by Alex Taylor
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of creating conflict between characters by writing a scene.
STANDARDS:
Utah Standard L1.T.P.1: Interpret the character, setting, and essential events in a story or
script that make up the dramatic structure in a drama/theatre work.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Whiteboard, Sacred Container (anything that can hold scraps of paper), one-dollar bill
TEACHING PRESENTATION:
WARM UP/HOOK:
Tell the students there will be a pop-test on playwriting today. Then tell them they will have fifteen minutes to complete the 100-question test. Then tell them it is worth half their final grade in the class. Make students prepare themselves to take the test.
STEP 1: Transition
After striking the fear of failing into your students hearts, tell them there is really no test today (but there will be later). Ask them what they felt when they believed that there was a test that was worth half of their final grade.
STEP 2: Instruction
Introduce the concept of conflict in plays. Remind them about rising action in dramatic structure and how increasing conflict creates more excitement and tension. Explain RAISING THE STAKES – taking something of value and putting it at risk. Have the class determine how what you just “performed” qualifies as raising the stakes (announce a test, there are 100 questions, you only have 15 minutes to answer them all, it is worth a lot for grades, etc.)
STEP 3: Guided Practice
Bring out the one-dollar bill. With the help of the class, create a scenario and characters that can be improvised around that dollar bill.
- Two characters see a dollar bill lying on the ground. They both want it. CONFLICT
- Why do they both want it? (objectives for both characters)
- Why is this moment (dollar bill) special? (raise the stakes)
- What is their relationship? (reveal some facts about the characters)
- Where are they? (setting)
STEP 4: Modeling
Using the information created by the class, have two students act out an improvisation for the dollar bill.
STEP 5: Individual Practice
Choose a point to interrupt the improvisation (a specific line that was just said). Have every student continue the scene on their own by writing it down on paper. They can use the information the class brainstormed, have another character enter the scene, etc. Use the last line spoken in the improvisation as the first line on the paper. Be sure to demonstrate the proper playwriting format:
CHARACTER (name centered and all capitalized)
Dialogue (off of the left margin)
Action or Stage Directions (italicized or in parenthesis and tabbed in from left margin)
STEP 6: Checking for Understanding
Have some of the students share their scenes and respond to how they continued the conflict. Explain to the students that conflict reveals character and is the essence of a play in that it provides the structure for the rising action of the plot.
STEP 7: Instruction/Modeling
Divide the students into small groups. Provide each group with a large sheet of paper or a section of the whiteboard. Instruct the groups to create a conflict map or diagram for a one of the popular fairytales (Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Red Riding Hood, etc.). This map should illustrate the central conflict(s) of the play, as well as any sub-conflicts that arise. Encourage them to use visuals, symbols, and colors to represent different elements of the conflicts. Students can use sticky notes or index cards to jot down key points or scenes related to each conflict.
STEP 8: Group Practice:
After the groups have completed their conflict maps, have each group present their work to the class. Encourage discussion about the effectiveness of the conflicts they've identified and how they contribute to the overall dramatic structure.
STEP 9: Discussion
Discuss how conflicts escalate, reach a climax, and are eventually resolved or transformed in the course of a play.
ASSESSMENT:
Students can be assessed through participation as well as turning in their completed scenes.