Audio+Theatre

=Audio Theatre and Video Projects=

Students need to listen to learn. While some students learn visually, others learn by doing and listening. Using both Audio Theatre and Video Projects will help to reach students with diverse learning styles.

Teachers first want to model audio theatre by finding free clips online and having students actively listen to and respond to what they are listening to. After modeling what can be achieved through audio theatre, tailor an audio theatre activity that will enhance the curriculum (i.e. if teaching persuasive or informative writing, have students create an audio recording of a persuasive or informative speech; if teaching a piece of literature, have students brainstorm what kind of audio theatre piece would supplement it; etc.). Then, students conduct research necessary and create their audio theatre piece. Students then use software to mix, edit, and produce their piece. At the end, have students share and distribute their piece.

With video projects, as well as with audio, the teacher wants to give students roles and establish a timeline, expecting pitfalls along the way. It is most important to encourage students to be creative. The teacher may want to have students create a storyboard and a script to help guide them, this step can also be used to create an item for assessment by the teacher. Students need to create props, costumes, and other visual elements. Then, after much planning and preparation, students film and share their end product. Some project ideas may include acting out a scene in a play or novel, creating an alternate ending to a piece of literature, changing the setting or circumstance of a story they are reading, etc.

Examples: If doing a poetry unit, students can create a poem and record a reading of it, including background music and sound effects, etc. YouthSpeaks.org has an example of this on their homepage: [|YouthSpeaks.org]

The following is a project produced by English students studying //Lord of the Flies//. The students decide to create and film an alternate ending for the novel: [|Lord of the Flies: Alternate Ending]