Galaxy Wanderers Part 1 1 : Narration ( Fiction make belief)
Once upon a time, in a faraway galaxy called Lumina, there was a friendly alien named Nova. Lumina’s planet wanted to know if there were moving things on Earth, so they sent Nova on a special mission.
Nova zoomed through space in their shiny spaceship and landed on Earth.
He explored forests, oceans, and cities, amazed by the planet’s beauty
Activity , Drama Integration — Exploration through Soundscapes
The facilitator can ask the students to make relatable sounds (only) they might hear in a specefic context, while the character Nova is moving through the space and then exploring the earth. The facilitator can add details to the description and take some time to complete this to let the children immerse in this make-belief story.
Alternatively, this can be tweaked to making different groups of children and allocating specifics like forest, ocean etc and then allowing the different groups to create the soundscape according to the narration.
Drama Extended Reflection ( Discuss ):
- What types of sounds did we use to establish a location?
- Why were these the sounds that we picked? How did they help to evoke a sense of place?
- Where else might you hear these same kinds of sounds? Why?
Part 2 ( Narration — Idea exploration )
One day, Nova found something fascinating — a street filled with colorful cars! He noticed that cars moved around, just like living creatures. Cars had wheels to “walk,” and they even had engines that made them go “vrooom!” Excitedly, Nova took a car back to Lumina to show everyone. He believed the car was a moving being!
Activity, Drama Integration- Hot seating
The teacher can take the character of Nova. Children are allowed to ask questions to “Nova” who is seated in front of them. Tell the children to ask 1 line questions . The teacher is not expected to answer every question and only supposed to answer on behalf of “Nova”. This is not dialogic but kind of rapid fire.
Part 3 ( Core Concept )
The Lumina council, although unsure empathized with Nova’s excitement and curiosity about the car’s potential life. Instead of accusing Nova of failing to perform his duty, they decided to hold an enquiry to explore the unique situation together. In doing so, they hoped to gain a deeper understanding of both the car’s characteristics and Nova’s perspective. The council knew that an enquiry was essential in discovering new knowledge and, more importantly, in fostering a compassionate and understanding community.
Activity, Drama Integration — Town hall meeting
Divide the children into different groups. One group would be arguing for Nova while the other group would be arguing against nova’s belief that the car was a living thing. Ask the students to prepare a list of the reasons why they believe so. They should present their arguments in the below format.
Framework to be used :
a) Claim
b) Evidence
c) Reasoning ( Make a statement connecting the evidence to the claim )
The facilitator can engage with questions ( Teacher in Role) while each group presents. The idea is to push them to think and not lead them to any answers.
Part 4 — Assessment
The facilitator can make a mind map with all the findings during the previous activity and test various ideas with different concept cartoons ( example given below )
Concept Cartoon
Example : Draw a sketch of 3 to 4 children looking at a plant and giving statements like a) Plants are not living beings because they dont move b) plants are not living beings because they dont eat like humans and animals do c) plants make their own food so they are living beings d) plants grow so they are living beings
The concept cartoon presents a range of viewpoints about about a plant being a living or non-living , including common misconceptions and the scientifically correct response. Get the students to consider what they think about the different opinions. It will help them to justify their own ideas and clarify their scientific thinking.
NOTE : Frameworks used
Drama in Education
Soundscape : Ask students to think about and create the multiple sounds that may be heard in a specific location or event in time.
Hot Seating : A character is questioned by the group about his or her background, behaviour and motivation
Town Hall meeting : The Town Hall Meeting invites all students to step into role and explore multiple perspectives in a community that is preparing to make a decision
Scientific framework used
Reasoning : Evidence based arguments
Concept Cartoons : Cartoon-style drawings that put forward a range of viewpoints about a particular situation or phenomena
Topics covered : Grade 6 , Living organisms — Characteristics of living organisms