Of course, one particular production of a play may not be as exciting as it’s supposed to be. Will Oedipus figure out that he was the one who caused the plague by killing his father and sleeping with his mother? Will Hamlet successfully avenge his father’s murder?įor instructors in academic departments-whether their classes are about theatrical literature, theater history, performance studies, acting, or the technical aspects of a production-writing about drama often means explaining what makes the plays we watch or read so exciting. Will they shoot each other? Will they finally confess their undying love for one another? When you are reading a play, you may have similar questions. For example, if you are watching a play in a theatre, feelings of tension and anticipation often arise because you are wondering what will happen between the characters on stage. The works of drama that we study in a classroom share those elements. When we describe a situation or a person’s behavior as “dramatic,” we usually mean that it is intense, exciting (or excited), striking, or vivid. What is drama? And how do you write about it? We’ll give special attention to writing about productions and performances of plays. Is there a theme? Does the author have a particular tone or attitude in the way she has written? Can you come to any conclusions? Try to develop an opinion about what you've read.This handout identifies common questions about drama, describes the elements of drama that are most often discussed in theater classes, provides a few strategies for planning and writing an effective drama paper, and identifies various resources for research in theater history and dramatic criticism. Try to make connections between what you are reading and things that you've seen, felt or experienced in your own life. If it's a story, what do you think will happen to the character? If it's a news article, where do you think this information is going to lead? Try to imagine or guess what might happen next based on what you've just read. Do you have questions about the text? Is there something about which it made you wonder? Write your questions down. If you need to reread a sentence, take the time to do so until you have a clear understanding of what you've read. Take a moment to summarize or explain to yourself what you have just read. Visualizing brings the text to life and helps students to connect more easily. Students should try as best as they can to paint pictures in their mind of what is being described in the text. These skills, when taken together, can help students to get the most out of their reading experience and to fully engage with the text. There are six main active reading skills: visualize, clarify, question, predict, connect and evaluate. These readers are slowly building their comprehension and should be taught active reading skills. This is especially true for students who have just mastered the art of word identification. Teachers need to understand that new readers are not necessarily seeking meaning in the text they are given. An active reader generally begins reading with some idea of what will be discussed and will have questions about what he has read. An active reader is more likely to seek out information about a topic of interest or ask questions when something is unclear. It also fosters the opportunity for the student to develop new ideas and new ways of thinking. Active reading means a student is engaging with the text in a deep and meaningful way.Īctive reading doesn't only mean increased comprehension. They make connections between texts, between real life events and between other expressions of ideas. Active reading allows students to absorb what they have read. The Importance of Active ReadingĮspecially in early elementary school, teachers cannot overstress the importance of active reading strategies. Readers approach the text with certain expectations and read what is written with an eye to how it relates to other things in their own lives or to the larger world. In more specific terms, active reading is when a reader reads critically and analytically. Simply put, the difference between active and passive reading is the desire to learn something versus the desire to finish reading. Active readers begin reading with a desire to find out what is going to be said. Passive reading is when a reader does technically read the words but absorbs next to nothing about what is written. What is passive reading, and how is it different from active reading? Reading is reading, correct? Not always.
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