Lesson: Successful Pancakes
Authors: Michael Avila & Becca Cardon
Standards:
TH: Cr3.1.1.bIdentify similarities and differences in sounds and movements in a guided drama experience (e.g., process drama, story drama, creative drama)
TH: Pr4.1.1.bUse body, face, gestures, and voice to communicate character traits and emotions in a guided drama experience (e.g., process drama, story drama, creative drama).
Learning Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of communicating emotions and pantomime by discussing their “Successful Pancakes” experience.
Essential Questions: How can you use your body and voice differently? How can you communicate your emotions in different ways?
Materials: “Successful Pancakes” by Charles Wilkins
Hook: Making the Batter - Tell students that they will all be assisting in making pancake batter.
- What ingredients do you need for pancake batter?
- Put in the eggs, flour, milk, chocolate chips…
- Give it a good mix
Once the batter is made, tell the students that we’re going to learn how to make the “best” pancakes. Because, “there’s a trick to making pancakes…”
Activity:
Read through the poem 'Successful Pancakes' one time
Have students find their own space
Poem 2nd time
- “The trick is this, to flatten them as flat as they will go.”
- How can you be as flat as a pancake?
- How do you feel as a pancake? (Actually ask and wait for a response)
- Can you show me how you feel?
- Do you like being a pancake?
- “Hit 'em with a dictionary, Hit 'em with a ski. Hit 'em with an elephant, Hit 'em with a tree.”
- How can you show that you are using a dictionary? Is it heavy? How big is it?
- Now it is ski,
- how is it different from a dictionary?
- Try flattening it with an elephant.
- How big is an elephant?!
- What sound does it make when you pick it up?
- Last, you hit it with a tree.
- What kind of tree are you using?
- Now what if you are the pancake getting hit with all of these things
- How do you feel?
- Does it hurt?
- I don’t think the pancakes are as flat as they can be. Can we all work together to flatten the pancake with dictionaries, skies, elephants, and trees?
- Pick your object and let’s take turns flattening the pancake in the middle of the room
- Now go back to your personal pancakes
- “flatter than a splisher, flatter than a splat, flatter than a pancake, flat, flat, FLAT.”
- Wow class, thank you for working together to make the pancake flat, flat, FLAT!
- Now, “Throw 'em in the frying pan.”
- What sound to they make when they hit the pan?
- What color are they?
- What does it smell like? Can you show me what they smell like?
- “Flip them on their back”
- Can you flip the pancake? Is it tricky? Is it easy? How big is the pancake?
- “Cook 'em till you think they're done”
- How do you know when they are done?
- “and throw 'em down the hatch.”
- Eat up the pancake!
- How are you eating it? With your hands, fork, spoon? Do you eat it fast or enjoy it slowly?
Assessment:
Discussion
- How did you feel as the pancake? How did you show it?
- How did you show the difference between the different ways to flatten the pancake?
- Sometimes we need to work together to do hard things. When have you worked together to solve problems in your own life?
SUCCESSFUL PANCAKES by Charles Wilkins
There's a trick to making pancakes
that everyone should know.
The trick is this, to flatten them
as flat as they will go.
Hit 'em with a dictionary,
Hit 'em with a ski.
Hit 'em with an elephant,
Hit 'em with a tree.
. . . .Till they're
flatter than a splisher,
flatter than a splat
flatter than a pancake
flat, flat, FLAT.
Throw 'em in the frying pan.
Flip 'em on their backs.
Cook 'em till you think they're done
and throw 'em down the hatch.