UNIT TITLE: Theatre of the Oppressed / Exploring Body & Mind

GRADE LEVEL(S): 6
th
Grade
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
Drama and critical literacy are effective vehicles for understanding power and combating
exclusion and discrimination.
Theatre can be used as a tool for social change.
People feel excluded for many different reasons and exclusion is directly related to
various forms of discrimination.
Awareness and understanding of different expressions of power is empowering to
individuals and communities.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
How can we use theatre as a tool for social change?
How can I use drama and critical literacy to interpret ideas and communicate meaning?
How can I use drama and critical literacy strategies to explore, challenge, and shift both
my own and others point of view?
What do inclusion and exclusion look like and feel like?
In what ways is exclusion related to discrimination?
How can we use power constructively to build inclusive communities?
CULMINATING PERFORMANCE TASK:
Students will work in small groups to devise a performance using the Theatre of the Oppressed
style called Open/Close that addresses the guiding theme of the unit. Success criteria for the
group dramatization and the group action plan are reviewed with students. Students complete a
self/peer assessment and a final reflection of their performance. A rubric is provided to evaluate
this task.

NATIONAL THEATRE STANDARDS:
Content Standard #2: Acting by developing basic acting skills to portray characters who interact
in improvised and scripted scenes
Achievement Standard:
a) Students analyze descriptions, dialogue, and actions to discover, articulate, and justify
character motivation and invent character behaviors based on the observation of interactions,
ethical choices, and emotional responses of people
b) Students demonstrate acting skills (such as sensory recall, concentration, breath control,
diction, body alignment, control of isolated body parts) to develop characterizations that suggest
artistic choices
c) Students in an ensemble, interact as the invented characters

CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS:
Speaking & Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
3.SL.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade
3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
b. Follow agreed upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways,
listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under
discussion).
c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link
their comments to the remarks of others.
d. Explain their own ideas and understandings in light of the discussion.
ILLINOIS STATE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTORS
Social & Emotional
2.C.2b. Analyze ways to work effectively in groups.
2D.2.b. Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and resolve interpersonal conflicts in
constructive ways.
2D.6. Generate alternative solutions for a conflict.
Theatre Standards
25. Know the language of the arts.
26. Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
27. Understand the role of the arts in civilizations, past and present.
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Unit will use flexible groupings and will regularly change groupings throughout the unit to
promote collaboration amongst different learning styles.

Alternative methods for reflection on tableaus (writing/speaking about visual) might include:
mind map, pictures, teacher conference, narrowing down the choice of questions.

Unit will make use of conversation prompts and post on chart paper during small group and
whole class discussions to accommodate different learning styles.

Students who don't feel comfortable verbally expressing their ideas during a conversation will be
encouraged to record their thoughts on sticky notes and to engage fully in listening to the ideas
of others.


CONNECT
WEEK ONE: DESIRED RESULTS:
SWBAT create, in collaborative small groups, at least one tableau to express personal response
to exclusion or inclusion.

SWK theatre terminology related to tableau development.
_____________________________________________________________________
STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Initial Observation Indicators: comfort level, trust & collaboration while performing in pairs
STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN
PDN: Write about a time you were excluded, or left out of a community. What could
have changed to make you feel included?
Atom game (focus: physically explore inclusion and exclusion)
Mirrors game (focus: develop concentration, explore body, low stakes performance)
Sculptures (focus: develop trust, explore body, low stakes performance)
Sculpture garden (focus: introduction of elements of tableau, develops theatre
terminology)
Closure: How did it feel to perform with a partner in class today? What was successful?
What would you do differently next time?
__________________
ATTEND
STAGE ONE: DESIRED RESULTS:
SWBAT build upon others ideas to create, in collaboration with the whole class, at least two
tableaus to express response to exclusion or inclusion.

SWBAT make connections between stage positioning and impact on the audience by directing at
least one tableau across the stage.

SWK theatre terminology related to stage positions.

STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Observation Indicators: Readiness/willingness to join in on image making/storytelling, use of
the elements of tableaux, connections made between theme and stage positions
STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN
PDN: An image will be displayed on the monitor. Students will respond to it by
answering the following questions: Who is being excluded here? How do you know? Why
are they being excluded? Who has the power in this image? How do you know? What is a
way we change the image to shift who has the power?

Action/Reaction (Focus: Concentration, developing precision in movement)
Whole Class Image Theatre (Focus: Developing Precision in movement, developing
visual literacy)
Exclusion Poem: Brainstorm situations where someone would feel this way
Circle Tableau using brainstormed list (Focus: Developing Trust, Collaborative
Storytelling, developing visual literacy and perspective)
Stage Positions (Focus: Pushes relevance of visual literacy, develops theatre terminology)
Closure: Describe a moment when the use of stage positioning was effective

IMAGINE
STAGE ONE: DESIRED RESULTS:
As a whole class, SWBAT use thought tracking to express ideas presented in at least one tableau.

In small groups, SWBAT create a before/after tableau that incorporates two distinct
movements for each member.

SWK that we can use critical literacy to read a visual image and to make decisions about what
comes before and after the image we see.

STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Observation Indicators: Willingness to lend mind to others body, willingness/readiness to
contribute to circle tableau, initial small group collaboration skills, use of the elements of tableau

STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN
PDN: Describe yourself in as many words as possible.
Step In / Step Out (Deepen understanding of unit theme, deepen concept of the
perspective of others as having value in art)
Image Theatre Circle Tableau (Focus: Developing trust, collaborative storytelling)
Thought Tracking (Focus: Developing Critical Literacy, Collaborative Storytelling,
Developing an understanding of perspective)
Small Group Before/After (Focus: Developing Critical Literacy, Collaborative
Storytelling)
Describe an image you connected with today. How did you connect with it?

INFORM
STAGE ONE: DESIRED RESULTS:
SWBAT, in small groups, create a before/after tableau that addresses one theme related to gender
discrimination.
SWBAT, individually, use information gained from hot seating to make at least one inference
about a persons character.
SWK that gender is one aspect of discrimination that can lead to exclusion.
SWK that forum theatre is meant to civically disrupt an act of exclusion.

STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Observation Indicators: Students make use of the elements of tableau, students use skills from
whole group circle tableau building to collaboratively develop their before/after imagery while
utilizing elements of tableau

STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN
PDN: Girls Can / Girls Cant
Hot Seating Using Gender Letter (Focus: Character development)
Post-It Notes on Character (Character Development)
Small Group Before/After of discrimination related to gender exclusion (Focus: Connect
text to images)
Forum Theatre (Focus: Connecting concept of power in relation to exclusion & theatre
making)
Closure: What community agreements can we make to eliminate "cant's" based on gender
in our classroom? Whose before/after piece had an impact on you? What did they do that
impacted your thinking?

PRACTICE
STAGE ONE: DESIRED RESULTS
As a whole class, SWBAT use objects, hot seating, and critical literacy to develop a character
that is feeling excluded at school.

In small groups, SWBAT create an open/close scene using three tableaus that create a snapshot
of the characters life.

STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Observation Indicators: Ability to make inferences and verbalize opinions about character
based on the objects presented, ability to work collaboratively to create three connected tableaus
related to the characters story

STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN
PDN: Museum Walk of Artifacts
Hot Seating of Character (Focus: Character Development)
Brainstorm forms of Discrimination (Focus: Develop Problems to address for final
project)
Small group Open/Close intro of a snapshot from his life w/ forum theatre (Focus: Intro
to skill set needed for final project)
Closure: How inclusive are we as a community? If the boy from the letter were to come to
our class, would he feel welcome? What needs to change in our classroom?

EXTEND
STAGE ONE: DESIRED RESULTS:
In small groups, SWBAT devise a plan for their open/close project that relates to our units
theme and makes use of 3-5 tableaux.

STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Observation Indicators: Students make use of skills learned from previous classes (Circle
Tableau, Before/After, Action/Reaction, Thought Tracking) to devise a series of Open/Close
Tableaux
STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN
PDN: How can we use theatre as a tool for social change?
Action/Reaction (Focus: student collaboration for preparation of culminating project)
Devising Theatres in Groups (Focus: Explanation of process for culminating project)
In small groups and using the devising worksheet, students brainstorm a problem related
to the themes of exclusion and inclusion and create a series of 3-5 tableaus using the style
Open/Close.

REFINE
STAGE ONE: DESIRED RESULTS:
In small groups, SWBAT rehearse and revise their tableaux in a 15 minute time period.
As a whole class, SWBAT offer at least one critique of the work of their peers.
SWK that critique is a tool to improve performance.

STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Observation Indicators: Students are able to remain on task during rehearsal time, working
collaboratively and negotiating with one another to revise their culminating project.

STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN
PDN: What fears do you have about performing your tableau for the class?
Students move directly into rehearsal mode. Teacher scaffolds/monitors group work.
Students share their performances with classmates and provide peer feedback for
revision. Ms. Holtz models feedback process.

PERFORM
DESIRED RESULTS:
In small groups, SWBAT to successfully perform their open/close project using at least 3 series
of tableaux.
Individually, SWBAT to reflect upon their own work and the work of their peers in a 6-8
sentence journal entry.

STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Final Rubric: Teamwork, collaboration, elements of tableau represented, stage presence, stage
positioning, clear understanding of theme
Final Reflection Rubric: understands and is reflective of intention of task, evaluates their own
and others work, makes use of theatre terminology, makes personal connections to the work
STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN
Students will perform for the class.
Students will reflect on the final projects.