Connecting with Quotes in Fine Arts

Grade 8/9 Drama Quote project
Heather Drage Drama Specialist

The quote project was created to get students away from being literal and finding creative solutions for ideas and thoughts. Many quotes may be interpreted or represented in a variety of ways. The majority of the project was student based research, peer assistance and group collaboration. As the teacher I was certainly the facilitator and assisted in aiding the students away from the literal representation. I modeled many times to be creative…. Be unique.
[vimeo www.vimeo.com/51713423 w=500&h=281]
Drama Connecting with Quotes from Calgary Science School on Vimeo.

To ensure the students were looking for quotes they could connect with I asked them to find one that embodied what CSS meant to them. They looked at the Exemplary Learning Framework to find key words and adjectives that would narrow their search.

The students were given the option of working alone or in a group, they could use a form of creative communication to represent the quote (Dance, scenes, commercials, iMovies, Scene to music, monologue, live or on film) and the quote project must show some deeper thinking and the representation wasn’t surface work. I needed to see that effort was put into the project.

The assessment was based on 1) Due dates met 2) Effort and Participation throughout the classes 3) Depth of thinking 4) Creative Representation 5) Final product.

An ongoing approach to assessment has been to understand constructive peer feedback. The students have had to really think about why the project was successful or not successful and give specific notes to the group or individual. They were also given the opportunity to ask questions as to the choices the group made in creating their creative representation. In doing this the students have come to realize that as an audience member they are actively involved in everyone’s project. The feedback portion of assessment has been very valuable to the students as learners. 

 Overall I was very impressed with what the students prepared. I now have a better understanding of where the students are creatively, who takes on the leadership roles in the classroom and who needs more support. Having that knowledge allows me to make different choices to ensure student success for all learners.