Living Pictures: Tableaus through the Social Studies Standards

For each Social Students unit, students will work in groups to create tableaus that shows comprehension of what they have read. Students will be given various passsages of text on a card. As a group, they will read and summarize the text. Then they would determine who will represent various parts and determine how they will show this passage in a tableau. This teaches students to work cooperatively in a group. After creating their tableau, students will revisit the passage to determine if their tableau represents the important main ideas of the passage. Students will then create lines for each person to tell the main ideas expressed. Students will practice various tones and transition movements. Each group has a different passage thus creating 4 or more tableaus to represent the text material. Students can then photograph the various stages of the tableau. Then students can use podcasting to read their lines and reflect on the process and what they learned from creating their tableaus.

It helps students to apply and expand their knowledge and understanding about the subject by taking on the roles of people or objects to create living pictures. Students learn how to use text, and writing prompts, as a springboard to create living pictures. These tableaus help students examine the meaning of text passages. It shows student comprehension of specific facts, concepts, or big ideas. Students can also use tabeleaus to show meaning of vocabulary. This deepens comprehension, models differientiated instruction, and motivates all types of learners. Students are moving, writing, creating, speaking, and using technology in a creative way.

Using the digital cameras and video podcasting, students can have a record of these tableaus. These can be saved and filed in such a way that students can use these as a review for a unit or a review for the entire year just before standardized testing. When students use movement and acting, the material comes alive for them and they make connections in their brain that they will not forget. They can reveiw their podcasts at the end of the year and share with other students.

I would also use this in Science as well as Language Arts to deepen understanding and take kids to a higher level of thinking.