Search the Drama Teacher Academy

Students will understand the importance of endurance, emotion, and commitment in movement when performing. They will also gain an understanding of how to pick up choreography by learning the concepts of routine and anticipation.

Students will understand how to analyze a song to find meaning, objective, and tactics through textual analysis.

Students will start the process of writing a monologue by storytelling. They will tell a story based only on what they observe in a picture.

Using their rough drafts from the starter prompts, students will work in pairs to edit their drafts to make cleaner stories. Students will also map out their drafts on a Story Mountain diagram to make sure that they follow the proper format.

Students will plot out the steps of the story mountain by using existing monologues.

Students will start writing their own monologue, using a pre-selected phrase as a starting point.

Students will understand the parts of a story and how it relates to a monologue through the story mountain framework.

Students will work in groups to turn their previous drafts into completed monologues.

Students will perform their monologues in front of the class and reflect on the process.

Students will bring in an object that they can turn into a puppet. Using the object puppet, students will create an original character and establish movement patterns and character voice. Character Worksheet and Practice Sheets are included, to perform their original puppet characters.

Students will learn the Rashomon plot device, then put it into practice through improvised character monologues.

Using the guidelines provided and their previous scene, students will create a Puppet Company complete with a logo, the name of their production, and a picture that gives clues about the production. Students will also learn about professional puppet companies.

If you have the resources, purchase finger puppets for this lesson. It can also be easily done with drawn faces on index fingers, or faces on popsicle sticks. Using well known fairy tales like “Little Red Riding Hood” or “The Three Little Pigs,” students will retell these stories from a different perspective, using their finger puppet.

Students learn how shapes create interesting dynamics in shadow puppets. Students will have a packet of shadow puppet cut-outs. These cut-outs include animals that can be attached to a popsicle stick. In groups/partners, students will use the cut-outs in the packet to create a scene. They will also create an original cut-out.

Students will write their own puppet play using the same format as the prewritten scene. In pairs, students will go over guidelines for creating a character and writing a scene.

One of easiest and earliest forms of puppetry, students will learn to create shadow puppets using just their hands. After they have practiced their creations, they will create a group/partner scene using the shadow puppets.

Students learn proper hand puppet technique and practice these techniques with a prewritten scene. Teachers can also choose to use traditional hand puppets, or students can make their own using socks/paper bags.

This final lesson is a culminating performance. Students practice their scene using their hand puppets, then perform. Those watching will fill out a feedback sheet, which is discussed after the performance. A Unit Reflection and a Performance Reflection are included.

Students will explore the historical and philosophical background for the ABSURDIST style of theatre.

To compare modern-day clichés and stereotyped phrases to those used in Theatre of the Absurd Plays to convey that style’s message of language’s meaninglessness.