3/3/2026 - Week 8 / Meeting 15: Drama / Tableau in the Classroom

 

 

 

Hook or Icebreaker

 

Sweden: Lessons for America?

 

 (34:50 - 40:49)

It’s been suggested that Americans would be better off if the United States was more like Sweden. Do the Swedes know something that we don’t? Sweden: Lessons for America? A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg delves into the economic and social landscape of the Swedish scholar’s homeland. Join him to see that the lessons to be learned from Sweden may not be the ones you expect. The one-hour documentary follows Norberg on a journey through the history of Sweden’s economic rise, from one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the most prosperous. The program illuminates key ideas and enterprises that sparked the reform and continue to help Sweden maintain its lofty economic position, including freedom of the press, free trade, new technology companies, crazy jobs and even an old Swedish superhero.

 Question 1

What do you think about Sweden's educational model? Compare and contrast the Sweden educational system with the American educational system.

 

I

 Unit: Drama

Theme: Tableau in the Classroom

 

Introduction

A tableau vivant, French for "living picture", is a static scene containing one or more actors or models. They are stationary and silent, usually in costume, carefully posed, with props and/or scenery, and may be theatrically lit. It thus combines aspects of theatre and the visual arts.

 

II

Learning Objectives

 

• Understand the use of tableau in the classroom
• Explain in which way is tableau useful to students
• Gain an awareness of the elements of tableau necessary to tell a story
• Experience the performance of a fairy tail using tableau
  

III

Main Lesson

 1

 Teacher Toolkit: Tableau

 

Question 2

Based on this video; how can we use tableaux to teach subjects other than theater?

---------------------------------------------

 

2

 

 

 Santa Monica Repertory Theater: How to Create a Tableau

 

 Question 3

Based on this video; why are tableaux useful for young students?

---------------------------------------------

 

 

3

 

 Review Concept

 

 What Makes an Effective Tableau

 

 Question 4

Which elements of tableaux are emphasized in this  video?

----------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

IV

 

 A Note to Remember

A tableau is a living picture used to tell a story.

 

 

 

V

 

Case Study

 

 

Student Project

 Question 5

How effective is a tableau in telling a fairy tale?

 

 

VI

ACTIVITY 1

 

Students  are divided into groups. They choose a fairy tale they want to turn into a tableau. They plan how to create the frames that will tell the story.

Question 6

Create a lesson plan using the MDCPS Competency Based Curriculum. 

Link: https://www2.dadeschools.net/students/cbc/index.asp

Remember to list the Following: 

 

LESSON PLAN

Genre:

Grade level:

Lesson Title:

Component 

Objective:

Competency:

Content:

Activity:

Materials:

Assessment:

VII

 

 Activity 2

 

  

 

 

 Fairy Tale Tableau Project How To

 

 Using the project above as a model, create a fairy tale tableau project in which you post your 10 pictures and the corresponding scene descriptions.

Question 7

Choose a fairy tale and create a storyboard with pictures (snapshots taken with your phone) that illustrate the story line.

Create a lesson plan using the MDCPS Competency Based Curriculum. 

Link: https://www2.dadeschools.net/students/cbc/index.asp

Remember to list the Following: 

 

LESSON PLAN

Genre:

Grade level:

Lesson Title:

Objective:

Content:

Activity:

Materials:

Assessment:

 VIII

Journaling

 

 

IX

Glossary

 

X

Sources

 

 

XI

Students' Work 

Lesson Plan

Ellie, Lainey, Luke, Lyfe, Calissa, Kaylee

Genre: Drama

Grade Level: 2nd Grade

Lesson Title: Tableaux Fairytale (Three Little Pigs).

Objectives
● Students will learn how to tell a story using frozen scenes (tableaux).
● Students will practice expressing character emotions and actions through body language and facial
expression.
● Students will work collaboratively to plan and perform a short fairytale tableau.

Competency
● Demonstrate understanding of story sequence (beginning, middle, end).
● Use movement, gesture, and expression to communicate meaning without words.
● Show teamwork and creative thinking in dramatic play.

Content
Students will:
● Choose a familiar fairytale (e.g., Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs, Cinderella).
● Assign roles (characters, narrator, props).
● Choreograph gestures and expressions that show each character’s feelings.
● Create a minimum of 10 frozen scenes to tell the full story.
● Present the final tableau performance to the class.

Materials
● Simple props (hats, scarves, baskets, chairs)
Assessment
● Students receive 100 total points upon completion of their tableau.
● Based on creativity, effort, and group collaboration.

Rubric (100 points total)
Category Description Points
Title & Story Choice Clear fairytale selection and story flow 25
10 Scenes Each scene clearly shows part of the story 50 

Participation & Teamwork Active role, cooperation, and creativity 25
 

Scene 1 – Saying Goodbye
Scene 2 – Pig #1 Builds with Straw