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Preparing a Scene

by Lindsay Price

What tools do students need to properly prepare a scene? What exercises? This multi-class lesson plan models and practices those tools and exercises with the full class before they have to take on a scene for assessment.

# Character Development # Acting # acting # character development

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Auditions

by Lindsay Johnson

In this lesson, students will run auditions, or participate in them, for the scene, and directors will cast their scenes.

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# Directing # directing # middle school friendly

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Planning and Memorization

by Lindsay Johnson

In this lesson, actors will have their lines completely memorized using a cheat sheet, and directors will complete their scene prep (props, set design, blocking).

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Slide Deck

# Directing # directing # middle school friendly

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Scene Assignments and Close Reading

by Lindsay Johnson

In this lesson, students start working on their specific scene and complete a close reading.

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Slide Deck

# Directing # directing # middle school friendly

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Shakespeare Setting and Soundscape

by Lisa Houston

In Elizabethan times, audiences at the Globe had to use their powers of imagination and listening to envision the worlds of Shakespeare’s plays. Today, modern audiences are treated to elaborate depictions of Shakespeare’s settings with expensive sets, lighting, projections, and sound. This lesson will test your students’ creative collaboration. They will design a set and soundscape in obstacle course form for one of Shakespeare’s plays using found objects, sounds, and actions.

# Shakespeare # Group Activities # group activities # Shakespeare

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Shakespeare Setting and Soundscape

by Lisa Houston

Students work together to create and explore an obstacle-course setting and soundscape for one of Shakespeare’s plays.

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Slide Deck Lesson 4

# Shakespeare # Shakespeare

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Status Games

by Todd Espeland

In this lesson students further explore status and using status to communicate physically through a variety of games. Students are also introduced to the game “Do It Get It Done” which will be re-visited throughout the unit.

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# Acting # commedia

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00 - Emergency Lesson Plans Ebook

by Lindsay Price

You need Emergency Lesson Plans. The unexpected comes up all the time. This Emergency Lesson Plan Collection (30 lessons) will address all of your concerns and take into account all of your sub’s questions. Every Emergency Lesson Plan includes substitute instructions, handouts, and assessment suggestions.

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ZIP file containing all student handouts

# Emergency Lesson Plans # emergency lesson plan # eBook

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Assessment Planning

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Lindsay Johnson, Maria Smith

It’s never too early for assessment planning. The work currently being done in your classroom is providing a baseline of growth throughout the year, but if you don’t capture this data right now, you can’t present it to your administration when it is time to assess your program. Join us for a discussion of tips and strategies when it comes to assessments in your classroom.

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# assessment # live PLC

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Masterclass with Todd Espeland: Directing

Masterclass is a series of one-on-one interviews with experts, creators and innovators in the world of Theatre that you can study in-depth, or share with your classes. Think of this series as 'Inside the Actor's Studio' for Drama Teachers. This Masterclass with Todd Espeland, Artistic Director of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, is all about Directing, and is hosted by Matt Webster.

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# Masterclass # directing # emergency lesson plan

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Using Empathy in the Drama Classroom: Empathy 2.0 with Steven Stack

Hosted by Lindsay Price, Steven Stack

If you have used The Empathetic Classroom or The Empathy Project or you're just looking for a way to approach what everyone has dealt with this past year and a half, join this discussion with Steven Stack. Steven's new DTA course Empathy 2.0 looks at empathy through the lens of what's now: how can students embrace their own and others' narratives and scars? How do we create a stronger classroom community? How do we learn to play again? Steven will share activities and exercises in the course that you can take directly into the drama classroom.

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# live PLC # social emotional learning

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Assessment

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Lindsay Johnson, Shelby Steege

Assessing students is always a challenge, but in the Drama classroom it's a challenge on top of a challenge! We assess knowledge, of course, but we also assess commitment, skill and performance. Assessment is fundamental to education, but the how and why of assessment differs from classroom to classroom, and lesson to lesson. Join us as we navigate the twists and turns of Assessment in the Drama Classroom.

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# assessment # live PLC

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Year-End Post-Mortem

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Claire Broome, Jeremy Bishop

As the year that just finished rides slowly into the sunset, (or mercifully falls off a cliff!) this is the time to take a minute and reflect on the highs and lows of your classes and productions from this past year. What new things did you try? What worked? What didn’t? How can I make it better and what are my goals for the coming year? Join our panel for a discussion on the process of looking backwards and moving forward.

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# live PLC

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Distance Learning

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Bekah Schneider, Christa Vogt

Theatre is an art form designed to bring people together. But what do you do when you can’t teach your students face-to-face? Whether it is a family vacation, unexpected emergency or natural disaster, there will be times when you will need to teach your students from a distance. You will need to engage your students in Distance Learning. But distance learning comes with its own set of challenges: Do you have the right materials? Do you have the right technology? Do your students? Join us for a crash course discussion about the strategies and challenges associated with Distance Learning.

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Drama Classroom Reboot

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Christa Vogt, Shelby Steege

The holidays are upon us. Whether you’ll be meeting a new group of students in January, or you’re at the midway point, now’s the time to reassess, refocus, and reboot your classroom.

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# live PLC

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Year End Post-Mortem

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Lea Marshall, Jane McEneaney

Reflection is a fundamental component of teaching. It is also a cornerstone of running a successful program or production. It can be hard to ask the tough questions once the year is over and all you want to do is just forget it all and move on. But that post-mortem is where the real learning happens! When you reflect on the successes and failures of the previous season or year, you bypass future mistakes before they have a chance to take root, and sow the seeds of a successful new year. So join us for the Year End Post-Mortem: What did you try, what did you skip, what worked, what didn’t. It’s time to build the foundations of the new year on the ashes of the old.

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# live PLC

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Engaging with Your No Camera and Camera-Shy Students

Hosted by Lindsay Price, Karen Loftus

The drama classroom is all about connection and engagement. How do you connect to students who do not feel comfortable turning on their cameras in a virtual classroom? Theatre Educator Karen Loftus has been working with no camera students and shares her insights.

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# live PLC

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Let it Go - Planning Curriculum 'Less is More'

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Jessica McGettrick, Claire Broome

One of the more valuable lessons that we learned during the pandemic was that "Less is More" when it comes to our curriculum. We found that even though we didn't cover as much material, we were able to cover that material in much greater depth. This led to students taking a deeper dive into materials that normally they might skim across. And that, in turn, led to a better understanding of materials. So...Wait, we cut down on our curriculum and increased learning? How did that happen?! Join us in this PLC where we will discuss a "Less is More" approach to your curriculum and find out!

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# live PLC

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Addressing Curriculum

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Bekah Schneider, Matt Banaszynski

The new school year is looming large on the horizon. It’s time to check the standards, examine your curriculum and write some lesson plans. But how do you make sure that those lesson plans actually advance your curriculum and meet the standards? This PLC will examine how to create and execute a curriculum that meets both the needs of your classroom and the requirements of standards.

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