Week 1 – Terms – go over using quizlet each day towards the end of the class. ( Literary Elements)
Drama Classroom Rules –
Respectful
Supportive
Introduction – Myself and students
Journal - how it is going to be organized / storage of
Grades –
Term Quizzes on Quizlet – Flashcardlet on Apple – Kindle, etc – Quizlet Flashcards
Rubrics of performances
Participation
Behavior – demerits – negatives on grades
Teacher Website
Quizlet – Youtubes
Assignments
Whys? – Why is learning the terms important?
Hands-on, active learning is concisely captured in the following Chinese proverb:
I hear and I forget.
I read and I remember.
I do and I understand.
My goal is to maximize your learning through multiple, related, firsthand active experiences, I want to
teach you how to learn for a lifetime, rather than to memorize just for Friday’s test.
Think of school as “Learning to Learn” – learning to be an independent learner – to help your mind
grow. No one ever stops learning. Learning will help you find a job and all that is entailed with that
job to become successful in life
Hierarchy of Needs –
5 Basic needs –
1) Food
Water
2) Security
3) Belonging
4) Self Esteem
5) Fulfillment
Shelter
Warmth
Stability
Freedom from fear
Family
Friends
Love ( Intimacy )
Achievement
Mastery
Recognition
Respect
Creativity
Pursue Inner Talent
Self-Actualization
These are commonly seen in the arts – show / think of artwork that portrays these.
Discussion:
What is art? Art, in its broadest meaning, is the expression of creativity or imagination, or both.
*Leo Tolstoy - it is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and
progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity.
*Aristophanes – Let each man exercise the art he knows
*Marla Popova – The power of art = power to transcend our own self interest, our solipsistic ( belief in self as the only reality) zoomlens on life, and related to the world and each other with more integrity, more curiosity. More wholeheartedness.
Why do we have art? Visual perception, develop abstract thinking skills, provides a deeper
understanding of history, brings about the opportunity to be creative and can be used to help in other
classes (motivation)(controversial) (release) , We need art because it is a part of who we are. Art makes
us human, makes us laugh and makes us cry. Art makes us think and thinking about art makes us
smarter. Art relaxes us and soothes our spirits. Art comforts us and bandages our wounds. We need
art more than we need a couch and a television - and if it weren't for art in the first place, those things
wouldn't exist. Or if they did, at least one can say with certainty they wouldn't be as attractive.
What is drama? A tool to explore and express human feeling – the enactment of real and imagined events
through role-play, play making, and performances, enabling individuals and groups to explore, shape, and
represent ideas, feelings and their consequences in symbolic or dramatic form.
*Purpose - Why do we have drama? Present issues & ideas – entertainment – to teach /persuade –
design, plan, beautiful – 1)share the human experience – 2)pass on tradition & culture – 3)recreational –
and 4)artistic expression
Develops: use of imagination, powers of creative self expression, decision making and problem solving
skills, understanding of self and the world, self confidence, a sense of worth and respect and
consideration for others
Aesthetics – concerned with beauty, art and perception – value ( sensory, emotional ) how people
perceive things or objects - today it is used in the design of houses, buildings, and entire cities. Products
endorsed by beautiful celebrities becomes successful – it’s how individuals perceive things.
What makes drama aesthetic? When a person becomes fully engrossed in the illusionary world .
Types of drama – Improv ( Let’s Pretend ), Role plays, Mime, Masked drama, Puppet plays, Performance
poetry, Radio drama, and many more
What do you know already? 3 Elements of Drama
Literary – let’s think of your language arts class and the plot structures, etc. – the script.
Technical – the area ( stages ), the things needed to communicate the setting and mood.
Performance – the acting, speaking, expressions, etc.
Audience behavior – Theatre etiquette
Week 2 – Terms – go over using quizlet each day towards the end of the class.
Literary Elements – I can identify and describe the use of elements of drama in dramatic works.
Plot structure
Read “ The stinky cheese man” - discuss the plot structure
Why is it important to a story to have the literary elements?
Show sample of monologue
What is a monologue?
Show sample of dialogue
What is a dialogue?
I can explain the difference between a script and other types of writing.
Look at a script How is a script different from other writing?
Homework – find a book (fiction) or something from your reading class , find a section of the book
with dialogue – just a small section ( ½ a page)
I can write, refine, and record dialogue. This career is called a screenwriting, used in film, tv, and
video games.
Tomorrow’s assignment will be to transcribe the dialogue to script format – to include: characters,
setting, actions, etc. to be written in to tell the actors , etc. exactly how it would look as a play.
I can create and perform dramatic works in an expressive manner.
Groups – assign these
Expectations and procedures for working in a group.
As a group – work together in preparation to perform the scripts.
Create a rubric for performances –
Performances of their scripts -
Test on Literary Elements using Quizlet
Week 3 - Terms – go over daily the Performance Elements
I can identify and describe the use of elements of drama in dramatic works.
I can explain how performance elements are used to create a believable character.
I can describe and critique my own performances and the performances of others in a supportive,
constructive way using appropriate criteria for dramatic works.
What are performance elements? – go over and discuss
Use Improv cards to demonstrate the different performance elements.
Constructive critiques –
1) what was good about their performance?
2) what performance elements did they use?
3) what else could they have done to create the character?
Homework – this evening, come up with a character to portray tomorrow – can use a short movie
excerpt, TV program, etc. – it should be something we can all understand and know – keep this simple,
and similar to the improv cards.
Develop the performance rubric with the students
Performance of these
Test on Performance Terms using Quizlet.
? Week 4 – Terms – go over daily the technical elements along with the other drama terms
Technical Element terms
I can identify and describe the use of technical elements of drama in dramatic works.
I can describe how technical elements are used to communicate setting and mood.
I can identify and describe the different types of stages.
Show excerpts of musicals and plays to discuss the various technical elements used.
Test on Technical Terms & Other drama terms.
Week 5 - Culture / Time Periods –
I can analyze and explain how diverse cultures and time periods are reflected in drama/ theatre.
I can explain how dramatic works reflect the culture, cultural beliefs, or blending of cultures, as will as
how dramatic works can directly influence society or culture.
I can engage in dramatic activities that reflect historical times and cultures.
How does art reflect culture? It is the people within that culture, which express
themselves/ideas/current events from their time. Art is created in response to culture and vice versa,
along with a billion other factors, such as economics, politics, religion, social structure, and world view.
What is historical fiction?
How do I identify cultural influences in the arts?
This is where the different grade levels will have different assignments to go along with their social
studies content
6th grade – I can describe and compare themes, characters, and situations in dramas from
different cultures or time periods through the use of print and non-print resources
Native American & African influences on American Storytelling
I can explain the influence African and Native American cultures have on American
storytelling – Constellation stories – star charts – students create a story from a cluster of
stars –
Performance of these stories – rubric developed by the students
Asian Theatre – Show examples of each -- use graphic organizer to analyze the dramatic works
from Asia.
Japanese
Bunraku
Kabuki
Noh
Chinese / Indonesia
Shadow puppetry
Puppetry in the U.S. – Jim Henson’s the muppets. Show examples
Week 6 - Students in groups will create either a shadow puppet show or Noh play.
Week 7 – Performance of these
Week 8 – Stereotyping / Our own culture ( Appalachian - Kentucky )
Clip from “Clueless”
Lil Abner – Final
They are to write about the drama elements from Lil’ Abner.
7th grade -- – bring these out in previous lessons
What is empathy and why is it important to drama?
I can explain what empathy is and its importance in dramatic works.
What are the 5 stage directions -- I can identify and demonstrate the 5 stage directions
What is character blocking? I can explain what character blocking is.
Week 5 I can analyze and explain how diverse cultures and time periods are reflected in drama/ theatre.
I can explain how dramatic works reflect the culture, cultural beliefs, or blending of cultures, as will as
how dramatic works can directly influence society or culture.
I can engage in dramatic activities that reflect historical times and cultures.
How does art reflect culture? It is the people within that culture, which express
themselves/ideas/current events from their time. Art is created in response to culture and vice versa,
along with a billion other factors, such as economics, politics, religion, social structure, and world view.
How do dramatic works reflect the ideas, beliefs, customs and traditions of a culture?
What are characteristics of Ancient Greek theatre and how did it develop over time?
How did ancient Greek theatre influence Ancient Roman theatre?
I can identify characteristics of Ancient Greek theatre.
I can explain how Ancient Greek theatre developed over time
I can explain how Ancient Greek theatre influenced Ancient Roman theatre.
Youtube sources –
Week 6 - PDQ Bach’s Oedipus Tex
Youtube sources of Rome and the Colosseum – Our arena’s
Graphic organizer - to analyze dramatic works and characteristics of theatre from Ancient Greece and
Rome.
Youtube sources
– Medieval Theatre
What types of dramatic works were performed during the Medieval period? – morality plays
What is a morality play?
Why were morality plays popular during the Medieval period?
I can identify characteristics of medieval drama.
I can explain what a medieval morality play was and why it was used.
Write a paper ( 1 page ) about the Theatre from Greek to Roman to the Medieval time periods.
Week 7 – Group assignment – using the elements of drama, develop a current day tragedy
Week 8 – Performance of the tragedies.
Grade 8 - I can analyze and explain how diverse cultures and time periods are reflected in drama/
theatre.
I can explain how dramatic works reflect the culture, cultural beliefs, or blending of cultures, as will as
how dramatic works can directly influence society or culture.
I can engage in dramatic activities that reflect historical times and cultures.
How does art reflect culture? It is the people within that culture, which express
themselves/ideas/current events from their time. Art is created in response to culture and vice versa,
along with a billion other factors, such as economics, politics, religion, social structure, and world view.
How do dramatic works reflect the ideas, beliefs, customs and traditions of a culture?
Week 5 – http://www.stagebeauty.net/th-frames.html?http&&&www.stagebeauty.net/th-ushist.html
**Early = “Cato”, “Richard III”, & “Othello”
**After Independence = Shakespeare tragedies–1st American playwright, Royall Tyler wrote “The
Contrast”.
Building of the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia – The Park Theatre in New York
Then the development of Broadway where several playhouses were being built.
** Civil War (1861)– the populace sought distraction from the hostilities – Britain sympathized with the
south.
President Lincoln was assassinated in a theatre by an actor during the performance of “Our American
Cousin” being play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington. ( 1865 )
American theatre 1850-1900 Theatres in major cities by 1850:
-Moved toward long runs to recoup costs.
-Became specialized in type of fare
-Built dominant star system
-Principally relied upon fewer and fewer playwrights.
Distinct lack of production unity during period in popular theatres.
•
-Stars refused to submit to director.
•
-Designers resisted attempts to subvert their authority.
Some early directors were eventually successful in making inroads; began using stage business, moving
into more varied and directed stage pictures.
Significant advances in stage technology.
• Electricity feasible with Edison's incandescent in 1879.
• By 1900 nearly every major theatre electric-lit due to gas fires.
1856 First American copyright law. Attributed to the efforts of Dion Boucicault. It actually only protected
the title of the play.
Growth of The Road.
1860 Dion Boucicault began promoting "combination companies". The company with players would
travel with scenery for 1 play.
• 1860: 50+ resident companies operating
• 1880: 8 resident companies remained
• 1900: over 500 road companies.
By 1869 there were 21 theatres in New York, 6 in Boston.
What are characteristics of Early American through Civil War drama
What types of dramatic works were performed during the Early American through Civil War period?
How and when did American drama first develop its own unique characteristics?
I can identify characteristics of Early American through Civil War drama.
I can explain how and when American drama first developed its own unique characteristics.
Graphic organizer analyzing dramatic works from the Early American through Civil War period.
Week 6 - Pirates of Penzance - analysis - Uncle Tom's Cabin - analysis Group assignment Create a 1 act play of an issues that were from the Early American through the Civil War.
Week 7 - Performance Week
Week 8 - Twelfth Night - They are to write about the drama elements.
Youtube sources -- Twelfth Night - They are to write about the drama elements.