Curriculum & Lesson Planning

Pacing is one of the invisible hands of good teaching. For many teachers pacing is a difficult skill to master, but when a teacher has their pacing dialed in, the class is more enjoyable for both...

There are many different ways to analyze a scene for classroom study or performance: verbing, marking up the script, identifying subtext, making lists, and more. Some of these methods are easy and...

Drama teachers understand that we must plan our curriculum around the standards established by school boards, administrators, and other leadership. But whenever possible, it’s wonderful to...

Name games are a great start-of-term activity, especially when you’re working with new students. It’s a fun way to break the ice and for students and teachers alike to learn everyone’s name....

Starting a new term with a new group of students can be concerning for even the most experienced drama teachers. Will you like them? Will they like you? Will they understand or connect with the...

Drama classrooms come in a huge variety of sizes and styles. You may have a fabulous auditorium with a giant storage closet, a dedicated drama classroom, a shared space, or you may not have a...

Lesson planning is the backbone of effective teaching. Think of lesson plans as your classroom's roadmap—they guide everyone toward shared learning goals. When they're on point, the classroom runs...

Community agreements are a great tool to use at the start of a new term or semester, or at the beginning of the rehearsal process for your school show. Also known as learning or classroom...

As you begin your teaching career, you'll find yourself learning something new every day — from where your mailbox is to how fire drills work. If you’re a new Drama teacher, you’ll likely come...

A well-organized curriculum plan will help you to stay calm, cool, and collected throughout the term, and will allow you to present your lessons confidently. It also helps your beginning drama...

Curriculum is the cornerstone of your entire teaching foundation. Your curriculum is the roadmap that tells you what, when, why, and how you will teach your students. However, there is no...

Whether you’re a brand-new teacher stepping into a classroom for the first time or an established teacher coming back to school after summer break, there’s a lot of work that needs to be completed...

In Part 1 of our How to Use a Small Cast Play in Your Drama Classroom article, we shared two different analysis-based exercises that focus specifically on small cast shows. Now we’re going to focus...

We reached out on Facebook and Instagram, asking educators what qualities they admire in drama students. We received so many fantastic responses and have compiled a list of 10 of the most frequent...

So you’ve chosen to produce an issue-based play with your students. Awesome! Issue-based plays are a great learning opportunity for your students and your audiences, as they tackle issues such as...

“Issue-based plays” explore a myriad of topics that are current and relevant for your students, such as bullying, mental health, body image, violence, sexuality, identity, and human rights. Issue...

Theatre classrooms are NOT like other classrooms. Unlike other classrooms, they transform from lecture halls to research labs, rehearsal venues, and performance stages all within a typical week....

Many drama teachers look for large cast plays with huge ensembles so they can include every student who wants to participate. But sometimes you don’t need something that big. Maybe you have a new...