Learning to Give
Teaching Playwriting in Schools
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.
Curated OER
Historical Figure: A Monologue
Fourth graders develop their speaking skills. In this monologue instructional activity, 4th graders watch their instructors model a monologue regarding Abraham Lincoln. Students apply these skills as they research a historical figure...
Curated OER
Picturing America: Images and Words of Hope from Romare Bearden and Langston Hughes
A carefully crafted three-day instructional activity integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The...
Curated OER
Writing Drama-Trying Your Hand at being a Playwright
Fifth graders chart the elements of drama. For this performing arts lesson, 5th graders discuss the role of a playwrite, practice doing some Reader's Theatre scripts, write a paragraph about a problem between two people, and perform...
Curated OER
Theatre: Meaningful Monologues
Students perform dramatic monologues. In this drama activity, students write their own monologue and perform it in front of their peers.
Curated OER
M.C. Bard: Hip Hop and Shakespeare
Students compare lyrics from hip hop songs with monologues from Shakespeare's plays, and perform both for the class.
Curated OER
Image to Word
Students research art and write about how a certain art piece relates to their own life. In this art lesson plan, students go to Brooks museum and discuss the art they find there.
Curated OER
Character
Students explore various methods of approaching character work, acting styles and skills. They create an original character, write an original monologue and perform the monologue for an audience
Curated OER
Exploring American Tall Tales
Students explore elements of American folktales and tall tales. In 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.
Curated OER
Red Ribbon Week
Students perform monologues about bullying and cyber-bullying. In this bullying and drama lesson plan, students write scenes while improvising before word processing the scenes. They put their work in order to present a show about...
Teaching Tolerance
Community Arts Showcase
An art showcase encourages class members to explore the themes of social justice and tolerance. They create an original artwork, engage in group discussions, and journal writing. The art gallery also provides a chance for families and...
Curated OER
Image: A Nation
Students use photographs as a basis for a creative writing piece that explores the characters, relationships, and settings revealed in the images.
Curated OER
Developing Characterizations by Creating Stereotypes
Students examine past and present cultures through theater. They interpret how theater reflects society. Students engage in the process that constitutes creation and performance in the theater. Students explore the forces that shape...
Honors College at Scholar Commons
From Start to Strike: A Lesson Plan for the Whole Theatre Experience
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.
Curated OER
Fathers and Sons in Henry IV
Students explore the power struggles in England's history using Shakespeare's Henry IV. For this Shakespeare lesson, students write answer to journal questions about the play and discuss specific passages. Students work as groups to...
Curated OER
William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying
Pupils analyze William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. In this literature analysis lesson, students compare a modern novel and play. Pupils analyze Faulkner's interior monologues. Students write a paper about the ways As I Lay Dying is or is...
Curated OER
Comparing Characters Across Two Short Stories
Ninth graders listen to a read aloud of two short stories focusing on literary devices. The write about the settings and realism of the stories, and decide each main character handles the conflict he faces with nature.
Curated OER
Theatre
Learners identify and create flashcards of important key terms as related to theatre. Students observe and write a 1-page summary of events seen at the High School Musical production using at least 8 vocabulary words in your summary....
Curated OER
The Font of Funniness
Students research the work of a contemporary humorist by analyzing a variety of pieces of their work. They look at the work from a variety of media sources such as writing, videos, and broadcasts to decide how "American" the material is....
Curated OER
When Travelers Meet
Students research life in Colonial America then write and stage a play about life in Colonial times. creating a variety of characters who might have lived at that time. They, in groups, generate seperate lists of characters who would...
Curated OER
A Tough Act to Follow
Students take on the role of impersonators as they identify the distinctive human traits that comedians and imitators single out in order to do their jobs.
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.
Curated OER
What Really Happened?
Sixth graders recreate scenes from the theories about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. In this history and theatre activity, 6th graders review the story of Earhart using a flip chart. Students work on one act plays to depict one of...
Curated OER
Unearthing Ancient Greece
Learners locate and analyze clues about ancient Greek life. In this ancient Greece lesson, students look at art, architecture, and artifacts to determine what was important to the Greeks and discover details about their culture. Learners...