Georgia Standards

South Carolina Standards

Key Vocabulary

Materials

• Apostrophes-on-a-stick (made with the attached enlarged apostrophe. Other options include an apostrophe printed or by hand, on cardstock. Simply glue onto the handle (a stick, ruler, straw, pencil, or other similar item).  Have enough of these for each group of 4-5 students.

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

• Teach and sing (to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”):

       I see an s at the end of a noun.

       Apostrophe in or leave it out?

       If it has something to possess

       Then it should be ‘s.

       But if it’s a plural – more than one,

       No apostrophe – that’s how it’s done!

Collectively develop gestures to go along with the song (e.g., draw an S in the air, arms embracing to convey “possess”, thumbs up for “that’s how it’s done,” etc.).

Work Session

• Introduce/review what an apostrophe is, and its various uses: possessives, contractions, omitted letters.  Focus on possessives.  Discuss how a possessive is formed in general by putting ‘s at the end of a word; a plural is formed by putting an s at the end of the word; and these two formations are often confused with one another, so people put in an apostrophe into a plural where it doesn’t belong, and people often leave it out of a possessive where it does belong. 

            Optional:  Do an online image search for ‘misused apostrophes’ or “signs with incorrect       

            plurals’ for real world examples showing this common confusion.

Drama Instruction: 

• Introduce the Drama strategy of Tableau – a frozen picture created by actors.  Model tableau with a small group – create a tableau of a playground.  Encourage different shapes within the tableau, allow actors to be both living and non-living elements in the tableau, and be clear that all must be in the same picture.

• Introduce the idea of making a tableau of a word – choose a simple 3- or 4- letter word.  Draft students to use their bodies to create a tableau of the word, e.g., L-I-O-N (one student shapes herself into an “L”, one into an “I”, etc.).  
• Remind them that they can use their full bodies, or certain parts, and that there are many ways to create each letter. Possibly, have all students stand to make the shapes of the letters, to give the actors a variety of ideas. 

• Then add another actor to be an “S” at the end – L-I-O-N-S.  Solicit a suggestion of a sentence with the word as a plural, e.g., “The lions are all asleep.”  Have the group say the sentence together, inserting the spelling (spoken individually by each letter) after the word, e.g., “The lions - L-I-O-N-S - are all asleep.”  This is their line of text.  
• Discuss elements of vocal expression:  tone of voice, volume, articulation. Have students, or the entire class, explore how to say the line with vocal expression.

• Next, develop a sentence with the word as a possessive, e.g., “The lion’s mane is very shaggy.”  Have one of the actors – either the actor who is the last letter of the word or the “S” actor – hold up the stick apostrophe in the correct location in the word tableau.  Have the group say the new sentence together, inserting the spelling again, spoken individually by the actors, after the word, e.g., “The lion’s – L-I-O-N-apostrophe-S – mane is very shaggy.”  Have students say this line also with appropriate expression.

• If deemed necessary, repeat the modeling process with another example, perhaps with another type of noun, e.g.,  “I have a hundred rocks – R-O-C-K-S – in my collection,” and “Look at this rock’s – R-O-C-K-apostrophe-S – weird shape,” or “Great minds – M-I-N-D-S – think alike,” and “I see it in my mind’s – M-I-N-D-apostrophe-S - eye.”

• Brainstorm a variety of 3- or 4-letter nouns – write them on the board or on a screen.  They can be animals, objects, even abstract concepts, e.g., dog, book, sun, love, tree, plum, cup, wind.  Avoid nouns ending in “S” (e.g., boss, mess) or with irregular or more complicated plurals (e.g., wolf, man, box, fish).  Use nouns that pluralize with -s.

• Divide the class into working groups of four or five students.  Instruct them to replicate the modeled process with one of the brainstormed words (or an appropriate noun of their own choosing):  
• Create a word tableau with an s at the end, using their bodies creatively to make the shapes of the letters.
• Create a sentence with the word as a plural. 
• Speak the sentence with the spelled-out word, using their voices expressively.
• Create a sentence with the word as a possessive
• Insert the apostrophe in the appropriate place. 
• Speak the sentence with the spelled out word, including the apostrophe.

• Have each group present their two tableaux to the class.  After each, examine the choices the group made and determine if they included or left out the apostrophe correctly.

Closing Reflection

• Reflect on the process of creating the groups’ tableaux. “How did you work together to create it, and then to say your lines?  How did you use your bodies to represent the letters?  What are the two forms that we focused on?  What is the difference between them, and which one generally uses an apostrophe?”
• Return to the song and sing it again, using the gestures developed by the class at the beginning of the lesson.

Assessments

Formative

• Assess understanding of the difference between the possessive and the plural, based on prior knowledge and/or after learning and singing the song.
• Observe how students use their bodies to create the letters, and how they use their voices to express their lines.
• Observe and listen in on group processes for creating their tableaux and lines, looking for respectful collaboration, sharing of ideas, and inclusion of all group members.

Summative

Have students choose three words from the word bank on the board and write two sentences for each, one with the word as a plural, and the other with the word as a possessive. Stipulate that they cannot use the word that their group used, and they cannot repeat sentences that any of the groups used.

Differentiation

Georgia Standards

South Carolina Standards

Key Vocabulary

Materials

• Copies of “I Love the Look of Words,” by Maya Angelou
• Copies of popcorn box template (available below)
• Background information about Maya Angelou, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maya-angelou

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Warm Up
Have students stand up and alternate between intervals of random sound and movement and intervals of stillness and silence:  5, 10, 15, 20 seconds (i.e., 5 seconds of random sound and movement, then 5 seconds of absolute stillness and silence, etc.).  Have students sit down to reflect on the feelings evoked by each.  “How does it feel to speak and move?  How does it feel to be silent for an extended period?  When in your life do you have to maintain silence?  Why?”  (Reflection can be with a partner, in a small group, or in the full group.)

Work Session

Connect the stillness and silence of the Warm-Up to the story of Maya Angelou, told selectively from information gleaned from the Poetry Foundation page (according to teacher comfort).  Suggested script:

“Maya Angelou was a famous poet.  She was an African-American woman born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri.  She would grow up to become the Poet Laureate, or the official poet, of the United States, and to earn many awards and honors.  She is also the first African-American woman to be pictured on a quarter.  But when she was 8 years old she stopped talking.  She had been mistreated by someone in her family, and she spoke up.  But she felt that speaking up had caused more trouble, including violence, and so she stopped speaking.  She remained mute for five years.  During that time, she read a lot, and developed a passion for reading and a love of words.  Many people tried to get her to speak, but none were successful until a teacher named Mrs. Flowers, when Maya was 12 ½, convinced her of the importance of the spoken word, and Maya began to speak again.  Maya Angelou died in 2014 at the age of 86.”

(Note:  Teacher should become familiar with the story of Angelou’s childhood.  There are some details that are not appropriate for sharing in the classroom; teacher should be prepared to answer any questions that may arise.)

• Introduce, or review, the difference between literal and figurative language, and the definitions of metaphor and simile.
• Introduce the poem, “I Love the Look of Words,” by Maya Angelou.  Read it at least twice:  teacher reads it through once, then the class reads it through all together.
• Discuss the dominant metaphor in the poem.  What two unlike things is Angelou comparing to each other?  How does this metaphor convey her feelings about her subject?  How do you respond to this metaphor?  What other similes and metaphors are found in the poem?  
• First enactment:  Enact the poem with gestures.  
  • Drama instruction:  Define and discuss gestures as physical movements used to convey meaning.  
• Define and discuss facial expression as the way we convey thoughts and feelings with our faces.  
• Define and discuss enactment as the process of bringing something to life through acting.
• First model with the opening three lines, using gesture and facial expression to represent the “popcorn,” “popping from the floor,” the “hot black skillet,” and “into my mouth.”  Then brainstorm gestures, facial expressions, and actions for the remainder of the poem.  Have students stand and enact the gestures as the teacher does a full reading of the poem.
• Second enactment: Enact the poem with full body movement.  
  • Brainstorm ways to use the body to become both the leaping popcorn and the leaping words.  
  • Explore with the students ways to express phrases like “sliding into my brain,” “the words stay stuck,” “the weight of ideas,” and “the tracks of new thinking.”  
  • Have students stand and enact the full-body interpretation of the poem as the teacher does a full reading.

• Third enactment: Enact the poem with “popping words.”  
  • Brainstorm new and interesting words with the students:  these can be vocabulary words, words they have encountered through their own reading, interests or conversations, or unfamiliar words they have heard that they are curious about.  

• Final read-through:  Either the teacher reads, or the teacher assigns groups to read sections.  As the poem is being read, those not reading become words popping up randomly (e.g., “Armistice!”  “Melancholy!”  “Obtuse!” “Thermodynamic!” etc.), leaping up and speaking the words with energy and clarity.  

Drama instruction:  thinking about Angelou’s love of words, have students explore speaking their words with different feelings, altered voices, dialects, pitches, varying volume and pace, etc.

• Reflect on the different processes.  “How did we bring the poem to life?  Which actions – gestures, facial expressions, full-body movements, popping words - did you feel best represented Maya Angelou’s purpose in writing the poem? How do you relate to this poem now?”
• Distribute the Popcorn Box template.  Have students cut out the pieces and build the popcorn box.  Have students use dictionaries or other reference materials (in hand or online) to find interesting, unfamiliar words – words that were not used in the enactment - to write on the popcorn pieces; then have them crumble the pieces and put them in the popcorn box.  Use the boxes in pairs, small groups, or full class to explore new words.

Closing Reflection

Ask students, “How did we use our voices and bodies to bring the poem to life?”  “How did we creatively interpret the similes and metaphors in the poem?”  “How did we convey the theme of the poem?”  “How do you think Maya Angelou might have felt observing our lesson today?”

Assessments

Formative

• Note students’ responses in discussion of silence and movement.
• Note students’ understanding of metaphors and similes through their citing of examples from the poem.
• Observe students’ use of body, voice, and facial expression in the enacted readings of the poem.

Summative

Assessment instrument – questionnaire:

Questions

1. What is a metaphor?
2. What is a simile?
3. What is the central metaphor of “I Love the Look of Words”?
4. Describe one way in which you enacted a phrase or section of the poem.
5. List three of the words you wrote on your popcorn.
6. Tell one interesting fact you learned about Maya Angelou.

Answers

1. An implied comparison of two unlike objects.
2. A comparison of unlike objects using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
3. Words = popcorn
4. Possibly, “I used my hands to be the popping popcorn,” “I leapt in the air and shouted new words,” “I chomped with my teeth,” “I pretended to smell the butter on my fingers,” “I ran like I was on a track of new thinking,” etc.
5. (student choice)
6. Possibly:  She was the chief poet of the U.S., she stopped speaking as a child, a teacher got her to speak again, she won many awards, her picture is on a quarter, etc.

Differentiation

Acceleration

• Assign groups to independently develop gestural or full-body enactments of sections of the poem, to present to the class.
• Instruct students to follow up with a writing exercise, creating a short piece that includes all of the new words they wrote on their pieces of popcorn.  Have them read their written pieces with expression.

Remediation

• Plan out the gestural and full-body enactments ahead of time, to be less dependent on brainstorming and student input.
• Do leaping and popping more simply, in a seated position, or with a specific gesture of the arms alone, rather than with full body.
• Brainstorm as a class a list of unfamiliar, interesting words, and write them on a board, for the students to use in the third enactment of popping words.

Additional Resources

• https://www.mayaangelou.com/ - Angelou’s official website, featuring information, videos, merchandise, and more.
• https://poets.org/poems-kids  - the kids’ resource page of the website of the Academy of American Poets, with links to poems and information about poetry especially for young people.
• https://www.examples.com/education/kid-friendly-metaphor.html - a page with numerous examples of student-accessible metaphors

*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: Barry Stewart Mann

Revised and copyright: February 2023 @ ArtsNOW

Georgia Standards

South Carolina Standards

Key Vocabulary

Materials

*All materials listed below can be found under “Additional Resources”.

• Idiom List
• Southern Expressions List
• Acting Like an Idiom List
• Idiom/Literal Scene List

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Classroom Tips: This lesson can be done with desks as they are already arranged in the classroom, but it’s always fun to push desks back and get students on their feet in a circle. You can also create a little performance “stage” at the front of the classroom. 

• • Start with a general physical warm-up to get the students' bodies ready. Use exercises such as:
    • Stretching: Stretch all major muscle groups.
    • 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.
  • Vocal warm-up: “Cat got your tongue?” (Southern Expressions Idiom list located under “Additional Resources”)
    • Have students stand in a line, shoulder to shoulder, across the room from a wall.  Tell students that they will be doing a vocal warm up to help them to project their voices. (Actors warm up their voices and breathe in order for the audience to be able to hear their stories).
    • Have students yell “hello” across the room all at the same time.
    • Then, ask students to put breath behind their voice and push their voice out, not yell, across the room. Have students place their hands over their middle where their diaphragm is located and breathe in deeply so that they feel their stomachs expanding. Then, they should say “hello” imagining that all that air in their lungs is pushing “hello” across the room. Tell students that they should feel their stomachs “deflating” as they say “hello”. Have students practice projecting their voices.
    • Now, explain that you will call out phrases that are called idioms. Students will then repeat and project that idiom to the opposite wall.

• Teacher tip: You will need to go slowly when giving them these idioms. You can also break them up into parts.

Work Session

• Tell students that an idiom is a group of words that means something different than the individual words it contains. It is a type of figurative language.
• Idioms create images to help us understand the meanings beyond the literal meanings of the words. We can use theatre to help explore the world of idioms.
• Physical warm-up: Idiom wandering (Explain the meaning of each of the following idioms before you begin).
  • Tell students that during this game they will be walking around the room silently and will only add sound when they act out an idiom.
  • Explain that when you call “freeze”, the students should stop where they are and freeze their bodies.
  • Next, call out one of the idioms. Students will act out the meaning of the idiom using their bodies, faces and voices. Then, call “freeze” again and say another idiom.
  • Idiom examples:
    • You are “sick as a dog” (to be violently ill)
    • You’re a “stiff-necked” person (stubborn)
    • You’ve lost your “get-up-and-go” (low physical energy; extremely tired)
    • You’ve got the “world at your feet” (everything is going your way)
    • Someone has really gotten “under your skin” (they have really annoyed you)
• Improv warm-up: Acting Like an Idiom (See “Acting Like an Idiom List” located under “Additional Resources”).
  • Ask students to get into one large circle.
  • Discuss the list of idioms with them. Ask them what they think each of the idioms means.
  • Make sure to clearly state the meaning of each idiom before proceeding to the next one.
  • Stand in the middle of the circle to demonstrate acting out an idiom.
    • Start by reading the idiom and discussing the meaning; then act it out making sure to add dialogue.
    • Ask students if they believed you. Ask them what you did to make them believe you. Remind them that actors use their bodies, voices, faces, minds and hearts to tell a story and that we need to exaggerate all of these to get our story across.
    • Now explain that you will call out an idiom and its meaning and then students can raise their hands to come into the middle to act it out.  Once the student gets into the middle of the circle, you will call “action” and the student will act it out.
    • When they are done, you will call “freeze”.
    • The actor can then take a bow and get back into the circle. Encourage the other students to support their classmates by clapping, or establish another agreed upon way to show support.
• Improv in Action: Idiom/Literal on Your Feet (“Idiom/Literal Scene List” located under “Additional Resources”)
  • Ask students to pair up. Assign each pair one of the idioms listed located under “Additional Resources”.
  • Explain that they will be acting out the idiom meaning and then the literal meaning of their idiom.
  • Remind students of their acting toolbox: Bodies, gestures, facial expressions and voices.
  • Provide time for students to practice acting out the idioms. Circulate to work with students and check for understanding.
• Allow time for each group to perform. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
  • Ask the group to read their idiom and explain the meaning to the class before they begin. Then, call “Idiom Action” to prompt students to start their first scene. Then, call “Literal Action” and to prompt their second scene.

Closing Reflection

• Close the lesson by having students engage in a short writing prompt in which they will use their idiom correctly.
• Allow time for students to share their writing with a partner who has used a different idiom.

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator, participation in the physical and improv warm-ups, discussion of effective acting techniques, and collaboration with their partners to act out their idioms.

Summative

CHECKLIST

• Students can demonstrate that they understand what an idiom means through acting.
• Students can demonstrate that they understand what an idiom means through writing.

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: Susie Spear Purcell. Updated by Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright: July 2024 @ ArtsNOW