’s approach (Mayring, 1983, cited in Flick) to help guide and direct the content analysis. Upon completion of data analysis of the individual surveys, a crosscase comparison analysis was conducted to illuminate the broader research questions by allowing the general finding of the “group” of participants to emerge from the data. Results A Fact for Our Time Whether or not the participants viewed this new Language Arts / Dramatic Arts literacy created by technology as having a positive or negative impact on language, an overwhelming majority of the participants agreed that it is changing the way we communicate and that they take part in some form of communication through technology on a daily basis. Ted, an English professor stated, “Language is always evolving and morphing.” Nancy agreed by stating that “Language is alone and ever changing.” Christine said, “Yes, it is changing and affecting traditional language in a big way—it is adding new terms, new outlets, new ways of communicating. I think it is here to stay so we should figure out how to use it or at least what it means.” The findings of this exploratory study suggest that this new literacy could be altering language as we know it. All participants acknowledged in one way or another, that language morphs and is everchanging. It is in a constant state of flux and changes dependent upon the needs of its user. Juneau writes, “I would not be surprised to see these abbreviated forms of words becoming more standardized and accepted. I don’t necessarily have a problem with this. I am not the keeper of the English language. Language is supposed to change and evolve. It always has and always will. I think that it really is a bit startling to see these changes take place to suddenly. Language changes typically take many years to get engrained into common usage.” Most were very enthusiastic and recognized that this new literacy, and the forums in which it is used, is creating new and exciting possibilities in terms of how people are communicating, how they are expressing themselves, and how they are leaving a permanent mark in a literary sense. Historically speaking, language is in a constant state of flux and changes are dependent upon the needs of its user. Some viewed this “new language” created by TM (and the forums in which is it used) as a challenge. They were receptive to the idea that language is changing and they were exhilarated as they saw how captivated our younger generations are. Kris, a teacher, stated, “I think it is changing on a very deep level. People, especially children, are engaging in language more than ever before. They are composing text and interacting with language more and more.” Many of the participants rejoiced in the renewed interest that is taking place in reading and writing. “They write more than any generation has since the days when telephone calls were rare and the mailman rounded more than once a day”(Helderman, 2003). This new literacy, specifically TM, is saturating the modern daily lives of people in our society, especially our youth. Allison, a short story author said, We’re entering a new era of communicating with one another, in effect creating a new language. I’m not one to cry over its degradation, though I understand those who do—rather, I see the evolution of language as a reflection of how society is changing. As a communications professional, I find that most audiences respond more genuinely to the casual nature of these communications— they’re much more tangible and believable than the “scrubbed clean” language of most PR and commercial writing you see out there today which they—we, I—tend to read with suspicion, “what are they hiding?” As a short story writer, I find Twitter especially interesting—it takes great discipline to convey your “story” in 42 words or less ... much like poetry. And, by the way, it is very similar to advertising writing. In all of these disciplines it takes great skill to do it well. Bridget, a Teen Services Coordinator (Librarian) also finds this new era of language as an exciting challenge. She says, “Personally, I have never seen so much writing in my life. Everyone is writing something, even if it is short hand. I think more importantly the writing is trying to capture a lot of thoughts and images in a very small use of words. This tells me there is a lot of thinking going on. I might also challenge people to try to communicate in a way that anyone, present or future could understand what they mean.” Change Requires Sacrifice Despite the overwhelming recognition that yes indeed, language is changing and that the surveyed participants willingly participate in the many forums peddling this new language, there was little agreement regarding the positive or negative impact of this new language. Two distinct categories emerged from the data where the participants voiced opinions regarding the impact that the transition into this new language necessitates. Brevity TM, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as other social networking forums, all seem to be encouraging the brevity of language. Some participants referenced the current state of our fast paced society and felt the evolution of this concise language was a suitable solution. Yolanda voiced, “It is short and to the point.” Karen wrote, “It keeps things sort of short. Even though people are using less figurative and analytic language, they are generating more concrete thoughts.” Julie wrote, “There is something freeing Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 17 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts about conversing in a slightly removed setting that alleviates some normal social pressures.” While participating in this form of communication, people are writing “more,” but are producing “less.” Diane felt that this new literacy changed traditional language as it “is shortening expression, creating new words through acronyms; with IM you do not seem to need to wait for a response. You can type a sentence, send it and then type more about your thoughts.” The need for this type of communication seemed apparent and welcomed. Angie wrote, “Would be interesting to see if language gets lost and changed completely in a couple of years.” Many participants did not view brevity as a positive change. Janine states, “Twitter, FB, IM; all of these are only communication method/means. They should have absolutely no impact on English (or any other language for that matter) as related to usage, spelling, grammar, etc. That would be analogous to using old fashioned shorthand to replace longhand. Most Americans are barely literate as it is. Why dilute already watered down coffee?” This language of modern shorthand and/or slang is considered by many as a lazy means of communication that disregards grammar, punctuation, correct spelling, and syntax in order to communicate more “efficiently,” but not always more “effectively.” Constance Weaver defines the roles of efficient and effective readers in her book Reading Process and Practice. I draw attention to these terms for I feel that they simultaneously define what good writers also do when writing. Weaver (2002) states, An effective reader is one who succeeds in constructing meaning from texts for which he or she has adequate background knowledge and meaning. An efficient reader is one who doesn’t waste time and effort in the quest for meaning. A fairly proficient reader is one who is both effective and efficient (p.62). By extension, this “new language” of technological writing sacrifices effective writing—writing that is successful in constructing meaning using background knowledge and language for efficiency: producing a slew of efficient writers who are looking for the best language “short cuts.” Terri stated on her survey that, “incorrect grammar is used and repeated b/c of exposure and is impacting correct language, grammar and spelling in negative ways.” Of course, the end goal of writing is to be proficient, which is both effective and efficient, but some participants felt the writing that is occurring through this medium is not 18 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 reaching this goal. Cleveland City Schools Social Studies teacher, Janet, pointed out, “I worry that young people are not going to be able to write and spell using Standard English. TM does not require traditional spelling and this concerns me. Are students today going to confuse the two?” Liz, an English teacher, added, “I worry about the writing of future generations. Is this the end of prose?” Seth wrote, “due to the simplification of language, students have difficulty forming a complete idea.” Janine agreed by saying, “I think that so long as we accept this form of ‘literacy’ as merely a way to abbreviate communications in the informal setting, its fine, but not in the formal, academic, professional, or educational settings. It’s akin to teaching someone how to properly use slang.” Juneau adds, “ I think that students coming in to my classes have a very short attention span when it comes to reading due in part to the nature of this new literacy (also in part to being lazy and used to shortcuts for everything). Perhaps they are starting to think in short abbreviated little spurts? I really think that the biggest con we will see with this new literacy is the shortening of students’ writing (as well as their ability to read longer passages of writing). I think though as a literature lover, and a coinsurer of words, there is just a long sigh over what is lost.” Diminishing Interpersonal Communication Writer and rapper Don states, “I see the future being that of an electronic world. Communication and writing everywhere ... but nobody is saying a word.” This new way of communicating seems to promote a lack of oral interpersonal communication skills in our society. Some participants voiced their concern regarding whether or not this form of communication will hinder the personal communication skills that our youth need in order to function and be productive members of our worldly community. Angie wrote, “I am worried. People are losing language and the knowledge to communicate in person.” Fran added that, “I find that it allows facetoface communication to be modified by text. For example, a person does not want to face another. So instead of talking to the person they can text or email them instead. This lessens the communication and also can be dangerous. The text has the possibility of being misinterpreted.” Some would argue that these forms of communication are only creating “surface relationships.” Juneau stated, “As for texting? I do it every day. My friends and family all text. My three kids and I text constantly. Although I get a little mad when I get the ‘mom bring me a towel—in the bathroom.’ Kind Language Arts / Dramatic Arts of shameful really.” The other day I interviewed a 13yearold young lady. I asked her what her main means of communication was with her friends and she said, “I TM my good friends, and I FB those that I am sort of friends with.” I then asked her, “Do you write notes to each other or talk on the phone at all?” She said, “Well, in class we write notes occasionally, because you are not supposed to have your cell phone on. We don’t really talk on the phone very much.” Her mother was present during the interview and added, “Kids just don’t talk like they used to. I often worry about the amount of time she spends texting.” When I asked a 12yearold young man about text messaging with friends he responded that Facebook is his main means of communication and that “… cell fones yes alot text 24/7…its like a new generation … a new era … most of the kids do it out of scool.we can get it dun faster in school 2!! :), cause if we talk so much we can lose our voices and teachers dont want to hear our annoying voices lol.” Yet, when all three of the students came to the questions regarding how their parents and teachers feel about TM and whether or not they feel it has a place in school, none of them produced any answer. The Role of TM as a New Literacy: The Possibility of Performance in the School Educators have long been concerned with the lack of interest many students exhibit towards Language Arts. Janet stated, “My students are very reluctant to write under any circumstances.” I found this statement very interesting. I asked Janet, an inner city teacher, if the high school students at her school have cell phones and TM. I was particularly interested in her answer as one hundred percent of the children in her school qualify for free and reduced lunch. She told me that the majority of kids have cell phones and TM. I was shocked and wondered where they found the money to pay for them. She said that the kids look for providers who will allow monthtomonth plans just so they can participate in this renaissance of communication. In fact, when reviewing the surveys, all of the writers, the students and the majority of the teachers use these forms of communication numerous times a day. Ed called his blackberry his ‘crackberry’. Juneau said, “I am a huge fan of the new stuff.” Julie stated, “Love it. Addicted to it. Can’t get enough of it.” Frank adds, “I love it. I think any kind of literacy is a good thing.” Research has proven that engagement is the key through which to drive students. Brian Cambourne (2003) states, The data I collected indicated that no matter how much immersion in text and language teachers provided, no matter how riveting, compelling, exciting, or motivating their demonstrations were, if students did not engage with the demonstrations little or no learning seemed to occur (p.60). Studentgenerated activities are empowering. The overwhelming response on the surveys showed not only that the majority of people use TM to communicate in these social forums, but that they admitted an addiction to it, as they use it several times throughout their day. This new communication may provide the necessary bridge between real world experiences and school learning to positively engage students. The selfidentified technologically “savvy” responders had very interesting comments regarding the application of TM and technologies in the classroom. Terri felt, “possibly using blogging as a pen pal system.” Diane adds, “Blogging–school could use a blog to communicate what is going on at the school. Teachers can use a blog to communicate lesson plans and assignments.” Christine wrote, “Wiki pages, web quests, PBL’s are all becoming more and more common in our classrooms and I think that is a good thing. I think we need to come to terms with the fact that technology is only going to grow so we need to figure out a way to connect the two [the new literacy and the educational setting].” Researchers (Cambourne, 2003; Allington,1994; Goodman, 1986) have shown that students best learn in a “social environment” where the information demonstrated is connected to their lives and their background experiences (schema) in a meaningful way. Angie, a social studies teacher, suggests, “SS [Social Studies] students write a Facebook message to their friend or blog about what they learned in school today. Students are then able to draw their real life experience into their writing.” Julie wrote, “I think it’s very useful for a group dynamic because it levels the playing field. It allows shyer children to interact and share ideas in their own time, in their own way. It’s also readily apparent who is participating in assignments and who is not. There is no hiding out in the crowd. In addition, it allows the students to help each other.” Therefore, a new dramatic interaction is taking place when people chose to use these social forums and TM lingo to communicate. First, in terms of written “voice” it seems to build confidence and allow all students/ participants to comfortably take part in a socially Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 19 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts constructed conversation. Even shy students who may reluctantly participate in verbal conversations may find participation in this type of social experience more satisfactory. Secondly, those who participate in these dramatic interactions are continually producing and editing this “new language.” They are endlessly refining and constructing new meaning through experimental combinations of symbols, letters and numbers. Participants in this communicative system often find a “voice” in terms of language. They feel comfortable participating in social situations where they may not normally take part. TM and the forums where it is being used seemingly bring the modes of speaking and writing closer together as it still allows for editing (as in writing) but simultaneously allows for realtime communication (as in speaking). In regards to TM, Frank wrote, “This new literacy has great positive and negative potential in the classroom. As students become more and more comfortable with new technologies, educators should not look past their pedagogical uses. For instance, Facebook can be used as a virtual meeting place where students can ask questions and view feedback from their instructors. This is particularly useful for classes that meet only once or twice a week. Of course, many teachers would list texting during class as a serious drawback—not to mention rude—but studenttostudent texting may also help to develop peer study groups and to keep absent students abreast of current assignments.” A colleague, who is a science teacher, was presenting a lesson to his middle school science class. He realized his students were struggling to keep up with note taking. He asked them how many of them TM and 99% of the class raised their hands. He suggested that they use these TM skills and abbreviations to help them with their note taking. He then found it extremely interesting that many of these kids were unable to transfer this knowledge and use of language into the school setting. He realized that the language these kids are using and creating is situation specific. They only use this form of communication in one venue and struggle to transfer its use to another. My colleague speculates that because they are essentially struggling with big concepts in science class, adding TM lingo into the mix actually harms their ability to learn the new information being presented. As he put it, it throws them “off kilter.” Although there were many ideas given on incorporation, most responders were conservative about their blending of this new language into the traditional learning environment. Most, if not all, 20 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 who voiced that this new literacy could prove beneficial in the school environment addressed the need for demonstrations that concentrated on appropriate use. Juneau states, “I would encourage this ‘new literacy’ in an educational setting because it is what my students speak and understand. My job is not to change the language that they use, or are comfortable with. I think that showing them that it is ok to use (say in a draft or a specific assignment) may be a great way of introducing a discussion on how language has changed, and show them how. Without change many of us would still speak Old English.” Kris, a teacher who wrote that she “encourages my students to read hypertext and they have a class blog where they respond to the literature we read.” She added that “I do not see the affects in my 6th graders’ writing because I teach them the purposes of writing and the appropriate use of the types of writing.” Ted, the English professor, stated that “teaching is a negotiating process; a two way street. However you must use this process very carefully and sparing. You can lose as well as gain.” It is apparent that there is tension regarding the function and/or usefulness of this new literacy in the educational environment. The struggle then for educators lies in how to create useful as well as purposeful stages for this dramatic interaction. I found it interesting that those who were forthright in stating their lack of knowledge or participation with TMstyle communication described the presence of technology in the classroom as “play.” Nina stated, “Students just view this (new literacy) as a game. It is all about how quickly you can communicate.” Lori wrote, “I think casual language is too easy. Almost silly. We don’t need it in our school.” Janice commented that incorporating this new literacy is just “having students use technology for ‘filler’ or for ‘play.’ Seems a waste of time.” Modification of Communication: The Dawn of a New Writer? Reading and writing electronically adds entirely new dimensions to literate activity, and we must consider how best to prepare children to participate successfully in an increasingly digital world (Reinking, 1997, p.298). In reviewing the participants’ surveys, not only is the change in language and ‘writing’ apparent but how society is viewing themselves as ‘writers’ was also highlighted. I found it interesting that this new literacy allowed the majority of participants to identify themselves, as well as those participating Language Arts / Dramatic Arts in this renaissance of language, as writers. By posting their work into cyberspace they create a lasting footprint in the digital world for all to see and read. Juneau stated, “Even blogging is a weird exhibitionist activity. It isn’t Dickinson’s diaries. It is created thinking someone else will read. And we all write differently depending on the audience.” Janine wrote, “I have mixed emotions about it. As far as blogging, I think that of all of the newer forms of tech literacy, this one has the most potential to really have an impact (both positive and negative) on literacy in the true sense of the word (proficiency in reading/writing). Blogging, at least on some level, implies that the blogger should be a proficient writer: full sentences, confluent and coherent ideas, a desire to use written word to effectively communicate. However, anyone can start and continue a blog, a list serve, whatever. Just because someone has a blog that gets a lot of hits and reads and responses DOES NOT make the blogger a writer—it makes him or her a blogger. I like that people use the net to read and write, as that’s the main goal, but it also propagates the notion that everyone is a writer or can be.” In truth, when we consider the purpose of writing, all writing is dramatic. In learning, schools work to create authentic experiences where from the beginning, emergent literacy learners are taught that they are “real writers” through “real writing” experiences. They learn that writing is intended to be an interaction between the writer and the receiver where meaning is mutually constructed. Therefore, all writing is a dramatic interaction. It is highly In truth, when we consider the purpose of writing, all writing is dramatic. In learning, schools work to create authentic experiences where from the beginning, emergent literacy learners are taught that they are “real writers” through “real writing” experiences. personal and often carries an emotional effect. The receiver or the audience plays an important role as they interpret the symbols. Interpretation is crucial to their understanding, engagement and enjoyment. Writing is not meant to be kept in a diary, it is meant to be shared and interpreted. It seems as though this new territory in cyberspace may indeed be the new frontier for future writers. Therefore, we may need to start formally addressing this type of writing and the language that is being created in our schools. Conclusion As this was an exploratory qualitative study that used both purposeful and snowball sampling techniques, this study only begins to scratch the surface of this new literacy phenomenon. The findings of this study highlight the need to continue to examine the possibilities of this new literacy and the benefits it has for our future generations when infused with our traditional schools. Future studies that focus on views of the student population, outside technology availability, as well as what businesses are looking for in terms of technology use may produce valuable insight. Communication is a complex social act. TM has evolved as our fastpaced society has shown an apparent need for this idiosyncratic, improvisational form of realtime written communication. Not only are people (especially our youth) writing more than ever, they are thinking more about the words they use as well. Albeit, they may be using a form of shorthand to get their message across, but they are proving to be concentrating on the most important aspect of language: meaning. This unconventional new literacy is evoking dramatic responses from the larger audience. Drama is characterized when a desire or something that is cherished becomes threatened. This threat leads to the conflict between two opposing forces. The signs, symbols and new semiotic rules of this new literacy are beginning to intrude into our more traditional settings. This is making some audience members in our larger population uncomfortable. Regardless of whether we decide to view this new literacy as a positive or a negative influence, it is apparent that it is here to stay. What is even more evident is that our youth is not about to give up this form of communication. “In fact, the average American teen sends an average of 2,272 texts a month, according to the Nielsen Company. I’ll do the math for you—that’s 80 texts a day” (Sanders, 2009). With the obvious enthusiasm shown by the active participation of our youth in terms of communication, reading and writing, this new literacy (especially in terms of TM) has the potential to be a powerful tool. We would be doing a great disservice to our younger generations if we chose to ignore this form of dramatic interaction. Regardless of the barriers that prohibit some from recognizing TM and the forums in which it is accepted as a new literacy, it seems increasingly apparent that we begin to address where and which “stages” the use of this new language is appropriate and useful. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 21 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts References Allington, R. (1994). The schools we have. The schools we need. In Padak, N., Rasinski, T.V. & Peck, J.K. (Eds.), Distinguished educators on reading: The fourth edition. (pp.164181). Newark, DE: The International Reading Association. Cambourne, B. (2003). Is an educationally relevant theory of literacy learning possible? 25 years of inquiry suggests it is. In Padak, N., Rasinski, T.V. & Peck, J.K. (Eds.), Distinguished educators on reading: The fourth edition. (pp.4766). Newark, DE: The International Reading Association. Flick, U. (1998). An introduction to qualitative research. London: Sage. Goodman, K. (1986). WhatÕ s whole in whole language. Portsmith, NH: Heinemann Educational Books. Helderman, R.S. (2003, May 20). Click by click, teens polish writing: Instant messaging teachers more than TTYL and ROFL. The Washington Post, pp. B.01. Hsieh,H.F., & Shannon, S.E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15 (9), 12771288. Reinking, D. (1997). Me and my hypertext: A multiple digression analysis of technology and literacy. In Padak, N., Rasinski, T.V. & Peck, J.K. (Eds.), Distinguished educators on reading: The fourth edition. (pp.278304). Newark, DE: The International Reading Association. Sanders, B (2009). Texting, is it bad for teens? Retrieved from http://www.parentdish.com /2009/06/02/textingisitbadforteens/ Weaver, C. (2002). Reading Process & Practice: The Third Edition. Portsmith, NH: Heinemann. Resources for Teachers in a Time of Core Standards NCTE Book Series Available in October Four books, organized by grade level that feature: • Authentic, useful advice from authors who work in real classrooms, with real students; • An examination of the key features of Common Core State Standards (CCCS) and answers to some common questions they raise; • Vignettes from individual classrooms that show how teachers have developed their successful practice, complete with examples of student work and other artifacts; • Helpful visual aids that demonstrate how NCTE principles of effective teaching can align with standards; and • Suggestions for further professional development for both individual educators and communities of practice. $24.95 member/$33.95 nonmember per book Grades K–2, Susi Long withWilliam Hutchinson and Justine Neiderhiser ISBN 978-0-8141-4940-9. No.49409 Grades 3–5,JeffWilliams with Elizabeth Homan and Sarah Swofford ISBN 978-0-8141-4941-6. No. 49416 Grades 6–8, Tonya Perry with Rebecca Manery ISBN 978-0-8141-4942-3. No. 49423 Grades 9–12, Sarah Brown Wessling—2010–11 National Teacher of the Year—with Danielle Lillge and Crystal VanKooten ISBN 978-0-8141-4944-7. No 49447 National Council of Teachers of English 22 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 NCTEVirtual Conference Recordings Four conferences, organized by grade level (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12) $150 per conference Each conference includes four 60-minute session recordings focused on helping schools interpret the Common Core State Standards, contextualize and connect to the CCSS, and plan units of instruction keeping students at the center. Recordings can be downloaded and revisited as often as necessary. K–12 Package Price: $450 Save $150 when you buy all four conferences for your school or district. Package includes: • K–2 No.15431 • 3–5 No.15432 • 6–8 No.15433 • 9–12 No.15434 • K–12 No.15435 To order visit www.ncte.org/store, or call us at 877-369-6283. Language Arts / Dramatic Arts Permission 2 Play: Using Ensemble Storytelling to Improve Writing: A Dialogue –Kevin Cordi and James Carr Summary: A university professor and middle school teacher discuss how writing can be shaped by dramatic play. Prof: MS Teacher said he felt strapped when helping students become imaginative with their writing. He believed he had little time to dedicate to their writing after attending to all of the tasks of the academic school year. I asked him if he had considered the role “play” could have in his and his students’ daily writing. He did not easily connect the role of play, especially dramatic play and narrative writing, to his classroom. As we discussed possibilities, he invited me to his classroom to demonstrate. MS Teacher: In an age dominated by standardized testing, where the classroom focus has shifted toward that of testreadiness, authentic writing (and emphasis on its quality) has been relegated to the backseat. In its place, is what I term recipe writing—the construction of overly simplistic, formulaic responses couched in the language of quickwrites and onewrites and the use of action boxes—and it requires little to no elaboration and leaves the writer with virtually no space for creativity, let alone the opportunity to “play.” Prof: In order to introduce play, we need to look at the way writing is perceived in the classroom. Burke (2009) states, “Writing is the most public performance of our intelligence” (p. 4). Why not make this act public as a class? The standard classroom views writing as a solitary, quiet act. To “play,” we need narrative writing to be seen in a public way. Students and teachers need a “playground” on which to try out new ideas in their writing. To make this space, we begin by orally playing with ideas for writing. Consequently, with “permission to play” (P2P), writing becomes a public, playful act. In Writers at Play, Adler (2009) agrees: the writer, who needs freedom—air—to breathe in possibility, also needs a space in which to breathe that air. Though these imaginary worlds invite play and exploration, the work of creating and maintaining them can be quite serious (p. 4). Learning through Play Prof: Collaborative play is serious work. According to Vygotsky (1978), when students play together, they learn more. When students engage in problem based play, “a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play, it is as though he were a head taller than himself” (p. 102). However, dramatic play is different from childhood play. In dramatic play, the students need mediators. In this case, “story mediators” (Cordi, 2009). The story mediator works with the class, exploring topics or subjects worth “storying.” Storying is what I call playing with a story’s directions. The story mediator works to connect ideas and explore individual student’s interest in the collective story. Story mediators remember that every story has many sides, turning, twisting, and flipping through possibilities, creating movement and increasing what Heathcote (1984) calls “dramatic tension.” As Heathcote suggests, tension must always be present in drama. The goal, of the story mediator, is not to speed up the work, but instead to move the unresolved, not to complete the drama but to allow the drama to progress. In the hands of a skilled story mediator, the story does not have to end; one can always produce Dr. Kevin Cordi currently serves as Assistant Professor at Ohio Dominican University teaching Applied Storytelling and English Methods for pre-service teachers. Cordi is a professional storyteller/ensemble storyteller mediator who enjoys playing to learn. He is also one of the Co-Directors for the Columbus Area Writing Project. You can see more of his work at www.kevincordi.com and his playful pedagogy at www.permission2play.com James Carr is a 7th grade Reading and Writing teacher within the Washington Court House City School District. He earned a M.Ed. in Early and Middle Childhood Development from The Ohio State University. He is a teaching consultant with the Columbus Area Writing Project. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 23 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts a new chapter or introduce a new perspective. For example, in my work with teenagers from the Cleveland School for the Arts, students played with many narratives, exploring how the Titanic sank. However, instead of simply reporting the news, I used play to heighten the tension, asking students to become engineers, reporting to the press how the Titanic sank. I furthered the tension by adding details, noting, for example, that the press was looking for blame. Students, as engineers, were invested in the dramatic tension of the story that we enacted together. So instead of brainstorming on paper in isolation, we mediated story choices as a class. Story mediators, then, must grant permission to make mistakes, practice a teaching pedagogy known as teacherinrole, and employ ensemble storytelling/learning. MS Teacher: As teachers of writing, we tend to narrow the focus of a writer’s potential observations; we direct students to show, rather than merely tell, believing that in doing so, we allow the reader to be placed in the story and experience it as an active participant; too often, we encourage students, in this way, to become passive observers and avoid writing. Utilizing specific strategies, P2P helped my students encounter their active voice and watch it evolve as they practiced it. Active Permission to Play Prof: To activate the story making process, teachers must help students understand that they have the right to be active. Rives Collins, one my own mentors from the theater program at Northwestern University, always stressed giving ourselves permission in the classroom, permission to play. Play requires that we announce to students that our classrooms are places in which to make mistakes and that we invite them to revise again and again. As childhood educator Paley (1992) encourages, play is the where the real work begins. It is serious work. The Serious Work of Play Prof: In the process of creating, we often make many attempts to produce something that feels finished. In writing, too, many believe that before we share our work, it must be “ready.” These feelings are misleading. We should share “works in progress.” The exact time to collaborate is while in progress; this is time when writers and tellers need to wrestle, with each other, with ideas, with suggestions, and with concerns. Through collaboration, rewriting 24 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 and rethinking take place. When we revisit, we can make alternative choices in our design. The “What if,” “I wonder,” or “Imagine” questions can be answered. In both the moment and in reflection, we can edit our action and ideas, playing with words and worlds. Play invites us to revisit our work, reshaping the worlds we have created and exploring further choices as we create. Wilhelm and Edmiston (1998) emphasize this point: Asking “What if…?” is not an optional question in the curriculum—imagining possibilities is the core of understanding other people, other times, and other places. Imagination is the integrative force in the curriculum as students wonder … when students connect their experiences with those of others’, then their views of others and of themselves will be changed (p. 4). In the play stages of writing or telling, we are not tied to the specific dictates of a certain character, narrative, or setting. We can play with all the elements of fiction, and when we add someone to “bounce” ideas off of, the direction is unpredictable but often valuable. MS Teacher: As noted previously, many young authors have been conditioned to believe their writing must be perfect the first time. They get this idea from us, their writing teachers. While perhaps wellintentioned, we create this condition in our students when we manipulate the writing to get to perfection as fast as possible. Often, however, great writing is born in the “mistakes” made as part of the process. When we give ourselves Permission2Play, we quickly lock onto the concept that we, as writers, need to give ourselves “permission to make mistakes.” Prof: Borrowing from the work of improvisational actors, such as The Second City, we follow, as often as we can, the “just say yes to all ideas” philosophy. When acting as story mediator, I often agree to students’ outrageous or unrealistic choices, but I try to trouble them, to reveal the complexity in these situations and force students to grapple with it. I do not deny the student but use what they offer to complicate the tension in the drama. However, modeling this is important if we expect students to follow. First, it helps if they see you play. I have found that modeling play with the class, or in this case an entire grade helps free the students to use play. Language Arts / Dramatic Arts Play in Action MS Teacher: During the wholegroup phase of Dr. C’s visit to our middle school, he met with our 7th grade studentbody en masse, and, without the aid of props, he brought the element of story to life for our young writers. As a writing teacher, I love seeing the faces of my students light up when crafting a phrase, showing rather than telling, finding a way to incorporate figurative language into their writing, or reformulating poetry into prose. In the past, this metacognitive awareness has almost exclusively occurred within the laborious phase of writing known as revision. Working with Dr. C, I noticed my students achieving this phase of writing earlier and at much deeper levels—often before they’d even put pencil to paper. One classroom exercise, an adaptation of The Big Bad Wolf, evolved into an oral writing lab, students experimenting and playing with character development through dialogue and dialect. When crafting the voice and mannerisms of the central character (our wolf strutted across town to Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”—“Dah, Dah, Dah, … Dah, Dah, Da Da!”), students were immersed in learning, even as they forgot they were writing. Without even knowing, they had already begun to play! Prof: “Drama depicts matters of significance” (Heathcote, 1984, p.131). Using role helps makes the drama significant to the learning. Heathcote reminds us of the notion of “teacherinrole.” When listening to and using the ideas that students suggest—in essence, “saying yes”—the teacher brings students’ choices alive. As the teacher mediates the choices, they become more significant as they are made more dramatic. As Cecily O’Neill (1995) accurately states, drama “generates and embodies significant meanings and raises significant questions” (O’Neill, 1995, p. 153). One way to lead students to those questions and meanings is to “play” the role of teacher. Prof: When I was working with teens in Cleveland, I assumed many roles during our fictional play with the story of the Titanic. At one point, I was in charge of guarding the engineers from the press; another time I played a passenger who had survived; still another time I became a clergyman who was trying to console Captain John Smith. The world we cocreated often called for me to be in role and respond in role to questions students asked. When in role, I am able to assume characters in a story, increase narrative tensions, and make the story richer, deeper, and more meaningful. O’Neill and Lambert (1982) write: Drama makes demands on the teacher as well as on the students, particularly when the teacher takes on a role in drama. The benefits for the teacher of working in role include the possibility of initiating the drama economically, creating atmosphere, modeling appropriate behavior and language, supporting the student’s efforts, and challenging the student’s familiar responses (p.139). MS Teacher: Dr. C continued with plot development, allowing students to alter his performance at their discretion by uttering “change.” As a character responded to being placed in a variety of situations, he or she developed, and students were able to see that editing is a fluid and powerful process, one to be encouraged at every stage of the writing process. In role, Dr. C showed the ease with which one can When learners work in a co-creative environment, they begin to relate to, empathize with, and question the tale they have created, asking why they are telling it and to whom. The learning is a shared experience based on inquiry, not on recall. change the direction of a story, only when students allow themselves the opportunity to play with their writing. Understanding Ensemble Storytelling Prof: Ensemble storytelling/learning does not require a performance stage or experience as a storyteller. According to Edmiston and McCribben (2011) working as an ensemble is a key to literacy: Operating as an ensemble is at the core of literacy learning when literacy is not viewed narrowly as skill acquisition, but rather conceptualized as accessing and providing young people and teachers with tools to transform both their reading practices with texts and their understanding of how literacy shapes social and cultural lives inside and outside of school. Intentionally building a collaborative ensemble in the classroom can begin to create a sociocultural community of practice (p. 88). Ensemble storytelling lifts the words of the text in a dramatic way so they can be communicated and Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 25 Language Arts / Dramatic Arts evaluated in a classroom community. The power of the story goes beyond plot sequence. When learners work in a cocreative environment, they begin to relate to, empathize with, and question the tale they have created, asking why they are telling it and to whom. The learning is a shared experience based on inquiry, not on recall. Prof: When working with a small group of students later in the day, we took on the assignment of creating the story of a murder investigation. The activity began, and I provided a few leadin sentences. One by one, students came forward to continue the story. When I sensed the students losing inspiration and creativity, I changed the dynamic and brought life into the story by taking on a character and making the story come to life. MS Teacher: While Dr. C never assigned roles, they began to emerge as a result of our dramatic choices. Students lost inhibitions as they “became” detectives, forensic scientists, reporters, eyewitnesses, and suspects. They were instantly transformed into experts on blood samples, fingerprints, and handwriting analysis. As soon as these students took on the persona of someone other than themselves, a playful and electric energy filled the room. In early childhood, play is instrumental in the development of the brain. Through this play, a child learns. The more these students gave themselves Permission2Play, the more you could see the light in their eyes and the color in their cheeks as they became children on the playground once again. To the outside observer, students perhaps looked as if they were in an auditorium running around with unchecked abandon. However, nothing could be further from the truth. In their minds, these students were experts transported to a crime scene, searching for clues and filtering out the redherrings, reporters at a press conference, offering hardline questions to the chief of police, or forensic specialists at a crime lab analyzing bullets, blood samples, possible weapons, fingerprints, and hair samples—all the necessary ingredients of a quality mystery narrative. Their work was inspired by play, and the play became the serious work of learning how to interview, how to give descriptions and details about what they “witnessed.” While Dr. C remained on the fringes, allowing the students to solve the mystery by their own means and at their own pace, the creative work they were doing was made possible through his mediation of the story. After the Experience MS Teacher: Dr. C’s influence continued long after he left our middle school. The revision process of my 26 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 students’ mystery narratives involved them delivering, rather than reading, their work in a dramatic performance to peers who sidecoached them with elements in need of “change”—the addition of richer detail, elaboration concerning character, setting, dialogue and plot. He taught us sidecoaching, a dramatic technique where the story continues, but a student coaches or makes suggestions “on the side,” without stopping the story’s flow. In this way, the story stays in the present. I knew Permission2Play was working when I found myself sidecoaching a young writer. After a few turns, this student began to take the initiative in sidecoaching himself in the areas he felt needed the most improvement, in effect, taking ownership of his writing. References: Adler, M. (2009). Writers at play: Making the space for adolescents to balance imagination and craft. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Booth, D. (2005). Story drama: Creating stories through role playing, improvising and reading aloud. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke. Bruner, J. (1985). Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Burke, J. (2009). Content area writing. New York: Scholastic Press. Edmiston, B., McCribben, A. (2011). Shakespeare, rehearsal approaches, and dramatic inquiry: Literacy education for life. English in Education, 45 (1), 86101. Harste, J.C. (1994). Literacy as curricular conversations about knowledge, inquiry, and morality. In R.B. Ruddell, M.R. Ruddell, & H. Singer (Eds.), Theoretical models and processes of reading (4th ed.). (pp. 12201242 ). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Heathcote, D., Johnson, L., & O’Neill, C. (1984). Dorothy Heathcote: Collected writings of education and drama. London: Hutchinson. O’Neill, C. and A. Lambert. (1982). Drama structures. London: Hutchinson. Paley,V.G. (1992). You canÕ t say you canÕ t play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). (19301935/1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. M. Cole, V. JohnSteiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman (Eds. & Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Wilhelm, J. & Edmiston, B. (1998). Imagining to learn: Inquiry, ethics, and integration through drama. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. S How Writing is omething presses you—a belief, an emotion, an indelible image you’ve had in your head for years. Or maybe what rises to consciousness are words someone once said to you. Not only the words, but also the tone of voice, the place where they were said, the person who said them, the trajectory of your life since the words were spoken. You know details and stories and context that illuminate the significance of the belief, the emotion, the image, the words. One morning before sunrise or late one night—after midnight—you sit at a keyboard or open a notebook or grab a piece of paper, and language tumbles out. Nothing else matters—not time, not grammar, not spelling, not what others might think about what you write. You just trust the language that gushes as you focus on the belief, the emotion, the image, the words. When you finish, you are spent, empty, and satisfied. You put the writing away, maybe for a few hours or days, one time for a week. When you return to the words and reread them, you feel a surge of creativity. The words you’ve written suggest more words. You add them, rearrange others, delete some, recast sentences. Sometimes the words create pictures in your head, which make you think of more words that sharpen the image you see or better explain what you’re coming to understand. The verbal and visual enhance your thinking. Faith in your own perceptions and fearlessness with language has led to a piece of writing—a letter, a story, a poem, an essay. Or maybe the writing can’t be categorized. Genre boundaries have shifted and blurred. The poem tells a story. The letter throbs with poetic rhythm. The story contains lucky language that reads like poetry. The essay uses narrative to drive home a point. Whatever the writing is, the page is filled with your words. You feel good having written it. Furthermore— and this is sometimes difficult for others to understand— you felt good while actually writing. It was pleasurable to string together words, phrases, sentences. Even when you struggled to find the right words, you felt good. You were — Tom Romano lost in concentration. You were rapt, engaged, absorbed as you pursued meaning with language in a highspeed chase. You were surprised and rewarded as you learned what you wanted to say only as words arose in you to say it. Maybe you show the writing to people you trust, people who want you to write words that are vivid and moving and true, because they love writing, too, and they are in your corner all the way. They are your allies. Maybe one of those people is a perceptive teacher who knows how to write beyond where to put commas. The people talk about your writing, demonstrating how readers who aren’t you and don’t know what you know, perceive your words. You pay attention. Their honest responses reveal gaps, confusions, and possibilities you hadn’t thought of. You revise what you’ve written. You fill in gaps, clarify confusions, explore possibilities for meaning and communication. Your mind takes flight. You write what neither your allies nor you thought of before you talked. And you are delighted. Your commitment to the writing heightens. You are driven to get sound and meaning right in explaining the belief, exploring the emotion, revealing the image, recreating that time and place and circumstance when words were spoken you’ve never forgotten. Maybe you submit the writing to a publication. Maybe an editor decides to publish it. That’s gravy, though you don’t let publication replace the pleasure of actually writing. Publication means that your writing reaches others you never imagined would hear you. And they do hear you. Your words on the page are more than print, more than thought. They are your voice, your written voice—your way of thinking and understanding, your way with words. That voice is your childhood, your education, your selfconfidence and fears, your seriousness and sense of humor, your ignorance and wisdom, your relationship with language. That’s how writing is. ‘Least that’s how writing sometimes is for me. How is it for you? Tom Romano teaches writing and English methods at Miami University. He got the writing bug in 7th grade. At Miami, he is a Naus Family Faculty Scholar. His most recent book is Zigzag: A Life in Reading and Writing, Teaching and Learning (Heinemann, 2008). Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 27 Interlude I took this photo in Ubad, Bali. The image of the duck handlers stuck with me long after seeing them at work, but it was being in the classroom with a particularly spirited bunch of eight graders that helped me make the connection to teaching. After writing the poem, I was compelled to go back to the electronic files of my photographs to search for this one image. I present it and the poem together for OJELA readers. Ducks — Michael Salinger White strips of rags Dangle and wave attached to the tips of bamboo rods Knuckle jointed Fifteen feet long One grasped in each sinewy hand Of the Vietnamese duck man As he steers this hungry flock From one rice paddy to the next Eating the insects that would wish To snack on Fresh green shoots Quacking foul and boisterous as Traffic in a Hanoi roundabout The face of a clock Reading ten minutes to three His arms soaring forward As if outstretched wings The birds nested in the center Of the walking flock are of little concern To the leather weathered skinned duck man It is the outliers that he eyes From beneath his straw non la Those few who would rather snap at the muslin scraps Than attend to the task at hand Just as one is gently tapped back in at the right Another attempts to escape to the left Dreaming of pastures not within the constrictions Of this day’s curriculum And every good tender of livestock knows One never plays favorites Although How can he help but admire Those who push at the edges The ones Who make him work The hardest? Michel Salinger is a teaching Ohio author who travels the globe preaching literacy, vocabulary acquisition and comprehension through writing across the curriculum. Check out his website: www.michaelsalinger.com 28 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 Say What? How Oral Communication Has Played Second Fiddle to Reading Instruction in Language Arts Classrooms: A Dramatic Approach for Remedy T he relationship among the language arts has been a focus of research in education for the past few decades. Much evidence suggests (Berninger & Abbot, 2010; Wilkinson & Silliman, 2001, pp. 347348), and few would dispute, the interconnectivity of these separate arts, but there is great debate about the best classroom strategies to employ to renew connections among the language arts. Specifically, I have been investigating the relationship between oral communication and reading as a basis for how teachers can implement strategies that emphasize oral communication to develop students’ reading comprehension. Too much instruction in language arts classrooms today focuses on advancing reading and writing proficiencies, using oral language as a mere tool for mastery of these skills. As I review current literature, I find no studies that report on teaching practices that use students’ reading comprehension to increase skills and fluency in oral communication; most teachers work the other way around, using oral language to build comprehension. My focus, in this article, is on setting the balance aright: bring oral communication back into the classroom as an equally valid language art. To do so, I draw on my experience as a professional actor to suggest utilizing theatre games, acted scenes, and oral monologue work within instructional units and lessons to increase oral communication skills and further develop reading comprehension. By exploring what I have learned in the theatre, I have found ways to improve oral communication — Brendan D. Pentzell among my students. Learning to communicate through dramatic performance is one way educators can develop competencies in students transferable to their futures. Bringing a text (whether fiction or non fiction) to life can also help teachers instigate discussion of topics that the students find relevant and “real.” Engagement that helps students build processes and skills that they may use throughout their lives is the promise the following teaching strategies offer. The ideas suggested below are informed by Viola Spolin’s muchlauded book, Improvisation for the Theater, as well as my own experience in a twoweek workshop with Spolin’s son, Second City’s (the Improvisational troupe) founder and creator, Paul Sills. Teaching Via Dramatic Performance Because there is a cast of characters and already formatted dialogue in plays read for the language arts classroom, there are numerous activities and methods that can be employed for students to increase their verbal participation within the classroom. A usual method whereby teachers assign roles and have students passively read their character’s parts while seated, is one of the most uninspired, and, quite frankly, boring methods of engaging students. A more interesting approach is to rotate roles among the students, so each can develop and experience a unique connection with the different characters. To do this, the teacher can initially take volunteers for each role. The students can then read a short scene (or part of a long scene) and perform the Brendan D. Pentzell is the Drama/Theatre teacher—his first secondary teaching position—at Briggs High School in Columbus, Ohio. Before becoming a teacher, he spent 15 years as a professional actor in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Michigan, acting in film/t.v./ theatre. He has a M.F.A in Acting from Indiana University and a M.Ed. from the University of Toledo. He is a member of SAG, AFTRA, and Actors Equity. One of his interests as a teacher is experimenting with diverse performance strategies to help develop communication skills in students. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 29 Teaching Matters content of it in varying manners through a variety of theatre games. A popular exercise, and one that connects the action of the drama to students, is Spolin’s (1999) “Gibberish” game, an example of conversational language in the classroom. There are different incarnations of it, but a simple form to use in the classroom is to have the students reproduce the scene while talking completely in an unintelligible language. This focuses students on conveying their characters’ actions in a nonverbal way. By speaking gibberish or “gobbledygook,” the students become resourceful in showing their characters’ motivation and intention in the scene. Following this exercise, the teacher can open up discussion among the entire class as to what was going on in the performed scenes. An adaptation of this game is to have other students act as interpreters for each character to explain what they are saying. Spolin’s (2001) “What’s Beyond?” game is an activity intended to provide contextual information to the entering into and exiting from a scene. A student/ character enters the playing area and has to convey, through their physical and verbal actions, either where he or she came from or where he or she is going. A student/character cannot directly state where he or she came from but is to communicate that to the audience in an indirect manner. The class can then try to identify the whereabouts of the character both before and after entering the playing area. To teach fiction in general, students can be given or volunteer for character roles, for a story like Poe’s “The TellTale Heart,” and play “The Reconstruction of the Crime” (Boal, 1992). Basically, the students play the story—or perhaps just a crucial scene—as an improvisational exercise; that is, they spontaneously reconstruct the scene in their own language. When they come to a moment that they feel is important, they can stop the action and turn to the audience to evaluate their actions. This helps students analyze a character’s motivations and subsequent actions and allows them to practice employing conversational language. A second strategy for teaching general fiction is creating a monologue for one of the characters in the story (Miller, 2001). This could be an improvisational exercise or a written, more formal activity that is eventually presented. The students convey, through the monologue, a character’s intention, objectives, worries, strategies, obstacles, thoughts about other characters, etc. Following the performing of the monologue, the audience or class can comment on particular revelations about the character and provide 30 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 insight and critique as they compare the performed character to the one presented in the written text. Either through promptings by the teacher or peers, students can increase their knowledge of the characters. One can also teach nonfiction using dramatic performance by converting elements of nonfiction to a presentational medium. If the class is studying a unit on persuasion, for instance, and they are reading essays or articles that present differing points of view on a subject, the teacher may come up with a type of performance that separates those points of view. Let’s say, the debate is over school uniforms being mandated in every school in the country. Group A is for the mandate while Group B is opposed to it. We can play “Yes/No,” a game where members from Group A try to persuade members from Group B of the value of their position. Group members can use any tactic, both verbal and nonverbal, to convince the opposing group. But members of the opposing group can only respond, “No,” until they become convinced of the opposing group’s position. The qualification of the activity is that the “convincing” arguments need to be objective facts not emotional appeals. Group B, assigned to respond with a, “No,” each time, has to determine the facts from opinions. If and once they are convinced by a series of supporting facts, they ultimately respond with a, “Yes,” and the scene ends. This activity is a good way to help students learn how to convince through logical facts as opposed to emotion, temper, or mere opinion. A different kind of strategy to implement for a work of nonfiction is “How Much Do You Remember?” (Spolin 2001). This game is especially appropriate when reading historical artifacts or drier, informational material. The game traditionally has two players but can be extended to groups depending on the needs of the class. A reader silently begins reading an excerpt from the nonfiction work. A talker, meanwhile, begins to talk to the reader, perhaps relating an account or story of his/her choosing. The reader then has to tell the talker what was read AND heard. Once this is done, roles can be reversed. The purpose here is to sharpen the reader’s concentration on two simultaneous activities. Increased attention to the informational material results as the reader tries to distinguish between the oral and written narrative. The reader subsequently communicates orally the content from both activities. In an age where multimedia consumes the attention of students daily, this theatre game aids in sharpening their attention as opposed to numbing it. This implements conversational language Teaching Matters References from the talker but may be followed with guided discourse from the teacher (e.g., through questions eliciting analysis of the text). Of course, these are only a few practices that can be incorporated within the language arts classroom. The examples are illustrations that something other than the traditional forms of teaching can be implemented to engage students in oral discourse about literature. These dramatic performance activities should be used in a constructive manner to develop both comprehension and communicative skills among students. Once implemented, modifications and adaptations are encouraged to increase spontaneity and the participation of students within the classroom. The role of oral language as an aesthetic and strategic practice for expression has been overlooked by teachers; instead, we’ve conventionally thought of oral language as a tool to increase reading comprehension. The ramifications of a highly integrated language arts program, with balanced attention given to the individual arts, can be the foundation for newer, fresher approaches in all content areas. By incorporating varieties of dramatic performance within a language arts classroom, a teacher can reintegrate oral skill sets to balance the focus on the arts that has heretofore been on both reading and written proficiencies and that has deemphasized speaking and listening. Berninger, V.W., & Abbott, R.D. (2010). Listening comprehension, oral expression, reading comprehension, and written expression: Related yet unique language systems in grades 1, 3, 5, and 7. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102 (3), 635651. Boal, A. (1992). Games for actors and non-actors. (A. Jackson, Trans.). New York, NY: Routledge. Miller, B.J. (2001). Head-first acting: A commonsense technique for young actors. Hanover, NH: Smith & Kraus, Inc. Spolin, V. (1999). Improvisation for the theater (3rd ed.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. Spolin, V. (2001). Theater games for the lone actor. P. & C. Sills, (Eds.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. Wilkinson, L.C., & Silliman, E.R. (2001). Classroom language and literacy learning. In M.L. Kamil, P.B. Mosenthal, P.D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of Reading Research: Vol. III (pp. 337 360). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. NCTE PRES ENTS... Poetry of Place Helping Students Write Their World Terry Hermsen Poetry of Place: Helping Students Write Their Worlds isn’t your typical book about teaching poetry. Sure, you’ll find plenty of information on helping students learn the fundamentals of writing poetry. But you’ll also find creative, innovative ways to engage students in poetry—even those students who may be initially resistant to poetry. Through his extensive work with students in grade school through high school, poet-in-residence Terry Hermsen has learned how to foster a love of poetry by taking the learning out of the classroom—and into students’ real lives. With numerous lessons and activities, Hermsen demonstrates how even the most mundane, everyday items—from “stuff” to food to photographs—can spark the imagination of student poets. Filled with student examples, this book illustrates that poetry doesn’t have to be boring. It can help students develop interpretive and creative thinking skills while helping them better understand the world around them, wherever they may live. 217 pp. 2009. Grades K–12. ISBN 978-0-8141-3608-9. No. 36089 $24.95 member/$33.95 nonmember To Order: Visit our website at www.ncte.org or call toll free at 1-877-369-6283 T HE P ROFESSIONAL H OME HERMSEN_7x478_BW.indd 1 OF THE E NGLISH L ANGUAGE A RTS C OMMUNITY 2/27/09 9:38:52 AM Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 31 OCTELA Membership Form Check your mailing label for your expiration date Application for OCTELA membership: Make checks payable to OCTELA and mail this form to Karla Bisig 927 Higgins Street Apt A, Wilmington, OH 45177 [email protected] You may also pay by Master Card or Visa. CHECK ONE: ___ Professional Membership $35 ___ Student or Retired Membership $12 Name: _____________________________________________________________ Teaching Level: Check all applicable Address: ___________________________________________________________ ___ Secondary ___ Middle Sch. ___ Elementary ___ College/Univ. ___ Vocational ___ Librarian ___ Retired ___ Student ___ Other ___ Dept. 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Classroom Notes Plus (S) $25 Teaching Eng. in Two Year Colleges $20 Choose One: ___ New membership $50 ___ Renewal $50 Renewal Membership Number __________ Name: __________________________________________________________Home Phone: _________________________ Home Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ____________________________________________ State: ____________________ Zip Code: _________________ Email: ___________________________________________ School Name: _______________________________________ School Address: __________________________________ City: ______________________ Zip Code: _______________ Voting Section: Check one: _____ Elementary _____ Middle School _____ Secondary Membership forms are also online at www.octela.org 32 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 _____ College Get Your Act Together: Web Tools to Enhance the Drama Process and Product — Katina D. Childers • Christa Preston Agiro Our Relationship with Technology: It’s Complicated We teachers have an ambivalent relationship with technology. We like technologies when we perceive that they can be good to us. We repel technologies when we perceive that they are affecting our lives negatively. But there are other reasons that we teachers love or hate technologies. We don’t know about them, or we don’t know what to do with them, (or, for some of us, what to do without them). If teachers are not using information and communication technologies to teach the process or product of drama, they most likely don’t know what’s out there, or they just don’t think that technology can make teaching and learning in their classrooms more effective, which is, in fact, what 49% of teachers who don’t use technology report (“Educators, Technology,” 2010). A oneyearold study found that English teachers are using technology less frequently than math, science, or social studies teachers. Only 16% are frequent users (defined as 30% or more of class time) of technology compared to over 30% of frequent math, science, and social sciences users (“Educators, Technology,” 2010). We English teachers may explain this away by arguing that we are working with words, and words don’t need technology. True. But could they be enhanced, made more memorable, or could technology contribute to better student performance on learning outcomes? Teachers who use technology think so. Teachers who teach with technology report significant gains in meeting learning outcomes, especially for students whom teachers had perceived as struggling (“Educators, Technology,” 2010). Further, we find that we can also honor student choice and voice by integrating technology that taps into students’ playful rules of authentic learning, evoking familiarity with social or entertainment technologies. What is clear is that most middle and high school students are digital natives (Prensky, 2001) used to creating meaning and experimenting with identities in digital forums (Stern, 2008); they have experience participating in worlds where they can dramatically direct their individual realities. In actuality, much of the online engagement in which students already participate is the same kind of roleplaying scenario that we attempt to reconstruct when we teach drama. We English teachers may explain this away by arguing that we are working with words, and words don’t need technology. True. But could they be enhanced, made more memorable, or could technology contribute to better student performance on learning outcomes? Teachers who use technology think so. Web applications, when coupled with rigorous objectives, can produce higher levels of engagement with text. Jenkins (2006a) coined the term “collective intelligence” when explaining what happens in a digital interaction among students. Collective intelligence can be illustrated to students by having them guess the number of pieces of candy in a jar; the average of their guesses will almost always be closer to the actual number than most or all of the individual guesses. Dramatic digital performance Katina D. Childers has recently graduated from Wright State University with a masterÕ s degree in Adolescent/Young Adult Integrated Language Arts. Dr. Christa Preston Agiro is an Assistant Professor of Integrated Language Arts and theProgram Area Coordinator of Adolescent/Young Adult Integrated Language Arts at Wright State University. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 33 Teaching Matters can benefit from collective wisdom, “social expertise, by which the connections among people help guide what the group learns and knows” (Weinberger, 2007, p. 131). This collective wisdom has the capability of infusing complex authenticity into drama teaching and learning. When students work together in groups to create or recreate drama, they come closer to more realistic renditions of that drama, employing interpretations that they can personally identify with or that make sense to them. Introductions Are in Order: Drama, Meet Web 2.0 Fakebook (classtools.net/fb/home/page) provides a forum for creating fake Facebook profiles. While dated more than a year, Pew Research polls find that 93% of teens ages 1217 go online (Lenhart, Purcell, Simth, & Zickuhr, 2010); the same poll reports that 73% of online teens (age 1217) use social networking sites (up from 55% in 2006 and 65% in 2008); a further breakdown of that demographic reveals that 55% of online 1213 year olds and 82% of online 1417 year olds use social networking sites, of which Facebook is the overwhelmingly dominant preference (Lenhart, Purcell, Simth, & Zickuhr, 2010). The existence of the phenomena called “Facebook fatigue” testifies to how much time students spend constructing and maintaining online identities. Students can transfer these emotionallyattached skills to the academic creation of Fakebook profiles; students can list fictional or nonfictional characters’ jobs, interests, birth dates, statuses, and interaction with other Fakebook friends. The website provides academic models for student perusal. Students may create a Fakebook page for Macbeth who lists Lady Macbeth as his wife, Duncan as his employer, and Banquo as one in his circle of friends. Students can create catchy “status updates” for Macbeth as he torments over his decision to kill Duncan, such as “We will proceed no further in this business.” As a reply to this status update, Lady Macbeth may respond, “Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since?” As the plot progresses, Macbeth may “unfriend” or could be “unfriended” by his former friends in response to his actions in the play. Through Fakebook, students can see characters as social actors with socioemotional motives and responses, and they can experience the thinking that motivated characters as students rehearse dramatic pathologies in character. Animoto (animoto.com) creates a short video (like a movie trailer or a commercial) using sound, video, photo, text, or any combination of these. The visuals are synchronized with the sound (music, sound effect, or voice recording) and text; each remake is unique. There is a free version for educational use. Students can use Animoto to create a trailer for the movie version of A Midsummer NightÕ s Dream, a commercial Glogster (edu.glogster.com) offers tools to create an online poster that can display animated words or images, video, text, sound, pictures, and links to other websites. Students can create and post nontraditional posters that are both more interactive and polished, not to mention less expensive and cumbersome, than the traditional cardboard poster. Students can use Glogster to focus their interpretations of a play or Some significant benefits of using technology when teaching drama are too attractive to forego. If students create recordable media, their product can be disseminated to varied audiences and can receive diverse feedback, capturing the effect of collective wisdom. Also, when assessing a prerecorded dramatic product or process, the teacher can observe at his/her own pace and with undivided attention. Additionally, many technologies allow students to interact in more democratic proportions than a live performance would afford. Finally, participating in virtual productions can enable revisiting and editing of dramatic performance; when students, for instance, know that they are being recorded, they are more deliberate about their word choice, expressive qualities, image choice, and other elements of the production. We believe that teachers can use drama to teach drama, but we also believe that teachers can use drama more broadly to teach reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visual represention. The drama classroom can benefit from both process and product instruction (Bolton, 1998). It is within that broader scope of drama to enhance the language arts classroom that we offer our favorite webbased technologies to invite teachers to generate student enthusiasm and observe the powerful growth toward learning outcomes that frequent technology users in drama classrooms report (Anderson, Cameron & Carroll, 2009). The following technologies are all free for educators to use, and we speculate here about some ways that teachers might integrate these technologies with drama. 34 advertising Shylock’s loan shark business in The Merchant of Venice, or a thematically fitting soundtrack including famous lines from Othello with attractive photos showcasing the theme, conflict, style, or climax of the play. Students could view animotos and vote on which best represent a text’s plot and characters. Teachers can keep the best student work and use it for models or introductory material the following year. OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 Teaching Matters novel by showcasing author’s style, literary devices, conflict within the play, etc. while adding pictures, text, video, or music or sound files. Glogster allows a “point and click” feature that transforms photos into links to other online content. (See figure 1) satellite images are ten or fewer years old. Students can write the narration of a guided tour of any part of the earth or universe, and Google Earth provides a recording tool so that students can record their trips and narrations of those trips. They could identify a location in the world that resembles a fictional setting in a play, and they could narrate a fictionalized tour that adheres to a text’s written clues. Or, if a play includes such references, students can view actual locations to understand distance, terrain, direction, relationships among places, and how places change over time. Letter James (letterjames.com) is an ecard creator that provides an extensive selection of pictures of items or locations that use words; the website allows the user to dictate which words should appear, for example, on a hitchhiker’s sign, in graffiti on the Berlin Wall, in the alphabet soup, on a cigarette carton, on a street or highway sign, in the froth of a cappuccino, scratched into a window, on a Scrabble board midgame, on a license plate, or in a sand message disappearing in ocean waves. Users choose textready pictures, and any text dictated by the user is converted to look as if it were part of the original pictures; the result is downloadable. Using Letter James, students can transport their learning by writing phrases that capture concepts studied within the drama and by creating small posters (which can be printed in simple blackandwhite or in color) to be hung on lockers, in the school, or around the community. Students can choose images that are symbolically related to central quotes or concepts within a play to help focus their learning and reinforce themes or concepts; students could post these in or out of the classroom. Students may identify with many characters or struggles over the course of the play and then readdress those concepts as the play unfolds. (See figure 2) Figure 1. Glogster sample on Trifles that captures the play’s themes, symbols, and critical theory in photo, link, sound, video, and text. All images were taken from behold.cc, a copyright-free image search engine. Google Earth (earth.google.com), Google Moon (earth.google.com/moon/), Google Mars (earth. google.com/mars/), Google Ocean (earth.google.com/ ocean/), and Google Sky (google.com/sky/) are tools for students to create digital tours by providing a tour guide with highly detailed images of parts of the earth and universe. Students can zoom in or out of satellite images anywhere in the world; they can also shift the view from aboveoriented views to an angle from which they can view buildings or geographical features as if they were standing on the ground or flying or swimming past. Also, there is a time function that enables views of all available images over time, some reaching back decades, but most Figure 2. Letter James samples. These images were created by choosing photographs and typing phrases on the Letter James website. On the Left: a partial quote from Julius Caesar. On the Right: a student answers the question, “Are you a Willy Loman?” upon reading The Death of A Salesman. Dipity (dipity.com) is our favorite online timeline creator; it integrates video, audio, image, link, text and photographs to label entries on an interactive timeline. This tool can be essential in helping students see relationships among the events of a complex plot Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 35 Teaching Matters line. Students can use Dipity to create a chronological reference for events that includes pictures, written descriptions, and video clips. Flobaculary (flocabulary.com) is a group of hiphop artists that write music for content area learning. The website offers a number of free songs on Shakespearean works and some songs about rhetorical devices. Flocabulary maintains the integrity of academic rigor by using direct quotes from authors, but the hip hop artists code switch into informal language when summarizing, explaining, or describing concepts. Flocabulary emphasizes academic language throughout and captures and portrays themes well. Songs are full of sophisticated detail that lends itself to new discoveries upon each listening. Most literary songs do give away endings, which, according to research published last month, is probably a good thing. Students’ enjoyment of stories, whether they have ironic twists, mystery plots, or are designated as literary works, is not diminished by knowing the endings or the surprises of the plot (Leavitt & Christenfeld, 2011). In fact, reader enjoyment of pieces of literature is actually enhanced when readers know the outcomes of the plot (Leavitt & Christenfeld, 2011). That makes spoiler alerts obsolete. Prezi (prezi.com) and Ahead (Ahead.com) are the hip grandkids of PowerPoint; both have the capacity to use visual representations, text, and video to accompany a spoken presentation. Prezi is expensive for non educators but offers a free version for educational use. Instead of moving from slide to slide, a Prezi or Ahead presentation has the capacity to move above or below, slip from side to side, zoom in or out, or move along a prespecified path to display information. This enables the user to show complex connections among ideas by methods such as zooming in to clarify or demonstrate a “hidden” point, spinning the whole presentation upside down or sideways to focus on a side comment, or moving through designated points that outline a shape in order to show relation among many ideas. While a play is linear, there are many relationships among characters, places, themes, and events that are not linear. Prezi or Ahead allow rich media presentations that can demonstrate these relationships with remarkable ability to zoom in to elaborate on details and zoom out to see how each detail relates to a larger picture. Writing.com and Protagonize (protagonize.com) facilitate the writing of a chooseyourownending story. Through guided organization, students can write parts of a progression of events and then offer readers a choice outcome; readers choose what they want to learn more about or the “story” or chain of events they most want to follow. Students can write a chooseyourownending 36 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 story in which one possible outcome of the plot line is the plot line of the actual story, and all of the other choices would have a degree of likelihood and be consistent with what students know of characters and setting. Then, students could read one another’s texts and try to get through the whole story making the correct choices to piece the actual plot together. This would require them to ask questions of themselves and make educated deductions at many points in the plot. Storybird (storybird.com) provides userfriendly tools for the creation of picture books. The website contains sample stories, as well as collections of high quality artistic illustrations that represent many types of art that could have multiple interpretations or inspire more detail in creating accounts of processes or chronological events. Students choose an artist’s work, and a draganddrop menu appears with several dozen options. Storybird automatically formats the pages, the words, and the coloring, but writers can edit and rearrange storybooks very easily. Students may choose images to illustrate a plot that they have already written, or they may choose images first and then add the story to explain the images they have chosen. Students could retell a plot from a new perspective. The books can be viewed digitally, or they can be printed. (See figure 3) Figure 3. Sample Storybird of Juliet’s diary, which tells the story of Romeo and Juliet from Juliet’s perspective. Art provided by Storybird from a drag-and-drop menu, and coloring and formatting were done automatically, also by Storybird. Toondoo (toondoo.com) helps users create comic strips or graphic books using premade characters and speech bubbles into which to write dialogue. Both Storybird and Toondoo enable students to focus on writing clear descriptions of processes or story lines while spending less time creating highly engaging accompanying art. The illustrations help to make the words more memorable, but students spend little time selecting and inserting appropriate illustrations. Think 32Second Shakespeare meets the graphic novel: students must choose text carefully to fully get Teaching Matters the point across. By choosing dialogue that carries the story forward quickly rather than performing their results, they create a comic strip or minigraphic novel that shows a clear understanding of the text. Tagxedo (tagxedo.com) and Wordle (wordle. net) create shaped tag clouds that demonstrate the frequency of word usage in a text; both websites eliminate conjunctions, articles, prepositions, and the like. Larger words in a tag cloud illustrate which words have been used more often in a written text, and with Tagxedo, all of the dominant words are confined into a distinguishable shape of your choice. Tag clouds can be used to help students identify the dominant themes within a play, which help them frame the tone their performance of the play. Wordle allows students to remove any unnecessary words in order to get to the heart of their learning. Students could compare, for instance, the dominant themes of A Raisin in the Sun and A Streetcar Named Desire; Wordle allows removal of any word(s) with two clicks. In the following examples, all of the character names are removed so the noncharacter recurring words emerge, and comparison of themes is more plausible. (See figures 4a & 4b) Figure 4a. Wordle sample using the full text from A Raisin in the Sun, with names removed. the student to “read” the play, if only one word at a time. Students can also identify the types of language used in the play and infer culture and time periods. When teachers ask students to examine a tag cloud and infer what the play may be about, students already comprehend meanings of words, providing scaffolding for reading comprehension. Wordle and Tagxedo can be useful when students write about drama. Tag clouds provide a quick, aesthetically pleasing check for inappropriate repetition of ideas or sources. If, for instance, a student has overused one source, it can’t hide in a tag cloud. Xtra Normal (edu.xtranormal.com) turns written words into cartoon movies. Users choose characters, settings, camera angles, voices, and character body language; users type the script of the movie, and Xtra Normal generates a movie according to the directions. Character choices are broad, allowing users to choose from robots, historical figures, animals, superheroes, celebrities, stick figures, or other options. Xtra Normal has an educational website destination that allows users to do more for free and to provide more schoolappropriate content than the original Xtra Normal website. Voki (voki.com) is slightly different in that users can choose only one avatar, but Voki allows users to submit their own image as the background setting. Also, Voki users can call from their cell phones or submit voice recordings or famous voice recordings as the avatar’s voice. Both Voki and Xtra Normal obey punctuation indications from users, which will cause students to hear their spelling, syntax, and punctuation errors in order to revise. Both Voki and Xtra Normal also have options for other languages and dialects, and Voki has translation functions for dozens of languages. Students can use the movie generators to create dialog between characters of a play, perhaps creating a “lost scene” or further developing their understanding of a difficult passage. Xtra Normal allows students the freedom to create beyond general dialogue by choosing gestures, pauses, and sighs to make the interaction more authentic. Teachers can use Xtra Normal as a means for introducing a time period through two characters’ bantering conversation. For students that are reluctant to stand in front of the class to perform their interpretation of a dramatic reading, Xtra Normal characters can be used to complete the assignment in an entertaining and engaging way. Conclusion: Some Considerations Figure 4b. Wordle sample using the full text of Streetcar Named Desire, with names removed. Tag clouds are also much more approachable than a text itself. While the reading, critiquing, rehearsing, producing, or recalling of a play will take some time, a tag cloud takes little time to absorb and is, in essence, asking There is no denying that we do change the game when we use technology, and that change usually provokes varied responses from both students and teachers; indeed, “… injecting digital technologies into the classroom necessarily affects our relationship with every other communication technology, changing how we feel about what can or should be done with pencils, paper, chalk and blackboard, books, films, and recordings” (Jenkins, 2006b, p. 8). In response to this relational distance from the more traditional media of teaching, many demonize technology. Or, when we find Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 37 Teaching Matters that some students have used technology to distract, cheat, or bully, we are quick to blame technology; but technology is just like any other traditional medium: it transmits ideas that can be used for positive or negative outcomes. Technology does, however, have an extraordinary ability to disseminate those ideas at a more rapid rate than traditional media, and, in some cases, to lend a more permanent nature to them, which can be either tremendously empowering or malicious. Admittedly, there are some elements of traditional teaching that are lost when we use technology, and we must plan thoughtfully so that we do not neglect these elements. Since the technologies that we discuss here are so diverse, it is hard to pose generalized claims about what technologies can and cannot do for us or to us. Usually, though, we gain something valuable in exchange for what we trade in for realtime impromptu performance of drama. Sometimes, when we integrate technology into the teaching of drama, we make the poise of the body irrelevant or we remove facial and vocal expressiveness. But any teacher of writing will recognize an opportunity in this trade. If students cannot use physical expression to communicate, they will have to think about how to indicate through writing what their bodies would have been able to say, and they have to evaluate multiple interpretations of their words. There is considerable written work about the integration of drama and technology, but what few dispute is that technology with drama should be viewed as a method, not as an end in itself. The technologies are our methods, but the dramas are our content, and we “teach carpentry, not hammer” (Oppenheimer, 1997). We see that our role is to “control the technology to create meaning” (Cameron & Anderson, p. 14) because “while this generation has unprecedented access to technologies, the challenge for educators is to make access mean something in the education of young people” (Cameron & Anderson, p. 11). Indeed, John Dewey, before he knew that his words would be appropriated by the technological gurus in education, foresaw that: “If we teach today as we taught yesterday we rob our children of tomorrow” (attributed to John Dewey). But in a world of readyfireaim technology fanaticism, educators need to devote particular attention to discern among the various technologies to find those that effectively enhance teaching and learning. We are missing the point if we integrate technology only for the sake of usage because having access to technology is not the same as knowing what to do with that technology. While most of our students may be digital natives (Prensky, 2001), their technological expertise varies dramatically. This generation has more access to technologies for digital interaction than any other generation, but they do not necessarily know how to use the tools properly. Their comfort with excessive media usage does not guarantee their production of high quality work. When students engage with digital worlds for 38 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 entertainment, they “experience the fact that learning can be different from being taught at school… it can be a playful process of training and breaking rules and conventions; and its results can be immediately shared and appreciated by peers” (Drotner, 2008, p. 172). Teachers must bridge that gap between the steep and entertaining learning curve enabled by digital play and the guided academic rigor that enables profound meaningmaking by facilitating student access to and creation of critical, challenging media. References Anderson, M., Cameron, D. & Carroll, J., Eds. (2009). Drama education with digital technology. London: Continuum. Bolton, G. (1998). Acting in classroom drama: A critical analysis. Oakhill, England: Trentham. Cameron, D. & Anderson, M. (2009). Potential to reality: Drama, technology and education. In Anderson, M., Cameron, D. & Carroll, J. (Eds.), Drama education with digital technology (pp. 619). London: Continuum. Drotner, K. (2008). Leisure is hard work: Digital practices and future competencies. In Buckingham, D. (Ed.), Youth, identity and digital media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Educators, technology, and 21st century skills: Dispelling five myths. (2010). Grunwald Associates LLC. Jenkins, H. (2006a). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. MacArthur Foundation. Jenkins, H. (2006b). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York, NY: University Press. Leavitt, J. D. & Chrisetnfeld, N. J. (2011). Story spoilers don’t spoil stories. Psychological Science 22 (9), 11521154. Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social media and young adults. Pew Inernet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://www. pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/SocialMediaand YoungAdults.aspx Oppenheimer, T. (1997). The computer delusion. The Atlantic Monthly 280 (1), 4562. Prensky, M. (2001). Digital game-based learning. New York: McGraw Hill. Stern, S. (2008). Producing sites, exploring identities: Youth online authorship. In Buckingham, D. (Ed.), Youth, identity and digital media, (pp. 95117). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Surowiecki, J. (2004). The wisdom of crowds: Why the many are smarter than the few and how collective wisdom shapes business, economies, societies, and nations. New York, NY: Anchor. Weinberger, D. (2007). Everything is miscellaneous: The power of the new digital disorder. New York, NY: Times Books. Language Arts / Dramatic Arts Using Ohio History as a Source for Dramatic Monologue Production D ramatic monologues have a long history in dramatic literature, and writing and/or finding such pieces and preparing them for performance can be both instructive and gratifying. Monologues can be a dramatic rendering of published literature, particularly certain kinds of poetry, such as Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” or short stories like Ambrose Bierce’s “Incident at Owl Creek Bridge.” Monologues can also be written and based upon personal experiences or imagined circumstances. I published a dramatic monologue [“A Few Degrees Off Course”] in a collection of monologues edited by Lavonne Muller, a former high school English teacher and a successful playwright with multiple productions in New York and elsewhere. My monologue was later produced in Wisconsin, and I have a video of the performance. I was thrilled. There is something special when someone else performs words you have written, and I believe your students will find the same excitement I had when monologues they have written are performed either within your classroom or school or at events outside your school. Writing dramatic monologues takes practice, skill, and a lot of reading. Developing monologues from personal experience is possible and desirable, but students may need other sources initially to help them get the kind of inspiration that can ultimately lead to independent production. I encourage you to use a source you may not have considered for such inspiration—Ohio History, especially primary — Edgar H. Thompson sources. Doing so brings history to life, and this energizing effect upon history has the potential to create interest among a larger audience pool. Creating dramatic monologues and skits provides students with alternative ways to access and use multiple intelligences to construct meaning. Dramatic production of the kind I am proposing allows students not only to tap into their linguistic ability but also to engage their spatial and bodily kinesthetic knowledge, and perhaps their musical ability if music is included in the performance (Parker, 65). Social studies educators have for a long time advocated engaging students in such activities as a way to bring historical moments to life (Parker, 128135). Further, when students use actual primary documents and sources as the basis for the scripts they write, they are not only learning about history and how to write and communicate more effectively but also are providing their audience with the potential for a new understanding and appreciation of local history, or in this case regional history. As “[the audience members] see themselves reflected” (Sklar, ix), they gain both a new appreciation for drama and an understanding of how they fit into history. Potential Monologue Source Material from Ohio History As a part of research I was doing for a book on the American West, I spent time a little over a year ago looking through the Special Collections in the archives at the Legacy Library at Marietta College, A graduate of Marietta College, Herb Thompson is a Professor of Education at Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia and is a widely published poet, essayist, and literary critic. His research interests include the American West, play, literacy, and educational policy. He is a former editor of the Virginia English Bulletin. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 39 Teaching Matters my alma mater. I found several items that could be adapted by your students for performance. For instance, Rufus Putnam was born in Massachusetts and served in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He was discharged from the Revolutionary War as a Brigadier General. He became the Superintendent of a company that formed the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory in 1787, which became Marietta. Marietta was a major point of embarkation for westward expansion as the United States grew. As a result, Putnam can be studied as a major player in American History and particularly Ohio History. In the Rufus Putnam papers and selected memoirs and the Melzar Nye History at the Legacy Library are documents pertaining to the transference of money, land, goods, commodities, and services; legal issues, disputes and transactions, surveying records, copies of ordinances and rules agreed to by settlers, documents that led to the creation of schools, like Muskingum Academy and Ohio University, letters of introduction received by and written by Putnam, comments on treaties signed with Indians, documentation of people being formerly given jobs—for instance, the original order signed by Arthur St. Clair, the first governor of the Northwest Territory, designating Rufus Putnam as Probates Judge for Washington County, etc. These archived documents trace the daytoday struggle to try to deal with the simple growth and storage of food, finding and providing shelter, and trying to establish a life among Indian tribes that were not so happy to see settlers there. Many of the papers in the Legacy Library at Marietta are available digitally, and they document all aspects of life in the community at that time. Source 1 Here is an example of how you might adapt historical material of the kind I discovered and am sharing here for dramatic presentation. There is a note in the Putnam file, where even though life was straightforward and challenging in the Marietta settlement at Campus Martius, there were more human situations, and it is during these situations that the creation of an artistic dramatic moment based upon history is provided. For instance, when Rufus Putnam gave an order to provide some money to a widow of an Indian killed as an act of revenge by a settler, notice Putnam’s wording: Sir please to Deliver to Dellaware woman widow of the Murdered Indian such goods as she shall 40 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 chuse to wipe away her Tears to the amount of Five Dollars. [There is note written on this order that Indian was killed by a white man in revenge for an earlier injury] (Samuel P. Hildreth Collection, Volume 2, Item 20, May 17, 1797). There is an attempt here by Putnam to be compassionate, and his words reflect something of the Indian perspective on the world that Putnam was trying to both respect and embrace. Teachers and students could work on creating the dialogue for a skit as a class or in groups. The skit could start with a scene in Putnam’s office. The Indian woman could come to him, and with an interpreter, plead her case for assistance due to the death of her husband. A student could perform the role of the woman, using some unintelligible language to make her case with another student playing the role of an interpreter who shares the meaning of her words with Putnam. After the woman’s exit, Putman could be portrayed contemplating what action to take, and a monologue or soliloquy of his thoughts could be delivered by Putnam for the audience as he thinks out loud. Then, as he sits down at his desk and begins to write with a quill pen, a narrator could share aloud the words—taken from the historical document above— Putnam was writing on the paper. An approach similar to this one, or with variations, could be used to develop scripts for all of the following material. Source 2 In another instance from the Legacy Library, a group was going to hire a school teacher, and this document listed the amount each person or patron was going to pay. This situation was confounded by the physical limitations of the teacher, for whom the patrons were going to make politically correct accommodations appropriate at that time. Whichever patron lived closest to the school was going to have to board him for the number of weeks he was to teach. When one of the more financially able patrons did not pay anything, the person who created this document made the following comment on this situation: No person has refused to throw in their mites of the Assistance of an unfortunate fellow creature (the little Cripple names within) who has had the opportunity of signing except that liberal Public spirited benevolent & Humane saint E. Nye who of his abundance has nothing to give to the lame (Rufus Putnam Collection, Education Contract, June 2, 1806, p. 2). Teaching Matters The sarcastic editorial comment and tone are revealing of a life that had its passions. People may have been struggling, and they may have been civil, but occasionally, there were moments when people were as politically charged as they are today. There is a lot of potential for dramatic development here. Source 3 When special events were held, either in honor of some event or social in nature, poetry was a major form of entertainment and was frequently used as a kind of performance literature of the day. For instance, there is a poem in Rufus Putnam’s papers on rum that was created and shared.1 I am giving the poem a name, On Dispensing Rum, just for reference purposes. I consider this transcription from handwriting to print to be 95 98 percent accurate. I have maintained capitol letters in most, if not all, of the places where they we used in the text to perhaps maintain an intended point of emphasis on the part of the writer and to give a sense of how the original looked. On Dispensing Rum [stanza 1] This is the day our Licenses are done But although they are out we have [Nothing for to fear] Our supervisor has a store of rum And will Grant More to All that does appear How blest we are that [has] an Equal Chance with Rum our [Neighbours] fortunes to Advance. [An asterisk by the next two lines appears to correspond to an asterisk next to the previous two lines, possibly implying that these lines are an optional replacement.] Dubois & Smith will see it very clear They were deceived by Clinton last year. [stanza 2] But if they don’t, we can obtain our end [To] Bull & Miller we will send with [speed] [We’ll] let them know the Taverns have their friends And justices to help in time of need how blest we are to have an equal chance with run our neighbors fortune to advance [stanza 3] Of all descriptions they May freely come The old the Young the Bond and free Unto our tavern while we have got run Why should not Negroes Drink as well as we Although the laws prohibit us to sell To None but freemen this we know full well [stanza 4] Sure I may give and as the run is Dear no doubt they’ll pay us All within a year Some can make Trays Brooms [Lasts] & Ladles Others Hang scythes Make rakes & Cradles And as I [Risqued] it they do pay me double [Because] in [tradeing] so there is some trouble An asterisk by the next two lines appears to correspond to an asterisk next to the previous two lines, possibly implying that these lines are an optional replacement.] Whilst others earn it in an easy way We care not how if we but get our pay [stanza 5] Although by some we are threatened with the law By [tradeing] with those harmless slaves We do not value them a straw [While we have Rum we can get knaves] That will be ready always for to swear Before the Authority if we are brought there2 There is a certain sense of ceremony and artistic merit in this act. I have found artifacts of these phenomena in other archival collections I have examined regarding Westward expansion. Here a dramatic reading of the poem might work, or a skit of a rowdy group of participants attending a dinner where things get out of control a bit might be a way to develop this piece for dramatic production. Source 4 There is another poem that was written by Major Anselm Tupper who according to his peers had “genius & Capacity & taste for literary pursuits, some specimens of which both in prose & Poetry occasionally served, in the dearth of amusement, to while away the monotonous hour amid the cares & labours incident to a new settlement” (Barker, 31). After a dinner and a party to honor some visiting Indian chiefs, the following poem was found the next morning and viewed by readers with a sense of amusement: As Indian Chieftains on their way, To Pitt, at Marietta lay, All Campus Martius did combine To ask the Warriors there to dine, The Campus Beaus flocked from their houses With faces washed & their clean Trowsers, And send in front their lusty Chief, Well fed on Philadelphia Beef, That he might be the more respected, 1 The finding note annotation says that “this ‘poem’ (doggerel) apropos of nothing else in the Rufus Putnam Papers was perhaps sent to Putnam by an acquaintance in New York State. (There is a reference to ‘Clinton’ in the poem. George Clinton, governor of New York?)” Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 41 Teaching Matters The left Old Hetuck3 Quite neglected, Up from the Point through mud in Stile, Marched their red guest in Indian file, To find them seats now one & all, Proceed to Major Putnams Hall, Where Tables spread in high Bon Ton, With smoking danties thereupon, Another of a smaller Size With Major Putnams Pumpkin pies, And no the Priest lifts up his eyes, And ask a blessing for the kies For all, & these who are here united For Tawney Cheifs, & Chiefs who are Whited For which the Chieftans all agreed With a bag pipe he should be feed, And as a compensation given, To pray their Tawney souls to Heaven – The feast commenced & with the best, A plate was loaded for each Guest, In manly strife, with knfe & fork, Now Quickley each one went to work, Few compliments, & those were blunt, From White a no, from Red a Grunt, And now the flowing Horn goes round, And healths & Nods & Grunts abound, Til knives & forks, incessant Clatters, Produce the Groans of empty Platters, The desert next, eah Guests supplies, With thick Broad Yanke Pumpkin Pies, The Chieftains eat, & some look sly, *Said good Big squaw, make good big Pie Ten Jokes, & healths, & Grunts go round Til Rundlets range, with how sound, The each Grunts off who’d got his fill. As Hoggs go Grunting form heir swill. *Major Putnams Wife, was the most fleshey & Heaviest Woman in the County This is not much of a poem by modern standards, and just as the one dealing with rum was referred to doggerel, so too is this poem. However, the intention of poems like these was not to be such great art as much as it was to provide a word structure and sequence of words that would allow people to poke fun at each other. The humor came from an attempt to point out individual foibles that all human beings have. It was not personal. This lighter sense of humanity here is important. A little levity, humor, and laughter provided a welcome momentary relief from the very serious tasks that each member of the community had to engage in daily to survive. Source 5 Humor was also provided in simple statements of fact about formal, public decisions and the consequences, particularly legal actions. For instance, a teacher had taken money for the same task from two sources, and here is a description of his punishment: The Judge ordered the Court to be cleared. Shortly after the Deputy Sheriff came out of the Court with Mr. Little followed by a crowd to his lodging where he took his trunk and proceeded to the River put Mr. Little and his trunk in a small Canoe and in another took him to the middle of the river [and] their left him without a pole or paddle. He begged for some time for either pole or paddle but being denied took off His Cockd hat (those being the fashionable) and began to paddle with it, but not being a waterman gave up and sat down in the Canoe and so floated out of sight. I heard afterward the he was taken up at Parkersburg. (Samuel P. Hildreth Collection, Volume 1, Number 69, p. 2). I guess they didn’t have much patience with such theft. This was a pretty serious punishment and yet one with some kind of harsh humor. This could be developed into a humorous script with a structure similar to the one I used for Source 1. Given the bleak circumstances settlers found themselves in—a new geography and the demands of this geography, minimal services of normal civilization, e.g., legal, protection, spiritual, etc., the unrest and threat of the native Indian tribes, we should celebrate and acknowledge the extreme amount of sacrifice these people made to realize a new vision for their lives. There is something reassuring and comforting that in the middle of these challenges, people “waxed poetic” in an attempt to make an artistic statement about their lives that was sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always an attempt to go beyond the simplicity of the moment. Such a larger 2 I did the initial transcription with a confirmation and revision provided by Linda Showalter, Archivist, Marietta College Special Collections, whose notes, particularly the two about the asterisks, are included in the text above. There are some quirks created by the time of the poem’s composition. I suspect Bond means a bound servant. Further, I do not know what Bull & Millers is, are, or were. The references to specific names may be local, or as the Finding Aid suggests, may be referring back to some connection in New England. Also, the Finding Aid implies clearly that this poem was not written in Rufus Putnam’s hand. Whether it was or not is not an issue here. What is interesting is that Putnam or someone else wrote it in the first place, and then kept it or included it among other documents and records related to the challenges of founding and running a settlement in the wilderness. That in difficult, challenging times people desired to keep or hold on to a written poem, though humble in its construction, that attempted to capture a moment in time artistically is worth noting. 42 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 Teaching Matters statement of life indicates the stabilizing influence of civilization that existed among the settlers of the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. Conclusion I taught an advanced composition class at Blacksburg, High School in Blacksburg, VA nearly 30 years ago. It was academically the best class of students I have ever taught. They went to places like Stanford, Princeton, Chapel Hill, Duke, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, etc., for their higher education. To give you a sense of who these students were, let me describe one. She planned to major in French in college, but from age 8 until I had her in class, she had read the entire Shakespeare cannon primarily because her nextdoor neighbor was a Shakespearean scholar at Virginia Tech. They talked Shakespeare over her back fence when they were mowing their respective yards. There is something reassuring and comforting that in the middle of these challenges, people “waxed poetic” in an attempt to make an artistic statement about their lives that was sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always an attempt to go beyond the simplicity of the moment. When we were reading Hamlet, for one of the acts in that play, I broke the class into five groups, one group per scene. Their task was to create a skit that was to be performed for the class using their understanding and interpretation of the scene as the basis for their skit. Some used formal costuming. Others did a sort of Beat era, modernistic presentation. To a student, they said they were surprised at how much they better understood that act and the entire play as a result of this activity. 3 Engaging students in drama can make a difference in both their literary and historical understanding. Such dramatic monologues or skits could be done when students take Ohio History or when they take any American history class. English and history teachers could work together, or English teachers could engage in such activities any time they wanted to emphasize the creation of dramatic scripts and performances. Further, spending some time in archival collections like the ones at the Legacy Library at Marietta College can yield wonderful results when it comes to ideas and stories and information that can be turned into dramatic monologues. I took Ohio History when I was in the seventh grade at Putnam Elementary School in Devola, Ohio, just outside of Marietta. I went to school from fifth grade through high school with a direct descendant of Rufus Putnam. Ohio history was very real to me then. It still is. Let your students make it real dramatically for others. References Cited Barker, Joseph. Recollections of the First Settlement of Ohio. Marietta, Ohio, Marietta College, 1958. Parker, Walter C. Social Studies in Elementary Education, 14th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Rufus Putnam Collection, Education Contract, June 2, 1806, p. 2. Samuel P. Hildreth Collection, Volume 2, Item 20, May 17, 1797. Samuel P. Hildreth Collection, Volume 1, Number 69, p. 2. Sklar, Daniel Judah. Playmaking. New York: Teacher & Writers Collaborative, 1991. Thompson, Edgar H. “A Few Degrees Off Course,” in Monologues from the Road. Ed. Lavonne Mueller, Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999, 8688. Indians name for Col. Sproat Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 43 NCTE PRESENTS... Teaching Writing Online: How and Why 6FRWW:DUQRFN How can you migrate your tried and true face-to-face teaching practices into an online environment? This is the core question that Scott Warnock seeks to answer in Teaching Writing Online: How and Why. Warnock explores how to teach an online (or hybrid) writing course by emphasizing the importance of using and managing students’ written communications. Grounded in Warnock’s years of experience in teaching, teacher preparation, online learning, and composition scholarship, this book is designed with usability in mind. Features include: • How to manage online conversations • Responding to students • Organizing course material • Core guidelines for teaching online • Resource chapter and appendix with sample teaching materials More than just the latest trend, online writing instruction offers a way to teach writing that brings together theoretical approaches and practical applications. Whether you are new to teaching writing online or are looking for a more comprehensive approach, this book will provide the ideas and structure you need. 235 pp. 2009. College. ISBN 978-0-8141-5253-9. No. 52539 $26.95 member/$35.95 nonmember To Order: 8KUKVQWTYGDUKVGCVYYYPEVGQTI QTECNNVQNNHTGGCV 6 *' 2 41('55+10#. * 1/' 1( 6*' ' 0).+5* . #0)7#)' # 465 % 1//70+6; 44 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 TeachingWriting_7x10_BW_100015.indd 1 7/29/2009 11:27:11 AM Post-Secondary For this issue, we asked respondents the question, When you think of teaching, what performance do you think of? Using Drama in the Language Arts Classroom Kevin Cordi As a high school English teacher, my use of drama mainly consisted of assigning roles for students to act a part in a play or story. We could dramatize “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” by engaging in Reader’s Theater or read a prepared script adaption of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Tell Tale Heart.” I had never considered that students could use drama to create story, or better yet, create many stories. I had never used drama to heighten my students’ investment or interest in literature. Until I entered my educational theater graduate class at Northwestern University, I thought this was the main use of drama in an English classroom. When I entered the class, I had no idea my understanding of what drama meant would deepen and drastically shift. Vignette of the event: The chairs and tables were scattered in, what was revealed to be, small stations around the room. There were pictures about the Wild West covering the desks and chairs. Rives Collins, the professor, read an article to us, but not as the professor, as someone recruiting people to walk The Oregon Trail. In role, we debated what to leave and what to keep for the journey. At each station, we found out something new about our destination. Along the journey, we created our narratives. Some people shared that they ate spoiled food and then needed medicine. This added to our story. It was not written down. As an English teacher, I was used to reading fiction; however, in the dramatic encounter described above, we used process drama to make and experience fiction. I had come to graduate school prepared to learn about acting and constructing plays, but this class was different. Drama was used as a powerful way for students to learn and not perform. For instance, instead of working with a preexisting plot, plot was treated as a byproduct of the drama. Collins’ ideas came out of O’Neill and Lambert’s (1984) text, Drama Structures. Drama structures are episodes based upon a theme, but the how and why of these episodes is not spelled out. “What happens next” depends on what is built within the dramatic structure. As English teachers, we frequently examine what happens in stories, asking students to recount the events of the plot. But my experience with process drama made me aware of something else—a question: What if something else happened? For instance, I recently worked with elementary students and the classic Three Little Pigs folktale. Instead of retelling the story, we examined the story’s dramatic structure and approached it as a homicide and crime scene. In no time at all, students were searching as forensics investigators to find out how the pigs had died. Students quickly took on roles, asking “What did the suspect look like?” “Where did this bloodstain come from?” “What is this piece of chinny chin?” We even drew a chalk outline of the dead pig to develop our understanding. Instead of letting the story’s plot direct our inquiry, we improvised; Heathcote (1984) notes, Improvisation … means “discovering by trial, error, and testing; using available materials Kevin Cordi is a professional storyteller and an Assistant Professor at Ohio Dominican University. He is co-author of the book Raising Voices: Creating Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes. You can find out more at this website: www.kevincordi.com Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 45 4 Sites Post-Secondary Continued with respect for their nature, and being guided by the appreciation of their potential.” The end product of improvisation is the experience of it (p. 45). And the experience of a book doesn’t have to end when the plot does; process drama can extend the experience of the text. When my students finished The Hunger Games, we utilized process drama to design a new game, to become district inhabitants, to fight, and to make deals so that we wouldn’t have to fight. Doing so, incited discussions of themes like survival and the importance of compassion— contested discussions filled with tension. Dramatic tension sustains inquiry, and tension comes from the questions students ask. Heathcote (1984) writes, Tension is not a matter of huge terrifying events such as earthquakes, mutinies, armies, and so on; it is a matter of finding a lever from within the situation which is capable of laying on pressure, in the way that sore places can develop on the skin as a result of abrasion (p. 34). As a high school teacher, I used the Way West as a process drama experience with my students. Once the experience began, one student said, “Hey, what was that noise? I think there is something wrong with the wagon.” A “broken wheel” drama emerged from this suggestion. This kind of spontaneity extends student investment in the story and extends students’ learning. This learning must be guided, but it is still improvised. Two students were prompted to fall ill as the result of consuming a strange plant. When a student attempted too quickly to resolve the tension by saying he had medicine, I jumped in, “Look, the bottle is leaking; there is only enough for one!” My role, as teacher, was to trouble the situation, force students into action and discussion. As Bruner (1991) proposes, it may be trouble that compels people to narrate: Trouble is the engine of narrative and the justification for going public with a story. It is the whiff that leads us to search out the relevant or responsible constituents in the narrative, in order to convert the raw Trouble into a manageable problem that can be handled with procedural muscle (p. 12). 46 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 When we tell stories, we conventionally structure them with a beginning, middle, and end. However, in process drama, stories do not have to have an end and can begin in the middle. When a story remains unresolved, a student’s investment in it can increase. As English teachers, we often want students to finish the story, but, in process drama, it becomes more important to explore and engage within the world of the story. Imagine if a student led all of us as we pretended to fix a broken wagon wheel under his direction. The stories we make using process drama constitute a teaching experience not because they are told, but because students question, engage, and reflect upon them. Instead of telling stories, we “evoke” ourselves using drama (Wagner, 1976, p. 9). David Booth (2005) confirms that “story and drama are forever linked.” He writes, “I cannot escape the possibilities that flood my dramastructured mind … perhaps I require the safety net of narrative in order to attempt to leap into creating stories together through drama (p. 8). As a college professor I, too, hold fast to that safety net. As I examine drama using different lenses, I see multiple possibilities for enriching teaching, especially language arts, where drama and story are necessary tools for learning. Note: Kevin would like to thank The Ohio State University Professor, Dr. Brian Edmiston and Northwestern University Professor Rives Collins for showing and sharing the integral and essential connections between narrative and drama. References: Booth, D. (2005). Story drama: creating stories through role playing, improvising, and reading aloud. Maine: Pembroke Publishing Limited. Bruner, J. (1991). The narrative construction of reality. Critical Inquiry, 18 (1), 121. Heathcote, D. (1984). Dorothy Heathcote: Collected writings on education and drama. London: Hutchinson. O’Neill, C. & Lambert, A. (1984). Drama structures: A practical handbook for teachers. London: Hutchinson. Wagner, B. J. (1976). Dorothy Heathcote: Drama as a learning medium. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association. 4 Sites Oh, the Drama! Secondary Trisha Nord As a ninth grade English teacher, I can say I’ve witnessed my fair share of high school drama: the tears, the texts, whohateswho because of what and why and how and whoknowswhatever else. I typically find myself saying to my students, “Please, save the drama for someone else.” So, it’s ironic that I would be writing an article that celebrates the integration of “drama” into my classroom. Of course this drama is the “theater” kind, and these performances matter. I’m currently in my fifth year of teaching. Since day one, the arts have been a part of my room: musicians listening to and creating songs, sketchers sketching, actors acting. Kennedy, my dancing, singing, tutuwearing, hot pink bootstrutting, Ke$haloving, pageant Miss, may sing in her fictional short story when she reads it out loud to the audience, because she WANTS to. Or, Katie, my gifted kid, who can pass any test, get any A, write any essay, or jump through any hoop I might set before her, may draw her reading activity this week versus writing it...because her passions perform beyond the English classroom. Her passion lies in her art. But drama is my passion, and therefore has sneaked eversostealthily into all facets of my teaching. As the head speech coach, I have access to youngadult plays, children’s books, poetry that is just waiting to be recited and retained. Just this week, I brought my ninth graders to the auditorium and had them act out a short play on stage. Roles were cast, a day was given to prepare costumes, rehearse lines, create characters, stage directions. The next day, the show went on! Were some kids terrified? Yep! Did others spring to life? Yep! Was it a welltimed, perfect translation of the text? NOPE! Were kids engaged, and laughing, and entertained? Yep! But were they learning? Ah… that’s the important question. My objective in having students perform this particular presentation each year is to give them access to a play that is shorter in length (maybe thirty five pages), where they can see the development of characterization, the creation of witty dialogue, and witness a story where there’s an actual beginning, middle, and end. And where, amazingly, the lead character doesn’t have to die just to have a conclusion. This lesson is meant to give them ideas for their own writing, their own original performance in my classroom. I have a kid in class named Cody. He’s my witty, Tshirtwearing, carfixing, country musicloving, southern boy who normally makes a few, minor contributions to the classroom. He sits quietly, does enough work to get by, never causes problems, and is never really noticed ... until. Cody was cast as “Romeo.” Well, a version of the famous fictional heartthrob. Cody decided not to play Romeo as a “Bieber type” but as a quirky, dorky, aggressivelyshouting, “hillbilly” (his word, not mine). The whole class was in hysterics with Cody’s every word. Interestingly, it took Cody becoming another character in front of us for the class and me to actually get to know him for the first time. I know that drama doesn’t work with every kid, every day, every lesson. But with performance thrown in, with the other arts as well, I just might find I catch a whole batch of kids I haven’t before. Please do not read this and think I assume that I know what I’m doing as a fifthyear teacher. I don’t. Most likely, I will never know it all. But, DRAMA! Drama...I know! Drama, I love! Drama works! Trisha is in her fifth year of teaching English at Columbiana High School in Columbiana, Ohio. She also teaches Creative Writing and speech. She spends her extra time as the head coach of the school Speech Team, and has coached state champions, national qualifiers, and a national semi-finalist. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 47 National Council of Teachers of English Membership Form 4 Sites Your Name __________________________________________ Home Address _______________________________________ ____________________________________________________ City _________________________ State ______ Zip _________ Phone ______________________________________________ Email _______________________________________________ (please provide email to ensure correct online delivery of journals) School Address Information School Name _______________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ Address ___________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ City ______________________________ 1 State ______________ Zip ____________ Become an individual member and join a section. Phone (_____)_______________________ NCTE Membership, $50.00/yr. 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Urbana, IL 61801-1096 Or fax to: 217.328.9645 4 Sites Middle Beyond the Classroom: A Perspective on Performance Heather Burley and Whitney Thomas Eads “The intent of the fine arts [. . .] is to ensure that students experience, understand and value the arts in their everyday lives as contributing citizens of a diverse society. The fine arts [. . .] encourage meaningful connections to concepts and topics studied in other content areas without compromising the integrity of each arts discipline.”—Ohio Department of Education, Fine Arts Standards When it comes to the performing arts, each per formance can offer its audience a unique experience. Impermanent as a live performance may be, a great one will leave a lasting impression. And isn’t that the elusive goal of teaching as well? As Teaching Artists and Actors with CATCOPhoenix Theatre in Columbus, we are fleeting fixtures in the educations of children in the Central Ohio area, but our purpose is to provide lasting lessons via the dramatic arts. Often our work involves combining traditional classroom studies with drama to create new and varied teaching techniques. One of the greatest facets of theatre is its ability to engage students imaginatively and creatively in various areas of study, like math, science, social studies, reading, and writing and even address traditional concepts that appear on standardized tests. In our most effective workshops, students come to embrace academic concepts because they are presented to them in a new light. CATCO Phoenix Theatre turns out many learningbased productions for children and families each year, but one show sticks out as a metaphoric example of our teaching methods—Encyclopedia Brown, a play based on the popular book series by Donald J. Sobol. As a stage production, Encyclopedia Brown, adapted by CATCOPhoenix Artistic Director Steven C. Anderson, takes place as a game show. The play’s characters (the same characters from the books) give audience members the chance to answer basic knowledge questions (i.e. “What is the capitol of Idaho?” or “If Sally had ten cookies, and she gave two to Encyclopedia Brown, and Butch Meany stole five, how many would she have left?”) to earn a spot on a special team. Children in the audience eagerly raise their hands to answer math, science, spelling, and geography questions because they want to be a part of the drama on stage. Once teams of three are assembled, the characters act out riddles for the contestants to solve. The contestants are asked to use teamwork, logic, and problem solving to answer the riddles. As a result, this production is a prime example of using drama to teach academics, making a fully integrated experience for students. Our work with CATCOPhoenix focuses on learning techniques like those described as part of our Encyclopedia Brown production. We promote, specifically: • Engagement: During a residency, we often teach drama activities that align with state standards in math, science, social studies, and language arts. Because students are hooked by the nuance of theatre in, for example, a multiplication or spelling lesson, teachers find that children are more apt to be attentive in class, participate fully, and work to master the lesson’s content. While participating in our lessons, students take ownership of their work and eagerly become more involved in the subject at hand. We interviewed seventh graders after a pilot math/theatre crosscurricular series we developed entitled STEAM (Science, Math, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). One KIPP Journey Middle School student told us, after his experience, that “Now I actually want to learn more advanced skills in math.” In addition, a Granville Middle School student noted that “This is a fun program and I will [sic] like to be in it forever because you learn about things that you really don’t know about ... Its [sic] fun!” • Peer Learning: Using dramatic tools (i.e. imagination, cooperation, concentration, body and voice) to express prior knowledge allows students to express their ideas about and interpretations of subject matter in a risk free environment. When using theatre to demonstrate content knowledge from academic subject areas, students are invited to learn from Heather Burley and Whitney Thomas Eads are arts educators at CATCO-Phoenix, a non-profit theatre based in downtown Columbus, OH. For more information about CATCO-Phoenix productions and auditions, or residency, summer camp, and class information for children pre-K to 18, please visit www.catcoistheatre.org or call 614.464.9400. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 49 4 Sites Middle Continued • each other. Each student feels valued as each student’s voice is heard, instilling confidence. During group work, students must cooperate and show mutual respect when problem solving. Students labeled introverted may surprise and shine. Extroverted students are given an appropriate time and space in which to share their ideas. This framework models a studentcentered learning approach. After his class wrote and performed its own play, an Edison Intermediate School 4th grader said of the experience that “It built up some confidence in me, which made me full of glee!” Teamwork: Using theatre in the classroom encourages students to work together to achieve success and develop ensemblebuilding skills, skills applicable to everyday life. A class can be much like a play. Everyone works together towards a common goal, whether that goal is performing a drama or demonstrating mastery of the Pythagorean Theorem. When using drama, children become selfmotivated and responsible to their classmates and teachers. Drama builds a healthy facetoface social environment and a tightlyknit classroom community. Or, as a 4th grade student from West Broad Elementary School said, “I learned that in theatre you have to use teamwork.” Although our time with students is limited, we believe our impression is a lasting one. Children who experience Encyclopedia Brown leave the theatre with a new found love for critical thinking and problem solving. Our students take away a curiosity for drama, a new found appreciation for learning, and a willingness to work as a team and learn from each other. Drama ignites the imagination, serving to inspire creativity and compel students to be life long learners. NCTE PRESENTS... Reading Shakespeare with Young Adults Mary Ellen Dakin Shakespeare? Really? Although the works of William Shakespeare are universally taught in high schools, many students have a similar reaction when confronted with the difficult task of reading Shakespeare for the first time. In Reading Shakespeare with Young Adults, Mary Ellen Dakin seeks to help teachers better understand not just how to teach the Bard’s work, but also why. By celebrating the collaborative reading of Shakespeare’s plays, Dakin explores different methods for getting students engaged—and excited—about the texts as they learn to construct meaning from Shakespeare’s sixteenthcentury language and connect it to their twenty-first-century lives. Filled with teacher-tested classroom activities, this book draws on often-taught plays, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The ideas and strategies presented here are designed to be used with any of the Bard’s plays and are intended to help all populations of students—mainstream, minority, bilingual, advanced, at-risk, etc. In the crucible that is the modern American classroom, Shakespeare is the great equalizer. Even after hundreds of years, his works are new and strange to us all. So, yes, Shakespeare. Really! 233 pp. 2009. Grades 9–12. ISBN 978-0-8141-3904-2. No. 39042 $27.95 member/$37.95 nonmember To Order: Visit our website at www.ncte.org or call toll free at 1-877-369-6283 T HE P ROFESSIONAL H OME Shakespeare__7x478_BW_100014.indd 1 50 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 OF THE E NGLISH L ANGUAGE A RTS C OMMUNITY 7/29/2009 1:52:44 PM 4 Sites Elementary I am the Best Second Grade Teacher in the World Melanie Strohecker What would the Best Second Grade Teacher in the World do when Noah cried every day when it was time to clean up from indoor recess, when Eli lost his blue eraser for the fifteenth time that day, and blamed it on someone else, when she wanted uninterrupted time to benchmark reading levels but the questions from the peanut gallery continued, and continued, and continued, when after three weeks of fairy tales, Danielle exclaimed, “This can’t be a fairy tale! There are no fairies in the story.” The Best Second Grade Teacher would smile, take a deep breath, compose herself, and all the while repeat, “I am The Best Second Grade Teacher in the World.” This was the most memorable performance of my teaching career. I’d love to say that my best performance lit the passion of reading into all twenty five little faces in my room. I’d love to gush about how I inspired colleagues with my undying patience and passion that I exuded each afternoon. I’d love to say that my teaching performance is always inspiring and positive and meaningful. But instead, I remember that year of second grade where telling myself that I was “The Best” was all that got me through. So while my colleagues all clamored for me to write this article, and they all witnessed the “Best Second Grade Teacher” in real time every morning when the curtain opened, the performance itself wasn’t for them. The performance was really for me. That year of second grade was an especially tough one. Perhaps the planets weren’t aligned well, perhaps switching glade levels again (for the fourth year in a row) wasn’t the brightest move, perhaps there was something in the water in the Village that year. But I got through. And I was “The Best.” We all have those years. We all have these moments in the classroom. If we care about what we do, and we are pushing ourselves and our students to the best of all we know, then it is certain that there will be times where all of that hard work seems to come unraveled. So that year, when I looked at my own unraveled messes, I invented “The Best Second Grade Teacher.” When times got tough, when my patience seemed at its end, I would step back and ask myself “What would The Best Second Grade Teacher do?” My answer always pointed me in the right direction. I resisted the mockup Livestrong bracelet that said “WWTBSGTD?” but the question stayed in the forefront of my mind that year. Now I don’t claim to really have all of the answers, and all of the answers to my own question may not have been right. The truth that I discovered in my performance was not about the answers, it was about the performance itself. Every student deserves “The Best” teacher at all times. But we are all human, and the reality of being a teacher is that you just have to keep going. You have to perform—every day. It doesn’t matter if the car broke down that morning, the toast was burned, or the copier is down (again). The kids in the room are expecting the best out of you, just like you are expecting the best out of them. It is so easy to get sucked into the world of lost blue erasers, tattletales and recess drama. But as the director of our own performances, we need to master the art of redirection, not for our students, but for ourselves. The new perspective and new vision that results in putting on the “Best Teacher” costume allows us to stay in the classroom for year after year after year. In a time where our actual performances are being scrutinized, dissected and measured not only by our supervisors, but by anyone who has a voice (or a blog), the performances that we do for ourselves allow us to keep necessary perspective. Knowing, and acting, the part that we know is Oscarworthy keeps us acting as the type of teacher that we want to be, that we can be. At least that’s what The Best Second Grade Teacher told me. Melanie Strohecker no longer teaches second grade, but is very happy in her new starring role as a 4th grade Language Arts teacher at ColumbianaÕ s Joshua Dixon Elementary School in Ohio. Whenever she is not perfecting her acting she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 51 ing k o o l s LA i OJE rk two r a r o f cover ure of fut s. issue ents. r stud nd/o hers a l ationa c u d e all t by or h ers at ighlight ar us h it mig o feature the w c a e elp sh t dh like t Engli over coul s. Please h to r ould o w f e l W ad nt na ts c a jour of Ohio; i their stude Show this s i A OJEL n the state leagues or eir work. i l th te levels achers’ co to submit building. ropria p p e a t g l n any these tists willi our schoo ne in work is o y r d a n i k d r r fin e wo age of the the OJELA , eache b t t n r a a s c the ELA digital im e can add Submitter J O r o ally, a er. (W tion). ll r art f Cove . 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See the ll and for n a Volum of Learni omplete c s c Storie ue for the s s this i e. in deadl 52 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 for t use Winter/Spring 2011 the ocal k of l ac art te The Future Is Now! OCTELA Spring Conference March 9-10, 2012 Doubletree Hotel Worthington 175 Hutchinson Avenue Worthington, Ohio 43235 Featured Speakers Chris Crowe • Nancy Frey • Sara Kajder • Roland Smith CORE STANDARDS: College and Career Readiness Standards for Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening Additional Sessions of Interest • Modes of Writing–Expository, Persuasive, Narrative • Poetry • Literature Connections • Technology in the Classroom • Assessment • Grant Writing • New Licensure Areas • English Language Learners • 21st Century Skills • Value Added • Cultural Diversity • STEM • National Standards • New Programs from the Ohio Resource Center • Literacy Improvement • Students with Disabilities • ESL Issues in the Classroom • Multicultural Issues • Visual Media Visit www.octela.org for information regarding the organizationÕ s constitution! Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 53 OHIO COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 2012 Spring Language Arts Conference—March 9—10, 2012 Doubletree Hotel Columbus / Worthington 175 Hutchinson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43235 The Future Is Now! Chris Crowe, Nancy Frey, Sara Kajdar, & Roland Smith FEATURED SPEAKERS SHARE A COPY OF THIS REGISTRATION WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES! **Registration confirmed via e-mail** First name: Last name: Home street address: City: State: Work Phone: ( Zip: ) Home Phone: ( ) (confirmation via e-mail ONLY - please print legibly) **E-MAIL: County of employment: Job Assignment: Check Choice School district/Institution: Elementary Middle High School Coll/Univ. Student Consultant Librarian Retired other Full Registration Fee: $165.00 (includes 2 morning beverage services, 2 luncheons, and full program. For information about group discounts for districts sending 8 or more teachers, contact [email protected] by February 1, 2012) Friday only: $85 (circle choice of day) (includes morning beverage service, 1 luncheon and program of the day) Saturday only: $85 (circle choice of day) (includes morning beverage service, 1 luncheon and program of the day Friday luncheon: chicken vegetarian pasta Saturday luncheon: chicken vegetarian pasta Optional Graduate Credit will be available. All forms and requirements will be explained at the mandatory orientation meeting, 8:00 a.m. March 9, 2012 in the registration area. OCTELA Membership included. Already a member? Your membership will be automatically extended. TOTAL Amount enclosed $ ________________. Make checks payable to OCTELA YOUR REGISTRATION FEE MUST BE RECEIVED BY March 2, 2012. PLEASE INCLUDE: PERSONAL CHECK, MONEY ORDER, OR SCHOOL CHECK/P.O. WITH THIS REGISTRATION FORM. REQUESTS FOR REFUNDS MUST BE MADE BY March 2, 2012. 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Date: Signature: Amt. charged: MAKE A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS Send to: Marge Ford 83 Creed Circle, Campbell OH 44405 Phone: 330-755-0162 Fax: 330-755-7808 [email protected] http://www.octela.org Card Number (inc. 3 digit code on back) TENTATIVE CONFERENCE HOURS: Registration: 7:30 a.m.—10:00 a.m. Friday: 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Saturday: 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. *Make hotel reservations directly with the Doubletree. Staying at the conference hotel helps keep conference prices low! Direct Reservation Website: http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/C/CMHWNDT-OTL-20120305/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG Group Code: OTE Phone: 1-614-885-3334 The deadline to receive the OCTELA conference rate is February 15, 2012. 54 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 The Conference Room Table I Analyzing, Performing, and Writing: Drama in a Context of Student Engagement –Linda J. Rice t’s becoming clear to me that reading is one of the creative arts. The reader has to develop and use artistic tools to create people and pictures. But how can I convince my students of this; give them this experience of reading as artistic creation? Maybe by using activities such as drama and art that encourage and scaffold active response? And that can show, right out in the open, what the reader is doing and the meaning that has been created (Wilhelm, 2008, pp. 124125). Student Engagement I remember the first time I read Jeffrey D. Wilhelm’s (2008) Ò You Gotta BE the BookÓ : Teaching Engaged and Reflective Reading with Adolescents. Now in its second edition, it is a book I have used repeatedly in my English Education Methods courses. While the book is packed full of good ideas for teaching that are responsive to how students really learn, one of the things that really struck me about the book was the way Wilhelm traced his own journey as a teacher. Wilhelm kept a journal from the start of his teaching career, and he entered the classroom full of confidence, creativity, and ability. His first seven years were very successful. He was connecting with students; the students were learning, and he was a star in the classroom, so much so that teaching seemed easy to him. Then in his eighth year, his teaching assignment changed, and he found himself not being so successful. But why? How could this teacher who was so stellar from the start actually seem to step backward in his teaching? Was he losing his connection? Had his talent waned? Wilhelm asked himself these same questions, wondering how all of the strategies that proved successful in the past were no longer motivating students or resulting in performance gains. And it is here, through the act of the reflective practitioner, we see a teacher grapple with student learning, concerned with student achievement, analyzing, and problemsolving. What Wilhelm figured out through this introspective journey is that it is a lot easier to be a stellar teacher when you have motivated students who are adept in comprehension. When Wilhelm’s teaching assignment changed and he had struggling and reluctant readers, his job became much harder. But Wilhelm was determined In order to move students from confusion to clarity or boredom to interest, we of course have to structure learning in ways that make it meaningful and engaging. This is the craft, the art, the profession of teaching—a significant piece of what makes us not mere imparters of curriculum, but highly qualified, well-informed, and professionally-prepared designers of it. not to give up. Instead he set about figuring out how to meet the students’ needs in ways that would help them not only to comprehend, but to truly engage with and reflect on literature. I use Wilhelm as an introduction to this article that will offer some suggestions for teaching Linda J. Rice is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Ohio University where she teaches Integrated Language Arts methods courses and Young Adult Literature. A National Board Certified Teacher, Linda taught middle and high school English for 10 years. She is the author of What Was It Like? Teaching History and Culture Through Young Adult Literature (Teachers College Press, 2006) and co-author/editor of Exploring African Life and Literature: Novel Guides to Promote Socially-Responsive Learning(International Reading Association, 2007). Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 55 The Conference Room Table drama because at the heart of learning is student engagement. In order to move students from confusion to clarity or boredom to interest, we of course have to structure learning in ways that make it meaningful and engaging. This is the craft, the art, the profession of teaching—a significant piece of what makes us not mere imparters of curriculum, but highly qualified, wellinformed, and professionally prepared designers of it. An English Education colleague of mine recently gave a reading quiz, one simply to confirm that the students grasped several concepts from their reading, and she asked them to respond in a way that integrated poetry. One student raised her hand, and when my colleague went to the student’s desk to answer her question, the student said, “I don’t do poetry.” My colleague’s quick response was, “then you don’t do English and you’re not going to be able to teach Integrated Language Arts.” I smiled upon hearing this response and thought it was spot on. As English teachers we should not play the avoidance game when we encounter material, be it grammar, poetry, or drama that we don’t deem to be our preference or forte. And like Wilhelm, when we see that we are losing our students, we need to figure out how to re engage them. By mere instinct, if not by specialized training, teachers have utilized hands on, visual, and performance based learning strategies for generations. Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences provided us with an additional way to categorize and organize various expressions of learning. Drama, whether analyzing, talking, and writing about it, creating original scenes, acting it out, designing costumes and staging, or performing it, can be a playground for student engagement and for tapping into students’ unique intelligence profiles; drama is also a means of personal and creative expression. When Wilhelm recognized that his students did not comprehend texts very well, he used drama as one of a number of strategies to help them understand crucial aspects of plot, character, and conflict. As students had to take a portion of the text and turn it into something they could act out in front of the class, their collaborative processes of discussion and planning coupled with 56 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 the bodykinesthetic tasks of actually blocking the scenes, led to increased understanding. With student engagement as this article’s frame for thinking about why and how to teach drama, its remainder will delve into specific strategies for teaching drama to promote comprehension, analysis, and creative expression. Passage Analysis I remember [in high school] I was involved in acting out a scene from Othello where we first had to translate it into a modern sense and then capture the original messages. It took a lot of careful supervision on my teacher’s part to make sure we didn’t butcher it and just make a huge joke out of it, but I felt like it helped us connect with more than the tragic side of the play. –Jennifer Velten, Junior Integrated Language Arts major Most high school English teachers will at some point in their career teach Shakespeare, so this section addresses Shakespeare, in particular; however, the method of passage analysis discussed here could be used with any play. Even college English majors have relatively little practice with or formal training in Early Modern English; this can make the Bard rather intimidating. Take the challenge we experience as teachers with Shakespearean language and double it (at least), and therein lay the challenge a majority of our high school students experience. But again, we don’t want our students to simply raise their hand, say “I don’t do drama,” and subsequently miss out on one of the greatest playwrights of all time. So passage analysis, a fairly traditional but very helpful strategy is one we want to employ. A straightforward way of getting started with passage analysis is to select, prior to students’ reading of a play, passages that have particular importance either because they are pivotal to story development, encapsulate or propel conflict, or reveal defining character traits. Assemble these passages in a packet, placing the Shakespearean text on the left and an open area for analysis on the right. By analysis here, we are going for comprehension and then interpretation. So for each passage, ask students—this can be a great group activity—to The Conference Room Table identify A) who said it; B) to whom; C) under what circumstances; and D) why it matters. Of course one could incorporate additional elements such as where the scene took place, what happened just prior, or who else, if anyone, was listening in, but these essential four (who said it, to whom, under what circumstances, and why it matters) are key elements that help students focus their attention on and make sense of what they are reading. A translation step is noticeably absent in this approach based on the assumption that if students can identify the four essential components requested by the passage analysis, they will have understood what the text meant. If this approach is not working, a translation to Modern English could be added or at least the meanings of unfamiliar words could be provided or defined by students or the teacher. The task of having to grapple with language is in itself of great worth in the process of critical thinking and analysis. For Shakespeare, a particularly good resource is the Folger Shakespeare Library. Its website along with a range of additional resources useful for teaching drama appear later in this article. Dramatic Performance & Student Recollections Literature is like show and tell, and Drama is the show. –Aaron Smith, Junior Integrated Language Arts major There are numerous ways a teacher could structure and organize student learning experiences that lead to performing a scene, but the main point is to do something that results in performance. Plays were written to be performed in front of an audience. Whether the audience consists of community members, children from the local elementary or middle school, or students’ own classmates, having an audience and having to convey a story not only through words, but through movements (facial expressions, gestures, staging) and, optionally, visual supports (costumes, props, set) brings more to bear on the story being told. These elements associated with performance aid students’ critical analysis of the text as they consider meaning, characterization, and context and make choices about how to best convey these crucial components of drama. Within the broad categories of teaching and learning strategies, acting out scenes from plays fits within the realm of performance tasks which promote authentic learning. Glatthorn (1999) defines a performance task as “a complex, openended problem posed for the students to solve as a means of demonstrating mastery” (p. 18). Performance tasks require knowledge to be applied to a specific situation; provide necessary guidance and information to complete the task; have a specified learning context (e.g., independent, pairs, small groups); and specify how students will demonstrate their findings or synthesis of learning (Marzano & Kendall, 1996). In thinking about what is required for students to select, prepare, and perform (not off the cuff) a dramatic scene in a way that shows understanding, we can see how this task becomes a vehicle for students to apply, via performance, what they have learned through analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. While the performance of a scene (be it an original script or scene from Shakespeare or any other playwright) is the applied final product, in getting to that point, students will have had to analyze the text, consider the setting, characterization, and plot and then synthesize these elements in order to make decisions about how to block and stage the scene. Throughout this process, students are engaging in evaluation as they consider what will and will not work and what the best choices are. This entire process immerses students in active learning, a process that helps to solidify students’ knowledge and multiply the educational power of the teacher (Kagan, 1986; Rice, 2007; Stover, Neubert, & Lawlor, 1993). Anecdotally, performance also turns out to be the most memorable of learning experiences in drama. I recently surveyed students in my Young Adult Literature class to find out what they remember about studying drama during their in middle and high school years. Their voices repeatedly gave testimony to the impact of collaboration and performance; here is a representative sample of what they had to say. • In high school (freshman year), I was in a drama class where we were in charge of every aspect of a scene we were assigned. My friend and I staged scenes from Shakespeare and Crimes of the Heart. We were responsible for blocking, props, and making sure our parts were memorized. In staging scenes then being critiqued on them later, it helped me to learn more about the theater and what it takes to stage a show. That year in English we also read biographies and our teacher had us write a threeminute monologue as that person. I ended up dressed as a French general on my knees, crying out for my darling Josephineas Napolean Bonaparte. Honestly, I don’t remember much from that class, but I can quote Napoleon and cite facts of his life any day. I’m realizing now I played a lot of dictators freshman year. I also gave a Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 57 The Conference Room Table call to arms speech from Stalin earlier in that year. My teacher jumped up at the end and threw his fist in the air saying, “To WAR!” – Mallory Kessen, Junior Integrated Language Arts major • One project that really stuck out to me was about Beowulf. We had to make a musical, and I and my friends got really into it. We filmed it and presented it to the class. It really helped me to learn and understand Beowulf and connect it to modern life, songs, and problems that were important to us. It was also a lot of fun. –Becky Adams, College Junior • When my 7th grade class read Monster, we switched roles every day, and you got to be the reader for that character. Like one day you would be Steve, one day King, one day Petrocelli, etc. We would read the book like we were acting out a movie. Our teacher arranged the classroom to look like a courtroom so it made it even more fun. – Paige Perigo, Senior Integrated Language Arts major • The most creative use of drama for me as a student was using drama to learn non dramatic literature. I acted out a number of chapter summaries from Of Mice and Men for my 10th grade English class, which was a fun and effective tool for review and analysis. Also, in 12th grade, a group of my friends and I acted out, filmed, and cut a shortened, superspeed (about 8minutes) version of The Odyssey in place of writing a paper about the text. –Aaron Scott Johnson, Senior Integrated Language Arts major • For one assignment we had to take material that was not drama (mine was a Calvin and Hobbes comic) and create the elements of a play around it. This included costumes, scenery, characters, and story development. –Katie Meisky, Junior Spanish major • In 11th grade we made a video of Macbeth, complete with costumes and a fake fog machine! When we read The Canterbury Tales, we were encouraged to be creative with outside projects, and my group decided to do a video again, acting out different characters and modernizing the story of the 58 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 Monk to current day. Acting out the dramas we studied in high school may have been embarrassing at the time, but looking back, those are some of the lessons I’ll remember forever. –Rachel Csaszar, Junior Journalism and Public Relations major As evidenced by these students’ recollections looking back as many as eight years, what stands out are the creative, handson, performancebased aspects of drama. This brings to mind the archetype of the fun, outofthebox English teacher who, while being organized and maintaining high standards, creates an environment for learning that pushes students outside their comfort zone yet with the sense of safety that facilitates their willingness to take risks that advance learning and expand experience. Ideas for teaching drama are so numerous that this themed issue of OJELA could easily lead to a recurring feature column focusing on such strategies. Teaching drama could be organized according to three major components: analyzing, performing, and writing. And of course these three can intersect and be approached on the continuum from informal to formal, less to more time intensive, basic comprehension to critical analysis, or simple application to complex synthesis. Activities for Dramatic Performance and Writing Having painted a broad brushstroke for how teachers can approach performance and why this is beneficial to student learning, this next section provides a brief explanation of ten additional performanceoriented strategies to suit a variety of instructional needs and student abilities. Note that six of the activities (2, 3, 5, 8, 9, and 10) involve not only students’ bodykinesthetic performance but also their writing performance. 1. Chaos Drama—This is a great strategy for helping students to release some of their inhibitions about acting and see how fun performance can be. “In this activity, each member of the class draws a card that gives directions for a strange activity for that student alone to perform repeatedly” (Milner & Milner, 2008, p. 105). For example “Walk to the nearest window or door and pretend frantically to try to open it. After a five second attempt, cry out ‘Horrors! The air is streaming in on us!’” or “Skip slowly and gracefully about the room, stopping at any person who is not in motion around the room. The Conference Room Table Put both hands on this person’s shoulders and say longingly, ‘It is so, so good to have you back home again’” (p. 106). Once all of the students have been given a card and drawn into the drama, say “Stop.” The point here is to help students let down their guard, engage in the playfulness of acting, and subsequently open themselves to the range of dramatic opportunities to follow. 2. Take a Walk in Their Shoes—This idea is inspired by a book of the same name by Glennette Tilley Turner (1989) which provide biographies of fourteen outstanding African Americans with skits about each. Have students write and perform a script representing the life of a person who made a difference. 3. Hold Your Own Press Conference—This writing idea from Barry Lane (2008, pp. 5152) is a strategy that could be adapted to performance as students take any issue, theme, or text and assume the role of a person related to it fielding questions. The process of thinking about the nature of the questions and answers as well as how the scene could be staged can promote deeper understanding and critical analysis. It can also prompt humor and the opportunity to have fun with learning. 4. Dramatic Play (Wilhelm, 2008)—Assign students different parts of the text (does not have to be a play) and have them assume character roles and act out scenes. Encourage students to enact “the psychological and physical activities that would follow a particular stimulus” (p. 134). 5. Guided Meditation—The goal of guided meditation is to place students at the center of a scenario where they can “use their imaginations to put themselves in [a] situation” (Rice, 2007, p. 107). Typically when a guided meditation is read, those listening close their eyes to help them visualize. To link this strategy more closely with drama, students should be encouraged to write a meditation that includes multiple voices so that at least part of the scenario is like listening in to a dramatic scene. The writing and performance of the guided meditation is of its own importance, but it can also serve as a powerful segue to related simulation and role play scenarios. 6. Simulation and Role Play—This is a broad category of active learning strategies which fits in the context of dramatic arts. Students may engage in acting character parts or assuming different roles. Simulations can be applied to practical matters such as interviewing; to critical matters such as point and counterpoint debate, or assuming different roles on a controversial topic; or more generally to creative, literaturebased explorations where students role play to better understand or get into the mindset of a character. 7. Tableaux—Like pantomime, but without motion, the tableaux is a dramatic form that uses no words. Instead, students freeze in a position (think of a live sculpture) as a way to convey their understanding of a character or scenario from a literary text. This is a great group activity where “as one group freezes [for the tableaux], the others observe and interpret it” (Rice, 2002, p. 196). 8. Analogy Dramas (Wilhelm, 2008, p. 134)— Students consider a story in light of their own lives and write and perform corresponding dramatic vignettes. 9. Missing Scene Scripts (Wilhelm, 2008, p. 134)—Students ponder what scenes were missing from the text or what they would like to see more of and write and perform the corresponding vignettes. This activity could also be adapted as a way to explore alternate endings. 10. Conduct a Mock Trial—While Nilsen & Donelson (2009, p. 161) offer an excellent rationale and process for reading aloud Twelve Angry Men, the idea of conducting a mock trial is a highly flexible one that could be applied to virtually any text. The trial offers a frame for students to write and perform a script that addresses key issues of characterization and conflict from any literary text. Recommended Resources for Teaching Drama Ideas for teaching drama are limited only by our imaginations. While this article has provided a snapshot of several readytouse strategies, I would like to close by recommending eight teacherfriendly texts that will offer many more ideas that readers will find easy to adapt to their classroom setting and needs. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 59 The Conference Room Table • What Was It Like? Teaching History and Culture Through Young Adult Literature (Rice, 2007)— Besides structuring all activities within a context of active learning, each chapter offers a specific strategy (e.g., News Broadcasts, Talk Shows, and Simulation Learning Centers) for Simulation and Role Play, each supported by an example of student work. • Ò You Gotta BE the BookÓ : Teaching Engaged and Reflective Reading with Adolescents, Second Edition (Wilhelm, 2008)—As indicated by the title, this book has student engagement at the core. Wilhelm offers many innovative ways to tap into student interest and creativity to facilitate learning. Of particular relevance to this article is Chapter 4, “Using Drama to Extend the Reader,” which details nine specific dramatic activities. • Bridging English, Fourth Edition (Milner & Milner, 2008)—This is arguably the best English Education text when it comes to offering specific and detailed, processoriented strategies for teaching drama from standard analysis to writing and performance. Chapter 4, “Developing an Oral Foundation,” includes over 20 strategies for teaching performance aspects of drama, and Chapter 7, “Unlocking Texts,” provides a wealth of creative activities that move students from understanding to deep analysis. • Teachers Set Free: Folger Education and Other Revolutionary Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare—This themed issue of the English 60 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 Journal (September 2009), includes more than a dozen articles on various aspects of teaching Shakespeare from audience and performance to film and technology. • The K12 Teachers section of the Folger Shakespeare Library website <http://www. folger.edu/index_sa.cfm?specaudid=2> is a top resource for lesson plans and ideas for teaching and performing Shakespearean plays. • Literature for TodayÕ s Young Adults, Eighth Edition (Nilsen & Donelson, 2009)—Of particular interest is Chapter 5, “Poetry, Drama, Humor, and New Media,” which includes several teaching strategies and an annotated bibliography of Plays Commonly Read in English Classes. • Teaching Classroom Drama and Theater: Practical Projects for Secondary Schools (Lewis & Rainer, 2005)—This book is a stepby step guide for teaching drama and presents clear, classroomtested ideas for engaging students with different abilities. It includes methodologies for process drama as well as traditional theater teaching. • Inspired Drama Teaching: A Practical Guide for Teachers (West, 2011)—This book is packed full of readytouse ideas for teaching drama and helping students to develop the cooperative skills necessary for drama to thrive in the classroom. The Conference Room Table References Folger Shakespeare Library. (2011). K12 teach ers. Retrieved from http://www.folger.edu/ index_sa.cfm?specaudid=2 Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books. Glatthorn, A. A. (1999). Performance standards and authentic learning. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education. Kagan, D. (1986). Cooperative learning and so ciocultural diversity: Implications for practice. In California Office of Bilingual and Bicultural Education. Beyond language: Social and cultural factors in schooling language minority students (pp. 98 110). Los Angeles: California State University. Lane, B. (2008). But how do you teach writing? A simple guide for all teachers. New York: Scholastic. Lewis, M., & Rainer, J. (2005). Teaching classroom drama and theater: Practical projects for secondary schools. New York: Routledge. Marzano, R. J. & Kendall, J. S. (1996). A comprehensive guide to designing standards-based districts, schools, and classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Milner, J. O., & Milner, L. F. M. (2008). Bridging English (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/ Merrill Prentice Hall. Nilsen, A.P., & Donelson, K.L. (2009). Literature for todayÕ s young adults (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson. Rice, Linda J. (2007). What was it like? Teaching history and culture through young adult literature. New York: Teachers College Press. Stover, L. T., Neubert, G. A., & Lawlor, J. C. (1993). Creating interactive environments in the secondary school. Washington, DC: National Education Association. Teachers set free: Folger education and other revo lutionary approaches to teaching Shakespeare. (September 2009). English Journal, 99(1), 11132. Turner, G.T. (1989). Take a walk in their shoes. New York: Puffin. West, K. (2011). Inspired drama teaching: A practical guide for teachers. London: Continuum. Wilhelm, J. D. (2008). Ò You gotta be the bookÓ : Teaching engaged and reflective reading with adolescents (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press and Urbana, IL: NCTE. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 61 Thank You Reviewers The editors gratefully acknowledge the work our colleagues have performed over the past year for OJELA. We wish to thank the following reviewers. 62 Pamela Antos Hilliard Davidson High School Jennifer Miller Hiram College Michelle Best Austintown Middle School Virginia Monseau Youngstown State University Teresa Billock Mahoning County Career & Tech Center Linda Parsons The Ohio State University, Marion Karla Bisig Wilmington High School Cathi Raub Carney Columbiana Village Schools Margaret Blevins West Union High School Sarah Ressler Wright Rutherford B. Hayes High School Karen Carney Campbell City Schools Lynn Rudd Kent State University/Canton City Schools Kim Davis Mahoning County ESC Allyson Russell Trumbull County Technical Center Chris Delfosse Willard Middle School, Warren Haley Shaffer Poland Middle School Kate Gavalier Mahoning County ESC Tanzina Shams Ashland University Jay Gordon Youngstown State University Cynthia Schnellbach Columbiana South Side Middle School Carol Hart McDonald High School Jo Taylor Brookfield High School Pat Hauschildt Youngstown State University Debbie Thomas Ashland University Christine Krol Malone College Michelle Winship Ohio Education Association April King Austintown Fitch High School Connie Zitlow Ohio Wesleyan University OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 A Closing Lesson “Y Peggy A. Moore ou tell me, Robert, which sentence is correct … It was I who he called. It was me who he called. It was I whom he called. And, it was me whom he called.” “I don’t know … They all sound fair enough to me.” “Just as I suspected from the first.” “The first what?” “It’s an expression, Rob… You don’t know grammar because you don’t know how to diagram.” Ò Jack hit the ball hard with JoeÕ s yellow bat. Let’s see you diagram that.” “I can’t, Auntie Matt.” “I know you can’t. But any schoolboy who gets a D had better learn. First off, what’s the subject?” “English.” “What?” “English is the subject I got a D in.” “Rob, I used to teach English, and there was one thing I never did. Know what that was?” “Played the cornet?” “Not exactly. I never got angry. A good teacher does not lose her temper, no matter how stupid her pupils are.” “That’s good, because in our school they sure are some dull ones.” “Next time,” said Aunt Matty, “I’ll teach the pig” (Peck 5659). As teachers we’ve all felt like Aunt Matty at one time or another. We just cannot make ourselves understood. Students just do not understand the words coming out of our mouths. These occasions are funny, but they can also bring one to tears. There is just too much drama in a classroom! Ahhhh, yes, there is! Whether it is a drama class, an English class or a math class, there is always drama, and the best we can hope for is to try to turn it into a learning experience. The scene from Robert Newton Peck’s A Day No Pigs Would Die is not only humorous, but also an opportunity to instruct. In drama class, it is often difficult for students to communicate humor in their skits. They either overdo it or do not do enough to make something funny. Ò Students, much humor happens naturally. Typically, if you find something amusing so will the audience, so you do not have to try too hard to find humor, especially in everyday life. Take the above scene for example. This is naturally funnyÑ it is to a teacher, Johnny, so sit down. To convey this humor you will not have to add much dialogue. What will you have to add? Sally? Heightened movement and exaggerated facial expressions and body languageÑ excellent! This is why Sally is getting an A in drama! Can anyone give examples of these things?Ó But drama class is not the only classroom in which one can learn from drama. In journalism, teachers try to convey the essence of feature writing and the elements that make up a good feature. One of these elements is humor, but if one tries to make an event funny in writing it often falls flat. Ò Taylor, what happened during the interview that made both you and Mrs. Jones laugh? Well, just write it exactly as it happened. Use as few words as possible, but the words you do use should paint a picture of what happened. If you use imagery to paint that picture, your reader will find the event just as humorous.Ó Now literature is not the only place on which one can draw drama as a learning tool. Drama happens every minute of every day in high school. I am sure it is the same way in grade school and perhaps even more so in junior high—raging hormones and all—but I Peggy A. Moore teaches English, Journalism, Drama I and II, and Study Skills at Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, OH. At Cardinal Mooney, she also serves as NHS Advisor, Assistant Drama Director, and advisor to the school newspaper, The Beacon. She attended Kent State University before transferring to Youngstown State and earning a BS in Education. In May, she will receive her MA. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts 63 A Closing Lesson can only speak to high school. A young woman may run out of the classroom crying because her boyfriend is cheating on her. A young man returns after a three day suspension for being drunk at a dance. Another young woman loudly plots to punch another girl in the face because “she be talking about me to my back.” Another young man comes to class carrying an intravenous antibiotic bag to fight an infection he got when someone’s tooth became lodged between his knuckles. All drama, and all opportunities from which to learn. In drama class: Ò StudentÕ s, letÕ s act out the scene in which a tooth becomes lodged in TommyÕ s knuckle. TommyÑs elect the number of students you will need to reenact the scene, and then you have twenty minutes to practice. Be sure you use proper stage positions, good blocking, subtle stage business, and safe stage combat. Oh! This time the ending must be different. This time you mustÐth rough some means–resolve the problem without conflict and without you needing an antibiotic.Ó In English class: “On the board you will find a prompt. You have the remainder of the period to explore your own thoughtÐo kay, thoughtsÑo n the topic as well as the thoughts opposed to yours. The prompt is: When what someone else says causes me to react, I have just allowed them to control me. Ready, set, go!Ó Sure, I know the Ô she be talking about meÕ could also spark a grammar lesson, but that’s for another day, and perhaps a page filled with humorous sentences made of their own utterances. LetÕ s make them correct them! Hey, that could work in journalism as well! Ô Using AP Style, and copy editing symbols, correct the following sentences!Õ Ó Speaking of journalism, perhaps the drinking and suspension event could spark an issue of the newspaper dedicated to the effects of drinking. Students could do surveys, make charts, and research teen drinking. Perhaps a teacher could write an article from an adult perspective. We could have the parent who lost his or her child to alcohol poisoning write a commentary. A student could research how other schools handle intoxicated students. Who knows, maybe we are not so strict! The point is, all drama is an opportunity to gain some kind of knowledge, whether you have students discuss the quote, “A person worth crying over won’t make you cry, and a person who makes you cry is not worth crying over,” or write, act, or whatever! The job of an educator is to educate, and drama provides many excellent opportunities. Of course it is not only students who can learn! As a young, well youngish, newly graduated educator, I had a degree and no job. The best way 64 OJELA Vol. 51, No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011 to make money, get a little practice, learn something, and perhaps get one’s foot in the door is to substitute! Well, you definitely learn something, and perhaps you should keep your foot in that door! I subbed a science class in a school on the three by three block schedule, so the class was two hours long. I had a lesson plan, but the handouts were not where I was told they would be. Hey! I can improvise. “Class, as we do not have the required handouts, we will instead read the chapter indicated and write an outline of said chapter. When finished with the outline, please answer the questions at the end of the chapter in complete sentences.” After an hour, students asked for a break as their hands were cramped claws. I am a nice person–I let them have a break, get a drink, and use the restroom. The last student out of the room, such a polite young man, shut the previously propped open door. After ten minutes, I asked the three remaining students— who were diligently working I might add—“How long does your teacher usually give you for a break?” They said we were seven minutes past the fiveminute break. I calmly strolled to the door, turned the handle, pushed the door, and nothing! Now I pulled the door and turned the knob the other direction. It just kept turning, and the door did not open. “Miss, the door is broken, that’s why Mr. Smith has it wedged open!” Fifteen minutes had now elapsed and—not one to panic—I looked out the windows. We were on the second floor, and although there was snow, it was not enough to cushion a fall if one were to jump onto the asphalt. “Hmmm,” I thought to myself, “the ledge is too narrow to walk on to get the person next door to come to my aid. Eureka! I have a cell phone. I can call the office and have the secretary rescue us.” “Do any of you guys know the school’s phone number?” My kingdom for a phone book! Search the desk! Thank God for letterhead with phone numbers. I called the office and the principal—of all people—saved those of us trapped while towing the miscreants behind him. What did we learn from this drama? Principals and teachers really enjoy teasing a new teacher, only trust the smart kids—who by the way magically found the handouts—and never, ever give students a break! Work Cited Peck, Robert Newton. A Day No Pigs Would Die. New York: Dell, 1972. NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 225 Youngstown, Ohio 644 Overlook Dr. Columbus, OH 43214 Volume 51, Number 2 • Summer/Fall 2011 A Publication of OCTELA, the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Language Arts Dramatic Arts
