Cambridge Public Schools Drama Collaborative

CURRICULUM GUIDE Unit Title: The Newspaper Grade Levels: 1st grade Subject/Topic Areas: literacy and language arts, history and social studies, drama Key Words: current events, newspaper, news, performance Unit Designers: Linda Fobes, Bill Endslow School: Graham and Parks Time Frame: 4-6 weeks Click here for Teacher Resources: Guide for vocal warm-up exercises Theater Games Link to Massachusetts Standards: Language Arts #1 (discussion), #2 (questioning, listening, contributing), #4 (vocabulary and concept development), and #18 (dramatic reading and performance). Brief Summary of Unit (including what students will understand as a result of this unit) Children will read the newspaper every day to learn both what a newspaper is used for and what's happening in the world around them. They will, together with teachers, create and perform a play from the material they find in the newspaper. Drama Strategies Oral presentation, performance, interview, theater games, recitation, blocking Key Concepts (What statement(s) clearly expresses what I want students to know and understand?) The newspaper gives us critical information we need to live and communicate with each other; it helps us understand the world and makes us an informed participant in world events. By understanding how a newspaper works and by being familiar with a newspaper, we can form educated opinions about current events and form lifelong learning habits. Essential Questions (What specific questions will guide this unit and focus teaching and learning?) What are the parts of a newspaper and what do they tell you? Why is a newspaper important to you? To others in history? What is the different bewteen facts and opinions? Why should journalism be objective?   Students will know Students will be able to Facts and information about the parts of a newspaper (e.g., sports, arts, weather, business, etc.), and how and why it is used Find stories that interest them in a newspaper Hear and understand things happening in the world and in their city on a daily basis Talk intelligently about current events Beginning acting techniques such as vocal variety and articulation Perform short skits so they can be heard and understood Beginning performance techniques such as sequencing of dramatic events, sharing a stage, awareness of body Have confidence in presentation, take turns, learn and remember simple songs and movement patterns, work together as a cast EVIDENCE OF STUDENT UNDERSTANDING: Summary of performance tasks and projects Students "read" newspaper each day and take turns selecting stories to be read to them Students give interview about one part of newspaper Students memorize lines and learn sequence of the play for performance Summary of quizzes, tests and prompts. n/a Other Evidence (e.g. observations, work samples and dialogues) Teacher's observation of the amount of family participation evident Teacher's observation of performance and rehearsal SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES: What sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip students to develop and demonstrate the desired understandings? Preliminary and ongoing activities (happen daily): Teacher and class read the newspaper every day during meeting time: teacher reads headlines to students and class takes turns picking a story to hear in its entirety. Class discusses story and what it means to them and to the world. Updating Weather Posterboard: after the newspaper reading of the day, students take turns filling in the weather report from the paper on a large chart. Theater games: teacher leads short drama exercises such as the counting game and other focusing games, vocal exercises and simple improvisations (see resources).   Sequence of Classroom Activities:   1. Teacher leads discussion on parts of a newspaper: headlines, index, weather, sports, ads, editorials, food, arts, etc. Students cocnentrate on learning that the front page summarizes all information. Questions for discussion: How do people read a newspaper? What are the parts of a newspaper?   2. Teacher talks about the history of newspaper: from town crier to fliers to the first newspapers to paper boys. Read Paper Boy by Mary Kroeger and Louise Borden.   3. (2-5 sessions) Teacher conducts interviews: each student chooses a section of the paper (classified, food, arts, etc.), and tells a story from that section. Teacher writes down interview responses to incorporate into the script.   4. Writing a script: teacher adapts what the class knows about the history and parts of the newspaper, and what the students have told her in their interviews, into a simple script. The script includes assigned lines for each student in the class (see sample script in resources).   5. Adding songs and recitations about the newspaper: teacher creates incidental songs and poems to add to the script. These can be invented by the teacher, or adapted from songs the children already know, or simply recited words, such as "Extra, extra, read all about it," etc.   6. Teacher gives each student two copies of the script: one for school practice and one for practice at home. Each students' lines are highlighted for them. Teacher leads first read-through of the script.   7. Teacher helps class learn any songs or recitations that are part of the performance.   8. Class constructs costumes made of enlarged pages of the newspaper (front pages of each major secion such as Arts & Culture or Classifieds, etc.) glued onto pieces of posterboad and hung so that the student can wear them around his/her neck.   9. Add action (staging) to the play: teacher gives each student directions for where they should be and what they should be doing during each scene in the play.   10. (One to four sessions) Rehearse play (as much as needed); dress rehearsal (rehearse play with costumes and all props).   11. Perform play for parents, other classrooms.   What resources are helpful and/or necessary to accomplish this curriculum? Books Any age-appropriate books about newspapers, newsboys, or current events Paper Boy by Mary Kroeger and Louise Borden, Ill. by Ted Levin. Clarion , NY 1996.   The Boston Globe (or any local daily newspaper) Curriculum developed by the Department of Drama and Dance, Cambridge public school teachers and Studebaker Theater artists involved with the Cambridge Public School Drama Collaborative, a project funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. CPSDC is a multi-year teacher training program that helps teachers integrate drama into the curriculum.