Curated OER
Television: Comedy Vs. Drama
Learners investigate the world of Television by contrasting specific programs. In this visual storytelling lesson, students compare and contrast the differences between comedy and drama by making a Venn Diagram. Learners...
Curated OER
Exploring American Tall Tales
Students explore elements of American folktales and tall tales. For this literature lesson, students read examples of American folktales and tall tales and prepare a monologue or news report to present to the class based on their readings.
The New York Times
Big Brother vs. Little Brother: Updating Orwell's 1984
Government surveillance is an enduring conflict that has become increasingly complex with our nation's use of technology. Add to the understanding of Orwell’s 1984 by using the resources here that display the contemporary actions of Big...
Curated OER
Macbeth: The Basics
Just as the title states, this quiz covers basic questions related to Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth. Test your learners' knowledge with 10 multiple-choice questions. Answers appear when you submit online.
John F. Kennedy Center
Acting Up, A Melodrama: Performing Like Jo March and Her Sisters in Little Women
Lights, Camera, Action! Pupils read Little Women and create, act, and direct a melodrama that Jo March and her sisters would enjoy. The lesson plan comes complete with resources for the educator on melodrama as well as examples...
Curated OER
Putting the Sitcom into Perspective
Students identify and compare similar characters and situations in stories and dramas from and about various cultures, illustrate with classroom dramatizations, and discuss how theater reflects life.
Curated OER
MACBETH and the Themes of Ambition,
Students describe and compare characters and situations in dramas from and about cultures and historical periods, illustrate in improvised or scripted scenes, and discuss how theater reflects a culture.
Curated OER
Comedy Across the Curriculum
The New York Times Learning Network provides the resources that permit pupils to examine and then write and perform a fake news broadcast in the vein of “The Daily Show” or “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update. The generated reports...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Paraguay 0 Spain 1
For this English worksheet, students read an article about Spain v. Paraguay in the World Cup and then respond to 1 essay, 10 fill in the blank, 12 short answer, 20 matching, and 10 spelling...
Curated OER
Everyone's a Critic: Analyzing Sitcoms as Cultural Texts
Start by defining the word sitcom with the goal of launching a discussion. What exactly is a sitcom? How is a sitcom different from sketch comedy, drama, and reality television? Class members give examples, remember storylines...
Ken Taylor
The Stones: Guilty or Not Guilty?
Young drama pupils will perform a number of expressive speaking exercises as they consider the themes of responsibility, consequences, and justice in the very modern Australian play The Stones. With a lot of role playing and...
Curated OER
Theatre History: "Student presentations of eras and styles."
High schoolers examine eras of theatre history using a multi- media approach.
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Day 6
How can a screenplay create meaning and drama in ways that other forms of writing cannot? That is the question class members must answer as they compare the cantina scene of the screenplay for George Lucas's Star Wars: A New Hope...
Curated OER
Issues of Gender
Students develop their own orginal artwork that represents their own ideas about gender. In groups, they discuss and design a tableaux that shows society's view on gender over time. Using any item in popular culture, they discuss what...
Curated OER
Lessons in Drama: Learning About American Political Thought
Students develop critical thinking skills so that they may produce their own written plays or music from their thoughts and feelings. They express their thoughts based on what has been presented to them over the duration of the course.
Curated OER
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Fourth graders are taken to the media center to review various genre of literature, apply information and concepts to evaluate examples and locate specific genre, and search for materials for reading enjoyment. A good instructional...
Curated OER
Ready, Set, Action!
Fifth graders explore sequential dramatization through children's literature. In this drama activity, 5th graders act out and record scenes using digital and video cameras. Students create a digital poster using pictures from their...
National First Ladies' Library
We're off to see the Wizard!
Students explore the process of play and movie making from books. They study the basic elements of drama and write and produce a play based on a chosen theme. Students explain the basic elements of a play by looking at "The Wonderful...
Curated OER
Arts of the Gilded Age
Students study the art forms of the Gilded Age. In this integrated arts lesson, students research the art, music, dance, and drama of the historical era and then create their own personal projects that exemplify the time period.
Curated OER
Sticky Hearts
Students create "sticky hearts" in this early elementary lesson that explores the use of different media in works of art. The lesson suggests using white posterboard, constructions paper, corn syrup, food coloring and lots of wipes for...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Days 13 and 14
How important are sound effects in films? In stage plays? In radio programs? To gain an understanding of the impact of these special effects, class members watch a short video spoof of the sound in a scene from Star...
Curated OER
Dancing Flamingos
Pupils, through the media of dance and drama, discover how an animal's behavior helps them to survive in the environment. They practice performing or mimicking how a flamingo's acts and positions itself when being observed. The students...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pictures and Print: What's the Difference?
Pupils watch a PowerPoint presentation. In this early literacy lesson plan, students watch a PowerPoint presentation describing print from pictures and the difference between the two.
Curated OER
Creating an Original Opera
Young scholars research the lyrical and dramatic structure of opera through Internet sources and audio examples, cooperatively discuss elements of opera stories vs. their own lives and create one-act opera based on their own life...