Drama, Drama, Drama

...but don't worry, only in the theatrical sense ;)

I realized it had been a bit of a while since I posted!  Things are getting super busy here at CI, here's what Ms. H has been up to...

• I had been working with a group of seven grade 4 students who wrote plays on staging and rehearsing them.  After a crazy final week of gathering props, creating backdrops, and rehearsing on the big stage, they put on a show for most of the Village School on Valentine's Day!  Check out the final product here.  It's certainly not perfect, and we all learned a lot.  Their teacher has suggested he may have them write one more play before the year is out - this time with a few long scenes instead of so many short ones!
• You may recall way back in the beginning of the year when I talked about House.  In January, they decided to switch up some of the House activities, and added one called Theatre Sports.  As the resident Village School thespian, I was tapped to plan and implement these activities.  The challenge?  Finding and leading a competitive theatre activity that will engage 40 - 80 students for 45 minutes.  I had my first session with one of our largest grade levels, grade 2, on Friday.  Giving instruction was difficult to be sure, but they had fun, and the teachers offered their compliments on the way out!  Stay tuned for video to come the next time I lead the activities!
• Kindergarten is gearing up for a full-grade theatre production in May.  I've been doing some technical advising about the easiest ways to have students create backdrops that don't have to be hung (yay for projections!) and collaborating on doing some simple readers' theatre with small groups.
• Since our school does not have an elementary drama program this year, I have no supplies for my program next year!  It's purchasing season, so I spent several evenings trolling online sites for resource books, props, wigs, hats, and decor.
• Grade 1 is also working on a drama unit right now - so much theatre happening!  I'm guest teaching a lesson on what feelings look like in our faces and bodies tomorrow.  This is probably my favourite grade to teach, so I'm pretty stoked :)
• Our school has a student visiting for two months who is getting her BA in Contemporary Performance Studies, and she has a particular interest in how drama increases confidence for ELL students.  I cannot tell you how many people met her, then came to me and told me that we just had to be introduced!  She helped out with our grade 4 group, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with her.
• On Thursday evening, I'm jetting off to Singapore!  The wonderful Ms. W helped me get school funding to attend a PYP workshop on encouraging children's creative instincts in the classroom.  I am so excited to get some more guidance on how to build an inquiry-based, student-centred drama program for my kids...and catch a few rays!
• After flying back from Singapore overnight on Sunday, I'll kick off Monday morning with rehearsals for the VS dance show the following weekend.  That should be an interesting week...!

And of course, it's not all drama.  We've also got some regular old grade 3 stuff :)

• For our change unit, we have resumed science lab!  So far we have planted bean sprouts and watered them with different liquids (except none of them have sprouted...uh oh, Ms. H has a black thumb); tried dissolving various liquids in water; and chosen several liquids to freeze.  This week we'll be experimenting with heat instead of cold - either microwaving or burning materials.
• My co-teacher was out for two days over the last week and a half, so Ms. H was flying solo.  We did some fun stuff, and the kids and I are comfortable enough together that it doesn't feel much like subbing.  We are reaching that point in the year when they might be a little too comfortable in the classroom, so they're all starting to push a little bit.  The end of the week was a struggle, but we have high hopes for next week.
• I've started researching Masters programs to begin this fall.  Currently debating Instructional Technology and TESOL - advice on which might be more beneficial is more than welcome!

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I love to be busy.  Good thing - I adore the chaos of my dramatic life :)

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Currently reading:  Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
Current high:  brunch with a friend this morning followed by a very productive afternoon!
Current low:  lacking in cooking inspiration :-/