Rebekah D. Wilson

Lesson 1: 

Mose Humphries

 

Focus Questions: What do we know about firefighters? How did firefighters operate in the past? How does that affect how firefighters work today?  What is a hero? What happens when a hero is no longer needed?

 

Learning Goals: Students will be able to…

 

Learning Goals:

Assessment:

In Drama…. Use their bodies to create character and environment. Use a variety of vocal and physical skills, including volume, pitch and tempo, to explore thoughts and emotions. Explore the art of storytelling, using dramatic activity. In the Classroom Community… Display active listening skills Explore effective communicative skills with each other, using only their bodies and non-verbal communication.

Teacher will assess the students’ understanding of the characters and the environment of the story through an activity based on physical and special exploration. Teacher will evaluate progress through group observation, evaluation, and documentation throughout activity. Teacher will assess the students through the formation of reflective, open-ended questions. Teacher will assess the students through a reflective exercise, using open discussion.

LESSON:

DAY ONE:

Mose Humphries Active Read-Aloud: (20 minutes)

 

I. Read-Aloud (20 minutes)

    A. Students will hear the Tall Tale, Mose, from the book, American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osbourne.

    B. Throughout the reading, the students will be tasked with theatrically responding to key words in the story, encouraging active listening skills.

 

• Mose Humphries – Superhero Intro (Dun Dun Dun!)

• Fire Engine “Lady Washington” – Siren Sounds

• Firemen – Hup! Hup! Hup!

• Fire Pumper – Pumping + Hissing Sounds

 

Also, students could be asked reflective/guiding questions during the read-aloud: “Do you think Mose is a hero? Or do you think he was just doing his job? What do you think is going to happen next? What do you think is in the stovepipe hat? How do you think Mose felt when he saw he had been replaced? Etc.”

 

P.S. I will be wearing a Fire Hat to get students in the spirit of the lesson. I can also show pictures of New York in the 1800s, and the old fire pumpers (via the White Board?). 

 

DAY TWO:

Becoming “The Spirit of New York”: A Day in the Life of a Volunteer Firefighter – 40 minutes

 

I. Warmup (Students will begin in a circle) – 10 minutes

A. Physical

     1. “Crazy Eights” – Students shake out arms and legs for 8 counts, then 6, then 4, then 2, then 1, shaking out their entire body.

     2. "Head, Head” – Isolations of the body using a fun song.

B. Vocal

     1. “Vocal Rollercoaster” with Motorboat – Students will be moving voices up and down, using their lips as a motorboat.

     2. Chewing Gum, making sounds as you chew.

     3. “Pass it on!” with different sounds.

C. Diction

1. “The Big Black Bug” – The Big Black Bug bled blue blood when The Big Black Bear ate The Big Black Bug. OMNOMNOMNOMNOM!!

 

II. Review – 5 minutes

A. Students will review the story of Mose Humphries from the previous day’s read-aloud.

B. Students will be asked guiding questions: “Who is Mose Humphries?” “For what was he known?” “What happened when the new fire pumpers appeared in the town?” etc.

 

III. Quickie Game: Boal Walks – 5 minutes

A. On a scale from one to 10, students will walk throughout the space at various speeds and energies.

B. Students will start at the lowest form of energy/speed, and build up to the highest form of energy, and then freeze.

 

IV. Silent Movie: A Guided Journey into the World of Mose Humphries – 15 minutes

A. Students will be led on the following guided journey. Students will re-enact this guided journey using their bodies and facial expressions: 10 minutes

 

Close your eyes. Picture New York City, in the year of 1800. Horses clip-clop along the cobblestoned streets, some pulling their buggies, others mounted by policemen. Gentlemen in their stovepipe hats, and ladies in their large hoop skirts swamp the city streets. Now, open your eyes. Walk throughout the space, your energy level at a 2 out of 10, one being the lowest, and ten being the highest. Now, greet the neighborhood people: the baker, the butcher, and grocer. Silently wave to your neighbors as you pass them.

 

FREEZE!

 

All of a sudden, you feel a powerful rumbling in your tummy. You’re hungry. Now, with your energy at 4 out of 10, start heading to your local soup shop to get a yummy sandwich.

 

But wait…FREEZE…

 

You hear a scream in the distance. You hear from your neighbors that there is a fire down the street. You are a volunteer firefighter, so it’s time to get to work—and fast. Now with your energy at a 6 out of 10, get to the local fire station and sound the alarm! Now, your energy grows to an 8 out of 10 as you put on your red shirt and your suspenders. Get the fire pumper. Find one buddy and carry the pumper together through the streets. Make sure that you don’t bump into your other fellow firefighters.

 

FREEZE!

 

Directly in front of you, you see the burning building. It’s tall and engulfed in flames. You feel the searing heat of the flames all over. You and your buddy grab the pumper. With your energy still at an 8, both of you will attach the pump to the hydrant behind you. One of you, pump the water out, and the other will spray the long fire hose at the building. Make sure you cover the whole building. Little by little, the flames have died down. Finally, the building, although a little damaged, is still saved. You got there just in time! You saved the day!

 

Now, take a big breath in and let out a big WHEW! High five your firefighting buddy, and now down at energy level 5 out of 10, arm in arm, head back to the soup shop and go get a BIG hot bowl of soup. You deserve it. 

 

B. Students will be asked reflective questions following the exercise. – 5 minutes

• “How did you feel when you heard the cry for help?”

• “How did you feel when you had to get ready to fight the fire?”

• “What about when you were paired with your fire fighting buddy/buddies and you had to put out the fire?”

• “What did you feel like you had to do to communicate with your partner, without words and without sound?”

• “And finally, how did you feel when you and your buddy put out the fire?”  

 

 

V. Wrap-Up: “This is how firefighters feel, even today. Everyday, they are out there fighting fires so that we can be safe. And back in the days of Mose Humphries, firefighters had to work even harder than today’s firefighters. They had to pump water out of the hydrants by hand. Today's firefighters still work just as hard to save our lives everyday. So, the next time you see a firefighter, take the time to appreciate him. Say thank you. ”