Look in the Mythic Mirror

Week 3 Project

Overview ]|[ Due dates ]|[ Scoring Guide

Overview: Students will prepare a Reader's Theater style presentation, telling the story of their myth in either prose or poetic style, with appropriate music and artwork accompanying the performance.

Reader's theater is minimal theater in support of literature and reading. For information, go to children's author Aaron Shepard's Web site.

Reader's Theater allows for students to have the text in-hand and to stand in place, and thus, the focus will be on performance choices and selection of arts pieces, rather than on the memorization and blocking of the performance. The interplay of the three art forms--performance, visual arts, and music-- is meant to draw students closer to the understanding that the arts have a significant role in communicating [and sustaining] myths. It is therefore important that all the activities leading up to the Reader's Theater presentations, as well as the discussion following, help to accentuate that idea.

Assignment: Students work in class in their cooperative groups of 4-5 (the same groups as before). Students use information and research gained from group work in Week 1 and Week 2. They should include a representation of their mythological character by incorporating into the performance at least two of the defining traits discussed in their groups during Week 1: a voice, a costume, a movement or dance, a favorite saying, or a favorite color.

Student Procedure:

1. Research and become familiar with a myth that illustrates your group's archetypal quality.

• Find at least two versions of the same myth, told in prose and poetic styles, or told by two different authors.
• Read the stories and poems aloud within your cooperative groups.

2. Analyze the myth.

• In the third column of a three-column form, make a list of words describing the feelings, images, moods, structure, and language represented in your myth through the two literary forms.
• With your group, discuss the similarities and differences in the presentation of the myth in the two versions found.
• Make several copies of the three-column form with the literature column already completed. These will be used as your group evaluates various music and art selections.

3. Make preliminary decisions about your presentation.

• Collaborate in deciding the literary form you will present--poetry or prose.
• Determine each individual's role in the presentation that you will give to the class at the end of the coming week.
• Apply your understanding of the myth and the characters within it to the selection of character traits (a voice, a costume, a movement or dance, a favorite saying, or a favorite color).

4. Students research artwork and music:

• Search for at least one and no more than three possible art selections that help to convey a message relevant to your myth and/or mythological character.
• Use one three-column form for each piece of artwork. Fill in the first column with your impressions of the first piece, noting the name of the piece at the top. On the next page, fill in the first column with your impressions of the second piece, again noting the name of the piece, and so on. Use the questions to help you come up with words and impressions to fill the column.
• Search for at least one and no more than three possible music selections that help to convey a message relevant to your myth and or mythological character.
• Use the same three-column forms. Fill in the second column on the first form with impressions of the first musical piece, noting the title of the piece, the second column of the second form with impressions of the second musical piece, again noting the title of the piece, and so on..
• You should have no more than three forms filled out, because you were to choose no more than three possible art and music selections.

5. Select appropriate music and artwork:

• Once you have completely filled out each form, discuss as a group the similarities in word choices across the three columns. At the bottom of each form, respond to this statement: "These three selections work well as an ensemble for performance: Yes or No." If yes, why? If no, why not? If you have more than one "yes," decide which one is the better choice.
• Write in your journal a personal entry that identifies by name the art and music choices your group has made, and explains why you chose the pieces you did.
• Determine as a group how you will incorporate into the performance the character traits you have selected (#2 above). For example, if you chose to personify your character with a voice, how will that voice be used in performance? Who will use that voice? If you chose a movement, when in the presentation will the movement be presented?

6. Practice presentations:

• Divide up parts, as determined earlier. Read through the presentation several times and critique one another on delivery.
• Incorporate the character traits -- voice, movement, etc. It is possible that one member of your group is taking on all the character traits, and not reading the text.
• Incorporate the music and artwork. How will you present them? Will they be a backdrop or a "presented" part of the performance?
• Use the scoring guide for this assignment to assess your group's work

7. Perform!
8. Assess your classmates' presentations:

• What purposes does this myth serve?
• What questions about life does this myth address?
• What does this myth tell about human nature (what lesson does this myth tell)?
• How do the various art forms presented help to convey the story of the myth?
• How do the various art forms carry a message about the archetype represented in the myth? the mood of the myth? the culture depicted by the myth?
• Did the music and artwork match the myth? Why or why not? The groups may justify their choices, if needed, using their word lists.

Scoring Guide for Week 3 Reader's Theater Project

This scoring guide is meant for use with Reader's Theater presentation to assign a score to each individual student in the class, though the score will be based upon both the collaborative work of the cooperative group. This scoring guide allows teachers in the three classes involved to make a consistent evaluation of the Reader's Theater presentation. This scoring guide can be used by students for self-evaluation, both as they rehearse and after its completion. Teachers may also use it to clarify instructions for the project and for evaluation after completion. (Note: The cooperative learning group scoring guide may be used throughout the weeks of preparation.)

Reader's Theater Presentations will be evaluated using the following criteria:

For a score of 4:

• Scripts are well developed and are based on available myth
• Story plot is clear to the audience
• Sets, if used, are simple and suggestive
• Actors use body language effectively
• Actors speak clearly and at appropriate speed
• Actors use appropriate expression
• Final production is effective as well as entertaining

For a score of 3:

• Scripts are somewhat developed
• Story plot is somewhat clear to the audience
• Sets, if used, are over done
• Actors speak somewhat clearly and appropriately
• Actors use expression somewhat appropriately
• Final production is somewhat effective and entertaining

For a score of 2:

• Scripts are weakly developed
• Story plot is not clear to the audience
• Sets, if used, are overdone
• Actors do not use body language effectively
• Actors do not use appropriate expression
• Final production is not effective or entertaining

For a score of 1:

• Scripts are undeveloped
• Plot is confusing and painful to follow
• Scripts did not follow the myth
• Sets are inappropriate
• Actors use ineffective body language
• Actors use inappropriate expression
• Final production is ineffective

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