This supplemental unit study, Creative Dramatics in the Classroom, provides activities for engaging students in nonverbal communication. Skills practiced help students understand the subtleties in oral communication and build self-confidence. This teacher guide is divided into three skill areas: vocal expression, body language, and character creation. Each section is divided into 4 lessons, with each lesson divided into 3-5 activities. The activity length varies, typically from a half hour to 1 1/2 hours. Directions are clear, with the needed materials listed, and reproducible handouts provided. You’ll have clear directions to prep, guide, and complete each activity. While this unit study focuses on groups or classroom application, activities are equally applicable at home.
This product helps students exercise their imagination, practice developing communication skills, and experience the creative process. Ideas include choral speaking, reader’s theater, nonverbally explaining different sensory reactions, pantomiming, how vocal cues change meaning, and more. Your family can learn how vocal cues and gestures (including facial expression and posture) convey meaning. There’s even a fascinating exercise showing how different cultures use nonverbals to convey different meanings. Americans aren’t the only ones who communicate with body language! Fun, dramatic presentations are included, such as creating a Language Arts Broadcast of assigned Greek or Native American stories, or reciting “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General.” Teacher feedback forms are included. Reproducible for academic purposes only within one classroom. Spiral-bound, copyright 1997, 104 pgs, sc. ~ Ruth