“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.”
—Muriel Rukeyser
Learning Level II: Drama as Art (Story Drama)
Building on the foundational Level 1, this Learning Level II is the study of the dramatic story as an art form. This level is sometimes referred to as “story drama” because the story is the basis of the art form.
These stories are versatile and adaptable to your classroom needs.
You can use them to:
- Develop Planning and Practicing Skills
- Teach Character, Conflict, and other Story Elements
- Inspire Creative Writing, Devising or Improv
Use our search bar to find the perfect story for your classroom. We have expanded some of these stories into full lessons. Additionally, we have assembled specific stories into grade-appropriate curriculum teaching drama objectives to national standards. Check out our Poetry collection for additional learning opportunities with story drama.
Join us at OneStopDramaShop and take the next step in your drama journey!
Tales Retold
Tales Retold Story Is the Wicked Witch really so wicked? What did the Big Bad Wolf do that was so bad? Is Prince Charming’s life not quite as charmed as we thought? Students in grades 3-8 will love this hilarious …
Body Objects: Acting The Dreamer Story
Body Objects: Acting The Dreamer Story 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 …
Señor Coyote Acts as a Judge
Señor Coyote Acts as a Judge What better way to teach action-reaction than a story packed with mischievous animal characters, including a clever coyote, a sneaky snake, and a righteous rabbit? In this lesson, students in grades 3-8 can practice …
The Story of Rabbit, Elephant, and Whale
The Story of Rabbit, Elephant, and Whale In this story, the rabbit outsmarts the elephant and the whale, both of which use their physical size against the rabbit. Students like to act out the different parts in this story as …
The Well
The Well story This story is designed to be played by a group of 4, but it can be told with any number of students. In this story, students learn to identify and imitate emotions such as pride, silliness, anger, fear, …
The Kid Who Loved Cookies
The Kid Who Loved Cookies story A story written in script form with dialogue for students and teacher to play together – a wonderful way to introduce sequencing as a part of everyday life …
The Little Hole
The Little Hole story Based on science, this story is a key component to the Transformation in Landforms unit. How do little holes become large islands? You can also use this story with upper grades to show how writers might make …
Mom Figures it Out
Mom Figures it Out story Students make inferences and learn about the five senses with this delightful tale about a brand new ball. A full lesson plan was developed around this story to teach students how locomotor and nonlocomotor movements assist with …
The Dragon Kite
The Dragon Kite story Use this story to discuss cooperation, friendship, and making choices as they relate to the story and real life situations. This story works well with the Kite Activity …
The Haunted House story
The Haunted House story This story can be used with the Body Objects Lesson. The students work in groups and part of the activity is to identify different emotions from the story …
Why the Earth is Green
Why the Earth is Green story This story was written for students studying drama and the solar system. In science, this can be used when the students are learning the characteristics of the planets …
The Boy Who Couldn’t Multiply
The Boy Who Couldn’t Multiply story This lesson is integrated with math, specifically multiplication …
A Donkey Tale
A Donkey Tale story This is a two character story. The focus can be on imitative action, action/reaction, conflict, human and animal characterizations, emotions, or the impact of setting on character actions. It integrates well with multicultural studies, the teaching …
The Legend of Big Skunk
The Legend of Big Skunk story This Native American folktale can be adapted to many subjects. This story can be enacted as a two character partner story or used as an alternate story with the Hare & Tortoise Lesson …
The Vision Quest
The Vision Quest story Brave Shadow heads on a vision quest to find is courage. Little does he know it is in his heart. This story is perfect in the body objects lesson and introduces students to life as a …
Little Wolf’s Ginger Root
Little Wolf’s Ginger Root story This Native American story about bravery and choices is connected to other academic areas as well as social/emotional learning …
Trip Across America
Trip Across America story This story can be used in a year-long plan in many steps. It can be used multiple times with different regions of the US and helps reinforce drama skills. We provide a six-step guide in the PDF to assist …
John “Appleseed” Chapman
John “Appleseed” Chapman story This familiar story is customized to integrate teaching tall tales. This story can also be used with the Body Objects Lesson …
The Museum
The Museum story This story includes characters with names Mickey and Chris for either male or female players allowing more flexibility in assignment of roles. There are words marked for the objects the group can make in a team of four …
Baby Tar Rabbit
Baby Tar Rabbit story This story is for small groups of 3-4 and is adapted from Joel Chandler Harris’s Uncle Remus. Participants can enact both animal characters and body objects. If you tell the story in a slight dialect, the …
The First Woodpecker
The First Woodpecker story This story can be done in partners or groups of various sizes. Larger groups should be comfortable with body objects and/ or using a narrator. Use a warm-up discussing ways a fantasy character might cast a …
The Zookeeper Solves a Problem
The Zookeeper Solves a Problem story Participants, working in groups of four or five, plan and play out this story incorporating sound and dance. Have them use their voices, musical instruments, or found objects to create the sounds …
Alfredo and the Sea
Alfredo and the Sea story This story has a focus around dreams and can be used for working with concentration. Participants can either work with partners and play the story as you narrate or have them plan and practice their …
The Sleeping Lion
The Sleeping Lion story This story is for a group of four. Do a warm-up teaching “sounds.” This story can be used to stress the importance of sound in a drama–kids will enjoy personifying the creatures of the …
The Puddle
The Puddle story This story was written to interrelate with visual arts. You can do a warm-up activity where students can practice making geometric and organic shapes alone and with partners. This story can be done in groups of two, …
The Mindless Woman
The Mindless Woman story This story is such a delight for students because they enjoy the silly nature of the woman’s actions. The story was originally created for second graders studying China in social studies. The students can be put …
The Old Statue Maker
The Old Statue Maker story This is a story that works with the idea of friendships. You can use this as a warm-up: have the students enact this story in movement only as you tell it. It works with the skills …
The Mountain
The Mountain story This works well in a body objects lesson for groups of four to five. See the introductory lesson under Getting Started on OneStopDramaShop.com. There are words in bold for students to create objects with their bodies. Use this …
The Leprechaun and the Box
The Leprechaun and the Box story This story was written to integrate with St. Patrick’s Day and provide a three character story for dramatization. Tell the students that all three partners must be in the play at all times and …
Sydney and Jojo
Sydney and Jojo story This story was written for third graders in an inner city Chicago Public school. In the inner city, it is important for brothers and sisters to look after one another because the parents are sometimes absent …
The Apple
The Apple story This is a story with an ant and a grasshopper with a focus on how self-esteem, cooperation, and problem solving in this story reflect real life situations. You can warmup with the actions and movements of the characters …
Cubby Finds a Home
Cubby Finds a Home story This is an interactive story with the children creating the sounds or actions of the bold words. Before you use this story, you should do a warm-up activity with sounds and sound effects. It works …
The Ghost Who Couldn’t Scare
The Ghost Who Couldn’t Scare story This story was inspired by an old railroad car and tracks I saw for years sitting on the prairie as I drove to visit my parents in Western Illinois. Weeds grew up around that …
The Tortoise and the Hare
The Tortoise and the Hare story This has been adapted from Aesop’s Fable for use in a drama class. This story works with the concepts and skills for Collaboration, Cultural/Multicultural, Imagination, Imitation, Movement, Personification, Problem Solving, Space Control/Design, and Transformation: Animals …
The Stubborn Clay
The Stubborn Clay story This story contains statue maker elements. It can be used as an additional story with the Concentration and Partner Work Lesson found in the Introductory Lessons. It works with the concepts & skills for Collaboration, Cooperation, Imagination, …
The Queen Bee’s Dilemma
The Queen Bee’s Dilemma story This story works with the Concepts/Skills of Imagination, Listening, Observation, Repetition, The Five Senses, Sounds: Vocal & Nonvocal. It is also incorporated into the Introductory Lesson as a guide to those just Getting Started called Introducing the Five …
The Dreamer
The Dreamer story This original story was adapted by Karen Erickson from the The Tales of the Arabian nights. The adaptation highlights words that can be used to create body objects and is possible for students to work individually or …
The Sacred Scarab Root
The Sacred Scarab Root story This original story was written specifically for use in drama focusing on the concepts of Balance, Imagination, Cultural/Multicultural, Narrator/Storytelling, Repetition, Story Elements: Character, Conflict, Plot, Setting, Theme/Idea, and Transformation: Human Characters. It can also be …
B.J.’s Journey – a Drama story
B.J.’s Journey – a FREE Drama storyOverview: this story was written for body objects work: using the body as a prop.Karen Erickson wrote this drama story for practice with group Collaboration, Teamwork, and Storytelling. They will practice their drama skills …
The Turtle Who Lived By The Pond
The Turtle Who Lived By The Pond story This story was written at the request of first and second grade teachers who were teaching a unit on Living Things. Following the story, students can compare and contrast the basic needs …
Randolph
Randolph story You can integrate this story with animal homes, animal habitats, and the winter season. It can also be used in groups of four to act out the story. More details can be found within the PDF. This works with …
Scareman
Scareman story This story is used for younger children to work on problem solving and the 5 senses. Stories sometimes have problems that will need to be solved in order to act them out. These are called “actor problems.” It …
Lone Bear – a FREE drama story
Lone Bear – a FREE Drama storyFriendship is explored in this tale inspired by “The Caveman” story [requires membership]. Play them both.We offer many resources for teachers, teaching artists, and others wanting to integrate drama into their teaching. The following …
Henry’s Magic Hat
Henry’s Magic Hat story Henry changes into something else each time he puts on the hat. Problem and solution are explored in this charming tale of magic. In kindergarten, use this story with the students seated in a circle. In …
Earth, Sun, and Moon – a FREE drama story
Earth, Sun, and Moon – a FREE Drama storyOneStopDramaShop.com offers many resources for teachers, teaching artists, and others wanting to integrate drama into their teaching. The following original story was written specifically for use in drama. Have fun adapting it …
The Greedy Little Fish
The Greedy Little Fish story This story was created to teach group problem solving, personal space, and touch. It works with the skills of Collaboration, Concentration, Imagination, Listening, Playwriting, Problem Solving, Repetition, and Space Control/Design …
The Caveman
The Caveman story This story can be used to discuss concentration and is a partner story. A good warm-up would the The Wall Mirror activity. It works with the skills of Collaboration, Imagination, Imitation, Observation, Playwriting, Problem Solving, and Repetition …
The Origin Of Stories
The Origin Of Stories: A Sufi Tale A story about the origin of all stories with a drama focus perfect for group adaptation. This story uses the concepts and skills of Collaboration, Cultural/Multicultural, Imagination, Movement, Problem Solving, and Space Control …
Ice Wizard Story
The Ice Wizard story This story is about an Ice Wizard with an interactive component and a participant-generated ending. We found that children are very engaged when acting out this story. Using this story assists the leader in setting the basis for …