Response to Ashlyn!

            Ashlyn I am glad to hear that your husband is pleased with your new cooking endeavors!  Please feel free to bring any new recipes to class J.  Your analysis of the text was fascinating to read and I was impressed by the comparisons you made between the articles. For instance you said “When I saw the words “expression,” “critical thinkers,” and “communicat[ion]”, I knew that was exactly what Theatre advocates and strives to teach its students. Checking the catalog of National Theatre Standards before me, I saw similar language jump from off the page: “experience,” “imagination,” “communicating,” “conceptualizing,” “interpretations,” “evaluating,” “artistic choices,” and “analyzing, critiquing, and constructing.”  It had never occurred to me before how much the standards of CPMLE and the national theatre standards go hand in hand.

            Often when reading through the national theatre standards I feel overwhelmed and constrained by what we are required to teach.  The content standards are broad topics that allow for more personalized lessons, but the achievement standards are so specific that I get lost in the feeling of inadequacy to be able to teach all that is required to my future students, especially when I don’t see myself as an expert in the various topics.  For example Content Standard 7 in 9-12 Advanced states “Analyzing, critiquing, and constructing meanings from informal and formal theatre, film, television, and electronic media productions.”  Combined with the other 8 content standards that seem fairly manageable, but then adding the different achievement standards under the content standards can feel overwhelming.  For instance, the four standards underneath 7 include specifics such as “construct personal meanings from nontraditional dramatic performances, analyze, compare, and evaluate differing critiques of the same dramatic texts and performances”, etc. and cause me to stress over how we are to get through all of the standards as well as direct after school performances and run the auditorium, not to mention have a family at home and do our church callings.

            It all requires balance and imagination, just as your new found ability to combine various ingredients you have in your cupboards to a make a hardy meal.  I am grateful for the other readings that provided us with tools to create lesson plans and units that will allow for inventive ways to teach all of the content standards. I loved your idea for completing content standard two by having students analyze characters through a photo essay, and the idea that “students will reinforce their knowledge of both media literacy and character development by “analyzing, critiquing, and constructing” the various beliefs and experiences of their characters through media art.”  By combining drama with media art we will not only be able to keep students engaged through new material, but we are relating to the student’s interests in the ever increasing technological world.  Another example I thought of for character work was to allow students to create a Facebook profile for their character in a show or class project.  This way they are using media to enhance their character study as they establish online relationship to other characters in the show, post new status updates, edit photo journals, and add likes for what their character would be interested in.  Facebook is a media that most students will be familiar with and will allow them to interact with their characters in engaging ways, instead of just book work.  Speaking of food again, even as I sit here typing, I am eating a bag of pretzels and on the back of the bag it asks that you like the pretzel brand on Facebook! Media is constantly around us and will be a great teaching tool for our classrooms.  The introduction to CMPLE states that “its focus has evolved from WHAT is taught to HOW we teach.”  Which will balance perfectly with helping us teach what is required in ways that better relate to our students.

            This approach is similar to how the Seeing & Writing 4 book suggests finding ways to “approach a range of verbal and visual texts” (736).  There are always different ways to look at a situation.  The more versatile our students can become the more prepared they will be for whichever career path they choose in life.  As the educator it is up to use to handle the difficult task of analyzing the National Standards and filtering those standards to our students in ways that relate to their interest and promote/encourage their desire and ability to learn!