Selected Poems of Joy Harjo - Music Center

Step-by-Step Sequence of Learning – use these cognitive processes: experience, inquiry, creation, performance, reflection, assessment
Model Lesson Six – Theatre: Choral Reading of the Found Poem
ASSESS PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
What does “projecting your voice” mean?
What is choral reading?
What is “reading with expression?”
EXPERIENCE - Getting Smarter: Add Choral Reading of the Found Poem and Expressive Movement to the Walk/Freeze
While in their seats, the entire class memorizes, out loud, selected phrases from, or all of an entire Found Poem:
o Example: “Remember the wind/That you can’t see, can’t hear/--a name with power to thread us through the dark to dawn.”
Experiment with putting an accent on various single syllables of each phrase and analyze the slight changes of meanings with changing the accented
syllable.
o Examples:
o “Remember the wind/That you can’t see, can’t hear/--a name with power to thread us through the dark to dawn.”
o OR: “Remember the wind/That you can’t see, can’t hear/--a name with power to thread us through the dark to dawn.”
o OR: “Remember the wind/That you can’t see, can’t hear/--a name with power to thread us through the dark to dawn.”
Side coaching: Choral reading is when a group of people speaks the same words, sounding as one voice. Listen to each other to sound like “one
voice” speaking.
Divide class into two groups, as in Lesson Two (performers and audience).
Directions for adding the Focus Point to the Walk/Freeze:
Do the Walk/Freeze.
Add these qualities from the poem: Flowing like wind; circular movements, like the stars revolving
Practice using the stage space: Moving in line from Stage Left to Stage Right and vice versa; moving from Upstage to Down Stage and vice versa
On the freeze, the actors look at the focus point.
Side coaching: The focus point is a spot (use a post-it with a red X written on it) in the center of the wall behind the audience. In moving your
Shadow Puppet, going from US to DS means the image goes from blurry to sharp and vice versa. Shadow Play puppet moves can also include
flowing motion and circular motion.
Directions for adding the selected Found Poem phrase to the Walk/Freeze
Do the Walk/Freeze, using Poetic qualities and Shadow Play puppet moves.
On the Freeze, the group speaks the phrase to the focus point.
Experiment with various accented single syllables as chosen by the teachers
.
Music Center Anchor Work Model Curriculum Unit: Selected Poems of Joy Harjo.
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