Theater Techniques Lesson Plans

Students perform a Reader's Theater of a small section of the play, King Lear. They examine the text, read a handout for Reader's Theater techniques, cut and reorder lines in small groups, and add choreography to perform their scene.

Students participate in activities that engage all learning styles (such as picture walks, tracing lines, movement/theatre technique) as an introduction to the art element of line and its importance to art.

Fourth graders analyze the use of transitions in text. In this transitions lesson, 4th graders determine how and why a transition is used at a specific time in a piece of writing. They show transitions by using movements before incorporating transitions in their own writing.

Students study satirical and political theatre to learn how performing arts can be used for social change. In this theatre study lesson, students read about satirical theatre and create art from issues they see in their own lives. Students complete several activities to study the political theatre.

Students discuss differences in the characteristics of the heroine in a variety of Cinderella tales. Students compare and contrast common characteristics in the stories such as character, plot, conflict, and resolution.

Eleventh graders analyze Ahimsa and complete activities for nonviolence. In this nonviolence lesson, 11th graders define violence and relate it to their lives. Students adapt prose into a dialogue to act out and analyze the violence in the scenes. Students explore and practice ahimsa.

Fifth graders create a reader's theater production of "The Legend of Lightening Larry. They use one of the many reader theater techniques that are listed in the lesson plan. While presenting they take roles and designate a narrator to present the story.

Second graders change sounds in the beginning, middle, and end of words to improve their decoding skills. They use the letters for the Rabbit and Turtle Rule words to practice ABC order and to make dictated words. Finally, they act out a story using the Readers Theater technique.