National Core Arts Standards
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade 8
8 units • 12 professional development courses aligned to
TH:Cr2.1.8.a - Articulate and apply critical analysis, background knowledge, research, and historical and cultural context to the development of original ideas for a drama/theatre work.
View all Standards for National Core Arts Standards
TH:Cr2.1.8.a Articulate and apply critical analysis, background knowledge, research, and historical and cultural context to the development of original ideas for a drama/theatre work.
This page lists 8 units and 12 professional development courses aligned to TH:Cr2.1.8.a from the National Core Arts Standards. Designed for drama teachers, these resources directly address TH:Cr2.1.8.a - Articulate and apply critical analysis, background knowledge, research, and historical and cultural context to the development of original ideas for a drama/theatre work.
UNIT
Agatha Rex and Ancient Greek Theatre
by Angel Borths
10 lessons
Help… It’s all Greek to me! Join Angel Borths in this unit that uses a modern adaptation of the Ancient Greek play Antigone to introduce Middle School students to Ancient Greek Theatre.
Have your students read Percy Jackson and want to find out more about Ancient Greece? Then, this unit is for you. This unit is designed for middle and high school students and will take you through the basics of classical Greek theatre and pairs it with a modern adaptation of the story of Antigone called Agatha Rex by Lindsay Price. Students will learn vocabulary, design, and basic theory surrounding classical Greek theatre. Students will also enjoy the mask-building component of this unit, as they learn to disappear into the character of a mask, like the first actors did on a Greek stage thousands of years ago.
The unit culminates in a scene performance with masks.
UNIT
Our Town Unit
by Lindsay Price
8 lessons
This is a read, discuss, and apply literature unit. Students will study the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder.
Our Town is often referred to as “nostalgic.” It’s seen as an antiquated look at a moment in time. But this play is called Our Town, not My Town. What’s happening in Grover’s Corners happened in the past, the distant past, in our present, and even in the future. The themes of the play—the ordinary versus universality, the concept of time, the cycle of life, the ignorance of humanity to the eternal—these are just as relevant in the twenty-first century as they were when the play was written.
The purpose of the unit is not to have students recall knowledge about the play. Students will be able to identify, articulate, and dramatize text themes and concepts and compare/contrast these concepts to their own experiences.
UNIT
Tech Theatre Unit: Costuming When You Don't Sew
by Drama Teacher Academy
8 lessons
In this unit, students will take on the role of the costumer, which is different from a costume designer. It introduces costuming concepts in order to execute a costume. No complicated sewing is required, which is great if you don’t have the background, the access, or the resources to have a class of students create costumes.
Instead of making costumes from scratch, as a designer would, students will create costumes from stock, borrowed items, or low-cost finds. They will take finished products and adapt them into what they need to create the right atmosphere.
In order to help with their adaptations, students will try different distressing techniques and learn three SIMPLE stitches that they’ll be able to use over and over again. It’s a valuable tech theatre skill to teach students how to execute on costumes when you (and they) don’t sew!
UNIT
Screenplays 101: Basic Structure Unit
by Nicholas Pappas
5 lessons
Screenplays 101 is divided into two separate units: Basic Structure and Basic Formatting.
It is highly recommended that you complete the Basic Structure unit before moving on to the Basic Formatting unit.
In this unit, we will focus on a basic history of screenplays, screenplay terminology, and the most common screenplay structure in film—the three-act structure. Theatre is important because it allows our young artists to be trained and learn about work ethic and discipline, and it creates community. But, we should also give our students opportunity and access to the cinematic arts. This is primarily a lecture-based unit with a lot of new information, with opportunities for students to apply knowledge including a final culminating project.
UNIT
The Crucible Unit
by Lindsay Price
8 lessons
This is a research, read, discuss, and apply theatrical literature unit. Students will study the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
The Crucible is Miller’s most produced play. There are hundreds of high school productions each year, and the play is in many high school curricula. As with every Miller work, there is much to discuss and many rich themes to explore.
The unit is divided into three sections. Each section is a complete set of lessons. You can choose to do all three sections, or if you have your own way to teach the play, you can pick and choose exercises.
Unit
1
of
10
in
Musical Theatre
Curriculum
UNIT
Introduction to Musical Theatre
by Drama Teacher Academy
3 lessons
In this unit, students will be introduced to the musical theatre form by asking and answering the question “What is a musical?” They will learn and demonstrate knowledge of musical theatre vocabulary terms. They will be introduced to two foundational songs in the musical form: the “I want” song and the “I am” song and analyze an example of each song. They will also start to think about their own voices and reflect on their skill set and confidence level with regard to singing in front of others. Students will learn the musical theatre warm-up that will be used throughout the curriculum. This set of exercises will help students prepare to perform through a physical and voice warm-up. Finally, students will watch, discuss and analyze one or two musicals (depending on your time and access to materials).
Unit
2
of
10
in
Musical Theatre
Curriculum
UNIT
The Evolution of Musical Theatre
by Drama Teacher Academy
14 lessons
In this unit, students will learn and apply knowledge about musical theatre history. Two different approaches are provided to give you a variety of ways to apply this unit. Note that a class period is defined as 75 minutes. If your classes are longer or shorter, adjust accordingly.
Unit
10
of
10
in
Musical Theatre
Curriculum
UNIT
Culminating Project: Creating a Musical
by Drama Teacher Academy
7 lessons
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 story from scratch—the structure and characters are already in place.
View all Standards for National Core Arts Standards Standards Master List
