Approximate 15-20 minutes
About this strategy: Vote from your Seat is a strategy in which seated participants use their arms to show their answer (up = I agree; down = I disagree) to a prompt or question. This limited-movement strategy ensures that participants feel safe to contribute to the activity while providing a quick snapshot of participant opinion to generate further dialogue.
Grade Level: 4-6th Grade
Participants: 4+ students
Materials: None, can display statements if useful
Objectives:
- Reflect on the play, Kimmy, through a series of questions related to the play’s plot, characters, and relevance to the real world.
- Classify their position on a series of prompts by responding with their bodies on a continuum.
- Discuss their chosen responses in dialogue with their peers.
TEKS
- A.I.S.D. SEL TEK: Goal V Elementary: Demonstrate decision-making skills, problem-solving skills, and responsible behaviors in school, personal and community;
- Describes and demonstrates the steps of a decision-making model/process
- Actively participates in group decision-making processes
- 5th Grade Theatre TEK: (b) Knowledge and skills. (2) Creative expression: performance. The student interprets characters using the voice and body expressively and creates dramatizations. The student is expected to:
- (A) demonstrate safe use of the voice and body;
- (C) create movements and portray a character using dialogue appropriately;
Directions: Explain that in this activity the group will be asked to listen to a statement and decide whether they agree or disagree with what is being said. If participants agree, raise an arm/hand high into the air. (It can be useful to model this action.) If participants disagree, they should put their hand/arm down to their side. (It can be useful to model this action.) Explain that participants can choose to vote anywhere between “strongly agree” arms up and “strongly disagree” arms down. (Model a middle or “sometimes” vote.) Explain that each statement will be read twice and then the vote will happen. Once the group has voted, ask participants to keep their hands still and to scan the room to see other responses; then ask everyone to put their hands down. After most statements, the facilitator can lead a dialogue with the group to reflect on the full group response; reflect in pairs on individual responses; or reflect from different ends of the response continuum on the ideas being explored (an “agree” and a “disagree”).
Statements:
1. The characters in “Kimmy” were relatable. (invite students to vote)
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- Follow up question: What made them relatable? How did you connect their stories to your experiences?
2. People share less about themselves to make others comfortable.
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- Follow-up questions: In what situations does this happen? Any idea why it happens?
3. People are always proud of their home culture.
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- Please explain your answer. How did Kemi’s sense of pride develop from the beginning of the play to the end?
Reflection:
Describe: What did you notice about the opinions in the room? When did we most agree? Disagree?
Analyze: Why do you think we all have different opinions on the statements?
Relate: What are you taking away from this play that connects to your own life?
Adapted from The DBI Network: https://dbp.theatredance.utexas.edu/content/vote-your-seat