Poetry Through Vocal Expression Lesson How can we use our voices to express meaning and tell stories? This lesson delves into the wonders of poetry, and eases students from individual work to partner work to whole class performance. Designed for grades 3-12, this lesson is a fantastic way to help students practice concentration, collaboration and … Read more
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 this lesson, students in grades 4-12 can practice collaboration, cooperation, and transformation skills by using … Read more
Paper Bag Charades Lesson Improv can be intimidating at first, so it’s important to give students support tools and structure as they’re learning it! In this lesson, challenge students to use three mystery props as they work together to create an exciting group drama. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to practice collaboration, utilizing … Read more
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 … Read more
Three Scenes from a Book Lesson Creating a drama is one of the best ways to identify the most essential events in a story! In this lesson for students in grades 3-12, students can practice collaboration, imagination, and identifying story elements as they plan a drama of the three most important scenes from a selected … Read more
Reader’s Theater Lesson Whether or not you are new to Reader’s Theater, this lesson will provide you with innovative ways to bring it into your classroom. Providing a bridge from drama to theatre as well as an excellent opportunity for vocal work, Reader’s Theater is a versatile learning tool and tons of fun for all! … Read more
Plot Boosters Use this list of plot boosters to develop original stories for your drama work! These ideas can support the plot by moving the story along, giving the reader/viewer new information, showing character changes, foreshadowing, providing irony, creating cause and effect, and supporting the message and/or theme of the story.
Open Scenes Lesson Challenge students to read between the lines and play distinctive characters in these open-ended scenes. With dialogue that purposefully leaves details up to the imagination, this lesson can be used with students to work on collaboration, imitation, transformation, and planning and practicing skills. You may also integrate Language Arts by challenging students … Read more