Reflection Journal 6 b (21/2/12)

 In addition, this journal submission should include a lesson outline for how you would engage students in a drama unit on the theme of bullying. What activities would you use and in what order? Why? You can do this in any format you wish e.g. writing in prose or using the unit of work template. It is also up to you how much time you are giving yourself for the unit and what age group you are targeting. This is not a graded assignment, just an exercise to get you started thinking about connections across activities. You can use activities from class or invent some new ones! 








Theme: Bullying 


Key Understanding:
Students will understand: 
- bullying and oppressing is a serious act that could inflict pain and hurt to others.
- what kinds of actions are considered as bullying (because some students thought it is okay to do this)
- the inner emotions of the oppressed and develop empathy. 
- the different types of oppression happening in the society and different ways to handle them.
- Choices have consequences.

Time duration	Activities	Resources	Strategy	Questions
	Warm up Activity Play of Status using space and gestures -       Divide the space into two parts. Tell students that someone is going to enter into one of the space and do an action to show that he/she is in power. Freeze in action -       After that, ask for volunteers to challenge the person in that space for higher power. -       Students get to feel the sense of power shifting in the space. The rest of the class will decide if the challenger’s action has more power to the other.	A very big space		Which do you think has more power or status? Can anyone challenge him?
	2nd Warm up Activity Play of status using space and gestures and number of people. -       Divide the space into two parts. Have a group of students (probably 5) and an individual. -       Invite individual into the space to show an action of power. -       Ask the group of 5 to enter and challenge the individual. -       Power shifting between the group and individual. -       Rest of the class may want to try to be that individual to retaliate with the other five. -       Get the class to vote which one signify higher power.	A very big space
	Activity 3 Tableaux of Oppressed. -       Have students to group themselves in fours. -       Have a volunteer from each group. These volunteers will have to be the ones oppressed in the society but they do not know who they are. These volunteers will then have to get out of the room for a few minutes. -       Each group is then given someone who is oppressed in the society (eg. Mentally ill patient or ex-convict). The group is supposed to think of a tableau and ‘mould’ the oppressed into the tableaux. They are not supposed to use words. -       While the volunteers are back, the students in the group will start to mould them and then position themselves around the person ‘moulded’. -       Students are then to watch each tableaux and the volunteers have to guess themselves who they are in the society. -       To give them more hints, teacher can tap on the members of the group except the oppressed.	Cards to show them what they have to mould the person into. (eg. Card shows ‘ex-convict) May use any chairs or blocks.	Give them time to discuss about the tableau they want to do and how they want to position their oppressed.	How would you see these people? How did you feel when you are moulding these people? Do you have the upper hand? Who do you think you are as oppressors in society?
	Activity 4 Give scenarios of bullies/ oppressions -       Have groups of 4. -       Scenarios: Workplace – Boss dislikes employee and have not equal treatment with the rest of the employees. School – Not included in soccer team, which you have always wanted to be. Always playing volleyball with the girls. Family Business – schizophrenia helping out in Mum’s food stall. National Service – Sergeant keeps attacking you for no reasons. -       Get the students to discuss and devise a scene based on these scenarios within 3-4 min. -       After that, each group presents. After each group presents, get the audience to think what could be done to be better?		To come up with scenarios of the different areas of life. eg. politically, workforce, family etc. Allow them to come up with solutions and different views upon the scenarios. Improvise without any scripts.	How will you react if you are the one being bullied/oppressed? Why will you react this way? What should the bystanders do? How do you feel playing as bullies, oppressed and bystanders?
	Activity 5 in relation to Activity 4 Forum Theatre -       After each group presents their performance, get the audience to volunteer themselves to play the role of the oppressed and ask them to improvise. How could they make the situation better? -       What are the other alternatives? -       The bullies and bystander may improvise in the second round. -       Other than playing the role of the oppressed, teacher could also ask students to try the bystander.		Ask them to freeze at a point that teacher wants to freeze, ask for volunteers to re enact and improvise, coming up with different solutions to this situation.
	Activity 6 Introduce Haresh Sharma ‘Off Centre’ to the students. -       Pick out one scene of oppression. -       Ask two volunteers to be angel and devil. -       Try the scene one more time but this time with the angel and devil talking to the oppressed on what he/she should do. -       The oppressed can choose to listen to anyone and act upon it. -       May be improvised or may not follow the script.	Off centre script.	Ask for volunteers to be angel and devil. Angel and devil as conflicting thoughts. Like conscience alley, allow 2 -3 people to come up and be the victim of the angel and devil.