theather-ell

## Theater Arts ELL Content Modification Template

| Section | Details |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Role** | I am a high school chemistry teacher at Chicago Public Schools. 👩‍🏫 |
| **Content Area** | Introduction to Theater |
| **Grade Level(s)** | 9th Grade |
| **Learning Target** | Students will be able to interpret and perform a short monologue from the play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' focusing on character emotion. |
| **Success Criteria** | Students can perform their monologue, using vocal and physical expression to convey the character's feelings of confusion and betrayal. |
| **Input Text (Original Monologue Excerpt)** | "Helena: 'O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd! / She was a vixen when she went to school; / And though she be but little, she is fierce.'" |
| **Modification Task** | Generate modified versions of the input text or prompt to support English Language Learners (ELLs) at different proficiency levels. |
| **Modification Focus** | Simplify archaic language, provide visual cues for emotions and actions, and break down complex character motivations. |

***

## Modified Content for ELL Proficiency Levels (REACH Scale)

### Level 1 (Entering)

The goal is to provide **direct translation**, use **simple, high-frequency words**, and include **single-word stage directions**.

**Modified Monologue:**
**Helena:** Oh! When she is **mad**, she is **smart** and **mean**! [STAGE DIRECTION: *Mad face, point finger*]
She was a **mean girl** at school, like a bad dog. [STAGE DIRECTION: *Shake head, sad*]
She is very **small**, but she is **strong** and **dangerous**! [STAGE DIRECTION: *Stand up tall, look fierce*]

**Support/Scaffolding:**
* **Core Vocabulary:** **Mad** (angry), **Mean** (unkind), **Small** (little), **Strong** (fierce).
* **Gesture Guide:** Provide a simple chart linking the line to a basic gesture or facial expression (e.g., "Keen and shrewd" $\rightarrow$ *Angry face*).
* **Goal Focus:** The main goal is to show **madness** and **sadness**.

***

### Level 2 (Beginning)

The goal is to use **short sentences** and provide a **glossary** for key, simplified terms.

**Modified Monologue:**
**Helena:** Oh! When she is **angry**, she is **clever** and **tricky**!
She was a **fierce person** when she was a student.
Even though she is **small**, she is **very strong** and **aggressive**!

**Simplified Stage Directions:**
1.  **Start:** Show Confusion (look around the stage).
2.  **Line 1:** Show Anger (raise voice, use strong hands).
3.  **Line 2:** Show Hurt/Betrayal (pull hands to chest, lower voice).
4.  **Line 3:** Show Intensity (stand straight, use a powerful voice on the last word, "fierce").

**Glossary for Key Words:**
| Original Word | Simple Meaning |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Keen** | Very smart; quick-witted |
| **Shrewd** | Tricky; clever in a mean way |
| **Vixen** | A cruel or fierce woman |
| **Fierce** | Very strong; powerful; aggressive |

***

### Level 3 (Developing)

The goal is to introduce **basic theatrical vocabulary** and provide a **side-by-side simplification** to bridge the language gap.

**Modified Prompt and Monologue:**
**Task:** Interpret and perform this short **monologue** from the character Helena. Your goal is to convey her feelings of **betrayal** (feeling hurt by a friend) and **confusion**.

| Original Text (Shakespearean English) | Simplified Meaning (Modern English) |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Helena:** O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd! | When she gets angry, she is highly intelligent and devious! |
| She was a vixen when she went to school; | She was a fierce, mean-spirited girl even back in school; |
| And though she be but little, she is fierce. | And even though she is small, she is incredibly aggressive and dangerous. |

**Performance Guidance (Subtext):**
* **Action:** Helena is trying to warn the man she loves about her friend's true, cruel nature.
* **Emotion:** Start at **confusion**, move quickly to **anger**, and end with a tone of **fear** or **warning**.

***

### Level 4 (Expanding)

The goal is to use **grade-level stage directions** and encourage **independent exploration** of the script's original language.

**Modified Monologue and Prompt:**
**Helena:** 'O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd! / She was a vixen when she went to school; / And though she be but little, she is fierce.'

**Task:** Perform this monologue, focusing on the character's **complex motivation**: Helena is both **envious** of her friend's power and **threatened** by her manipulative nature.

**Scaffolded Stage Directions:**
1.  **Voice:** Use a **rising inflection** (tone) on the word "shrewd" to show realization.
2.  **Movement:** On "She was a vixen," move **upstage** (walk away from the audience) to show emotional distance and old hurt.
3.  **Physicality:** Your **physical expression** for "little, she is fierce" should contrast her small size with your sudden, intense **stage presence**.

**Contextual Note:** The word "vixen" here implies a cruel, argumentative woman, drawing on the image of a female fox which is protective and aggressive.

***

### Level 5 (Bridging)

The goal is to present content at or near the target proficiency level, focusing on **nuanced emotional interpretation** and **idiomatic expressions**.

**Modified Prompt:**
**Task:** Prepare and perform the monologue, focusing on the **subtextual layer** of **self-pity** that underlies Helena's accusations. How does the phrasing, "though she be but little," function as an **idiomatic expression** of both dismissal and grudging respect for her rival's power?

**Performance Focus:**
* **Vocal Nuance:** Explore the subtle difference between being *keen* (intellectually sharp) and *shrewd* (morally suspect).
* **Archaic Language Clarification:** The phrase "though she be but little" is an early modern English way of saying "even though she is only small."

***

### Level 6 (Reaching)

**Modified Prompt:**
**Original Input:** "Helena: 'O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd! / She was a vixen when she went to school; / And though she be but little, she is fierce.'"

**Focus:** Minimal to no modification needed. The content is presented in its original form. Students are expected to independently analyze the **meter (Iambic Pentameter)**, **original vocabulary**, and **historical context** to deliver an advanced, nuanced performance conveying multiple, conflicting emotions simultaneously (anger, jealousy, despair).