Middle School
Performance concerns: Students in middle school are establishing their identities and
figuring out how they fit into the school culture. Their social life and appearance are
sometimes more important than their schoolwork. This can lead to a reluctance to
perform in front of their peers or an awkward, “phoned in” quality when required to do
so.
Therefore, team-building exercises are recommended. Playing improvisational games in
large groups (with either half or the entire class) mitigate these issues—and are suited
to the students’ short attention spans.
Another way to reduce insecurity is to allow students to perform through a proxy or
which partially hidden from the audience, either visually or emotionally. Puppets and
masks are one technique; having them create distinct complex characters in another.
Middle school students often enjoy designing costumes, sets, masks and puppets.
Theatre history, however, can be problematic. Project-based learning and crosscurricular projects will boost engagement.
Writing and performing original scenes is preferable to traditional scene study. Given
their short attention spans, middle school students do not want to see the same scene
more than once.
Basic acting techniques are helpful, but advanced study is not recommended, as
students have difficulty grasping abstract concepts. Studying and practicing body
language/movement and pantomime provide foundational acting skills and are better
suited to this age group.
Skills to be built through drama activities:
Identification of self
Articulating one’s own thoughts in verbal and written forms
Tolerance and acceptance of others
Following set rules and boundaries
Dealing with negative feelings (anger, sorrow, frustration)
Theatre etiquette as a performer and audience member
Theatrical vocabulary
Viewing and evaluating theatre
Planning and following through on complex tasks
Time management
Memorization
Contributing to groups
Rehearsing and focusing on tasks
Awareness and use of body language
Identifying and decoding figurative language
Creating complex characters
Understanding and following the plot pyramid
Understanding different cultures and times in history
Suggested Theatre Components:
Small group (2- & 3-person scenes)
Whole class, half class and duo/trio improvisation
Planned improvisations on more “difficult” topics (self-esteem, social networking,
drug use, etc.)
Drama festivals and workshops
Pantomime and body language (alone and in groups)
Character analyses
Speech//diction development
Using drama skills to teach and persuade
Monologue work
Advanced study of theatrical periods:
Greek/Roman theatre history and plays
Commedia dell’ Arte
Shakespeare and Elizabethan Era
Puppetry
Costume & set design that utilizes color theory
Masks
Complex character creation and performance
Develop short productions, either from scripts adapted from literature or original;
rehearse, design and present them to an audience
Determine the purpose of productions (entertain, persuade, inform, etc.) and
develop their scenes accordingly
Discovering, reflecting, assessing:
Textual study of a play, discovering the subtext
Analyzing figurative language
Outlining, writing and creating theatre
Observations and psychological studies of real people
Character motivation
Student-created rubrics for scene study, monologues, oral presentations and
critiquing theatre
Peer review and criticism
Reflecting and revising in rehearsal process
Using writing and performing to explore issues of identity
Touring shows to younger audiences