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Classroom Lesson Plan Ideas

Welcome to a part of the Freedrama website that has ideas for using these plays in the classroom.

Free Drama Lesson Ideas

Here are some more ideas:

PARTS OF SPEECH! Mad-Scripts! Fill in the blank plays that are different every time you use them. Check them out

THEME UNIT! Use The Pint Sized Pirate and do a theme week in the classroom. This play fits well with many themes including Pirates, Oceans and the Environment.

RESEARCH PROJECT! Use Holka Polka and do a fairy tale research project. Explore all the fairy tales mentioned in Holka Polka and have students research the original Grimm, Mother Goose or Anderson stories (Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, Humpty Dumpty, Pinocchio, etc.).

FRACTURED FAIRY TALES! Discuss plays such as Gingerbread Girl, Sleeping Handsome and Beauty IS a Beast and compare them to the original stories or Disney versions.

HISTORY! Use The Hysterical History of Troy and research the history behind the play. Older students can compare the play to Homer's Iliad and younger students can research Sparta, Troy and other Greek cultures.

AUTHOR! AUTHOR! Read the author's bio at http://www.freedrama.net/bio.html and email the author with questions doug@freedrama.net

Make a diorama of set for the play or create the set on computer using a program such as CAD.

Turn a picture book in to a play: http://freedramaplays.blogspot.com/2014/11/picture-book-play-quick-lesson-plan.html

FESTIVAL! Have a play festival or competition between theatre classes. Here are some short plays that might work:
"Fart Zen" - Short Comedy - 3 or more actors
"Rock! Sword! Firecracker!" - Short Comedy - 3 or more actors
"Touched by an Alien" - Short Comedy - 5 or more actors
CHARACTER ANALYSIS! Do a character analysis of a character from one of the plays. Go beyond the script and decide who the person, where they come from, how did they get where they are at the start of the play, what do they like/not like, and why are they the way they are.

ART! Draw a picture of your favorite character

Create a costume for a character

Cast the play with your favorite actors (make powerpoint presentation of the cast as if you are trying to promote the script for production as a movie)

Write a play review for the play you're reading.

Do a mock trial: put a character from a play on trial. Have "Beauty" from "Beauty IS a Beast" prove she is the princess or do something silly like a trial for the Master from "Fart Zen" charging him for teaching people to fart too much.

More Lesson plans below on Fake History and Reading

Fake History

Make your own history!

Hook (Anticipatory Set): Have students play Rock, Scissors, Paper. Ask them where they think the game came from.
Direct Instruction: Read play "Rock, Sword, Firecracker!" a short comedy about the legend behind the game of Rock, Scissors, Paper.
Guided Practice: In groups, create ideas for a short play where you make up the history behind something ordinary such as Knock, Knock Jokes.
Closure: Have students tell about their short play ideas.
Independent Practice: Students will pick their favorite fake history contest and write a script.
Follow-up: Groups of students can practice and perform a student written script for the class.

Reading can come alive when you read with a group.
Hook (Anticipatory Set): As a class, discuss the following questions: What are some of the students' favorite movies? Are they dramas or comedies?
Part 1: Divide the classroom up in to small groups. Have the student groups discuss if they like a serious story (drama) or a funny one (comedy). As a group, they will decide on which one they like better. (optional: maybe students will want to change groups to join a comedy group or a dramatic one)
Part 2: Have students go to freedrama.net and search the website for scripts that match the size of their group. From these scripts, did they find a dramatic one or a comedy?
Part 3: The students will print out enough copies of the script for each member of the group. Each student picks a part. They will read the entire play aloud in a small group.
Part 4: The students will pick a short scene from the script and practice that scene.
Conclusion: The groups will summarize the script for the class. Then they will perform the short scene for the entire class and discuss why they picked the script and that scene. (Optional: students can say which famous actors they would cast in the script as a fun way to engage the class)

READER'S THEATRE - SIMPLE PLAYS FOR NEW READERS - Here is a play that uses simple common words that new readers need to learn called "Yellow, Blue, Red"

SQUARE SAVES THE DAY - PLAY ABOUT SHAPES AND BULLIES - This stage play script teaches a couple of important lessons. First it teaches about shapes. But it also teaches about bullies. Ways to use this play: 1) Older students could perform this for younger students as a way to teach shapes but also discuss bullying. 2) A single student or a small group of students could create shape puppets as an art project and then perform the play on video. There are many fun ways to teach some important lessons with this play. Read the Play Now

If you need help finding a play or need a Freedrama script customized for your cast, contact doug@freedrama.net

See below for links to more plays, recommended published plays, copyright and royalty information and more!

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