Units of Study / ARTS ACHIEVE THEATER UNIT: MIDDLE SCHOOL

Playwriting

CREATING MONOLOGUES AND SCENES AROUND A COMMON THEME

UNIT SUMMARY | STANDARDS | OUTCOMES | RESOURCES

LESSONS 1-3 | LESSONS 4-6 | LESSONS 7-10

Lessons 1-3

Theme Exploration and Monologue Improvisation

Prior Knowledge: In the fall semester, 8th grade students review and further develop their basic improvisation and scene study skills in acting. This initial work occurs prior to the 8th grade playwriting unit and continues to build the improvisation skills that will help enhance and enliven the students’ writing.

Students explore and discuss the issue of Peer Mistreatment guided by statement catalysts such as: Adults only intervene in 4% of bullying incidents. Do you agree or disagree? Why? In addition, they view and discuss photographs depicting a variety of bullying behaviors and anonymously write about a bullying experience. Their writing is posted and shared through a Thought Gallery Walk. From this exploration students select their character either a Bully, Victim, or Onlooker.

They begin to develop their characters’ inner monologues through first physicalizing a beginning, middle and end character tableau and then Thought Tracking (speaking their character’s thoughts from their frozen poses).