Describes a classroom program in which students adapted and then produced a play based on the adolescent novel "The Chocolate War." Notes group improvisation strategies for adapting internal monologue to dialogue. Argues the advantages of such a project over class discussion and book reports. (JG)

Science is a subject that offers itself to a variety of instructional modes. Many educators have suggested that teachers need to make science more real and interesting for students. This activity is a Christmas play that allows students (grades K-6) to celebrate both the holiday season and the wonders of science. While participating in the play,…

This collection of short plays for young actors features a young person's point of view and is intended to be used as a sourcebook by students and teachers. The collection is designed to appeal to a wide variety of theatrical tastes and embraces a variety of styles and themes. Although the unifying factor of the collection is the aforementioned…

This article presents guidelines to the elementary teacher for producing a class play. The script for a short adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland" is appended on pages 47-49. (SJL)

This resource presents scripts for eight Shakespearean plays. The scripts are adapted for classroom presentation by intermediate level students. Each play includes introductory materials, instructions for staging and costumes, a vocabulary list, and a cast of characters. Enough roles are provided for participation by every child in the class. Many…

Argues that the teachers' role in teaching Shakespeare is to raise questions that will alert the class to the implications in the text. (HOD)

Presents guidelines and activities for radio theatre production. Covers playwriting, production techniques, skits, and improvisations. Includes an opening segment of a script adapted for radio of Chekhov's "A Marriage Proposal." (PD)

This resource presents scripts for 15 classical plays from ancient Greece and Rome. The scripts are adapted for classroom presentation by intermediate level students. Each play includes an introduction, instructions for staging and costumes, a vocabulary list, and a cast of characters. Enough roles are provided for participation by every child in…

This instructional resource, for grades 7-10, includes a collection of 10 plays with related learning activities. Units of study include: (1) "Alexander the Great and the Greeks"; (2) "The Black Death and the End of the Middle Ages"; (3) "Robert Clive and Imperialism"; (4) "Christopher Columbus and the Age of…

The skills of playwriting are correctable, the craft of playwriting is teachable, and the art of playwriting is encourageable. In the area of craft, students can learn through models how accomplished playwrights deal with plot, characterization, dialogue, and theme. For the first element, plot development, students can look at written models to…

In this unit of work, the children will continue to learn about the features of playscripts, through reading and analyzing a play and writing a play based on a narrative. In the course of learning how to interpret and write stage directions, the children will apply their knowledge of adverbs. In the discrete work on vocabulary and spelling, the…

This document examines copyright issues that can be encountered during a production of educational materials. The book is divided into two parts: part 1 discusses sections of the current Copyright Act; part 2 focuses on specific production-related issues. Highlights of part 1 include working definitions; background; what can and cannot be…

This curriculum unit examines William Shakespeare's tragic play, "Romeo and Juliet." The unit calls the play "one of the greatest and saddest love stories of all time," and notes that artists across centuries and oceans have retold the tale of "Romeo and Juliet" in various forms and incarnations. It first presents…

The nine original one-act plays in this collection are meant to be performed in the classroom or at any social gathering where an informal reading or enactment by a group can take place. The plays touch on a number of conflicts that people may encounter when seeking independence; looking for jobs; trying romance; relating to family members;…

This collection of 14 folk drama scripts is drawn from the Hispanic culture and traditions of the American Southwest and designed for use in educational settings. The plays are short, simple, and easy to produce. A single play can fill a class period, while several plays grouped together would make a school assembly. Six plays, intended for grades…