FIERCE FIGURATIVE FEMALES 4-5
FIERCE FIGURATIVE FEMALES
Learning Description
In this lesson, students will create “I Am” Poems filled with figurative language from the point of view of fierce females throughout history. They will compare and contrast the lives of different historical female figures using tableaux. Then, they will bring their character to life with voice as they speak from their character’s point of view. Finally, students will devise a poem from their character’s point of view and work with another student’s character to create a partnered “I Am” Fierce Female Poem.
Learning Targets
"I Can" Statements
“I Can…”
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I can empathize with someone from a different time period and speak from their point of view.
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I can embody a historical figure using my body, voice, and heart.
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I can write a poem from a historical figure’s point of view and speak it out loud using my voice.
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I can partner with someone who is different from me to create a theatrical piece.
Essential Questions
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Does learning about, writing, and speaking from someone else’s point of view give me empathy?
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How can I embody a historical figure using my body, voice, and heart?
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How did people from the past change the world I live in today?
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How can I use poetry to speak from a historical figure’s point of view?
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How can I be fierce and make a change in my world?
Georgia Standards
Curriculum Standards
Grade 4
ELAGSE4L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
ELAGSE4RI2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
ELAGSE4RI3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
ELAGSE4W10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Grade 5
ELAGSE5L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
ELAGSE5RI2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. ELAGSE5RI3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
ELAGSE5W10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Arts Standards
Grade 4
TA4.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.
TA4.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.
TA4.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.
Grade 5
TA5.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.
TA5.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.
TA5.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.
South Carolina Standards
Curriculum Standards
Grade 4
ELA.4.AOR.1.2 Determine and explain how figurative language impacts meaning and contributes to the reader’s experience. ELA.4.AOR.2.2 Identify and explain a stated or implied central idea and how it is developed by supporting details in an informational text. ELA.4.R.1.1 Conduct short research for inquiry by: a. generating a question about a topic; and b. examining a provided source.
Grade 5
ELA.5.AOR.1.2 Analyze how figurative language impacts meaning and contributes to the reader’s experience.
ELA.5.AOR.2.2 Explain the development of a stated or implied central idea over the course of an informational text.
ELA.5.R.1.1 Conduct short research for inquiry by: a. generating a question(s) about a topic; and b. consulting a variety of print and multimedia sources.
Arts Standards
Anchor Standard 3: I can act in improvised scenes and written scripts.
Benchmark T.P NL.3
I can use body and voice to communicate
character traits and emotions in a guided
drama experience.
Anchor Standard 1: I can create scenes and write scripts using story elements and structure.
Key Vocabulary
Content Vocabulary
- Fierce - Something that is of exceptional quality, strong, bold, surprising and unforgettable
- Point of view - The perspective of an individual on an event
- Compare/Contrast - To identify similarities and differences between two things
- Character trait - A quality or attribute that defines a person's behavior, attitude, and actions in various situations
- Poetry - A genre of literature
- Informational text - A text that is nonfiction and has the purpose of informing the reader
- Biography - A written account of a person's life
- Autobiography - A written account of a person's life that is written by that person
- Harriet Tubman - A historical figure who is known for her bravery and leadership in helping enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad
- Underground Railroad - A secret network of routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans in the United States to escape to freedom in the 19th century
- Civil Rights Movement - A historic effort by people in the United States to fight against unfair treatment based on race
- Ruby Bridges - The first African American child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in the South
- Malala Yousafzai - A Pakistani activist for female education
- Figurative language - A way of using words to create a deeper meaning or a vivid image in writing or speech
- Simile - A figure of speech that compares two things using the words 'like' or 'as' to show similarities between them
- Metaphor - a figure of speech that describes something by stating that it is something else
- Onomatopoeia - A type of word that imitates or resembles the sound it represents
- Conscience - Knowledge of right and wrong and a feeling one should do what is right
Arts Vocabulary
- Character - A character refers to a fictional or dramatized person portrayed by an actor or actress
- Body - The physical presence and movements of an actor
- Voice - The vocal techniques, characterizations, and storytelling aspects that contribute to the effectiveness of a performance
- Project - Using your voice, body, energy, and presence to ensure that your performance reaches every member of the audience
- Articulate - To speak clearly
- Pitch - The highness or lowness of a voice
- Pace - The speed, rhythm, and timing of dialogue, actions, transitions, and overall performance elements
- Accent - The way a person pronounces words based on their regional, cultural, or linguistic background
- Texture - The multi-dimensional quality of a theatrical production that engages the senses, emotions, intellect, and imagination of the audience
- Conscience Alley - A technique for exploring any kind of dilemma faced by a character and providing an opportunity to analyze a decisive moment in greater detail
- Statue - A frozen pose
- Levels - The vertical positioning of actors and elements on the stage
Materials
- A text (poem, autobiography, biography and/or informational text) for each historical female character that you choose
- 5 hula hoops
- Pencils
- “I Am” Poem Template - Fierce Figurative Female
Instructional Design
Opening/Activating Strategy
HISTORICAL CHARACTER CONVERSATION & IMAGES
- What is a historical figure?
- Show images of historical figures familiar to your students and content.
- (i.e., Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Susan B. Anthony, King Tut, The Wright Brothers, Alexander Hamilton, William Shakespeare, etc.)
HISTORICAL CHARACTER SPEECH
- Sing the song, “Happy birthday” with students.
- Ask students to choose a famous historical character.
- Have them create a statue of their character using their body. Students should use body shapes and frozen poses to create their statues.
- Encourage students to use different levels and gestures to embody their character.
- Have students stand at an imaginary podium and give a speech as that character using the lyrics to the “Happy Birthday” song. Emphasize that students are focusing on embodying the character.
- Encourage students to:
- Stay in character as they present the song as the historical character.
- Walk up to and away from the podium as the character would walk and move.
- Add physical gestures while making the speech.
- Add vocal expression using pitch and pacing.
Work Session
DEFINING FIERCE
- Discuss with students what it means to be fierce. Fierce is…
- Something that is of exceptional quality, strong, bold, surprising and unforgettable
- A word used to describe something that is out of the box, non-traditional, and dynamic
- Passionate, joyful, and positive!
- To demand excellence
- Ask students: Do you know anyone who is fierce? Are you fierce about something in your life or world?
INTRODUCING FIERCE FEMALE HISTORICAL FIGURES
- Choose an autobiography, biography, informational text or poem for students to learn about each of the female historical figures you chose.
- For the purpose of this lesson, we will explore:
- Harriet Tubman
- Ruby Bridges
- Malala Yousafzai
- Have students read a particular type of text related to each figure so they become familiar with the lives and works of the characters (see “Additional Resources” for further information on these women).
COMPARE AND CONTRAST USING TABLEAU
- Set three hula hoops on the floor.
- Each hula hoop will represent one of the three characters.
- Ask questions about the characters. What is special about each character?
- Have one student create a statue with their body of that attribute/detail/trait and stand in that character’s hula hoop.
- Once you get several statues in each hula hoop, ask students what similarities there are between the three characters.
- Place two more hula hoops in front of the three on the floor. These will be your similarities (female, courageous, fighter, etc.)
- Have the similar elements move to the three front hula hoops.
EXPLORE CONSCIENCE
- Ask students: What does conscience mean?
- Show an image of an angel and devil on either shoulder of a figure.
- Tell students that conscience is knowledge of right and wrong and a feeling one should do what is right.
- For example, if a child feels uncomfortable watching his friend pick on another child or speak disrespectfully to his/her parent/caregiver, that is conscience. The child knows it is not right to treat someone else disrespectfully, and he/she feels the emotions within himself telling him that it's wrong.
- Ask students: Does your inner voice/consciousness ever talk to you?
- Turn and talk about the time you heard your inner voice/consciousness.
CONSCIENCE ALLEY
- Conscience Alley is a technique for exploring any kind of dilemma faced by a character and providing an opportunity to analyze a decisive moment in greater detail.
- Identify a student to be one of the historical females.
- Identify a decision that the character had to make to be fierce.
- Harriet Tubman - “Should I help enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad?”
- Ruby Bridges - “Should I fight to be allowed to attend a white school?”
- Malala - “Should I stand up for the rights of girls to go to school?”
- Explore both sides of the argument.
- For - Reasons why the character should fight.
- Identify people that might have been on this side of the argument/issue. Ask them what reasons they would have given.
- Ask six students to line up to represent the people/reasons “for” fighting.
- Against - Reasons why the character should not fight.
- Identify people that might have been on this side of the argument/issue. Ask them what reasons they would have given.
- Ask six students to line up to represent the people/reasons “against” fighting.
- Have both lines face each other so that they are parallel to create an alley/tunnel in the middle.
- Have the character stand at the beginning of the alley.
- Have the character state the question/decision that they face.
- The character then takes one step into the alley.
- The first person on the “for” side says their statement
- The first person on the “against” side says their statement.
- The character keeps taking one step at a time into the alley and hearing both arguments at each step.
- When the character reaches the end of the alley, they stop and state their decision and why.
Helpful Coaching:
- Encourage students to:
- Stay “in character” using their voice and body to portray the character
- Use vocal expression to convince the character
- Speak from their heart with passion
- Convince the character that they believe what they are saying
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE INTRODUCTION OR REVIEW
- Review figurative language (metaphor, simile, onomatopoeia, etc.).
- As a group, generate an example of each figurative language device for the characters.
CHARACTER GROUNDING
- Assign students a character.
- Strategize so that students can partner up with a different character.
- Ask students to create a statute of their character.
- Tell students to use body shapes, energy, frozen pose, and active pose.
- Count “1, 2, 3, action” and tell students to bring the statue to life with a voice using pitch, pace, volume, accent, and texture.
- Ask a question and have all students answer in character at the same time.
- Use the questions on the “I Am” poem template to guide you.
- This is a brainstorm on their feet before sitting and writing.
- This allows students to more fully embody the character.
“I AM” POEM BRAINSTORM
- Have students complete the “I Am” Poem template.
- Next, have students stand up and simultaneously freeze in their statues.
- Finally, have students bring their characters “to life” and speak the answers to the poem template aloud at the same time.
“I AM” POEM PARTNER SHARE
- Teacher should demonstrate reading a character “I Am” poem with a student who is playing a different character.
- The first character says the first line; the second character says the second line. The characters then alternate speaking lines.
- Have students practice in pairs around the room.
“I AM” POEM PRESENTATION
- Ask pairs of students to share their partner “I Am” poems.
- Encourage projection, articulation, and vocal expression.
- Discuss the similarities and differences between the two characters when listening to the partner poems.
Closing Reflection
Reflect with students on the following questions:
- What does it take to be fierce?
- Were these females fierce? Why do you think that?
- Did they make changes that help females today? How?
- How can you be fierce and make a change in your world?
- What did you notice about yourself in this process? Were you able to empathize with your character?
- Name one thing that you are proud of yourself for doing in this process.
Assessments
Formative
Teacher will assess students by:
- Circulating the room while students are completing their “I Am” poem template to assess their knowledge of the character and figurative language.
- Assessing students’ ability to use their voice and body to portray characters. Encourage those who are having difficulty.
Summative
CHECKLIST
- Students can articulate important details about the characters and the historical events attached to each character.
- Students can empathize with someone from a different time period and speak from their point of view.
- Students can embody a historical figure using their bodies, voices, and hearts.
- Students can write a poem from a historical figure’s point of view and present it using theatrical techniques.
- Students can collaborate to create a theatrical piece.
DIFFERENTIATION
Accelerated:
Remedial:
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
*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: Susie Spear Purcell. Updated by: Katy Betts.
Revised and copyright: July 2024 @ ArtsNOW