Capture students’ imaginations with this climactic battle scene! Designed for grades 3-6, this lesson provides an engaging way for students to learn about physical choices, collaboration, and conflict through creating a pantomime of the battle from The Nutcracker. You can also use this as an opportunity to teach students about physical safety in drama, by emphasizing the need for great concentration when acting out a fight scene.
Any student with siblings will have plenty of experience to draw on for this lesson! Based on the imaginative story of the Nutcracker, this lesson asks students to work in partners, creating a silent drama about a sibling quarrel. Emphasizing the drama tool of the body, this is a great way for students in grades 3-6 to practice imagination, collaboration, and tableau skills. Building off the example given in The Nutcracker, you can also use this lesson to introduce the concept of Conflict/Resolution.
How do actors bring object characters to life? Designed for students in fourth grade, this lesson helps students move from body object imitation into acting out full dramas with object characters. This challenging lesson helps students practice concentration, transformation and full use of their body and voice. It also provides a great opportunity to integrate Language Arts by identifying and discussing personification in a written text.Â
A roll of thunder. A pitter pat of rain. A creaky old door. What connects all these things? They are sound effects that evoke a mysterious, scary mood! Based on the book Thundercake by Patricia Polacco, this lesson is designed to teach students in grades 3-5 how to create mood using sound effects and movement. This is a great way for students to practice vocal skills, emotions, and teamwork by introducing the concept of mood in a story or drama. You could also use this lesson to introduce students to lighting or sound design by discussing how designers create mood in theatrical productions.Â
How can we keep students fully engaged through complex subject matter? Ask them to engage their bodies as well as their minds! This exciting lesson integrates Drama with Language Arts and Science by asking students to create habitats and settings using only their bodies. It also includes a full story about a mischievous young bear to give students an opportunity to act it out and apply their knowledge. Ideal for grades 1-3, this lesson helps students work on concentration, transformation, and collaboration skills in drama.
NOTE: Habitats, Needs of Living Things, and Body Details is part of our unique library of integrated lessons. These specialized lessons simultaneously teach concepts and skills related to drama and the other subject(s) targeted in the lesson. In addition, these lessons are designed to meet National Standards for Drama and for the integrated subject(s), so you can reach learning goals across multiple disciplines.
There’s no better way to get students moving and imitating than with stories, particularly stories about animals. This lively tale about a thirsty traveler and a stubborn donkey provides a great opportunity for students to practice collaboration and negotiation skills through partner work. Designed for grades 4-5, this lesson challenges students to apply their imitation and transformation skills to embodying a specific character through movement.
Give students the opportunity to write, act and direct, all in one lesson! Ideal for sixth through eighth graders with prior drama experience, this lesson guides students through creating, directing, and performing an original monologue in groups of three. Students can hone their collaboration skills, drama tools and practice giving constructive feedback to their peers.
To maximize student achievement, download this drama journal for students to use as reflection or formative assessment. A drama journal allows participants to reflect on their learning and artistic growth (metacognition). It also allows you, the teacher, to see how students are using the drama vocabulary, thinking about big ideas, and perceiving their own strengths and weaknesses.
Looking for an exciting way to teach students about personal space and self-esteem? This lesson is a great way to help students practice self-control, imitation, and concentration skills, while keeping them active! Progressing from independent movement work to full group collaboration, the Chase provides a thorough yet fun introduction to these topics.Â
How do we get students excited about the details and setting in a story? Dive into the vivid world of The Dreamer, adapted from One Thousand and One Nights by Karen L. Erickson. In this lesson, students in grades 4-12 can practice collaboration, cooperation, and transformation skills by using body objects to act out the different settings of this tale.
To maximize student achievement, download this drama journal for students to use as reflection or formative assessment. A drama journal allows participants to reflect on their learning and artistic growth (metacognition). It also allows you, the teacher, to see how students are using the drama vocabulary, thinking about big ideas, and perceiving their own strengths and weaknesses.Â
Creating mood effectively is one of the most important lessons young actors can learn. In this lesson, students can practice using their imagination and concentration skills to create mood for a variety of different scenarios. This lesson gives students a chance to hone their ability to imagine their given circumstances, while using their voice, body, and mind to communicate what they are imagining.
To maximize student achievement, download this drama journal for students to use as reflection or formative assessment. A drama journal allows participants to reflect on their learning and artistic growth (metacognition). It also allows you, the teacher, to see how students are using the drama vocabulary, thinking about big ideas, and perceiving their own strengths and weaknesses.