Drama, Theatre Lesson Plans

1. A Character Lifebox- Students create a "life box" for a character in the play The Shakespeare Stealer, based on the book of the same name.
2. A Deeper Shade of Purple- Students observe that a variety of objects are tints and shades of purple, and classify the objects in several ways.
3. A Listening Doll-Students discuss the process of storytelling and listening, and create a listening doll.
4. A Way with Words or Say What?- Students use drawing and pantomime to analyze words and phrases invented by Shakespeare.
5. A World of Myths- Students explore myths that explain science and nature, and create graphic representations of them.
6. Acoustical Science- This unit explores the connection between size and materials used to create a musical instrument, and the pitches and tones the instrument makes.
7. Action Drama- Students will examine and use actions to present a cooperative story.
8. Acting Up, A Melodrama- In this lesson, students practice melodramatic movement.
9. Acting Up, Backstage- In this lesson, the students read the melodrama Little Women aloud.
10. Adapting a Musical- This lesson explores the implications of developing a musical from a literary text or an historical event.

1. Aida and Its Relevance to the World Today- This lesson uses the opera Aida and the history of the Middle East and Africa to open discussions about the current crisis in the Middle East.
2. America, A Home for Every Culture- Students will explore how various cultures have contributed to making the United States a unique and diverse country.
3. Analyzing the Structure of Williams' Cat- This lesson is an exploration of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with emphasis on Williams' use of characteraization and dramatic structure, and his techniques for engaging the audience.
4. Are the von Trapps Historically Correct?- Students compare the reactions and perspectives of Austrians during the Nazi invasion to those of the characters in The Sound of Music.
5. Around the World in Thirty Minutes- This lesson was written to support a second-grade unit on the countries and continents of the world. I think it could be easily adapted to the study of the provinces or states of a country.
6. Boston Tea Party: Tea Party Reenactment- In this lesson, students research, analyze and reenact the Boston Tea Party.
7. Broken Worlds- Students engage in a series of activities comparing Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape and Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, and conduct a comparative analysis of the two plays.
8. Characterization in Literature- In this lesson, students explore various methods authors use to create effective characters.
9. Children of War- Students explore the realities and effects of war on children by examining diaries, journals, and letters written by children during times of war.
10. Clowning 101- Students learn about different types of clown characters, then create an original character and develop a skit.
11. Comparing O'Neill and Williams- Students engage in a series of activities comparing Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape and Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire.
12. Comparing Tales through Performance- Students identify similarities and differences between contemporary and traditional versions of The Three Little Pigs.
13. Creative Drama & Youth Theater- A web ring that allows you to search multiple web sites.
14. Death and Drama of The Pigman- Nine activities for The Pigman, including turning it into a play.
15. Dramatic Feelings- Students will examine a feeling word and represent it in a dramatic presentation. Through this, students will present and observe the different situations that different feelings can exist in.
16. Dramatic Play Centre Ideas- An alphabetical list of possible dramatic play centres / centers.
17. Emotion Locomotion- Naming feelings and marching in a parade to express them help children develop and improve.
18. Ethnic Folk Dancing: Hungary and Romania- The activity may be used in connection with a music or physical education unit on folk dance or folk music.
19. Everybody's a Winner- Dramatic play activity based on Arthur the Loser.
20. Fables- This unit introduces students to traditional fables. Students learn about the qualities that make a tale a fable and read representative selections. Students also engage in storytelling activities and dramatic presentations of traditional and original fables.
21. Julius Caesar- "The unit affords practice in analyzing and discussing character in a written composition, in discussing how decisions based on character move the plot of a drama forward, in speculating on leadership skills, and in searching for alternatives to violence in government leadership changeovers."
22. Multicultural Theater in Music- This curriculum unit is designed to help fourth and fifth grade students acquire musical and dramatic skills and knowledge.
23. Music of the 1920s- Students learn dances from the 1920s.
24. Musical Freeze Improvisations- This lesson is intended to teach improvisation and invention, and to introduce the idea of creating story from movement, rather than the other way around. It also works well as a warmup.
25. Popular Theatre Unit- Provides an understanding of popular theatre and introduces students to various theatre games, exercises, and techniques.
26. The Lion King’s Court- This lesson was written to accompany an Indian Folktale called The King’s Choice, which my Kindergarten students had read, but it is really only peripherally connected to the story, and works perfectly well without it.
27. The Three Little Monkeys- The students will be able to perform the song and dance without help from the teacher or peers.
28. Theatrical Fencing Unit- Teaches the importance of real fencing in theatrical fighting while providing the basics and complexities of choreographing.
29. Three Words- This game teaches improvisation, pantomime, and clear communication. It also works as an introduction to the skill of giving constructive criticism. Plus it's fun.