Students will first be lead through 2 theater exercises that will warm-up them up both physically & vocally and prepare them to start exploring emotions. The games are Emotion Freeze Off (where students have to pose like the emotion they are prompted) & Feelings Vortex (where as a class we take turns vocally expressing a phrase we would depending on our current emotion). After the introduction activity, the teaching artist will have the kids sit in a circle & pass out copies of the poem, "Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make My Day" by Jamie Lee Curtis. As a group we will read through the poem & discuss its theme & characters. The discussions will vary depending on grade level & what Common Core Standard each grade is completing. Once the discussion is over the teaching artist will ask each student to pick their favorite stanza/emotion from the poem (there are 13 total). Then students will be grouped depending on which emotion they would like to work on. Once in groups the teaching artist will facilitate as the students work together on creating their own monologues based on an emotion inspired by the script. While the kids work in groups the teaching artist will visit groups to facilitate & provide feedback. Students will be encouraged to express themselves without judgement and to create a unique voice and physical demeanor to portray the emotion. For the remainder of the program, students will have the chance to perform their skits they rehearsed in front of the class. After presentations the workshop will close with a class discussion where students can share their observations and experiences.
