American Pioneers Lesson Teaching all the complexities of westward expansion to students in grades 4-6 may seem overwhelming at first. However, in this lesson, students have the chance to apply what they have learned in social studies into creating a drama that explores the economic and geographic factors that affected Americans from 1800-1861, causing many … Read more
Civil War Drama Lesson Drama is a great way to engage students with historical events by encouraging them to think deeply about point of view. In this lesson, designed for grades 4-8, students will practice concentration, collaboration, and transformation while using Body Objects to communicate different settings. This lesson encourages students to think about point … Read more
Journey to Another Culture Lesson Objective: Students analyze the relationships between actors, directors, and stories. In this 6-day unit, students take a deep dive into studying one specific culture or place. After an introduction into the concept of culture, students research a chosen culture and plan a trip to visit it. Students then go on … Read more
Prop Box Lesson Objective: students will compare actions in a drama to people in real life situations. This lesson takes place over two consecutive days and requires props related to a topic that you choose. We provide ideas for topics, or you can choose them complementing your other lessons. With your topic, the students will … Read more
The Long Ago Community Lesson: Remembering & Celebrating Important Events Objective: students demonstrate improvisation to show how drama is used to celebrate and remember important events. This Life Drama takes place over several days and has the students creating a fictional tribe of people facing calamity, surviving, and then celebrating the outcome. Students work through … Read more
Yo! Yes? Lesson: Communicating Ideas Objective: students identify and communicate author’s message. Looking at the book Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka, students gather context clues about the story of two strangers who meet from different backgrounds. Students draw inferences from the illustrations and the text to determine what the author is trying to say at any … Read more
Drama in Other Places Lesson Lesson Worksheet for Teachers & Students Objective: students identify elements of drama used in celebrations or events that are not formal plays. Students choose an event where they might see elements of drama being used, even if it is not a formal play by actors on a stage. In small … Read more
Frog & Snake Lesson: Reviewing the Three Tools & Three P’s Objective: students combine the tools of drama (body, mind, voice) with the processes of planning and practicing to create a drama. Students play animal characters and speak dialogue in this tale of friendship and prejudice. Students develop more experience in planning, practicing and presenting … Read more
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.