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Unit Plan
Learning to Give

Teaching Playwriting in Schools

For Teachers 1st - 12th Standards
The world is a stage, and so is your classroom! Hone the skills of the next generation of Tony® award winners with a set of exercises, reference pages, writing prompts, and excerpts from famous plays.
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Activity
Phantom of Opera

The Phantom of the Opera: Ideas for Research and Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You could spend a full day discussing The Phantom of the Opera and not scratch the surface, but a set of lessons about the literary elements and themes of the musical production is a great start. Young thespians build upon the background...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lights! Cameras! Action!: Creating a Drama About the Lyme Art Colony

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Discuss the lives of artists in the Lyme Art Colony in the 1900s with this resource. Young historians write and perform a short scene depicting individuals who lived in the Griswold boardinghouse, used by the colony artists. They use the...
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Unit Plan
1
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Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 2: The Tempest by William Shakespeare Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Massive storms, shipwrecks, survivors stranded on an island ruled by an aging magician, and strange creatures—Shakespeare's The Tempest appeals to today's middle schoolers. For this unit, seventh graders read selections from an adapted...
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Lesson Plan
1
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The Glass Menagerie: Impact of Expressionism

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Young scholars are challenged to write a realistic analysis of Tennessee Williams' nonrealistic memory play, The Glass Menagerie. Writers use the evidence gathered on their worksheets to craft an effective thesis and concluding statement...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Glass Menagerie: Key Themes

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using the list of expressionist techniques generated in the first instructional activity, groups analyze how Williams uses these techniques to develop one of the play's themes. The whole class then shares and discusses the examples they...
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Lesson Plan
1
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The Glass Menagerie as Expressionist Theatre

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The first lesson in a three-part unit has high schoolers examine The Glass Menagerie as an example of expressionist theatre. After reading a short article about expressionism, scholars list expressionist techniques in Tennessee Williams'...
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Activity
Royal Shakespeare Company

RSC Activity Toolkit: Much Ado About Nothing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Are you frustrated by searching for activities to engage readers in their study of Much Ado About Nothing? Sigh no more. Young thespians will find much to do in this Royal Shakespeare Company 23-page Toolkit. Included in the sections are...
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Lesson Plan
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies

Using Drama to Address Social Justice Issues in School and the Community

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Artists, musicians, and dramatists have long been the leaders in the quest for social justice. To gain an understanding of the power of the arts to address social issues, class members listen to a reading of Drew Daywalt's The Day the...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

The Importance of Being Earnest: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Historically, members of the upper class provide plenty of fodder for comedic writers. Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is no exception, and a study guide for the classic play discusses some of the Victorian social issues he...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

Les Misérables: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A writer has the responsibility to defend the less fortunate members of society. At least that was the view of Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables. The novel is the subject of a study guide from Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Learners...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

Into The Woods: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Fans of musical theater may know the title tune of Into the Woods well, but do they know what the show is all about? A study guide provides information about the classic musical, including details about the characters and a summary of...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

It’s a Wonderful Life: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
George Bailey learns that it truly is a wonderful life when he discovered how many lives he has touched—not to mention how many new generations of lives the story touches every year. A study guide on It's a Wonderful Life  introduces...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

A Christmas Carol: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has delighted readers for generations. An in-depth study guide gives an overview of an adaptation of the classic story for the stage. Along with summaries of the plot and key characters, theater goers...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

Native Gardens: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A study guide for Native Gardens, a dramatic play, introduces theater lovers to a set of a neighbors and the problems they face. Discussion questions in the guide tackle themes of racism, ageism, and classism.
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

In the Heights: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Before Hamilton, Lin Manuel-Miranda gained fame with In the Heights. A study guide prepares theater goers for a performance of the musical about a group of friends living in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights. Resources...
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Website
University of North Carolina

Drama

For Students 9th - 12th
Watching a theatrical production can profoundly impact a person, but how would one convey the experience in writing? A handout helps readers organize their ideas and effectively write about plays, productions, and performances. Scholars...
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Activity
Curated OER

Lesson 2- Costume Design

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Clothes might not make the man but they certainly do help an actor create a character. How costume designers employ the same elements of design found in sets (line, color, texture, shape) to realize a character is the focus of a lesson...
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Activity
Curated OER

Lesson 3 - Lighting Design

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
The final lesson in a series on theatre design spotlights how lighting is incorporated into a production. After watching videos that focus on lighting fixtures and their positioning, individuals create a basic design plan for a scene,...
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Activity
National Arts Centre

Scavenger Hunt

For Students 9th - 12th
Young theatre artists engage in a scavenger hunt to acquaint themselves with set design. The challenge is to search the site and match a separate maquette with each of the 24 clues.
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Unit Plan
Honors College at Scholar Commons

From Start to Strike: A Lesson Plan for the Whole Theatre Experience

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Introduce young thespians to all aspects of the theater. A syllabus for a one-semester drama course provides lessons that take learners from the history of drama to the many facets of play production.
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Unit Plan
Broadway GPS

ALADDIN: Broadway's New Musical Comedy

For Parents 5th - 9th Standards
Aladdin, Disney's Broadway musical comedy, is a magic carpet ride. Prepare your class for a field trip to the show with a study guide that is a treasure trove of activities, cultural connections, and background information.
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Handout
NPR

Theatre Vocabulary

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
From actor to volume, the 90 terms on a theatre vocabulary list are must knows for any student of the dramatic arts.
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing About Literary Text: Pygmalion and Galatea

For Students 6th Standards
Is it crazy to fall in love with your own work, or is that the purest love of all? Compare two renditions of the classic Greek myth Pygmalion and Galatea with a literary analysis exercise. After students compare the similarities and...