BECOMING HISTORY

Georgia Standards

South Carolina Standards

Key Vocabulary

Materials

• Biographies
• Paper 
• Pencil

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Classroom Tips: This strategy is great for small group or individual work and easily differentiated. 

• Start with a general physical warm-up to get the students' bodies ready. Use exercises such as:
  • Stretching: Use gentle stretches starting from the head and moving to the toes (e.g., head circles, shoulder shrugs, toe touches, etc.).
  • Shaking out limbs: Shake out arms, legs, and the whole body to release tension.
  • Energy passes: Stand in a circle and pass a clap or a simple motion around to build group focus and energy.
• Explain that students will explore different characters by changing their walk and physicality. Encourage them to think about how their character’s age, status, mood, and personality influence their movement.
  • Begin with simple prompts to get students thinking about different ways to walk. Call out various types of characters and ask students to walk around the room embodying those characters. Examples include:
    • An elderly person with a cane
    • A proud soldier
    • A sneaky thief
    • A graceful dancer
• Have students return to their seats.

Work Session

Student pre-work: Students will be assigned or choose a grade level appropriate biography to read.  

• Tell students that now that they have researched the person from their biography, they will write a monologue that reflects on that person’s life in first person.
  • Tell students that a monologue is a speech by a single character in a play, film, or other dramatic work; it is often used to give the audience deeper insight into the character's motivations and feelings.
  • Show students a clip of a monologue or have students read a monologue from a play or other work.
    • Example: The Lion King (1994) - Simba’s Monologue
      • Context: Simba has grown up away from his kingdom but is reminded of his responsibility and legacy by Rafiki and Mufasa’s spirit.
      • Monologue: "I know what I have to do. But going back means I’ll have to face my past. I’ve been running from it for so long. It’s just, my father’s death is so hard to talk about. I thought I couldn’t live up to his expectations. But now I understand. The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. I’m ready to take my place in the circle of life."
  • Ask students how they think a monologue is different from other types of writing. 
  • In their monologues, students should retell the major life events of the biography and be sure to mention the biographical focus (Example: Abraham Lincoln’s role in the Civil War).  
• After writing, tell students that they will practice presenting their monologues with a partner.
  • Group students in pairs. 
  • Have students experiment with their figure’s voice. Consider the following elements:
    • Pitch: Is the figure’s voice high or low?
    • Pace: Does the figure speak quickly or slowly?
    • Volume: Does the figure speak loudly or softly?
    • Tone: What is the emotional quality of the figure’s voice (e.g., cheerful, gruff, nervous)?
    • Ask students to practice saying a few lines or phrases from their monologue in their figure’s voice.
  • Have students explore their figure’s physicality using their bodies. Consider the following elements:
    • Posture: Does the figure stand upright, slouch, or have a distinctive stance?
    • Movement: How does the figure walk? Are their movements fluid, jerky, slow, or quick?
    • Gestures: What kind of gestures does the figure use when speaking? Are they expressive, restrained, repetitive?
    • Facial Expressions: What are the figure’s common facial expressions?
    • Ask students to practice saying a few lines or phrases from their monologue in their figure’s voice again, but this time, they should add physicality. 
• Allow time for students to practice their monologues with their partners using their voice and body. 
• Time permitting, ask for a few student volunteers to present to the class. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
  • Classmates can then interview the historical figure.

Closing Reflection

• Bring the class together and discuss the experience.
• Ask students to share something interesting they learned about their figure or their partner’s figure.
• Discuss how incorporating voice and body helped them understand and portray their figures more deeply.
• Have students write a short reflection on how they felt embodying their figure with voice and body language and what new insights they gained.

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator, conferencing with students during the writing process, and observing students use voice and body to portray their historical figures.

Summative

CHECKLIST

• Students can accurately depict the life events of their historical figure in their monologue using relevant details from their biographies. 
• Students can use their voices and bodies to act in a manner in which they portray their historical figure accurately.

DIFFERENTIATION 

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Ideas contributed by: Carolynn Stoddard and Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright: June 2024 @ ArtsNOW