Interaction via Tableau
To introduce students to the art of tableaux – the practice of making a freeze frame to represent and/or convey an emotion or an event – the class will be shown this introductory video.
The video will be shown to the class in an effort to familiarize and inform students about tableaux. In addition to a formal class viewing, the video will be uploaded and available on Google Classroom, so students can access it at their convenience. During the viewing, minimal interaction from students will be required as all they need to do is actively listen; students will not have to respond in some way while the video is playing as its purpose is to initiate the lesson.
Post Video Activities
Immediately following the video, students will be given prompts such as stubbing your toe, falling asleep, eating something you don’t like, etc. to practice creating a freeze frame that accurately depicts an emotion or scenario. This interactive activity can be differentiated in terms of solo, paired, or group freeze frames. I recommend that the teacher provides opportunities for solo, paired, and group tableaux.
As prompts are given, students will have to utilize their prior knowledge of situations and feelings in terms of how to represent them using their body and facial expression. This will get students thinking about how emotions are conveyed, and potentially a time that they have experienced the illustrated emotion. When the class gets to the paired and small group tableaux portion of the activity, students will be asked to use either school computers or iPads to take a picture of the tableaux.
Formative Feedback
In addition to the teacher walking around to formatively observe and provide instant feedback on everyone’s tableaux, all of the pictures that were taken will be sent to the teacher via Google Classroom. After the activity has finished, the teacher will assess each tableau to gain an understanding of how each learner is grasping the concept of freeze frames. Once the teacher has evaluated the tableaux, feedback will be sent out via comments on Google Classroom.
How Much Planning Would This Activity Require?
This activity requires minimal work for the teacher. The only preliminary preparation required is the formation of the Google Classroom assignment. This is an easy task to accomplish, and once it is done, all that is left is to show the video and to think of the prompts. The teacher could also ask students to think of prompts for the freeze frames as a way to engage learners and promote student autonomy. This activity could work in any classroom size; if the class was quite large, instead of doing individual tableaux, they could just do paired and group tableaux so there would be fewer pictures to assess.
Raquel, it was really interesting reading your blog post about your selected video. The circle of courage is an integral element pertaining to how Indigenous peoples view and perceive knowledge transfer as well as personal balance and health. I like the simplicity of your activity in terms of having students state what they connected with. Because there are four elements, hopefully everyone can connect to at least one element of the circle, thus creating an inclusive activity.
References
Singapore Repertory Theatre. (2020). Drama games for kids: tableaux [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfNmlY1-t5k&ab_channel=SingaporeRepertoryTheatre
Hi Katie! I wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your photo assignment idea. It’s an excellent way to encourage students to explore the world of tableaux and engage in creative experimentation. Through this process, learners can develop a sense of accomplishment, boosting their confidence and self-esteem.