Lesson 4: Dialogue/Playwriting
Time: 45 minutes
Student Objectives:Students will be able to further develop their superhero character in relationship to others by writing a short scene with a partner in which their superheroes interact.
Theatre Standards:
- TH:Cr2-3. Compare ideas with peers and make selections that will enhance and deepen group drama/theatre work.
- TH:Cr3.1.3. Collaborate with peers to revise, refine, and adapt ideas to fit the given parameters of a drama theatre work.
- TH:Pr4.1.3. Apply the elements of dramatic structure to a story and create a drama/theatre work.
Materials:
- Playwriting worksheet (x15, one per every pair)
- Wendy and Peter Pan script (clean page with minimal stage directions and back and forth dialogue. To be shown on screen, if possible)
Instruction:
- Warm up (led by student)
- Review what the students have learned thus far in the unit. You can ask these questions verbally or write them on the board.
- What makes a character? (background story)
- How does moving your body affect your superhero?
- Why are objectives and tactics important?
- Introduce playwriting!
- “The words in a script are different than a book. You only write the dialogue: what they say. It’s a conversation! It’s important to clearly mark when each character is speaking”.
- Show an example of a page from the “Wendy and Peter Pan” script. If possible, show it on a large screen and ask the students what they see. Make sure they notice:
- Character names
- Dialogue is only what they speak
- Italics are their movements, otherwise called stage directions
- Ask for a few volunteers to read what is shown on the screen.
- Ask for a few volunteers to perform what is shown on the screen.
- Application
- Show the worksheet on the large screen and explain it clearly and make sure the students understand what they are being asked to do. The front page is a preparation page so they understand what’s going on in the scene. The back page is an outline for the script they will be writing.
- Put students into pairs (one worksheet per pair) and give them 20 minutes to write/fill out the script writing worksheet. Both will be acting as the superheroes they have been working on throughout the unit.
- This worksheet is their exit ticket for the day. They will be performing these scenes in the next class period.
Assessment:
- Script
- 20 possible points
- Is the front filled out all the way? (5)
- Is the paper clean and undamaged? (2)
- Is the script filled out all the way? (5)
- Is their title creative and descriptive? (2)
- Are their objectives and tactics relative to their superheroes? (6)