Drama Teacher Resources

Drama is ever-present in our daily lives and eloquently depicted on stage. Middle schoolers practice writing scenes based on different prompts and frameworks, and then perform those creative scenes for their classmates. The activities...

In the Middle Ages, theater left the church of moved outside to a secular stage. An interesting video describes the transition from pulpit to public venue, discussing common plot lines and other aspects of medieval drama. Animated...

Lights, Camera, Action! Pupils read Little Women and create, act, and direct a melodrama that Jo March and her sisters would enjoy. The lesson plan comes complete with resources for the educator on melodrama as well as examples for drama...

Introduce young actors to the key elements of performance with this handout that defines key staging terms and activities.

Using various exploratory techniques, young actors work as an ensemble company to devise, perform and evaluate a piece of theatre for assessment. This outline provides an objective and a list of games and activities that stimulate skills...

After reading Acts III and IV of Othello, give your class a fun, interactive, music-related activity. Begin by asking young scholars about songs they have heard in movies or plays. Let them look up the lyrics online and ruminate about...

This short, online quiz tests readers' basic understanding of the plot in Act 2, Scene 2 of Macbeth. It may be useful for providing your class with immediate feedback on their reading comprehension, but is perhaps best used as a...

Your intermediate or advanced thespians choose dramatic scenes to perform in duos, small groups, or solo to demonstrate vocal and physical characterization. Use class time to prepare and rehearse. Detailed rubrics work for peer assessment.

Learners study Greek literature. In this Greek tragedies instructional activity, students explore the dance-dramas of Martha Graham. Learners study the choreography that brings ancient Greek literature to life.

Fifth graders chart the elements of drama. In this performing arts lesson, 5th graders discuss the role of a playwrite, practice doing some Reader's Theatre scripts, write a paragraph about a problem between two people, and perform their...

Students, after reading one-act plays or scenes from plays, compose a short, one-act play which involves two characters.

Oh, the drama! According to Plato, poetry is a false representation of reality and, to him, poetry included drama. The Puritans also despised theater, a topic the informational video explores. The narrator describes the controversial...

Despite spending many years in a sanatorium, Antonin Artaud became a well-known playwright. Video 43 from the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist describes the life work of the French playwright with a focus on the theater of...

A video, number 44 on the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist, covers the work of Bertolt Brecht, who believed theater should be more than an escape from reality. Content covers a range of Brecht's styles and includes a summary of...

Life doesn't make sense, so theater shouldn't make sense either. A video about the theater of the absurd, the 45th installment of the Crash Course Drama and Theater series, discusses the unique movement in theater history. An overview of...

Many Broadway shows, including Hamilton, got their start off the infamous street. Video 47 from the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist focuses on the creation of Off-Broadway theater. Discussion centers around specific theaters and...

Introduce middle schoolers to playwriting and the elements of drama with a six-session storytelling unit that encourages kids to expand their acting and writing skills. The 12-page packet includes overviews of the lessons, assessment...

Class members have an opportunity to compare how a film and a play handle the same source material by viewing the opening chapters of George Lucas's Star Wars: A New Hope and acts I and II of Ian Doescher's play, William Shakespeare's...

Listen as this famed speaker argues why "the real story of history is about regular people trying to take care of their families" and "small-scale dramas," particularly in the case of colonial America. Topics covered include the shift...

Ninth graders read and internalize the drama Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Many intriguing and thought provoking assignments are waiting for the completion of students within this lesson profile.

Third graders reflect on and discuss the story, Jane and the Dragon, and portray their understanding of stereotyping through the actions of their character. Through the use of legends, drama can be used to educate understanding for other...

An effective way to demonstrate understanding is by synthesizing one's own work. Use a creative lesson plan designed for a unit on Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun for small groups to show what they know about the play, its...

Seventh graders practice dramatic acting skills, using three words - why, oh, and sorry in different contexts. Working in groups of two or three, they create scenes in which the three words are the only ones spoken and are used to convey...

Sometimes it's impossible to keep up with the Joneses. Scholars watch video 48 in the Crash Course Theater and Drama series that describes poor theater, which takes out the typical lights, costume, and sets that rich theater includes....