With students at home and caregivers balancing work and school, everyone is adjusting and learning. We want to offer a few simple, creative, educational, and arts-based ways to spice up your distance learning – especially since the day might involve a lot of sitting. 

On that note, a huge thank you to all the teachers trying to figure this out with short notice and high stakes. 

ROLE ON THE WALL

Posted Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Today’s at-home arts integration strategy is Role on the Wall. This activity has its roots in character analysis – something that actors, directors, playwrights, and designers do on every play they create. Role on the Wall is a fun way to help kids share a) what they know about a character/person and b) what ways the character is influenced by external forces. This activity is also a helpful way to check in on how kids might be feeling at this moment in time.

The directions for the activity are shared in two ways – for caregivers/teachers and for kids who can read so they can do the activity independently.

We’d love to see you share a photo of your Role on the Wall on our post so that others can join in your learning. 

Here are some examples

Example of Character in Story/Historical Figure

Example of Animal

DOWNLOAD THIS ACTIVITY AS A PRINTABLE .PDFRole on the Wall is credited to Drama Education scholars and teachers Jonothan Neelands and Tony Goode. You can see a longer description of the activity in the link below from the Drama-Based Instruction website created by Drama for Schools at The University of Texas at Austin. 

Role on the Wall: https://dbp.theatredance.utexas.edu/content/role-wall-0

Sarah Coleman, Portland Ovations Co-Director of Engagement l School Programs is a theatre educator, an arts integration specialist, and a former classroom teacher who has taught students in grades K – college as well as led professional development workshops for teachers around the country for over 15 years.