ECELA Year 5 Toolkit for Coaches & Teachers

What is tableau? It is a depiction of a scene or a series of scenes, presented by silent and motionless actors, sometimes using props or costumes. Tableau sometimes include a narrator who speaks for the actors.

Pantomime is a wonderful activity to include before asking students to perform tableau because in pantomime students learn to use exaggerated body language and facial expressions to effectively convey the scene they are portraying.

In order to create a successful tableau, remember the following:

1. Actors are completely frozen in space and only move silently when changing scenes.  
2. Actors make big, bold, clear choices with their bodies and facial expressions.
3. Actors maintain the focus of their eyes on a point in space.
4. The relationships between the people involved in the tableau and how their bodies interact with each other in space are important.
5. The best tableau use multiple levels or planes in the scene. Remember "high", "medium", and "low".

Tableaux provide multiple opportunities for students to engage with language in all four domains – listening, speaking, reading, and writing – if one looks for those opportunities. 

For this activity, it is best to pick a simple story with a clear beginning, middle and end. Fairy tales work very well, but you might also select a story written by a student or one you are currently reading in the classroom. You may even choose a historical event or scientific process as this activity is easily adapted to work in language arts, math, and science.

It is important to remember that the integration of language acquisition best practices is just as important when students engage in an activity where silence is a major component.

This strategy is easily implemented in any classroom, from pre-K to adults, with some advance preparation.

Side coaching is an integral part of this strategy as students must work in ensembles, and these ensembles are also part of a larger complete work.

To encourage language usage in meaningful contexts, ask students to paraphrase expectations and guidelines for the game before beginning, and then debrief the activity by asking students to reflect on what they did, what went well, how to improve the next time they play, and how they felt during the activity. If playing remotely, use the Waterfall, discussion, or the regular chat to have students paraphrase and debrief.