Curated OER
It's About You
Students build connections between census information and community decision-making by reading a reader's theater script. In this reader's theater activity, students practice reading fluently and learn about the government. The reader's...
Curated OER
Theatre Lesson Plan, Performing a Story
Second graders read the story, The Bundle of Sticks, and discuss the story elements within the story; setting, plot, conflict resolution. In this readers theater lesson, 2nd graders reenact the story in small groups, then reflect on...
Curated OER
Romeo and Juliet
High schoolers study Romeo and Juliet. In this language arts instructional activity, students read the play and complete a series of activities. High schoolers choose the activities to complete. Students write a summary, draw a poster or...
Curated OER
Chinese Shadow Puppet Play
Students experience through role-play the art of shadow puppetry and appreciate the role of oral traditions in Chinese history. They research the origins and history of puppetry as a part of a unit on China. They discover what Chinese...
Curated OER
Noh Theater
Learners explore the roles in Noh drama and the significance of Noh masks while creating their own version of a Noh play in this High School lesson adaptable for either the Language Arts or Theater classroom.
Curated OER
Shakespeare, the 900-pound Guerilla: or Performing Scenes for Unsuspecting Audiences
Students perform a scene from Shakespeare for an unsuspecting audience in a public setting. In this Shakespeare lesson, students create a Shakespearean "flash mob" or "guerilla theater" event. Students choose a scene to produce and...
Curated OER
Promptbook Act 2.1: Katherine vs. Petruchio
Compile a promptbook with your young theater designers using a scene from Taming of the Shrew. The lesson outlines several activities, though it doesn't provide any examples of a promptbook or text from the play. Additionally, it...
Curated OER
The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe: Literature and Theater
Pupils read and discuss the literary elements of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. They explore the elements of dramatic performance and create a TV news program based on life in Narnia. They videotape their...
Curated OER
Water Cycle Voice Thread
Students understand the water cycle through a role playing activity. For this water cycle lesson, students become familiar with the water cycle through a play about the water cycle. Students illustrate their parts and create a...
Curated OER
Shadows & Light, Science & Puppetry
Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...
Curated OER
All the World's a Stage
Is the circus a form of theater? Read "A City of Clowns? What Else Is New?" to sway your class that a circus, is indeed, a theatrical performance. Critical thinkers compare/contrast various forms of theater and identify what makes the...
Curated OER
Defining Division
Upper graders explore division through fair-shares. They will review fair shares and fractions as a segway into division. They start by playing "Share Fairly" game and create mathematical arguments for solving problems. Manipulatives and...
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to Al Capone Does My Shirts
It's hard to imagine that life on Alcatraz could be dull. A series of intriguing lessons take readers through the novel Al Capone Does my Shirts. Pre-reading questions introduce the text and a range of suggestions, from comic strips to...
Curated OER
Reader's Theater
Students perform a reader's theater. In this analyzing text lesson students perform Master Man: A Tall Tale of Nigeria, a play by Aaron Shepard. The students are assessed on their performance.
Curated OER
Retelling the African Folktale Abiyoyo
Act out the African folktale Abiyoyo. Kindergartners listen to the tale and discuss the characters, dressing as their favorite characters in order to retell and perform Abiyoyo using props. They will gain an understanding of story...
Curated OER
"Movies That Rock": Moulin Rouge
Upper graders explore musical film and the Bohemian lifestyle common in Europe during the turn of the century through the musical Moulin Rouge. After listening to (or viewing) songs from the movie, they discuss the Bohemian era and how...
Curated OER
Kino in Stuttgart
Students visit websites to locate movies that are playing in Germany. They complete a worksheet, locate information about a particular movie in Germany, and create an ad in German for a movie.
Curated OER
This Was the Noblest Roman of Them All
High schoolers analyze the problems with staging and character using the play Julius Caesar. They summarize the final scene of the play and view film versions of the scene. Additionally, they prepare a promptbook for the final scene and...
Curated OER
Creating and Using a Checklist of Performance Techniques to Critique and Find the "Message" in Mass Media Performances
Students analyze and critique theater events by evaluating and constructing meanings from improvised and scripted scenes and from theater, film, television, and electronic media productions.
First Stage
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Charlie Brown may not feel the Christmas spirit this year, but your elementary students can use the season to practice important cross-curricular skills! A set of worksheets and activities based on A Charlie Brown Christmas guide apply...
PBS
Shakespeare & The Renaissance: Activity Ideas
Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.
Curated OER
Liza and the Lost Letter
Students create and develop a play for "Liza and the Lost Letter". They discuss the setting and assign roles. They answer comprehension questions to end the lesson.
Curated OER
Daily Actings
Students view clips of Anna Deavere Smith's work. They interview people on video or audiotape to learn their lines, dialect, and syntax to assist them in theater. They create a play which emulates the people in which they interviewed.
Curated OER
Showtime Jobs
Students plan and present a play or puppet show. In this artistic lesson, students practice organizational and communication skills to put on a performance. The task should focus on the many jobs that take place "behind the scenes."