Grade Level: 6,7,8

Goals:

*The students will be introduced to drama

*The students will learn the impact of acting out a story after reading through

*The students will learn how to work effectively with a group

Materials:

*Copies of Act 1, Scene 1 from William Shakespeare_s The Tempest.

*Any materials that the students may need for their production (props)

Content Areas:

*Language Arts

*Art

Concepts:

*Oceanography

*Literature-- Grandfather's Journey

*Drama--The Tempest

*Communication skills

Procedure:

1. The teacher will begin with a definition of drama. The students will be asked to list some plays that they have heard of or seen. They would also be asked to explain how they view drama as different from simply reading a story.

2. Then, such terms as setting, tragedy, comedy, characterization, plot, etc., would be defined and discussed.

3. The students will then act out a small part of a play that relates to the ocean unit, The Tempest by William Shakespeare. The teacher will begin by handing out a copy of the script and having the students read one scene to themselves. The teacher will then ask for volunteers to act out the scene. These volunteers will demonstrate one way in which this scene could be acted out.

4. After the students have acted out the play, the class will discuss how it was easier to understand the play when it was acted out rather than read. The students will also be asked what props, costumes, music, could have been added to make the presentation better.

5. After this is completed, the teacher will explain to the class that they will be doing a dramatic presentation of their own. This play will be a creative invention by the class. The class will be broken up into three groups and each group will think of a way to adapt Grandfather's Journey into a short play. They will be encouraged to modify the story to look at Grandfather's Journey from a different perspective. They may wish to use parts of their writer's workshop essays or create something different.

6. The students will be given time in class to create a script, assign roles, and think of ways to add props, music, and other ways of presenting the play demonstrating their creativity. The students will be instructed to use their time wisely because they will only be given an hour and a half the next day to put finishing touches on their play. If the students need to get supplies from home, they should plan ahead so that they know what to get at home. The students also need to be aware that they need to type their script and be ready to turn it in the following day when they present their play.

Evaluation: The assessment will be done when the students present their play (see Lesson 13). The assessment will be done by the teacher and peers using the same rubric.

Approximate time: 3 hours (45 minutes for the mini-lesson, 2 hr. 15 minutes for work time)

Resources:

~May, Robin. Who Was Shakespeare? New York: St. Martin_s Press, 1974.

~Taylor, Gary. Reinventing Shakespeare: A Cultural History, From the Restoration to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Internet Sites:

~http://www.abacon.com/books/ab_0131896636.html

~http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/artsed/g6arts_ed/g6rconae.html

Extensions:

*Teacher may want to spend more time actually talking about Shakespeare and some of his works. See resources for more information about him.

Teacher's Notes: The teacher may choose to divide the class into more groups based on the number of students in the class. We realize that groups of more than 6 students will be cumbersome and hard for all the students to participate in the group work.

Go back to Main Page

Go back to Scedule of Lessons

Go to Lesson #11