Curriculum Development Group Assignment: Grade Four
Done By: Amy Bannon, Courtney Cull and Roseanne Conidi
EDUC 8P33
The Secret of the Lost Kingdom
Written By: Michael Bolton
Paintings By: David Jermann
Published By: Hyperion Books for Children, New York
Ministry Guidelines Covered
Drama Expectations: Grade Four
Knowledge of elements
By the end of this unit, students will:
Speak and write as characters in a story
Identify the use of symbols or objects in drama/dance
Describe and interpret other’s work, using appropriate drama/dance vocabulary
Creative work
By the end of this unit students will:
Create, rehearse and present drama/dance works based on literature
Speak, move and write in role
Create and present a short choreography in a group
Critical Thinking
By the end of this unit students will:
Compare their feelings and reactions to those of a character they’ve portrayed
Solve problems in drama/dance individually by analyzing problems
Explain the importance of research in studying a location or time period to be dramatized
Language Arts Expectations: Grade Four
Organize and develop ideas using paragraphs.
Communicate ideas and information for a variety of purposes, and to specific audiences.
Editing work, spelling, grammar, and revise/edit using feedback.
Use simple and compound sentences.
Use verb tense correctly and appropriately.
Use a dictionary, and a thesaurus.
Print legibly
Communicate various types of messages, explain some ideas, procedures, and follow the teachers instructions.
Contribute and work constructively in groups.
Express and respond to ideas.
Opinions stated concisely and clearly.
Use appropriate tone of voice and gestures in social classroom activities.
Listen to others and stay on topic in groups.
Use appropriate strategies to organize and carry out group projects.
Day 1: Introduction to the Story
Materials Needed:
A copy of the story The Secret of the Lost Kingdom by Michael Bolton
Language Arts notebook or paper to write letters
Student Learning Activities: (15 minutes)
Before the book is read, the teacher will introduce the storybook as an introduction to the grade 4 Social Studies unit on Medieval Times. The teacher will read the story to the class up to the part where Prince Marlon kills the peasant warrior, and will then ask students to discuss certain issues. The last line that should be read is, “Go if you must. I know you’ll be back.”
Writing in Role (see assessment tool #1) (15-20 minutes)
The students will take on the role of Prince Marlon. For this activity, they will write a letter as the Prince, to their father, the King describing why the Prince is leaving the kingdom. Some of the questions and issues that the students can bring up in their letters are:
After the letters are written, the teacher will discuss with the class how the students’ feelings compare to those of the prince. If time permits, the teacher may ask students to switch their letters with another student and every student will write a response from the King’s point of view, back to his son, the Prince.
Day 2: Role Playing
Materials Needed:
A copy of the story The Secret of the Lost Kingdom by Michael Bolton
The letters that were written in the last class
Student Learning Activities:
The teacher will tell the students to all become Prince Marlon. From what they can recall from the story read yesterday and what they wrote in their letters, each student will be asked to speak in role.
Voices in the Head (10-15 minutes)
Should the Prince leave home or not?
1. Students think in the role of Prince Marlon on the day before he leaves the castle.
2. Each student thinks of a sentence or two to describe the Prince’s thoughts and feelings as he contemplates his decision. As the teacher taps each student on the shoulder, he or she voices the sentence aloud.
The teacher will assess if the students stay in role for this activity by using a class list and putting a checkmark beside the names of the students who make appropriate statements in the role of the prince. The teacher will then read from the part when Marlon leaves the kingdom and hides his identity up to the point when he meets Nicole.
Get In, Do Something, Get Out (see
assessment tool #2) (45 minutes)
The students will be broken up into groups of four for this activity. They will together act as the prince once he has left the castle. Through their actions, the students will show where the prince went, how he got there, what he did once he got there, and how he left (where did he go after?). The students will be marked on their use of elements of movement (The teacher will choose which to include).
Method for this activity:
1. Students are to act in role as Prince Marlon, to enter a location, achieve a purpose, and leave.
2. Students will be asked to provide a sensory depiction of the location.
3. Each student will act together as the prince and should have both a goal and an attitude.
4. Assign students to groups. Assign each group a “traffic lane” or space in the room.
5. Begin by focusing attention on the “get in” phase. Ask questions to provoke thoughts related to entering the imagined location. Use elements of movement to stimulate ideas.
6. Follow the steps listed below for the “get in” phase.
7. Next, work on the “do something” phase. Ask questions to provoke thoughts related to achieving the Prince’s goal within the imagined location. Refer to elements of movement.
8. Follow the steps listed below for the “do something” phase.
9. Now work on the “get out” phase. Tell the students that getting out must look different from getting in. Ask questions to stimulate ideas about making “get out” distinct from “get in”. Continue to refer to elements of movement for locomotion.
10. Follow the steps listed below for the “get out” phase of the activity.
11. Tell the students to practice the entire piece.
Steps (Use the same steps for all three phases of the activity):
1. Talk. Discuss ideas. How will you use the elements of movement?
2. Try. Try your ideas once.
3. Revise. Discuss any changes you should make.
4. Practice. Practice three times.
5. Final Try. Do it once more to finalize this phase of the activity.
Elements of Movement for Locomotion and Non-Locomotion
Level low, medium, high
Direction forward, sideward, back, diagonal
Tempo fast, medium, slow
Rhythm legato, medium, staccato
Line curved, straight, angular
Force light, medium, heavy
Elements of Movement for Locomotion
Gait awkward, medium, graceful
Step slide, strut, stomp, run, creep, walk, skip
Pattern square, circle, zig-zag, figure eight, forward-back, side-side
When every student has presented their choreography, the teacher will conclude the lesson by reading the story from the part that Marlon and Nicole hear the trumpets to the part where Marlon makes the promise to his father. (10-15 minutes)
Day 3: Medieval Life
Materials Needed:
A copy of the story The Secret of the Lost Kingdom by Michael Bolton
Student Learning Activities
Characters and Choreography Exercise (40-45 minutes)
The students will use what they know about medieval times to create choreography of families that existed during this time.
1. In groups of 3-4, determine characters associated with castle life and medieval times. Assign a character to each group member. Students can act as peasant, merchants, farmers, nobles, royalty, etc.
2. Identify 3 physical actions or tasks that represent each character chosen by your group.
3. Determine the most appropriate order for these actions or tasks to be accomplished, for this activity morning, afternoon and night would be a good choice.
4. All group members practice each of their first actions at the same time so that it can begin and end on a count of 16 beats.
5. All group members practice their second actions at the same time so that it can begin and end on a count of 16 beats.
6. All group members practice their third actions at the same time so that it can begin and end on a count of 16 beats. It is important that the third action ends in the same place and position that the first action began.
7. Combine all 3 actions into a sequence. Incorporate an 8-beat freeze between each one.
8. Determine a frozen position for the group to begin their presentation of actions.
9. Beginning in the frozen opening position, everyone in the group presents their three actions at the same time, remembering the freezes in between them. End in the same frozen position as you began. This is the one spot that the activity might end.
10. If you want to continue the activity, once everyone is frozen at the end of the presentation, one person repeats his or her actions alone, in half the time as before, while the remainder of the group stays frozen. Then the second person repeats his or her actions and so forth. Finally, everyone repeats the entire sequence in half time.
Each member of the group should be acting as someone different and moving in a different way to describe their characters’ activities without words. The students should involve non-locomotion activities. Non-locomotion involves moving various parts of the body while staying in the same spot. The students should also use either isolation or combination movement for each part of the day. Isolation moves involve only one part of the body at a time. Combination moves involve at least two body parts at the same time. The students should also use 2 or 3 elements of movement (chosen by the teacher).The students should also present their choreography to the rest of the class.
Day 4: Thematic Conclusions
Materials needed:
A copy of the story The Secret of the Lost Kingdom by Michael Bolton
A medallion as a visual for the medallion in the book
Student Learning Activities
Whole Class Discussion and Thematic Reflection (15-20 minutes)
The teacher will read the rest of the story to the class. The teacher will emphasize the symbol of the medallion. “The medallion is a constant reminder of the need for peace.”
The teacher will then ask the students:
1. How did Cyrius get the medallion at the end of the story?
2. How did it end up in Michael’s pocket?
3. What does the medallion mean to you today?
The students will discuss these questions together as a class before moving on to the next activity.
Chant (see assessment tool #3) (20-25 minutes)
1. The students will be placed in groups of four for this activity. Each group will be a different character in the story; Marlon, the King, the Warrior, Nicole, Cyrius, and Mordal (the evil advisor).
2. Each group must make up an effective chant together to describe what the medallion would mean to the person that the group is representing.
3. Students must use different volume (loud, soft), tempo (staccato, legato), and mood (angry, loving, happy, sad, proud).
4. The groups should practice until everyone in the group has the chant and the effects in their head.
5. The groups should present their complete sequence to the class.
Assessment Tools
1. Edit
spelling, grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, and staying in role
2.
Rubric (Elements of Movement for Locomotion and
Non-Locomotion)
Y
y n N
Level (low, medium, high)
Tempo (fast, medium, slow)
Line (curved, straight, angular)
Step (slide, strut, stomp, run, creep, walk, skip)
3.
Rating Scale
Volume Very Good Good Needs Improvement
Tempo Very Good Good Needs Improvement
Mood Very Good Good Needs Improvement
On Task/Staying in Role Very Good Good Needs Improvement