4th Grade Drama: Rocks

Somehow the lesson plan didn't save or got erased, so I can't remember exactly how I executed it... But I think I began by asking the students to remember some of the characters that we had played with in the previous lesson(s). This may have included pirates, mice, etc. I believe that I would have asked them to show me in their bodies how a pirate might walk or how a mouse might sound when it talks, etc. Next, I remember that I chose a rock photo that I had brought and asked the students to imagine if this could talk and asked them to show me what their voice might sound like. I did the same with movement. I did get the expected "But rocks can't talk/move!" comments, but I reminded them that in drama we play pretend and sometimes pretend things that don't happen in real life.

Next, I remember that I showed them an example of what we were going to do that day. I created my own rock character based on one of the rock photos. I asked the students to tell me if the rock that I chose was a sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic rock and provide reasons why. I passed the rock around the class and heard a variety of responses. The one I chose was sedimentary (according to Google Images), but it would have been nice to have some physical rocks there because there was a lot of disagreement for various reasons which most were totally valid. We reviewed the qualities of each of the three types of rock before moving on.

The classroom teacher and I put the students in partnerships of two people and passed out a rock photo and a worksheet to each pair of students. Because of all the disagreement and the lack of tangible rocks I decided to be pretty flexible when the students decided what type of rock they had--as long as they could provide evidence for why they thought it was a particular kind of rock.

Besides this minor confusion, the lesson was actually quite enjoyable! At the end of the lesson, all those that wanted to share the rock character that they had created presented their worksheet for the class, and some even let us hear a sample of what the rock character's voice would sound like! I really enjoyed seeing the students really use their imagination in this lesson.

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LESSON 3: ROCK ON (60 minutes)

4TH GRADE

STANDARDS:

Science

Standard 3a. Sort rocks by appearance according to the three basic types: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic (e.g., sedimentary-rounded-appearing mineral and rock particles that are cemented together, often in layers; igneous-with or without observable crystals that are not in layers or with or without air holes or glass like; metamorphic -crystals/minerals, often in layers).

Drama

Standard 4.T.CR.5:

Create character through imagination, physical movement, gesture, sound and/or speech and facial expression.

OBJECTIVE: Students will sort rocks by appearance and will create a character through imagination, physical movement, and sound/speech by creating a character inspired by a metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary rock.

MATERIALS: Character worksheet, rocks pictures

LESSON SUPPLEMENTS:

Character Worksheet:

MY CHARACTER

1. What type of rock am I? (Example: Igneous)

2. What is my name? (Ex: Theodore Ignatius)

3. Where do I live? (Ex: Hawaii, on the base of a volcano)

4. What do I like? (Ex: Fish, birds, waterfalls, etc.)

3. What do I not like? (Ex: Thunderstorms, sharks, noisy things, etc.)

4. What does my voice sound like? (Ex: Scratchy, “surfer” accent)

5. What does it look like when I walk or move? (Ex: When I laugh my shoulders bob up and down. When I walk I drag my feet on the floor. Etc.)

ROCK PHOTOS:

Cut out each rock individually.

Metamorphic:

Igneous:

Sedimentary: