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THEATRE ARTS :: HIGH SCHOOL LESSON PLANS - WRITING A MONOLOGUE

HIGH SCHOOL LESSON PLANS - WRITING A MONOLOGUE

Submitted by Stephanie Decker

Cumberland County Schools

Lesson Title: Writing a Monologue
Grade Level or Course: Theatre Arts II or III
Time Allotment: Five (45 minute)Class periods
Targeted Goals and Objectives from the 2000 North Carolina Arts Education Standard Course of Study and Grade Level Competencies, K-12: Goal 1: The learner will write based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature, and history. 1.05 Write a monologue. Goal 2: The learner will act by interacting in improvisations and assuming roles. 2.01 Identify ways to improve relationships as a person and as a performer. 2.06 Use improvisation to retain spontaneity and ensemble. 2.07 Demonstrate and expend dramatic concepts through improvisations (it also develops a perception of self through observations of self and others). 2.08 Use improvisation as an approach to scripted material. 2.13 Use theatre vocabulary appropriate in Theatre Arts II. 2.14 Analyze self and others verbally and through keeping entries in a journal. 7.01 Demonstrate giving and receiving constructive criticism. 7.02 Evaluate personal progress through the creation and use of a portfolio of theatre work.
*Targeted Goals and Objectives from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and Grade Level Competencies, K-12* for other content areas:** English - The students will participate in the creative process of developing and writing personal monologues. Each monologue will require a rough draft, rewrites and a final script for performance. Computer - The student will type the monologue in the computer lab using computing, typing, and editing skills. Personal Development - The student is being asked to confront someone in the monologue, which will attain personal development and awareness of self.
Alignment with NC High School Exit Exam: (check domain and write objective number(s) _X__Communication - Learner will apply rules of standard English to written text. ____ Processing Information ____ Problem Solving ____ Using Numbers and Data
Lesson Objective(s): As part of their study of monologues the students will be able to write monologues based on personal experience. The monologues will be written based on improvisational partner work conducted in front of the entire class. Emotional recall techniques are employed to elicit an emotional response from the actor and obtain an emotional connection with the audience. Each student will be given the opportunity to type the monologue and read the finished piece in front if the class for a final assessment. The completed monologues and assessments will be placed in the student's portfolio as a sample of his/her work.
Materials/Equipment Needed: Two chairs for the actor to use while on stage. Paper and a pen/pencil. Access to computers.
Lesson Procedure: Lesson 1: Discuss the role of honesty in theatre, especially ensemble work. Emphasize the importance of being trustworthy and taking a risk. They will be incorporating what they have learned about improvisation and dramatic action, with their original ideas to create a personal monologue. Give students a copy of the Three Essentials of monologues so they will understand what is expected from their monologues. Discuss the Three Essentials of a successful monologue - talking to someone, powerful/personal emotion, and it has a point. Read a couple examples of powerful monologues from contemporary plays or monologue collections. Remind the students that the most powerful pieces come from personal experiences. Help the students think of one person in their lives who effects them the most - the one person who can make them happier or angrier than anyone else they know (this one person can be a relative or friend). On a blank piece of paper have the students write on sentence that they would say to that person if they could say anything without repercussions. Inform the students that this is their one chance to say what is one their mind without getting in trouble or being found out. Tell the students to bring the sentences with them the next day. Lesson 2: Remind the students about the essential ingredients of a powerful monologue and have them take out their sentences. Once each student has reacquainted themselves with the sentences it is time for the improvisational section. The students one at a time take the stage. The student is to imagine that one person sitting silently in the chair across from them. The student is to read or state the sentence once and wait a few moments. After a few moments of silence the student is to start with the one sentence again but this time continue speaking what is on their mind until they are satisfied. Remind the students that this is their chance to "get it all out". Every student is to participate in this exercise. This portion may take two class sessions to complete. Once they have improvised the encounter on stage have the student return to their seat to jot down the main points of what they said and to expand on it. Each student should have approximately a page worth of writing based on the improvised encounter. Lesson 3: Remind the students of the project and the importance of honesty, trust and risk-taking. Affirm the progress made so far. This class period should be spent finishing those students who did not have a chance to improvise their personal encounter. If the class finishes before the allotted time period they should work on writing out a rough draft of the monologue. A rough draft should be completed in class by hand. If everyone finishes the rough draft you may have time to read some of the rough drafts aloud. This creates a feeling of ensemble. Lesson 4: Review the main points of writing a monologue. The students will be typing during this class period. Each student should have a typed monologue by the end of this lesson. Using the available computers each student will utilize their knowledge of computing and editing to create a final original piece. Lesson 5: Have each student do a dramatic reading of the final piece for the class. Using the assessment standards students may constructively criticize the monologues. You may want to use the PAM process for constructive criticism (praise: ask questions: make suggestions). After each student has completed the dramatic reading have him or her reflect in their journals about the experience of writing a personal monologue. Have the students comment on what they learned about theatre, themselves and the other students in the class. File the monologue and the assessment in the student's portfolio.
Assessment: Self-Assessment of individual work: Students will self assess using the Three Essentials of monologues. Teacher-Assessment of individual work: The teacher will assess students using the Three Essentials and other known criteria.
Special Considerations: It is imperative that the class is a working ensemble. Each student must feel a sense of security within the classroom. A reluctance to read and experience true emotion in front of peers is normal however each student must understand their responsibility in this unit. Every student is being asked to share with the class a rather personal emotion through improvisational recall techniques in order to experience the power of theatre and to experience the creative process as artists.

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