Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds

Today we will continue reading The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Please complete the activities during our class.

After our class reading, please get into the following groups and continue reading the play:

Group 1: Jacob, Mitchell, Austin, Izzy, Jaymee, Aleah, Karla Marie
Group 2: Justice, Grace, Yasmine, Saisha, Tyshon, Joshua, Radezia, Tyshay

If you finish reading, please check out the following clips concerning performances of the play.
Note how the film and play are staged differently.

• Clip from the film, directed by Paul Newman
• Another clip from the film
• A clip from a theatrical production
• Another clip from a theatrical production

Your notebooks are due today. Please leave them behind at the end of class.

HOMEWORK: Please read the rest of the play on your own, if you did not complete it today in class.

Play Idea: Brainstorming & Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

In pairs, brainstorm character names, settings, events, and themes that you can think of and write these down on the paper provided. We will use this chart again next class. Take the first 20 minutes of class to complete this writing activity with your partner. During the 2nd half of 3rd period, please spend some time viewing any of the clips below. As you watch these plays, note how they are staged, how they are not necessarily like films (a different style and genre), and how dialogue pushes a story forward.

After writing, please take a look at these videos/plays:

David Ives: Variations of the Death of Trotsky
David Ives: The Universal Language
David Ives: The Philadelphia
John Wooten: The Role of Della
Christopher Durang: Funeral Parlor

During 4th period we will pick up the play "The Effect of Gamma-Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" and begin reading it as a class.

HOMEWORK: I will be collecting your journals on Friday. Please prepare them.

Play Script Reading & Brainstorming Ideas

Today, in small groups, please get together and read the selection of plays out loud in class.

Group A: Tyshon, Mitchell, Yasmine, Radezia, Aleah
Group B: Justice, Jacob, Grace, Karla-Marie, Jaymee
Group C: Joshua, Austin, Saisha, Izzy, Tyshay

As you read please note and discuss the following:

--How does a script differ from a poem or a short story?
--How does the playwright keep the action or scene going for the length of the play?
--What requirements does the author need or ask in order to stage the play? Consider set pieces, music, lights, costumes, etc. Would the set, music, lights, costumes be difficult to obtain?
--What is interesting for an actor in the script? If you were going to play this part, what did you like or dislike about the character or the situation?

In class (after reading): when you have completed your reading, with your group, brainstorm character names, settings, events, and themes that you can think of and write these down on the paper provided. We will use this chart again next class.

If you finish early, please take a look at these videos/plays:

David Ives: Variations of the Death of Trotsky
David Ives: The Universal Language
David Ives: The Philadelphia
John Wooten: The Role of Della
Christopher Durang: Funeral Parlor

I will be collecting your journals on Friday. Please prepare them.

HOMEWORK: None.

Plays and the One-Minute Play Activity

After reading the play scripts today in class, please return to the lab and complete the One-Minute Play activity. 

One-Minute Play Activity:
1. Choose a partner from your reading group.

2. Select a setting card from the front of the room.

3. Using the setting card, think of a character who might be found in this location (or an interesting contrasting character who doesn't really belong in this setting--your choice). DO NOT TELL YOUR PARTNER WHO YOUR CHARACTER IS.

4. Taking turns at ONE COMPUTER, open a word document file and put your group members names on the heading.

DO NOT SPEAK TO YOUR PARTNER VERBALLY ABOUT WHAT YOUR CHARACTER SAYS. LEAVE THIS FOR THE PLAY.

5. One writer will start. Write the setting and location on the top of the page. The first writer will type his/her character's name, and write that character a line of dialogue.
NOTE: a line of dialogue might be one word, a sentence, or may be several paragraphs in length. You choose!

After the line of dialogue, allow the second writer to respond to what the first character said. Have that writer write their line. Continue this until you have about 1 or 2 pages of dialogue going.

6. Find a way after coming to the bottom of the page or when on the second page to finish your conversation.

HOMEWORK: There is no homework over break. Enjoy. Please note that journals will be collected November 30. 

Coffee House Response

Congratulations, Freshmen!

You have successfully completed a public performance. I hope you enjoyed the coffee house and will participate in future ones.

Part of our goal this year is for you to get to know your strengths and weaknesses by completing a myriad of assignments, projects, and performances. Self reflection is an important component to learning. As such, please post a comment on our classroom forum. You will need to sign up for this forum (which we will be using during the year). I suggest using a gmail account, as you can use gmail for your own email and other websites, all with the same address (and it's free). Once you are on the forum, please reply to the question about the Coffee House.

How you felt you did last night as a performance. If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently? What did you learn about public speaking by performing your writing last night? What surprised you about the performance? Who's performance did you particularly enjoy? Did you notice anything different between the Freshman performances and the other Creative Writing performances? What did your parents say or think about the performance?

Today, apart from the response, I am giving you free time in the lab to work on anything you choose. Feel free to play a video game or listen to music. Keep talking and chatter to a low volume, but after your post, you are free to relax. Our normal curriculum will continue next week.

HOMEWORK: None.

Rehearsal; Coffee House Performance Tomorrow

Today, please rehearse your selections. As a class we will go through the order and line-up for tomorrow evening's performance.

HOMEWORK: Please rehearse and prepare for tomorrow's performance. You should plan to be here at SOTA by 6:45 tomorrow. Please let your parents know so they can make arrangements to arrive on time.

Preparing for the Coffee House Performance

Please use today's class to prepare and rehearse your pieces for the upcoming Coffeehouse Performance. The performance is next Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7:00. You should plan on arriving at the theater by 6:45 so you can prepare mentally for your performance.

IMPORTANT: Today please get into groups of 4-5 and help each other perform by giving each performer time to rehearse, perform, and receive feedback. Use the class period today to prepare, rehearse, and receive feedback. Don't give in the temptation of just skipping this step. Your performance (and grade) will suffer for it during our coffeehouse presentation next week. Use the time I'm giving you to prepare your work so you can do the best job you are capable of!

You may use the room next door to split up if the substitute allows you to.

Details about the event:

1. You may read up to 3 poems or 1 short story (no longer than 3 minutes, please)
2. You must introduce yourself and let your audience know what you are planning on reading.
Example: "Hello, I am Mr. Craddock and I will be reading 2 poems tonight entitled: Poem #1 and Untitled Poem #347."
3. Always breathe and take a slight pause between transitions (that includes your greeting and the reading of the poem)
4. Perform your poems with energy, volume, and effective speech techniques. You should be using the techniques and skills we have been discussing in class to communicate your idea (your poem/story) to your audience.

REMEMBER: Effective performance is based on a few things:

• 1. Preparation (rehearsal) -- knowing what you are saying and why.
• 2. Voice (how you sound: volume, pacing, pitch, tone, elocution, and appropriateness of voice)
• 3. Character (how you portray a character both vocally and physically)
• 4. Energy
• 5. Making choices. A good performer makes deliberate choices about voice, character, energy, tone, and rehearses these choices to deliver a solid performance.

HOMEWORK: Rehearse your chosen poem.

Coffeehouse Poem & Preparation

Decide what you would like to perform at the coffeehouse on December 15 at 7:00. Print this selection out and just like your speeches, prepare and mark it for performance.

1.  Decide what TONE your "persona" is using.
2.  Decide where you will pause, change your pitch or tone, speed up or slow down
3.  Decide what gestures or facial expressions you will make
4.  Decide what lines are the most important ones in your poem. Underline or highlight these.
5.  If you poem does not yet have a title, please give your poem a title.

Please watch the following poems performed by professionals & note how the poet performs the poem:

--Sharon Olds (reads 2 poems: Ode to a Composting Toilet & Ode to the Tampon) (note: mature language)
--Ted Kooser (reading "Pearl")
--Naomi Shihab Nye (3 poems: "Please Describe How You Became a Writer", "Fresh", "During a War"
--Alicia Keys (poem "Prisoner of Words Unsaid")

Note the pace or tone of the performer's voice, the volume, pitch, or gestures the poet uses to convey MEANING. Jot down your observations on the index card provided to you and hand in by end of period 3.

During period 4, we will be going downstairs to the Ensemble Theater to begin our rehearsal process for the upcoming coffeehouse.

Spoon River Presentations

Effective performance is based on a few things:
1. Preparation (rehearsal) -- knowing what you are saying and why.
2. Voice (how you sound: volume, pacing, pitch, tone, elocution, and appropriateness of voice)
3. Character (how you portray a character both vocally and physically)
4. Energy
5. Making choices. A good performer makes deliberate choices about voice, character, energy and rehearses these choices to deliver a solid performance.

Today, for the first 20 minutes during period 3, rehearse your poem when you have scored or marked it. You will need to turn in your poem draft at the end of class today and it should be marked up appropriately. Please rehearse and prepare for our presentation.

You will be graded on your performance. In addition to eye contact, volume, and enunciation, I am grading you on how effective your TONE of VOICE is for the character you are portraying. You should sound natural, as if the character were actually speaking the words in the poem.

As we present, I will be providing you with performance feedback. This is helpful to pay attention and keep track of since you will be presenting a piece of your own work at the Coffeehouse Presentation on November 15 at 7:00.

HOMEWORK: None. Complete Spoon River if you haven't yet done so. If you are missing any of the writing assignments, please complete them as well.