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Grades level iconsGrades 6–9
Session time icon3 Sessions: Minimum 1 Hour Each
Genre information iconMedia, Memoir, Narrative
Resource type iconLessons

Dramarama!

Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Students will become script detectives, searching for the underlying structure of every play, and then use their own memories to inspire original plays.
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Lesson instructions
What Your Students Will Learn

Students will be able to identify key elements of playwriting such as obstacles, desire, and fulfillment. They will draw inspiration from stories and their own experiences to create plays of their own.

Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3 Common Core Standards Icon
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.A Common Core Standards Icon
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.B Common Core Standards Icon
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.D Common Core Standards Icon
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.E Common Core Standards Icon
Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.4 Common Core Standards Icon
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.5 Common Core Standards Icon
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Session 1
Timer
1 Hour, 15 Minutes
Playwriting Warm Ups
In this session, students put on their detective caps to hunt for structural elements of every script, take inspiration from "found" dialogue, and turn to a magic 8 ball to plot a mini-play.
Session 2
Timer
1 Hour
Inspiring Subjects
Students adapt short stories into screenplays and consider their personal treasure trove of memories as inspiration for their writing.
Session 3
Timer
1-2 Hours
The Play's the Thing
In the final session, students transform their memoirs into plays and gear up for a performance!
Introduction :

In this workshop, students will explore the basic elements of playwriting including action, motivation, conflict, and dialogue. They will then become script detectives, searching for the underlying structure of every play: desire, obstacles, and fulfillment (or lack of fulfillment). After learning about the elements and structure of playwriting, students will experiment with different kinds of inspiration—from “found dialogue” to a magic eight ball to their own memories. In the end, each student will write an original short play (with optional performance).

Session 1: Playwriting Warm Ups
You Will Need
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