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Interactive
Curated OER

Murder on the Orient Express Study Questions and Suggested Essay Topics

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
In this online interactive literature worksheet, students respond to 8 short answer and essay questions about Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Students may check some of their answers online.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Improving Your Writing

For Students 7th - 8th
As a writer, how can you show your audience a certain character is showing a certain emotion? Use this worksheet to practice giving detailed descriptions of your characters and their feelings. Writers complete a chart that lists seven...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drama: The New Friends

For Teachers 2nd
Reader's Theater is a great way to build fluency, intonation, and dramatic flare. The class reads the theater piece, "The New Friends" paying attention to how they express emotion and feeling as they read. They discuss the use of plot,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Characters in Live Performance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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.
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Lesson Plan
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Star Wars in the Classroom

"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Days 13 and 14

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How important are sound effects in films? In stage plays? In radio programs? To gain an understanding of the impact of these special effects, class members watch a short video spoof of the sound in a scene from Star Wars: A New...
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Lesson Plan
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Brigham Young University

Creating a Design Concept

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Putting together information gained from their script analysis, their readings, and their research, groups create a conceptual design statement for their assigned scene. The statement explains how their scenic design creates the mood and...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The Glass Menagerie as Expressionist Theatre

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The first lesson in a three-part unit has high schoolers examine The Glass Menagerie as an example of expressionist theatre. After reading a short article about expressionism, scholars list expressionist techniques in Tennessee Williams'...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Semiotics and Set: Year 9

For Teachers 8th
Drama enthusiasts explore the importance of set and action in conveying dramatic tension. They act out a polished dramatic piece using the set as a key component of their story. This should be connected to setting as it is also used in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sequencing Stories

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students explore dramatization. In this literacy fluency and drama lesson, students listen to the story Mop Top by Don Freeman and add related sounds at the appropriate times. Students role play, pantomime, and add sounds to  create a...
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PPT
Curated OER

Literary Techniques

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Need to review literary terms/techniques with your class? The slides in this presentation define and give examples of 22 common literary terms. The PowerPoint could be used for AP test prep.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pancake Express

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students participate in a variety of manipulative skills in cross-curricular activities (dramatic play, reading, problem solving) to improve creativity and health education.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dramatic Release of Stress

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore ways to actively take part in relaxing themselves physically and mentally. They become aware of specific thought processes through relaxation exercises and express themselves creatively through a monologue.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who's a Hoosier?

For Teachers 4th
What is a Hoosier? 4th graders will identify sayings/expressions to reflect a region or culture. They will research Indiana history to work in groups to prepare for the annual 4th grade program where they will present the information...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Reading

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students express the ideas of a poem. In this poem dramatization lesson, students analyze poems for meaning studying their descriptive words. Students role play the descriptive language of the poem. Students draw a picture of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Richie's Rocket

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, after reading with intonation and expression the book, "Richie's Rocket," by Joan Anderson, circulate in centers to create a puzzle with emotions and experiences from the ideas in the story, write the definition of words...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Richie's Rocket

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, while working in centers read Richie's Rocket by Joan Anderson, and then create a puzzle using ideas, emotions, and experiences from the story. In addition, they write specific definitions for certain words, use those...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spanish Drama: Latin America

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore Hispanic countries.  In this Hispanic culture and language lesson, students choose an Hispanic country to research.  Students explore given websites and prepare a dramatization incorporating the facts they find. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespeare Club

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore literature dramatization. In this Shakespeare lesson, students discuss the characters from the play A Midsummer Night's Dream and construct costumes and a set.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Dramatics

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students create a pantomime. In this cooperative learning lesson, students are given a scenario to pantomime. Students work in small groups and then create and perform a pantomime for the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Express Yourself

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Youngsters practice retelling a part of their favorite Native American tale to a small group of their peers. Peer partners assess each others performances. To keep comments positive and constructive, consider giving your class sentence...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore expressive reading. In this literature lesson, students read the book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and interpret key themes. Students perform a different version of the text.
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Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

How Do You Feel?

For Teachers K - 3rd
Photographs can show a range of emotions. Discuss Dorothea Lange's photo Migrant Mother and a range of other images in relation to emotion. After the discussion, class members contribute to a set of photographs that express various...
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Lesson Plan
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Brigham Young University

Understanding Design, Composition, and Color

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The set for a play combines design elements (style, line, shape, mass, measure, position, color, and texture) and principles of composition (unity, harmony, contrast, variation, balance, proportion, and emphasis) to create a particular...
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Activity
Teaching Tolerance

Act Up! Drama for Justice

For Teachers 6th - 12th
A lesson turns young historians into playwrights to understand and speak out against social injustice. Pupils work individually or in groups to write and perform monologues that deliver personal messages on social justice. Writers then...