IMPROV ESL: DEVELOPING CHARACTER INTO A MONOLOGUE OR POEM AND BUILDING A SCENE FROM IT

IMPROV ESL is a class that moves second language learners ahead in their production in using English and in feeling confident as they communicate their intentions!

During the seventh week of an eight-week course of IMPROV ESL, Lesly Fredman (improv teacher) and I (Ruth Schowalter, English language instructor) had international students at the Georgia Tech Language Institute do the following homework assignment! Please read the following:

Improv Homework #3: DEVELOPING A CHARACTER

(PART 2)

PART #2: WATCH SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW FROM A DISTANCE and CREATE an INTENTION

STEP #A: Choose a person who you don’t know that interests you, one that you can watch and take notes on. Observes this person for a little while and see what you notice about his/her behaviors. Listen.

STEP #B: As you take notes, decide on an “intention” something you want to get from this person:

·         Time

·         Directions to some place

·         Curiosity question about GT

·         Etc.

Using the skills of improv, approach the person and ask them your question. Thank them for the information and leave. Use their response in the monologue or poem that you are making in STEP #C.

STEP #C: Imagine a fictional life about him/her, including how they talk. Write a poem/monologue (Taylor Mali style) from this person’s perspective. Send me an email copy of your writing. Be prepared to present the poem or monologue to our class.

RATIONALE: In order to build a scene with interesting characters, improv students need to "be" characters other than themselves. One way for students to develop different characters is through observation. This assignment asks them to watch a "stranger" and to take notes on that person's behavior and create a poem or monologue from that "stranger's" perspective. By having students do this assignment outside the classroom, we hoped that the students would be more "alive" and "awake" in their environments beyond the walls of the classroom. They would then "engage" in a polite but brief exchange with this "stranger." Their observations and exchange would then result in the invention of a character from this real-life situation. And a poem that they would perform for the class.

REAL-LIFE RESULTS: Wow! The students brought their poems/monologues to class and succeeded in RECREATING the MOOD of their interactions. In fact they were so evocative that I thought the authors of the poems/monologues would enjoy observing two classmates build a scene from their work.

IMPROV RESULTS FROM POEMS/MONOLOGUES: Since the students have been working together using the RULES OF IMRPOV for six weeks, they were able to begin a scene after we had given the author feedback on the mood and intention and made sure of who the characters were. The goal was to start with one of the lines from the poem/monologue and to create something new. In other words, the scene had to be MORE than the written work. The written work served as the launching pad for going deeper.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN AND MANY SURPRISES!
You will see some of the IMPROV ESL students' work here on this blog! Just imagine what scenes we built with them!

Remember! Always make your partner look good!

ELHAM ALNEAIMI (Homework # 2)

Spending class time at the Culture festival in Georgia Tech was an amazing idea. We have engaged with many people from different cultures which give us the opportunity to talk to people, make up conversations, and have fun. I really liked what we did and I am very satisfied with the results even though I did a lot of mistakes.

However, our task was to talk to more than three people from different cultures than ours. For me, my first try was really disappointing since the first participant was not exicted as much as I was; he was completely not interested and his answers were so brief. I did not lose hope and decided to give it another try when the result was nothing like the first.

The second participant was familiar with what I was saying about my culture since he has a brother that lives there. He was totally enthusiastic to share me what he knows and that gave the enthusiasm to complete what I began.

The third participant was a native American  English speaker that have been to many different parts of the world but the United Arab Emirates. She had a brief background about it, and she was amazed by the information that I shared with her. She kept talking and asking questions which made me really comfortable and happy.

The last two participants were good. They did listen to me and gave me some of their time, but they did not interact with me. Even though I was disappointed at first, as the time was going on, I found it interesting and fun to stop people using the skills. I consider this task as one of the most important tasks that I have ever done; it is puzzling, interesting, and challenging.

Remember! Always make your partner look good!

HAMDAN ALMARZOOQI (Homework #1)

3 vowels are in each word :

*Rock

*Doctors

*book 

1 - We should stop that noisy rock music because Robert is so annoyed.

2 - Hey I have an idea, lets talk to the doctors to take some snapshots for the new robot that is used for the surgery.

3 - You could have booked some goods by calling.

 REFLECTIONS coming...

Remember! Always make your partner look good!

HANA YU (Homework #2)

HANA YU AT THE GT CULTURE FEST

The Culture Festival is very interesting. At the beginning of the festival, I felt bored because I had to do homework, but it wasn't homework anymore. It’s a valuable experience.

First, I really want to try Thai food, I went to the Thai culture table. Because I have never been Thailand before, I wanted to know about their culture. I really wanted to try Thai food too, so I went to Thai culture table. Unfortunately, there isn’t any Thai food. I said pitifully “I was really looking forward to trying some Thai food.” That was the beginning of the conversation. Although I didn’t say hello to the Thai girl, our conversation could be started. That was amazing. After this first scene, I got confidence for this task.

I volunteered at my country’s table. I could meet much more people from other countries, and I could be known their culture, too. While I was volunteering, I got more opportunities to talk about my culture and other foreign cultures. To volunteer at my country’s table gives a merit. I could continue to share cultures as long as I can. I used some traditional stuff from my country. I offered some coffee and cookies, I showed K pop music video as I explained my culture. As a result, people who have other cultures stayed, and we could share each culture together. 

REFLECTIONS

While I was doing the homework at GT culture festival, I felt nervous first. Because someone may not know about Korea at all, but after I experienced Taiwanese culture, I became brave. And I used improv skills, especially I heard carefully, and I tried find what they wanted to know. I used a laptop and showed them k pop video. We shared each language's greeting. The interesting thing is that because I heard what they said to me, what they wanted me to know, eventually I got it, and I could give them the information about my culture. When I felt curious I could show them using my voice and face and action. But the different thing is I felt like the limit to get closer each other. But I tried to make them stay to talking to me as long as I could. My different actions made them feel more curious. So we could keep in conversation.

Remember! Always make your partner look good!

IMPROV HOMEWORK #1: SHOWING INTENTION WHILE PRACTICING DIFFICULT VOWEL SOUNDS

 (c) Ruth Schowalter and Lesly Fredman

TESTING THE WATERS

(Being Intentional, Using Improv Rules, and Articulating Vowel Trouble Spots)

Description:

STEP 1 (VOWEL): Identify three vowel sounds that you have the greatest difficulty saying.

Example:   VOWEL#1: the sound /i/ in the word “please”

                VOWEL#2: the sound /ow/ in the word “soap”

                VOWEL#3: the sound /a/ in the word “hot”

STEP 2 (PROMPT): Write the “prompts” for three different improv scenes. Each prompt should highlight or showcase one of the specific difficult vowel sounds you identified above.  Be sure to underline the vowel sound you are practicing.

Example:

                       

PROMPT#1: For the vowel sound /i/:

                             I’m so weak right now! I really need to sleep more than three hours during the week.

PROMPT#2: For the vowel sound /ow/:

                             Oh…so you want to know where I’m going to go blow all my dough?

PROMPT#3: For the vowel sound /a/:

                             Gosh! We’ve had a lot of nonstop hot days. I need to shop for flipflops!

STEP 3 (EMOTION): For each prompt, choose two distinctly different emotions.

#1: frustrated  ßà optimistic and happy

#2: suspicious ß à business like

#3: excited ß à weak

STEP 4 (CHOOSING “ACTORS” FOR YOUR SCENES): Choose six different people to use your improv prompts with. RYou can approach doing this assignment with a variety of people:

·         CLASSMATE or FRIEND (who knows you are doing a homework assignment)

·         LANGUAGE INSTITUTE STUDENT, TEACHER, or STAFF (who doesn’t know you are doing a homework assignment)

·         A NATIVE SPEAKER (who you don’t know very well)

STEP 5 (TESTING THE WATERS WITH YOUR IMPROV SKILLS):

Know your intention with each scene. What is the emotion you want to communicate? If you want to show that you are frustrated, how will you use your voice, face, limbs, and trunk? How will you adjust your behavior to communicate a different emotion like happiness using the same prompt?

Also, think about what you want from the other person. Do you want him/her to be sympathetic, give you advice, do something for you…?

Keep the scene going until you have had a chance to see where it goes. You will be able to keep the scene going by following the rules of improv:

1.    Say yes to my partner

2.    Accept what my partner gives me and respond

3.    Make my partner look good

4.    Respond from the thoughts and feelings I have while listening

5.    I will use the good idea I have and wait or search for the great idea

6.    I will be willing to take risks and fail

7.    I will have fun

STEP 6 (REFLECT, REPORT, RECORD):

After each improv scene, reflect on what happened. Write down some notes considering the following: What did you experience? What surprised you? Were you able to extend the scene by using the rules of the improv? What did you do to communicate your intention?

Then, for your homework grade do two things: 1) Type your notes and post them on our class blog. 2) Video record yourself delivering your 3 prompts, expressing each prompt with two emotions. In the video recording be sure to demonstrate your change in intention by using your voice, face, limbs and trunk differently.

Remember! Always make your partner look good!