Global Film Class will finishing up with one of my personal favorites, “Amelie.” Amelie, IMDB This 2001 French film is rated R for mild sexual situations. It is a semi-fantastical journey through life as seem by the innocent 20 something, Amelie. A fun and light hearted film to end this course on.

Igmar Bergman’s 1957 classic, “The Seventh Seal,” explores the conflict a knight returning from the Crusades feels with death. His home, Sweden is wracked by the Black Plague and he is engaged in a game of chess with death, personified. The film is rated PG. Here is a link to the IMDB site. The Seventh Seal IMDB Here is a link to the assignment attached to this film. The Seventh Seal Assignment

Students who were all caught up in Global Film class viewed “Children of Heaven” today, while students who were behind had a workday. “Children of Heaven” is an Iranian movie released in 1997 about a young boy who looses his sister’s only pair of shoes. He goes to great lengths to find them and well… I won’t spoil it for you.  The film was rated PG. The reasons I chose this film is that it is beautifully acted, has an unexpected ending, and gives an inside look of Iran- a country we rarely get to see here in the US. I would recommend it to anyone- it is very inspiring and moving. Here is a link to the IMDB site: Children of Heaven As this was an ‘extra,’ there will be no major assessment connected to this film.

After returning from winter break, the Global Film class will be viewing “Slumdog Millionaire,” winner of numerous awards including the 2009 Academy Award for Best Picture. An contemporary gem that explores the issues of class in India, “Slumdog Millionaire” is renowned for its emotional and social impact on filmgoers across the globe.

IMDB link: Slumdog Millionaire

A German exploration of the powers of fate versus chance, “Run, Lola, Run” is as fast-paced as it sounds. Released in 1998, the movie uses a driving soundtrack, vivid colors, and tons of symbolism as it follows Lola, a heroine trying to save her boyfriend from impending doom in 20 minutes. The film is rated “R” for some language and violence. Here is a link to the IMDB page. Lola Rennt

Here is the assignment attached to this film: Run, Lola, Run assignment

“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is the Chinese film that brought director Ang Lee to international and critical prominence. The innovative style he uses to tell his story is full of acrobatics that make this live-action film feel like it could be animated, at times. Here is a link to the IMDB Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon site. This film is rated PG 13, and does not have an accompanying assignment.  Movie Trailer

New Zealand cinema isn’t just famous for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, as “Whale Rider” introduced the indigenous ‘Maori’ people’s in New Zealand to the rest of the world. “Whale Rider” is a coming of age story that also highlights the injustices young women across the world live with and struggle against in order to realize their potentials. This film is rated PG-13 and you can find more information here: Whale Rider IMDB There isn’t an assignment attached to this film- students should continue to work on their “My Left Foot” assignment.

We are off to Ireland! “My Left Foot,” is the true story of Christy Brown, an artist with cerebral palsy. This 1989 film won Daniel Day Louis a Best Actor Academy Award with good reason- his performance is simply stunning. This film is rated R for language, as Christ Brown struggles to communicate and is is often frustrated to the point of explosion, (a 5 on the 5 point scale)  as many people with communication struggles can get. For more information, here is the IMDB link. My Left Foot

The assignment for this movie is here and is due Dec. 2nd. My Left Foot Assignment

Next week the class will be viewing “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” a 1974 classic British comedy that exemplifies British humor. Here is a link to the IMDB site: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The film is rated PG, but would probably be rated PG13 if it were re-rated by today’s standards.

Here is a link to the “Monty Python and the Extra Credit” Assignment. Monty Python Tropes Extra Credit Assignment

The Global Film class is finishing off it’s time in Japan with “Steamboy,” an inspiring film that explores the conflict between three generations of the Steam family men, who are scientific geniuses when it comes to controlling the power of steam. Here is a link to the IMDB site: Steamboy. The film is a fantastic example of Japanese Anime, a genre known for its artistic innovations and wild imaginings. The film is rated PG-13.

The assignment that accompanies this film is a character creation. The students will create a character that fits in the world of the film. This will require them to have a good understanding of this fictional world and all of the elements that the creators considered when making it. Here is a link to the assignment: Character Sheet

The Tech/Drama class lesson plans are available here for your convenience: Tech/Drama Lesson Plans

This quarter, the 7th and 8th grade Drama/Tech students will be learning about shooting video and acting for the camera. We are beginning this week, writing short scenes based on personal interviews that the students are doing with each other. Here is a link to the basic interview form that they are using to begin this project. Interview Worksheet

The 7/8th graders have been exploring their impulsive sides and getting a few laughs in as well. We have spend the time since our Puppet Plays working on comedy improv, which can be challenging but also rewarding. They will be moving on to a movie making unit for the fourth quarter, which is exciting because we will be combining forces with Computer Tech to create a variety of videos. I can’t wait to see what they come up with and hope to post them here when they are done.

1. Always say “YES,” Never say “NO.” (Accept the suggestion)
2. Avoid questions.
3. Make your partner look good.
4. Don’t try to be funny.
5. Tell a story. (3 W’s= a strong foundation for a scene)

Here is a link to the weekly and daily lesson plans for Drama- enjoy!

Lesson Plans

First of all, let me say how proud I am of all of the 7th and 8th grade students for their hard work and efforts put into the “International Puppet Palooza.” I also want to thank all of their families for supporting them in this endeavor. I considered it to be a truly successful event, in that there were so many students that experienced performance for the first time and gained confidence that will help drive them through their ever-changing lives.

Secondly, I am excited to announce that we will be spending the next 6 weeks exploring the world of improvisation. This will be a fun and engaging way for the students to stretch their imaginations, follow their intuitions and learn the rules that govern the give and take of performance, on and off the stage.  They will all begin by learning the first rule of ‘improv,’ which is “never say no, and always say yes.” What this means is that an improviser should always be open to suggestions and be willing to go with them. This really challenges our student’s ‘flexible thinking’ skills, and I have been amazed at the progress all of my older students have made in this area, due to improvisation work.

The “International Puppet Paloosa” is on Jan. 24th at 6:00. All students should arrive by 5:30, and have their assigned clothing on or at hand to change into. Students were asked (in a letter sent home) to wear all black, brown or neutral colors. If you are unsure about what your student is supposed to wear please contact Ms. Prill so she can inform you and send home a new letter.

The A1 Drama class is just beginning to rehearse 3 short short plays that revolve around Anansi, the trickster spider of Africa. The classes have their parts, have been brainstorming about what their costumes, puppets and sets may look like and will begin blocking the play next week. They will continue to work on this play until the end of the semester when we present it to our families and community.

The Tech/Drama class lesson plans are available here for your convenience: Tech/Drama Lesson Plans

This quarter, the 7th and 8th grade Drama/Tech students will be learning about shooting video and acting for the camera. We are beginning this week, writing short scenes based on personal interviews that the students are doing with each other. Here is a link to the basic interview form that they are using to begin this project. Interview Worksheet

The 7/8th graders have been exploring their impulsive sides and getting a few laughs in as well. We have spend the time since our Puppet Plays working on comedy improv, which can be challenging but also rewarding. They will be moving on to a movie making unit for the fourth quarter, which is exciting because we will be combining forces with Computer Tech to create a variety of videos. I can’t wait to see what they come up with and hope to post them here when they are done.

1. Always say “YES,” Never say “NO.” (Accept the suggestion)
2. Avoid questions.
3. Make your partner look good.
4. Don’t try to be funny.
5. Tell a story. (3 W’s= a strong foundation for a scene)

Here is a link to the weekly and daily lesson plans for Drama- enjoy!

Lesson Plans

First of all, let me say how proud I am of all of the 7th and 8th grade students for their hard work and efforts put into the “International Puppet Palooza.” I also want to thank all of their families for supporting them in this endeavor. I considered it to be a truly successful event, in that there were so many students that experienced performance for the first time and gained confidence that will help drive them through their ever-changing lives.

Secondly, I am excited to announce that we will be spending the next 6 weeks exploring the world of improvisation. This will be a fun and engaging way for the students to stretch their imaginations, follow their intuitions and learn the rules that govern the give and take of performance, on and off the stage.  They will all begin by learning the first rule of ‘improv,’ which is “never say no, and always say yes.” What this means is that an improviser should always be open to suggestions and be willing to go with them. This really challenges our student’s ‘flexible thinking’ skills, and I have been amazed at the progress all of my older students have made in this area, due to improvisation work.

The “International Puppet Paloosa” is on Jan. 24th at 6:00. All students should arrive by 5:30, and have their assigned clothing on or at hand to change into. Students were asked (in a letter sent home) to wear all black, brown or neutral colors. If you are unsure about what your student is supposed to wear please contact Ms. Prill so she can inform you and send home a new letter.

The B4 Drama class is just beginning rehearsals on “Fire Demon and South Wind,” a Korean folk tale that highlights the importance of community and trust between Kings and their Villagers. They will work on the puppets and rehearsing the play until we perform it for your enjoyment on January 24th.

The Tech/Drama class lesson plans are available here for your convenience: Tech/Drama Lesson Plans

This quarter, the 7th and 8th grade Drama/Tech students will be learning about shooting video and acting for the camera. We are beginning this week, writing short scenes based on personal interviews that the students are doing with each other. Here is a link to the basic interview form that they are using to begin this project. Interview Worksheet

The 7/8th graders have been exploring their impulsive sides and getting a few laughs in as well. We have spend the time since our Puppet Plays working on comedy improv, which can be challenging but also rewarding. They will be moving on to a movie making unit for the fourth quarter, which is exciting because we will be combining forces with Computer Tech to create a variety of videos. I can’t wait to see what they come up with and hope to post them here when they are done.

1. Always say “YES,” Never say “NO.” (Accept the suggestion)
2. Avoid questions.
3. Make your partner look good.
4. Don’t try to be funny.
5. Tell a story. (3 W’s= a strong foundation for a scene)

Here is a link to the weekly and daily lesson plans for Drama- enjoy!

Lesson Plans

First of all, let me say how proud I am of all of the 7th and 8th grade students for their hard work and efforts put into the “International Puppet Palooza.” I also want to thank all of their families for supporting them in this endeavor. I considered it to be a truly successful event, in that there were so many students that experienced performance for the first time and gained confidence that will help drive them through their ever-changing lives.

Secondly, I am excited to announce that we will be spending the next 6 weeks exploring the world of improvisation. This will be a fun and engaging way for the students to stretch their imaginations, follow their intuitions and learn the rules that govern the give and take of performance, on and off the stage.  They will all begin by learning the first rule of ‘improv,’ which is “never say no, and always say yes.” What this means is that an improviser should always be open to suggestions and be willing to go with them. This really challenges our student’s ‘flexible thinking’ skills, and I have been amazed at the progress all of my older students have made in this area, due to improvisation work.

The “International Puppet Paloosa” is on Jan. 24th at 6:00. All students should arrive by 5:30, and have their assigned clothing on or at hand to change into. Students were asked (in a letter sent home) to wear all black, brown or neutral colors. If you are unsure about what your student is supposed to wear please contact Ms. Prill so she can inform you and send home a new letter.

The guys in B3 Drama are starting to rehearse and prepare 2 Japanese cautionary tales… that also happen to be pretty funny. They tell the story of a master and his wise, and not so wise servant who

The Tech/Drama class lesson plans are available here for your convenience: Tech/Drama Lesson Plans

This quarter, the 7th and 8th grade Drama/Tech students will be learning about shooting video and acting for the camera. We are beginning this week, writing short scenes based on personal interviews that the students are doing with each other. Here is a link to the basic interview form that they are using to begin this project. Interview Worksheet

The 7/8th graders have been exploring their impulsive sides and getting a few laughs in as well. We have spend the time since our Puppet Plays working on comedy improv, which can be challenging but also rewarding. They will be moving on to a movie making unit for the fourth quarter, which is exciting because we will be combining forces with Computer Tech to create a variety of videos. I can’t wait to see what they come up with and hope to post them here when they are done.

1. Always say “YES,” Never say “NO.” (Accept the suggestion)
2. Avoid questions.
3. Make your partner look good.
4. Don’t try to be funny.
5. Tell a story. (3 W’s= a strong foundation for a scene)

Here is a link to the weekly and daily lesson plans for Drama- enjoy!

Lesson Plans

First of all, let me say how proud I am of all of the 7th and 8th grade students for their hard work and efforts put into the “International Puppet Palooza.” I also want to thank all of their families for supporting them in this endeavor. I considered it to be a truly successful event, in that there were so many students that experienced performance for the first time and gained confidence that will help drive them through their ever-changing lives.

Secondly, I am excited to announce that we will be spending the next 6 weeks exploring the world of improvisation. This will be a fun and engaging way for the students to stretch their imaginations, follow their intuitions and learn the rules that govern the give and take of performance, on and off the stage.  They will all begin by learning the first rule of ‘improv,’ which is “never say no, and always say yes.” What this means is that an improviser should always be open to suggestions and be willing to go with them. This really challenges our student’s ‘flexible thinking’ skills, and I have been amazed at the progress all of my older students have made in this area, due to improvisation work.

The “International Puppet Paloosa” is on Jan. 24th at 6:00. All students should arrive by 5:30, and have their assigned clothing on or at hand to change into. Students were asked (in a letter sent home) to wear all black, brown or neutral colors. If you are unsure about what your student is supposed to wear please contact Ms. Prill so she can inform you and send home a new letter.

The A2 Drama class will be performing two short Indonesian plays called “The Little Mouse Deer: How the Mouse Deer tricks the Tiger” and  ”How Mouse Deer escapes from the Pit.” The students all seem excited aout their parts and are looking forward to beginning rehearsals and constructing puppets, masks and set pieces in the upcoming months.

The High School Acting class learned about different theatrical movements from 1800-2012 this week in preparation of reading “The Caucasian Chalk Circle,” a ‘Epic Theater’ play, by Bertolt Brecht. Here is a link to the Prezi that contains the information they were given on Monday. Theater Movements of the 19th and 20th Centuries

The High School Acting class has been hard at work on learning/memorizing monologues and applying a wide variety of dialects to them. We have a Hamlet with a Boston dialect, a few British sounding students, an Irish fella with a problem at the DMV and another one with some pretty tough memories of a work camp during WWII. I am trying to convince the students to perform these for the Arts Showcase, so families, please encourage your students to step up and share their hard work with the audience on April 27th!

Here are the weekly lesson plans for Acting.

Lesson Plans

This semester in Acting II students will be diving in and exploring the actor’s toolbox, which consists of their 1.) bodies 2.) voices and 3.) minds. We are beginning with the body. For the next few weeks, the class will engage in movement activities and exercises that challenge them to define environments, observe the motions of animals and humans and interpret and replicate those observations and create characters and silent scenes. This week, the students are developing solo performances of complex actions through pantomime. They are breaking down activities like fishing, bowling or getting ready in the morning into small, performable actions. They began the project on Monday and will perform their solo scenes on Friday.

The Acting I class has Act 5 left to read and they will be finished reading “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” After winter break the class will be split into 2 acting troupes and will be rehearsing and performing scenes from the play.  Its neat to see which students relate with certain characters in the play. There are romantics, clowns and nobility and the students have had a interesting time discovering and exploring each type of character. They have been completing comprehension quizzes as we go and have also been performing parts, listening to the audio play version, and viewing the film version. I’m pleased to say that comprehension quizzes are showing that they are ‘getting it,’ and if you ask any of them they will probably tell you that they are ready to perform it!

Yesterday we finished reading, listening to, and viewing Act One of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and the class is excited to put the second scene on it’s feet next week. They completed 2comprehension quizes this week and tackled and conquered many new vocabulary terms.  Most of the class was convinced that the play was going to be a tragedy after reading the first scene, but after the second, they seemed to get really excited about the comedy. Here is a link to the MND 4 plots grid assignment that will be an ongoing assignment that helps the students track the 4 separate plots in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

We are ready to begin reading and studying “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare. Since Shakespeare’s text can be pretty intimidating, especially when reading it for the first time, we will be taking our time and doing it right, with a wide variety of approaches and methods of instruction. Here are three “wordles” I made that shows you what some of the most frequently used words in Act1Scene1 are. A “wordle” shows us the frequency of words through their size… the bigger the word, the more often it appears. I like this method as an introduction to an unfamiliar text because it gives the students a starting point for predictions about what might be in the text.

MND Wordle with 50 words

MND Wordle with 100 Words

MND Wordle with 150 Words