Publisher's Synopsis
Teacher Lesson Plans.3 Units in one text: Play structure including elements, types and styles - experience different themes for improvImprovisation for fun - play games and relax within a creative structureWrite a ten minute show - pure genius on your feet producing theatre old school style (meaning no power point!)Here is the history of how these units end up being taught together leading up to live performances. One student asked if there were other ways to create improv. She wanted more than the basic way students produce games and improvs on stage - that's when the idea to teach play structure as an improv unit came to mind. Students who receive basic lessons on play structure ultimately are strong and versatile performers. Improvisation for fun was created in a more complicated manner fit for worksheets and assessments and maybe even a power point lesson here or there. The unit was taught right after state testing and the students just wanted to play with theatre and have fun - so to be a mindful teacher - I used the unit as a foundation and gave them a fun old school style unit of theatre. Students loved coming to theatre and having an experience that was different from other classes, a place where they could play. Miles Davis said sometimes you have to play a long time until you play like yourself. Theatre teaches students how to play and find themselves within a community.As the second unit came to a close, the third unit just naturally came to be and the classes wrote and performed phenomenally fun and wild plays. One class made a parody of the school in the funniest school pep rally, another class did a western film, one was a prison break out including santa clause and so on - just a variety of ten minute improv plays naturally grew out of the creative process when I listened to students and showed up in the moment. Enjoy!Tracy Lybbert synthesizes twenty years of theatre notes, as a teacher, and student, into these lesson guides; and has over ten years of experience teaching theatre and writing curriculum Each unit contains supportive teaching material to document student growth to make your job easier. Worksheets, quizzes, character sketches, and scene evaluations specific to the units are included. The student material can also be purchased in student self study guides for students to document their growth and skill acquisition through the year. Managing your classroom is built into the lessons with informal and formal assessments, rehearsal and performance evaluations and engaging activities. Your theatre space is your stage and these lesson plans support you in effortlessly leading your classes with expertise and ease.