HOLLISTON HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE OVERVIEW
IMPROVISATION
Mr. Hickey
Course Description:
Building on the skills learned in Drama Workshop I and or II, students in
this course will focus on developing their improvisational skills at an
advanced level. Students will learn and apply improvisational terms and
tactics such as spontaneity, accepting and rejecting, platforms, routines and
plot advancement / scene development. All or most of the scene material will
come from the students own experiences, knowledge and imaginations.
Goals:
By the completion of this course the successful student will have learned:
A. to work cooperatively and creatively in both self and teacher
determined groups of varying sizes in the development and/or
presentation of ideas
B. to form solutions to the dramatic problem that exhibit greater depth,
detail and complexity than those in Drama I and Drama II
C. to create and sustain a believable and character through an
improvised scene that exhibits depth, detail and complexity.
D. to identify, through the creation and performance of dramatic
solutions to given problems, their artistic voice.
E. to develop through improvisation, an intuitive episodic theme/subject
and character exploration.
F. To apply a characters tactic and/or motivation in a prepared
improvised scene.
G. to evaluate and critique the quality of interpretation of
improvisations, and individual performances.
H. to identify how opinions, biases, values, and the significance of
race, gender, age, economic status, ethnicity, etc., influence the point of
view of the individual and society.
Course Materials:
A. Source Materials: plays, text books, poetry, novels, short stories,
B. Media Articles: commentary, editorials, stories, cartoons, reviews
C. Videos: films, plays, television shows, documentaries
D. Other Art Forms: music, sound recordings, paintings, photography,
sculpture, illustrations, etc.
Student Assessment:
ABCs 30%
Effort 20%
Journal 20%
Scene work 20%
Final Scene
Performance 10%
Class Format and Procedures:
ABCs
Attitude, Behavior and Cooperation. Since this class will be slightly
different than some of your other classes, i.e., no textbook, written tests
and quizzes, your attitude is everything. Part of cooperation is
participation. Since I will require everyone to participate in all that we
do in class, if you do not participate then you are not cooperating.
Students are responsible for creating a supportive environment in the class
in which all members of the class can freely express ideas and present work
without fear of encountering negativity from fellow classmates.
Effort
I want to see that youre trying and giving it your all. I dont expect
everyone to be incredible actors but I do expect success from you all and it
only comes with giving it your all. Use class effectively. Unnecessary
talking disrupts the learning process and pulls focus away from your
objective. Giving effort into time management when working in small groups
will greatly affect the outcome of your presentation. There will also be
occasional homework assignments given and students are expected to do them
willingly, accordingly and on a timely basis. (homework is usually given to
prepare you for the next class if you dont do it, you wont be able to
participate)
Journal
Self-reflection is one of the most important aspects to ones progress. Am I
getting it? Am I doing this right? How do I feel about what is going on
around me? I wonder how others feel? What if I try something else? I
wonder if this approach will work? Students will be expected to submit one
journal entry per week. Topics for journal entries will be assigned each
week. Students will be expected to supply their own notebook for use as
their journal. Creative and unusual journal entries will sometimes be
welcome and accepted.
Scene work & Final scene
Throughout this course students will be learning improvisational skills and
strategies to develop believable characters, strong plot development and
thorough
theme/subject exploration. During the quarter we will work on a few scenes,
created by students using igniters to incite the imagination. This will be
a proponent of your final grade along with the final scene.
Class Materials:
Notebook/Journal
Pen/Pencil
Folder with pockets
Extra Help/Make-up Policy
I will be available after school for students who feel they are falling
behind or do not understand the concepts we are discussing in class. For
assignments that are missed due to a students absence it is the students
responsibility to find out what was missed during the absence. Students
should see me either before or after class, after the end of the school day
or during ELB Block. If students miss a scene performance that they were
involved in and were scheduled to perform on the day of the absence it is up
to that student to see me to reschedule the scene performance the morning
following the absent day.
Missed Journal Entries
Students are required to complete one journal entry per week based on class
work, outside observations and reading assignments. Topics for journal
entries will be given during the week. Journals are to be handed in every
Friday. Journal entries that are late will be marked down one grade each day
they are late. If a student is not in class on Friday but in school due to a
field trip, assembly or outside scheduled appointment they are still
responsible to get the journal in by the end of the school day.
Journal Grading
Improvisation
/ You have turned in a journal entry that completely fulfills the
requirements of the assignment. You have passed the journal entry on time.
You have written or created a journal entry that relates in some way to drama
class. Your entry also reflects the experience you are having in class and is
self-reflective (You have not only written about what is happening in class,
but also how it affects you). Your entry demonstrates that you have put
superior time and effort into your work.
/ You have turned in your entry on time or one day late. Your entry
relates to drama class and reflects to some degree the experience you are
having in class. Your journal is complete and as at least filled the length
requirement of the written journal entry. Your reflection is somewhat less
extensive but still insightful.
/ Your journal entry has not been handed in on time or is incomplete.
It relates little to your class experience and contains no self-reflective
thought or process about your experience in drama.
/- Your journal entry is either or both late and has not meaning toward
any thought process regarding your experience in drama class. Your entry
demonstrates an extremely low level of effort.
*Journal entries will be accepted up until the final day of class. Any
missed entries may be submitted for partial credit.