Unit
in Drama One Curriculum
Improvisation
Created by Karen Loftus
Students sharpen their listening and reaction skills through improv games, exercises, and scenes. They will learn five specific guidelines to apply to their improvisation: accept the offer, bring information to the scene, make active choices, make your partner look good, and don’t force the humour.
There are so many different ways to approach a unit on improvisation. Keep in mind that you will have students who are really excited about this unit and some students who dread it. It’s best to start with low-risk games and exercises and then build up to higher-risk ones. Low-risk games in this situation mean partnered interactions that aren’t shared with the whole class.
Start here
The overview lays out the structure of the unit, including objectives, materials list, lesson structure and assessment and time management tools.
-
1Lesson 1Accept the OfferStudents apply this guidelines through the games “Yes and…” “Yes Let’s,” and Low Risk Experts.
-
2Lesson 2Make Choices/Bring InformationStudents learn the word “endow” and apply the concept through the exercise Low Risk Endowment.
-
3Lesson 3Take the Active ChoiceStudents discuss what it means to take the active choice and apply the concept in Quiet Scenes.
-
4Lesson 4Make Your Partner Look GoodStudents apply this guideline through the games Cars, Vans, Buses, Blocking on Purpose, Questions Only and Here Comes Charley.
-
5Lesson 5Relax, Have Fun and Don’t Force the HumourStudents discuss what it means to not “force” the humour. They play all the games from the unit in a high risk setting, as volunteers in front of the class.
-
6Lesson 6Unit ProjectThe final project will allow students to demonstrate their improv skills in a two-person scene.
Standards Addressed
Grade 6 - Responding
- TA6.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.<br/>a. Identify the role of the audience in different environments.<br/>b. Analyze the relationship between an audience and a performer.<br/>c. Create guidelines for behaviors appropriate to a theatre experience.<br/>d. Model appropriate audience behaviors.
- TA6.RE.2 Critique various aspects of theatre and other media.<br/>a. Identify the purpose of a critique.<br/>b. Evaluate a theatre production using an assessment instrument.
Grade 7 - Creating
- TA7.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Identify and rehearse effective communication skills.<br/>b. Compare and contrast character types and relationships by analyzing character motivations, objectives, and goals.<br/>c. Compare the physical, emotional, vocal, and social dimensions of a character.<br/>d. Investigate the role and responsibility of the cast and crew.<br/>e. Identify and model ensemble skills in the rehearsal process.<br/>f. Utilize staging and blocking choices to enhance the performance.<br/>g. Compare, contrast, and design elements of technical theatre.<br/>h. Utilize theatre vocabulary throughout the rehearsal process.
- TA7.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Create ideas for stories.<br/>b. Analyze the theme and structure of a play.<br/>c. Use the dramatic writing process to generate a script.<br/>d. Utilize dramatic conventions in the scriptwriting process (e.g. stage directions, dialogue, scenes).
Grades 9-12 - ACTING LEVELS I-IV - Creating
Grades 9-12 - ACTING LEVELS I-IV - Responding
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Performing
- TAHSAD.PR.1 Act and direct by communicating and sustaining roles within a variety of situations and environments.<br/>a. Examine and implement the skills and tasks associated with acting, incorporating voice, body, observation, and imagination to create characters for formal and informal performances.<br/>b. Implement the duties of the stage manager, including communication and safety procedures, that will assist the director in all areas of production.<br/>c. Develop a schedule and organizational plan to prepare a scene for performance, including a rehearsal schedule and a prompt script.<br/>d. Conduct rehearsals and present a full theatrical presentation to a live audience.
- TAHSAD.PR.2 Execute artistic and technical elements of theatre.<br/>a. Engage as a creative team in script analysis to plan and create technical elements of a theatre production.
Grades 9-12 - FUNDAMENTALS OF THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Creating
Grades 9-12 - FUNDAMENTALS OF THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Responding
Grades 9-12 - MUSICAL THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Performing
Grades 9-12 - MUSICAL THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Responding
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Performing
Get instant access to this and everything else in the Drama Teacher Academy
