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Creating Mood

Creating Mood Lesson

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.

Sixth Grade Drama Journal: Creating Mood

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.

Do Not Open Poem

Do Not Open Poem

Is there anything more tempting than a “Do Not Open” label? This poem tells the story of a mysterious package that arrives on the narrator’s doorstep. Is it a dog, a cat, a book, or a hook? There’s only one way to find out... The poem provides a great way for students to practice problem solving, transformation, and/or using the five senses.In addition, there is an opportunity for students to learn about playwriting and adding details into a story. We have also included some recommended step-by-step delivery ideas to help you turn the poem into a full lesson.
 

Do Not Open Journal: Grades 3-5

Do Not Open Journal: Grades 6-7

To maximize student achievement, download this drama journal for students to use as reflection or formative assessment. For each poem, we have created a corresponding journal page for your students. 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.

The Dragon Hunt Lesson

The Dragon Hunt Lesson

Objective: students add concentration to their use of imagination with the five senses.
What child doesn’t dream of searching for dragons?  Building on the previous Magic Carpet lesson, you will guide the children in their hunt as they use their imagination and the five senses in their search (part of the kindergarten objectives).   In addition, students should demonstrate cooperation with you and their peers, follow directions, and manage their personal space.  This lesson is part of our recommended sequence in the Kindergarten Curriculum.

Intro to the Five Senses Lesson

Intro to the Five Senses Lesson

Objective: students demonstrate imagination and experiment with the five senses.
Sometimes actors need to convey certain sensory elements (seeing, tasting, hearing, etc).  This lesson gives students practice in using and expressing their five senses while imagining typical experience in everyday life (part of the kindergarten objectives).  No additional materials are required.  This lesson is part of our recommended sequence in the Kindergarten Curriculum.

The Fire Lesson

The Fire Lesson 

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Objective: students demonstrate sensory (touch, taste, smell, sight, sound) recall in a drama.  Students identify similarities among art forms.

Students become fire, fight fire, and practice fire prevention all through the safety of drama. This lesson introduces students to sensory (touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound) recall and personification (part of the third grade objectives). The lesson culminates in an enacted story about fire combining fire fighters, fire, and people escaping fire as characters. Students also continue their study of the different styles of narrator voice from the previous lesson (The Three Sillies). We broke this lesson into two parts (over 2 days) to cover all the objectives (both parts included in one PDF document). This lesson is part of our recommended sequence in the Third Grade Curriculum.

Third Grade Drama Journal: The Fire

To maximize student achievement, download this drama journal for students to use as reflection or formative assessment. For each lesson in the curriculum, we have created a corresponding journal page for your students. 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. If you use the journal for assessment and would like more assessment tools, visit our Third Grade Curriculum. 

Zookeeper Solves a Problem Lesson

Zookeeper Solves a Problem Lesson

Zookeeper Solves a Problem Lesson: Using Voice

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Objective: students use vocal and non-vocal sounds to create a drama.

Students revel in making sounds with their voice, body, and other objects. This lesson gives them the opportunity to experiment with sound and the five senses to create a drama (part of the second grade objectives). Beginning with the Vocal Symphony exercise and concluding with the story The Zookeeper Solves a Problem, students have fun creating animals of all types. Download the activity and the story to complete your lesson materials. We have also had success applying this lesson to the books Down by the Cool of the Pool by Tony Mitton and Clams Can’t Sing by James Stevenson. This lesson is part of our recommended sequence in the Second Grade Curriculum.

Second Grade Drama Journal: Zookeeper Solves a Problem

To maximize student achievement, download this drama journal for students to use as reflection or formative assessment. For each lesson in the curriculum, we have created a corresponding journal page for your students. 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. If you use the journal for assessment and would like more assessment tools, visit our Second Grade Curriculum. 

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.