Week 5 Recap

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 period four grade nines, a mark update will be provided after interim reports are distributed that will include final assessments of their unit one work.

The grade elevens and twelves began working on their final assignment of this unit, with each student taking on their own individual role in producing a scripted scene from a successful Canadian play. They continue to explore the importance of fulfilling their responsibilities to themselves and their group with daily checkpoints to hold one another accountable for doing their part in their role, so that actors, directors, and dramaturgs are working equitably towards preparing for a successful performance. By working consistently and conscientiously through the early stages of the creative process this week, students are not only preparing themselves for a successful scene study performance, but are also preparing to be effective ensemble members who will be able to support and develop a strong final exam production.

Things to look forward to:

The juniors have started a new unit in which they will refine some of the acting skills that they used in their latest performances. They will continue to work collaboratively with source material to inspire original drama works, but we will focus on a different aspect of performance--image, movement, and voice--in each activity, so that when students are preparing their final performances, not only can they use the creative process effectively but also their actor's tools to create something that is unique, engaging, and entertaining for their audience.

The seniors continue to work on their scene studies this week, building upon the foundational work they developed last week to bring their characters and scenes to life. They will continue to have their own individual responsibilities related to their chosen roles and their differentiated assignments, but they will bring more of that work together now as they spend more and more time working on their feet to determine how to bring last week's ideas to life. 

A note about Interim Reports:

Interim reports are scheduled for distribution to students on in homeroom classes on Thursday, October 4th. Interim reports only report a single level to indicate a student's estimated progress at this early stage in the semester. While interim reports can be a useful tool for students and parents to gauge current achievement levels, they are very broad and based on a variety of conversations, observations, and products that have been collected over a relatively short period of time--especially for those who recently joined their classes! Therefore, parents and students should keep in mind that interim reports (just like any other single report or assessment) are not a predictor of future achievement. Be mindful of how you speak about interim reports and other individual assessment results with students, so as not to reinforce a fixed mindset. This will help students who are struggling understand that there is room for improvement and that they are being supported in their development, versus being seen as having failed already in some way despite the fact that there will be many more opportunities to grow. It also helps successful students understand that their success is not guaranteed based on their performance early on in the semester or on one single task; not only will consistent effort be needed throughout the semester, but even the successful student is likely to encounter new challenges that may impact their achievement differently in future units or assessments--and that is OK. Communicating to students that you support them as people through their ongoing journey for academic growth, regardless of how they do on any single assessment or report, and that you don't expect this to be a fixed representation of their efforts or abilities, will help them develop the resiliency and growth mindset needed for future success and continued improvement, this academic year and beyond.