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Fall 2006 Projects "Creating a Community Through Difference" By Meghann Henry "Allpied Playwriting in the 4th Grade Classroom" By Laurie Melnik “Creating a Community Through Difference” 
ArtsBridge Campus: University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) This lucky class of twenty-three students began their academic career just a month prior to the beginning of the project. Ms. Schultz desired a strong classroom community in which her kindergartners could flourish and Henry brought to the table lesson plans to meet the need. Intitial lessons concentrated on identifying the students’ as unique individuals with unique contributions to their class. Students shared special objects from home and wrote guided poetry about themselves and their dreams. Students then worked through dramatic and artistic activities expressing the distinctiveness of their family units. In a particularly interesting exercise, scholar and host teacher guided the students in the expression of the sounds of their home. The students then layered on a motion from their home and came together as a class to create a “Family Soundscape Machine.” These bridge activities lead to subsequent lessons bringing forth the uniqueness of the students as a classroom community. 
“Applied Playwriting in the 4th Grade Classroom” 
ArtsBridge Campus: University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) Laurie’s project goals focused on teaching the class dramatic structure and expanding the vocabulary of the class many who come from bi-lingual backgrounds. In addition, Mr. Bearden requested an emphasis on narrative and expository writing, which appear on the Spring FCAT. In addition to daily Mad-Libs to exercise vocabulary, the class developed two separate plot structures and went on to write two scripts all with the support of Mr. Bearden and Laurie Melnik. The class presented their pieces reader’s theatre style at the school in a culmination of the semester’s work. Because the experience offered so much to all involved, Laurie and Mr. Bearden continue their partnership next semester to mount full productions of the original scripts. Laurie intends to create a documentary of the experience in an effort to provide a how-to manual for teachers wishing to use playwriting in their classroom. |
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