Students listen to the book "The Napping House." The students then develop the characters assigned to them. They then share their interpretation of the story while the story is being sung. The students write their reflections in their...

Introduce your class to drama! You cast each pupil as a different character from a story you have read. They are given a general outline of the scene, act out the scene multiple times, then discuss the weak and strong aspects of each...

Students study imitation or pantomime. In this creative drama lesson, students pick an object to imitate and state the reasons why that object should not be taken out of the room pretending to be that object.

A cross-disciplinary lesson that incorporates language arts, social studies, and art into a creative project, this lesson would be a great fit for any middle school humanities classroom. After briefly learning about the history,...

Here is a fun way to encourage a cooperative classroom, drawing skills, and creative expression. Each child draws a design or shape on his paper, then he rotates to the next child's paper where he adds to the previous design. When the...

Develop novice script-writers. Small groups sift through a sample script, noting any script-writing conventions to share with the whole class. Using these conventions and plot structures, these groups compose a script for a 10-minute...

As part of their study of the American Civil War, class groups investigate Civil War casualties, medicine and disease, conscription, prisons, the life of a soldier, and Civil War spies. Then they script and perform a soap opera drama on...

In need of a quick way to get rid of extra art tape? This simple idea describes how learners can use it to create mini amusement parks. They'll form the tape into roller coasters, cars, and people with a little imagination and creative...

A few bits of paper can really go a long way when it comes to art. Learners build motor skills and a creative voice as they shape and glue thin strips of paper, creating an original scene. 

You'll be surprized at how much engineering, design, and creativity can go into a toothpick and a marshmallow. Learners make toothpick sculptures where they construct three-dimentional models by sticking marshmallows and toothpicks...

Theater comes alive for actors of all ages through the activities packed in a dynamic dramatic arts resource. Lessons for early elementary learners focus on creative play and improvisation. Middle school lessons focus on vocal and...

Spend some time exploring various components of theater such as movement, voice, staging, ensemble, improvisation, characterization, directing, technical elements, and self-concept. They perform in various improvisation exercises and...

Use drama to study and practice dialogue. Creative minds discuss what dialogue tells about a character, and how it can be used to advance the plot. They read a play, think about what they gleaned from dialogue, and record their...

Drama is ever-present in our daily lives and eloquently depicted on stage. Middle schoolers practice writing scenes based on different prompts and frameworks, and then perform those creative scenes for their classmates. The activities...

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.

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...

Students read a story by Dr. Seuss and create characters from the story. For this lesson about reading a story, students will read I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! And Other Stories. Students make a tiger tail with a felt strip, attach it to...

What a great lesson, upper graders are sure to love. They explore costume design and the relationships between theatre, culture, and history. They research three time periods, write a response about two of them, then create a composit...

Plot, setting, characters, and conflict are common to both drama and narrative stories. Kids create narrated tableaus that show their understanding of the plot, setting, and conflict of a story they've recently read. The lesson...

Learners explain why the American colonies declared the independence, students should relate to that which is held most dearly i.e. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They participate in a drama that illustrates this.

And...action! Turn your middle schoolers into filmmakers with this writing and visual arts lesson. After reading Monster by Walter Dean Myers, they create a viewfinder using an empty toilet paper roll to make a storyboard for their...

Discover one of the best known Asian epics in the Hindu story of Ramayana. Your class members will analyze scenes from the epic scroll, learn about creative methods of narration used in Asian art, and design a scroll illustrating key...

Whether you are planning a class trip to the theater or want to engage your drama club in an inclusive production unit, a resource focused on the Broadway musical Anastasia is sure to capture young imaginations. It includes background...

Kids create a clown out of shapes. They work to show emotions while practicing their drawing skills. Pupils use circles, triangles, squares, oil pastels, and their imagination to draw, color, and decorate a sad or happy clown. Tip: Have...