Maselli @ Maple

Things to celebrate:  The grade nines and tens further explored the "feedback and reflection" and "revise and refine" stages of the creative process this week as they looked at their videos from last week's performances, identified areas for improvement through peer- and teacher-feedback and self-assessment, and put together an action plan for how to improve upon last week's work, no matter how great their original performances were. Being able to give, receive, accept, and use feedback is an important skill in school and in life, and one that students will continue to apply for success in Drama class. The grade nines also had a workshop in performing others' identities, and used this new information along with their performance videos and feedback from the teacher to redo their performances from last week for a second chance to be assessed on their work, with significant improvements. Due to the extra time and adjustments to our schedule for the perio

Things to celebrate:  The grade nines and tens worked through the creative process and the steps we modelled together as a class, this time in new groups, with new sources selected by them, and more independently. Students took inspiration from their chosen sources to tackle a wide variety of important and relevant social issues, from bullying related to body image and racism to community issues like newcomer settlement and government corruption. The grade elevens and twelves participated in their most comprehensive workshops yet as they were challenged to think like a producer, both pitching and responding to ideas for new one-act plays. We explored what a producer's role is and why it's important to consider this perspective when developing original work as an ensemble.  Students pitched a variety of original storylines for a prospective one-act production, as peers asked questions to help them assess what would make each show worth supporting and developing if they were

It's been another inspiring week in the Maple Drama studio this week as students in every class created original works of art with their peers! Things to celebrate:  The grade nines and tens worked together as a whole class and in small ensembles to explore the creative process through peer-led activities designed to help us create unique drama works based on a common source. Students showed great leadership, teamwork, and collaboration skills this week as they worked to both lead and follow, developing a hands-on understanding of the process they will use to create a new work based on a new source with a new group next week. The grade elevens and twelves continued to devise a variety of interesting and unique material based on two different sources in small ensembles. Students have been very brave and generous in sharing their work and their feedback with one another as we continue to develop our collective creation skills. We've also been documenting our work and our fe

The second week of school can often be the time when our new goals, routines, and intentions for the school year are put to the test. Students are starting to get regular homework in class, and falling back into a school year routine can be both positive and negative, depending on whether or not you're trying to establish a new routine this year. After that first week push, where everything seems to revolve around back-to-school, parents and teachers may find that week two is when reality sets in as we go back to balancing all of our other responsibilities with making sure our children and students have what they need to succeed this year. Things to celebrate:  Maple Drama students have now had the opportunity to create drama work with their new peers, share it with their classmates, and even give and receive feedback in some cases. This can be a huge step for students who are new to drama or those who are just getting back into the habit of creating, sharing, and discussing wi

What a great start to the 2018-19 school year! As tough as it can be to get back into our school routines in August (especially for our grade nines, who are new to the early-start school schedule), it can be very rewarding when the Labour Day long weekend arrives and you realize you get to enjoy it free from that back-to-school anxiety that is so common for students, families, and yes, even teachers! Here's what you need to know heading into our second week. Things to celebrate:  Maple Drama students should be very proud of themselves for a week of meeting new people and trying new things! The grade nines and tens played a few new drama games this week to help introduce them to some drama skills and to one another. They then finished their week with their first performances of the semester, where they created tableaux to demonstrate different qualities of teamwork--a key to success in drama class. They also made thoughtful contributions to our classroom expectations. The gra