Young Achievers, HASP Clubs Rotation: 1 (10/15 11/5)

Facilitator: Nicole Smith Grade(s): 6-7th

Unit Plan

Stageworks
Club Overview: Stageworks is designed to introduce students to the basic rules of improvisational theater games and give them the opportunity to play a few theater games. Improv games encourage creativity, spontaneity, collaboration, and confidence in front of an audience.

Club

Learning Targets: Learn the basic rules of improv and practice these rules in each game Increase confidence and comfort in front of an audience Build stronger team bonds through collaboration and respect Activity: Learning Targets: Experiment with different character choices and motivations Build collaboration skills Activity: Learning Targets: Increase creative thinking under pressure Support controlled performance and thought Activity: Learning Targets: Build confidence reading aloud with emphasis on inflection, emotion and atmosphere Explore and establish setting, theme and tone in a story Activity: Learning Targets: Work on fluency skills while reading aloud Use setting, theme and tone to create characters in a space

WEEK 4 [Date]

WEEK 3 [Date]

WEEK 2 [Date]

WEEK 1 [Date]

Young Achievers, HASP 10/15/2012

Facilitator(s) Name: Nicole Smith Grade Level(s): 6-8th

Stageworks: Taxi Week 1

Learning Targets: What are you hoping the students get from the lesson? What is the purpose of this activity? Learn the basic rules of improvisational theater and put them into active practice Become more comfortable with spontaneity and action-reaction collaborative play Experiment with different character choices and motivations in gameplay Learner & Leader Skillset: List which skills from the learner & leader plan are included in this lesson. 1. _______________________ 2. _______________________ 3. _______________________

Materials Needed: List ALL materials you will need for this lesson. Note quantities if necessary. Chart paper with improv rules written out 2 chairs Prep & Room Set Up: Describe the preparation necessary to make your lesson most successful. Prep Work o On chart paper, write out theses rules of improve theater ! Never say No. Always say Yes! And ! Move forward. ! Be respectful. ! Keep it rated G ! Collaborate! Classroom Space o Location: Music Room o 2 chairs o Hook Activity: A transition activity that will refocus & energize the students to get them excited for the lesson. You can use the hook as an introduction to the activity, but be sure to make it engaging. Activity Name: Follow the Leader (Rhythms) Duration: 5 minutes Description: Bring students into a circle (either sitting on standing). Call out Repeat after me! or Follow my lead! Then, in a standard 4/4 pace, create a simple single measure rhythm with your hands (clapping, snapping, etc.), which the students immediately repeat back to you in time with the beat. Continue this exchange back and forth, varying the rhythm and increasing its difficulty. As students become more focused, begin using more complex rhythm structures (ex: 8th notes, off beats on the ands). If the rhythm is broken, students may want to try again. Start with a simple pattern once more and build up again. At the end, students should be focused in on you and ready for the next activity.

Young Achievers, HASP 10/15/2012

Facilitator(s) Name: Nicole Smith Grade Level(s): 6-8th

Main Activity: Provide a step-by-step description of the activities. Include enough detail so that your fellow CMs know what they are responsible for and when everything is taking place. Activity Name: Taxi Duration: 25 minutes Rundown: Rules of Improv: Students should still be in a circle from the Hook Activity. After reintroducing the Club and what improve theater is, it is important to mention that there are rules we must all agree to before starting the game. Referencing the chart paper, have students read each rule and explain what it means and why is might be important to practice for these games. Taxi: Set up -Have 2 chairs set side by side (like a car) wherever you would like your stage space to be. Ask for 2 volunteers before explaining the rules of the game. The two volunteers with Engage the Stage and go sit in the seats. Rules 2 players at a time are in a car, interacting as the scene dictates. Slowly, the driver will take on the passengers character traits, then find a way to leave the car. The passenger becomes the driver and a new player enters the scene with a new character choice. Game play - Player 1 starts the scene as a driver in the car. Player 1 can choose any character or scenario they would like to start the scene. (Side coaching: Where are you going? How do you drive a car? How would your character drive a car?). Player 2 enters the scene as a hitchhiker or someone hailing a cab. Player 2 should make a strong and distinct character choice before entering the scene. When they enter the car, the two Players should interact as they think their characters would. However, as the scene goes on, Player 1 must slowly take on the character of Player 2 (physical traits, voice, motivations). (Side coaching: What is his/her body doing? What is important to your character? Where are you going?) Ultimately, Player 1 should find some reason to leave the car, and Player 2 to becomes the driver. (Side coaching: Find a reason to leave!). Once Player 1 has gone, Player 2 becomes the driver and the next player in line enters the scene as a new character. This cycle continues until all students have had a chance to participate. CMs should also play, so that proper game play can be modeled. Plus, students love to see CMs act a little silly sometimes! Reflection/Debrief: Every lesson plan should have this element. Be creative in how you do this think about what is the most appropriate activity to conclude your lesson. Towards the end of the session, end the game (try to find a high note, or funny moment) and ask students how they liked the game. Other questions to ask would be what was easiest about the game? What was the hardest thing to do? Adaptations Needed: Be conscious of the students in your group. Will anyone need some extra support to participate in this lesson plan? (Physical, mental, emotional, etc.) With a smaller group, you may need to play with the students. Extension Activities: What will students do if the lesson plan finishes early? Come up with a minimum of 2 activities for them to do. Team building games are great for this be sure to include instructions on how to play.
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Young Achievers, HASP 10/15/2012

Facilitator(s) Name: Nicole Smith Grade Level(s): 6-8th

Stageworks: Questions Only Week 2

Learning Targets: What are you hoping the students get from the lesson? What is the purpose of this activity? Increase creative thinking under pressure Encourage controlled performance and thought Learner & Leader Skillset: List which skills from the learner & leader plan are included in this lesson. 1. _______________________ 2. _______________________ 3. _______________________

Materials Needed: List ALL materials you will need for this lesson. Note quantities if necessary. Chart paper with improve rules Prep & Room Set Up: Describe the preparation necessary to make your lesson most successful. Prep Work o Chart paper with improve rules written out o o o Classroom Space o Location: Music Room o o o Hook Activity: A transition activity that will refocus & energize the students to get them excited for the lesson. You can use the hook as an introduction to the activity, but be sure to make it engaging. Activity Name: Magic Box Duration: 5 minutes Description: Students will pair up. Once they are in pairs, ask them to pick who is Player 1 and who is Player 2. Player 1 will be holding an invisible box. After a countdown (or you can use the start-up Make your box. Open your box. Reach in the box and Go!), Player 1 will begin pulling imaginary object out of the box. Player 2 must name the objects spontaneously. There are no wrong answers! The object can be a physical or non-physical thing. (Side coaching: There are no wrong answers! You are thinking too much!). After about 30 seconds, tell players to switch roles and play again.

Young Achievers, HASP 10/15/2012

Facilitator(s) Name: Nicole Smith Grade Level(s): 6-8th

Main Activity: Provide a step-by-step description of the activities. Include enough detail so that your fellow CMs know what they are responsible for and when everything is taking place. Activity Name: Questions Only Duration: 25 minutes Rundown: Review Rules of Improv: Take a minute or two to revisit the Rules of Improv (it may be helpful to have these posted somewhere in the room at all times). Ask students what each means and how they can use it. Give examples. For instance Never say No, is a great rule because if your scene partner engages something in a scene, like Look at that dog on your head and you respond There is no dog on my head, you have already ended the scene and stopped it from moving forward. As opposed to responding Yes! There is a dog on my head AND he is staring to pee!. This allows he scene to move forward and for collaboration to work more effectively. Questions Only: Set-up Ask for two volunteers to engage the stage. Explain that the game is Questions Only. Ask for examples of The main objective of this game is to act and react in a scene using only questions. The goal is to be the longest standing player in the game. Game play 2 players start a scene based on a suggestion from the audience (They are at a baseball game, they are at a parent teacher meeting, etc). The players can only use questions to move the scene forward. If it is a why or What question is must be a longer than one word. For example Why? cannot be asked, but Why did you do that? is acceptable. Also, is a player tends to fall back on repeating the same question tell them to Move forward (side coaching: Try something new! How can you make that a question?) If a player uses a statement or is stumped by the other Player, they leave the stage and a new participant joins in. The scene can change here, based on the Players choices. Keeping playing until everyone has gone at least once, or until you have a player who has stumped everyone.

Reflection/Debrief: Every lesson plan should have this element. Be creative in how you do this think about what is the most appropriate activity to conclude your lesson. Ask students what was the hardest part of the game. The easiest? Adaptations Needed: Be conscious of the students in your group. Will anyone need some extra support to participate in this lesson plan? (Physical, mental, emotional, etc.) Extension Activities: What will students do if the lesson plan finishes early? Come up with a minimum of 2 activities for them to do. Team building games are great for this be sure to include instructions on how to play. 1. 2.

Young Achievers, HASP 10/15/2012

Facilitator(s) Name: Nicole Smith Grade Level(s): 6-8th