Arts Bridge Visit #5 - November 9th

For my fifth visit I did a lesson on imagination and poetry using the poem "Bear in There" by Shel Silverstein. Here is the lesson plan I used.

Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate an ability to use their imaginations by using bodies and voices to portray a polar bear. 

Warm-up:

Ask students to pretend to be a polar bear

• Instructions:
  • Find your own space in the room (again, we may or may not need to practice what this means), giving yourself elbow room and not moving out of your parameter.
    • Practice moving about in your own space, but staying in it.  How do you walk, run, climb, etc.?
  • Let’s start with a frozen image of your polar bear—and by the count of 10 it will come to life. While counting to 10, ask the following questions.
    • What does your polar bear look like?
    • How big are you as a polar bear?
    • How different are you from yourself as a polar bear?
    • How fast or slow do you move as a polar bear?
  • We are going to come back to your polar bears in just a moment, but for now sit down and listen to a poem.

Step 1:

Read the poem slowly, the first time with students only listening, not acting it out:

“Bear in There” by Shel Silverstein

There's a polar bear

In our Frigidaire—

He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.

With his seat in the meat

And his face in the fish

And his big hairy paws

In the buttery dish,

He's nibbling the noodles,

He's munching the rice,

He's slurping the soda,

He's licking the ice.

And he lets out a roar

If you open the door.

And it gives me a scare

To know he's in there—

That polary bear

In our Fridgitydaire

Step 2:

The second time reading the poem, ask students to pretend to be the polar bear in the poem and imagine they are inside a fridge:

• Instructions to give after every few lines of the poem:
  • What does your body and voice say about how your character is feeling?
  • What words might you say at certain points in the poem? I will pause to give you time to explore this.
    • What do you say to me if I come and open your fridge to get something to eat?
    • On “And he lets out a roar/If you open the door” open the different student’s doors. Repeat as many times as students are willing or as needed.
      • Note: teacher is interacting with the students in-role, as their collaborator. This allows students too young to practice a scene on their own to improvise with someone else.
    • Ask other students to stay in their spots and watch during these scenes. Make them quick and focused.

Conclusion Discussion:

When students are done portraying polar bears, ask them to sit in a circle for a discussion.

• Character and setting questions:
  • What did you learn about being a polar bear?
  • What did you learn about being cold or hungry?
• Imagination questions:
• How did you use your imaginations?
• How might this help you use your imaginations in other ways?
• Why are imaginations important?

THE KIDS LOVED THIS LESSON!! They seriously reacted the best they ever had to this one. The students were all SO into it and they really got into all of the different ways they could act as their polar bear character. They had so much fun coming up with different reactions to me opening their fridge door. It was a blast!!