Scene Study

The students who recently finished reading Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear in fourth grade engaged in a dramatic reading of scenes from the book. Each student picked a scene that included dialogue from a part of the book that they felt a strong connection. Their role was to be the director. In order to direct their scene, each student needed to know what characters needed to be cast. Each scene needed a narrator to read the lines that weren't part of the dialogue and the characters that talked to each other during the scene. The director gave the characters tips and showed them where to stand in the room. Each scene was then acted with book in hand. Every student was invested in this close reading and dramatic interpretation of the scene. As a final experience with this book, the dramatic reading and assuming the role of director helped each student to experience a deeper understanding of the book.