Lesson Report:
**Title: Exploring Thematic Progression in Performance and Literature**
**Synopsis:**
In today’s class, students engaged in peer performances and began a literary exploration of Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities.” The lesson focused on the creative expression through performance, emphasizing the importance of structuring a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Additionally, students analyzed the complex narrative woven by Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, enhancing their understanding of descriptive and thematic storytelling.
**Attendance:**
– Two students were mentioned as absent due to a bathroom break during the final part of the class.
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Icebreaker and Introductions:**
– Welcomed two new students, Amir and Ali, and introduced the session’s objectives.
– Requested all students to write their names on paper for easier integration.
2. **Performance Activity:**
– Students presented prepared group performances ranging from 3-5 minutes, stationed around the second floor of the school.
– Group performances explored themes ranging from life and death metaphors to humor.
– Emphasized the necessity of performances having a solid beginning, middle, and end.
– Feedback given included refining time management and thematic clarity to achieve the required performance lengths.
3. **Revisions and Extensions:**
– Prompted students to individually brainstorm how to extend their performances by 1.5 minutes, focusing on thematic and structural improvements.
4. **Introduction to “Invisible Cities”:**
– Began with a popcorn reading of the prologue from Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities.”
– Discussed the relationship between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, highlighting thematic elements of exploration and descriptive narrative.
– Students were asked to identify specific themes and emotions evoked by the text.
**Actionable Items:**
– **Performance Revisions:**
– Ensure each group extends their performance to meet the 3-minute requirement. This will involve incorporating clear narrative structures.
– **New Student Integration:**
– Provide Amir and Ali with notebooks and readers for a smooth transition into the course.
– **Upcoming Assignments:**
– After lunch, continue with the analysis of “Invisible Cities,” with remaining student presentations on selected cities.
– Encourage reflection on the relationships and themes within Calvino’s work.
– **Future Considerations:**
– Designate diverse performance locations to encourage creativity and logistics in navigation.
– Reinforce the structuring of stories to enhance narrative comprehension and expression for future performance tasks.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK. Homework was not assigned during this lesson, as the transcript primarily focuses on group performances and a reading exercise, with no explicit homework instruction mentioned, except a brief mention of continuing the reading activity after lunch.