Title: The Elephant ate a Banana in the Tundra.#134

National Standard: 8 The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface.

State Standard: 12

Teaching Level: E

Lesson Introduction: This lesson uses a very common creative dramatics exercise with an ecosystems' twist.

Objectives/Purpose: Students will utilize imagery in the plot development through creative action. Students will logically organize a sentence using who, what and where. Students will identify an animal, its actions and its habitat.

Materials: Sets of who, what, where cards. The who cards identify an animal. The what card identifies something that animal does. The where card identifies the habitat in which the animal would be found. The items written on the cards should be familiar to the students. Example: who - camel what - carries supplies needed by Nomadic tribes where - in the desert. Determine the number of cards necessary by identifying the amount of groups you choose to have.

Procedure:

1)Divide the class into small groups.
2)Shuffle each deck of cards. The randomness of the cards will help students increase the use of their dramtic imagery. Allow each group to choose one card from the who deck, the what deck and the where deck.
3)Once each group has its cards ask them to develop a plot that would involve all three cards. The cards may read: (an elephant) (flew) (in the ocean)
4)When the groups are prepared, ask them to perform their scene.
5)The groups in the audience are asked to write a sentence at the end of each performance describing the plot of the scene.
6)When all groups have performed ask each group to read their sentences. This allows the audience to evaluate the enactment.
7)Collect the cards. Select a who card. Ask the students to complete the sentence using the appropriate what and where card. Do this for all the cards.
8)Locate these habitats on a map.
9)Ask each student to reflect upon the following questions: Did the word on the card create images? Could you begin to plan the events in your mind's eye? How well did your group cooperate? What might you do to improve this activity?

Evaluation/Assessment: Student journals. Student participation. Students correctly combined the cards into logical sentences describing an event in a particular ecosystem.

Reflection: How successful was this lesson? Did all students benefit? Were there any surprises? What might you do differently another time? Please note any changes that will make this lesson more effective and useful in the future and pass them along to the NHGA. We appreciate your comments.
Thank you.
The authors.

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Original file name: 134rtf - converted on Tuesday, 20 October 1998, 20:55