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Two Character Dialogue Lesson

Two Character Dialogue Lesson

Are your students ready to create their own scenes? Building upon our One Person Monologue Lesson, this lesson guides students through collaborating with their peers to create their own original dialogues. Students can continue to work on playwriting, directing and performance skills, while learning how to give constructive feedback to their peers. 

Sixth Grade Journal: Two Character Dialogue

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.

 

One Person Monologue Lesson

One Person Monologue Lesson

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.

Sixth Grade Journal: One Person Monologue 

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.

Park Bench

Park Bench Lesson

Middle school can be a really hard time for students to feel connected to their bodies, but embodying physical choices is a key part of being an actor! We devised this lesson to give students in grades 6-8 a fun opportunity to practice using their bodies to portray emotions, reactions and create character. Given the prompt of being strangers on a park bench, students work together to create a three-person improvised drama.

Elevator Lesson

Elevator Lesson

How do actors create realistic characters? How do we create believable, specific dramas? In this lesson, students in grades 6-8 can practice imitation, character transformation and collaboration by developing distinct and detailed characters and character relationships within a small group. The twist? Their scenes must take place in an elevator! The flexibility and simplicity of this lessons allows students to explore their creativity, while giving you the chance to assess their collaboration, planning and character development skills.

The Dreamer Lesson

The Dreamer Lesson

The Dreamer Lesson: Body Objects

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Objective: students use the body and mind to create settings for a story.
Students transform their bodies into objects, first alone, then with a partner, and finally with a group creating settings for the story The Dreamer which is the culmination of the lesson.   Students discuss story elements and go deeper into collaborative skills (in the first grade objectives).  This lesson is the Overview page only ("Lesson at a Glance") as it is based on the Body Objects Lesson (complementary download) and requires the story of the same name -- The Dreamer, found in our story library.   Download these 3 documents for the complete lesson.  This lesson is part of our recommended sequence in the First Grade Curriculum.

Ghost Who Couldn’t Scare Lesson

Ghost Who Couldn't Scare Lesson

Ghost Who Couldn't Scare Lesson: Audience Behaviors

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Objective: students analyze how audiences or viewers make drama better.
This story about a ghost who wants to learn to scare people focuses on friendship and the unpleasantness of being a bully.   Students discuss audience behaviors that support live presentations and how respectfully responding to the work of classmates is an important part of the theater process (in the first grade objectives).  We designed this lesson around the story of the same name -- download The Ghost Who Couldn't Scare from the story library to complete the lesson.  This lesson is part of our recommended sequence in the First Grade Curriculum but can be used for Kindergarten.

The Hare and Tortoise Lesson: Playing Animal Characters

The Hare and Tortoise Lesson: Playing Animal Characters

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Overview: the students will learn how to play non-human characters. Objectives:  students define and practice collaborative strategies; define the drama tools; define story elements.
Fables are a great way to combine all the drama skills into the first story they will play on their own.  The Tortoise and the Hare is familiar, short, and includes animal characters that even teens will play, adding their own sense of humor.  Student are introduced to locomotor and non-locomotor movement which will allow you to choose from a wider selection of stories in the future. For older students there are some alternative stories you might consider:  How the Earth was Formed on Turtle's Back or The Legend of Big Skunk.  Both are challenging to upper grade students. This is part of our Introductory Lessons that serve to prepare students or groups for integrated drama work.  When your class has completed our introductory lessons, move to the appropriate grade level drama curriculum.

The Circus Lesson: Introducing the Three P’s

The Circus Lesson: Introducing the Three P’s

The Circus Lesson: Introducing the Three P’s

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Overview: students demonstrate the skills necessary to create a good drama. Objectives:  students identify the importance of planning and practicing; discuss good audience behaviors; demonstrate use of the drama tools (mind, body, voice).
Students create a variety of circus acts.  At first it doesn’t go so well because something is missing.  This lesson introduces your class or group to the three P's: Planning, Practicing, Presenting (or Performing) as part of the process for creating a drama.  Once the three P’s are uncovered and applied, the circus is saved and there is a joyous conclusion.  This lesson requires no additional materials but circus music and a top hat would be a nice addition.  This is part of our Introductory Lessons that serve to prepare students or groups for integrated drama work.  When you are ready, you can move to the appropriate grade level drama curriculum.

The Circus Journal (Grades 6-8)

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.

Introducing the Five Senses Lesson

Introducing the Five Senses Lesson

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Overview: the students will learn why actors need to know and use all 5 senses. Objectives:  students name the four fine arts; demonstrate the five senses; evaluate self  and praise others.
The five senses are key to acting, visualizing literature, and understanding the world.  Often they are only addressed in kindergarten and then forgotten.  But sense memory is a powerful tool for navigating life and understanding stories.  In this lesson students participate in many activities having to do with sense memory.  A delightful story, The Queen Bee's Dilemma, can be used as a culminating story combining all of the senses.  This is part of our Introductory Lessons that serve to prepare students or groups for integrated drama work.  When your class has completed our introductory lessons, move to the appropriate grade level drama curriculum.