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Abenaki Creation Story

by Allison Green

Students listen to the Abenaki Creation Story and explore through plot graphing and recreating.

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# Group Activities

# Musical Theatre # musical theatre

In this lesson, students will explore how to make their own Broadway musical through improvisation. Broadway musicals like The Book of Mormon, Urinetown, and Forbidden Broadway were developed from improvised work. Students will learn how to improvise an original musical in front of an audience. There are excellent opportunities for both the singer and non-singer who wants to explore improv like never before. This is also a great opportunity for singers to become far more confident with their performances. There are hands-on activities for students at all levels.

Historical and Cultural Contexts

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson looks at the historical and cultural context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Symbolism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson focuses on symbolism by investigating The Manifesto of Symbolism by Jean Moreas to help inspire students to write their own short manifestos.

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Dadaism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson introduces the characteristics of Dadaism, through Ubu Roi, Dadaism manifestos, Voltaire, and Dada art. Students will learn how to write a Dada poem of their own.

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Surrealism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson looks at Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism, Atraud's Theatre of Cruelty, and the game of Exquisite Corpse. Students will create their own short surrealist play.

Expressionism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson investigates expressionist theatre and compare to the other movements discussed thus far. Using O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, students will conduct deep analysis on a scene.

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Absurdism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson enters the last and final -ism for the unit, with a focus on five iconic absurdist playwrights: Beckett, Ionesco, Genet, Pinter, and Albee.

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Anti-Realism Movement Characteristics Overview

Culminating Project

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This project combines creativity with analytical thought as students connect ideas and concepts with their imagination in order to create a theme park that embodies all five of the “isms” we’ve covered: symbolism, Dadaism, surrealism, expressionism, and absurdism.

Attachments

Anti-Realism Project Suggested Rubric

Risk-Taking

by Jennine Profeta

This lesson aims to encourage students to take risks and allay fear.

Failure

by Jennine Profeta

This lesson encourages students to embrace failure as a positive aspect rather than negative.

Confidence

by Jennine Profeta

This lesson allows students to practice and apply attributes of confidence.

Positive and Negative Speak

by Jennine Profeta

This lesson has students identify and have self-awareness of positive and negative speak.

Capturing the Way People Speak

by Nicholas Pappas

Students will learn to break free of academia’s stringent MLA formatting and “proper” speech patterns, while recognizing their own code-switching, to capture authentic and natural rhythms to match the speech patterns of their friends, families, and community.

# Playwriting # monologue

What is a Monologue?

by Nicholas Pappas

Students will build upon the Overheard Dialogue lesson to write a first draft of an authentic, decolonized monologue that speaks to their interests and voice.

# Playwriting # monologue

Workshopping and the Second Draft

by Nicholas Pappas

Students will use a workshop process to build upon the first draft of their monologue and write a second, stronger draft of their monologue.

Attachments

Decolonized Monologues Packet

# Playwriting # monologue

# Character Development # character development

Introduction to Perspective Taking

by Lindsay Price

The best way to introduce a concept is through activities. Students will participate in activities that ask them to make choices and observe the choices of others. They will be introduced to the definition of perspective taking and apply that definition through discussion and a theatrical moment group work activity.

Attachments

Slide Deck Lesson 1

# Character Development # character development

Nonverbal Communication

by Lindsay Price

In this lesson, students will explore nonverbal communication. How do students determine what others are thinking and feeling? Can they read body language and other forms of nonverbal communication? When they look at a photo can they identify what someone is thinking?

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# Character Development # character development

Focusing on Others

by Lindsay Price

In this lesson, students will practice identifying the perspective of others. They will think about all the elements that go into someone’s perspective (e.g., background, experience, traditions, preferences, circumstances).

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