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In this ELP, students will review a scene written in a specific genre: Victorian ghost story. They will have to create lighting and sound without any equipment, and a costume design without any period pieces. How can students use atmosphere, found lighting, and live sound to visualize the genre using low-tech options?

Lumber is expensive, so just letting the students have a go at building a stage flat could get pricey. Why not let them “try it out” by constructing the cheapest flat they’ll ever make. This lesson plan guides students through the identification and construction of the various elements of a stage flat (both Hollywood and Broadway) using paper, drinking straws, and glue.

In this fifth lesson, students continue to practice classroom norms and continue to practice giving strong feedback. In the performance task, students will practice giving strong feedback by giving a specific suggestion for improvement.

Knowing the mechanics of singing a song is only half the process of preparing a piece to perform. In this lesson, students will dissect the musical interpretation of a song using key music terminology and actor interpretation to understand musical tactics and how a musical theatre song can be used to communicate character, story, and emotion. Students will then apply these same tools to use musical tactics as they sing “Happy Birthday” to achieve an objective.

Students will find the context and meaning of a song by dissecting its lyrics. Students will practice finding meaning in lyrics and applying possible tactics to its performance in monologue form.

In this lesson, students will vocalize in every class. Students will learn about vocal range and some basic music theory that will help them identify notes on a keyboard and in sheet music.

Students are introduced to the basic theory of Melodrama and its characteristics; predictable plots, stock characters, and exaggeration. Students will role play the stock characters of melodrama both physically and vocally. They will rehearse and perform a Melodrama scenario and as a written assignment be asked to write their own melodrama scenario. Lesson Plan comes with practical assessment and written assignment rubric.

Students will explore Medieval Theatre by role playing what it would be like to perform at the time. Students form trade guilds, create a medieval market scene, and then work on a morality scenario. Lesson plan comes with a written assignment to be completed after the practical assignment.

Students will show what they have learned throughout the curriculum by writing and performing a musical. They will add modern songs to a traditional fairy tale story. In this way, students do not have to create their stories from scratch, the structure and characters are already in place. In this lesson, students will identify their song interpretations, practice the songs for the musical, and practice singing and moving at the same time.

Students will learn a variety of theatrical conventions and apply their knowledge in a scene. Students will use a picture as a jumping off point, use a mind map to brainstorm ideas, and create a scene using the Flashback convention. Lesson Plan includes handouts, written reflection, and two rubrics (Practical and Written).

Students will explore the origins of drama through ritual and chant. After discussing modern versions, students will create a ritualistic chant using choral speaking, and synchronized movements. Lesson Plan comes with an evaluation sheet and a rubric.

Students will learn the basics of stage positioning through this fun, interactive game. Comes with guide to positioning and all "Pirate Ship" terms!

Experience Tech Theatre: Students will explore how technical theatre affects storytelling.

In this first lesson at the start of a new year, students learn daily classroom routines, participate in a name game, and complete a successful journal entry reflecting on circle discussion. They will begin to interact with the Weekly Ensemble Rubric through the journal element.

Students will explore the question “What is theatre?” and start a conversation about the difference between theatre and film. Students will also participate in a warm-up ensemble-building activity that requires students to work together and an exercise that demonstrates what it means to have a “dramatic moment.”

In this third lesson, students continue to practice classroom norms and interact with a third element of the Weekly Ensemble Rubric: BE SAFE. Students will role-play a column of the BE SAFE Rubric in small groups via a performance task.

In this second lesson, students continue to practice classroom norms and interact with a second element of the Weekly Ensemble Rubric: SAY YES. Students will role-play a column of the SAY YES category of the Weekly Ensemble Rubric in small groups via a performance task.

Students discuss and apply technical aspects of moving on stage: sightlines and staying open. They then apply these aspects in a short scene.

In this lesson, students will learn in action about three theatre roles: the playwright, the director, and the actor. They will take a story and present it using those three roles.

This ebook contains 15 different task sheets, designed to be used as Emergency Lesson Plans for middle school students. A task sheet is a sheet that provides students with a task to complete. Each task will have an itemized list of steps. All tasks are written so they can be completed individually and independently using pen and paper. If you are a computer or laptop one-to-one school, simply adapt any substitute instruction to reflect that students will work digitally and submit online. Emergency Lesson Plans: Middle School Drama Class Task Sheets includes Single-Task Sheets, meaning all the instructions have a single-subject focus (monologues, scene writing, theatre vocabulary). Task Sheets come with additional handouts and worksheets to make it as straightforward as possible for substitutes to give information to students and for students to complete their tasks.