Learning Activity

Monologues and Main Ideas

Subject Area

Arts Education
English Language Arts

Grade(s)

7, 8

Overview

Through this activity, students will take a monologue that they have been working on and select an image that represents the main idea of the monologue. The images will be projected while each student performs to serve as the backdrop for their performance.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 8 - Theatre

AE17.TH.8.13

Rehearse and perform a formal drama/theatre work for an audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.TH.8.13

Vocabulary

Vocal
Movement
Characterization

Skills Assessed
  • In introductory playwriting, the student improvises, writes, and rewrites monologues, scenes, and vignettes to convey predetermined intent and meaning. The use of props and costumes is encouraged as the students are expanding knowledge and moving towards the proficient stage of high school classes.

Essential Questions

EU: Theatre artists share and present stories, ideas, and envisioned worlds to explore the human experience.
EQ: What happens when theatre artists and audiences share a creative experience?

Skills Examples

  • The students will demonstrate their ability to create a character from a prop by performing a scene with different clothing props that represent a variety of different characters. Glasses, shoes, necktie, etc. Show students clips from BIg, Twilight Zone DEad Man's Shoes, and Steve Urkel/Stephan transformation. Students should be able to make the connection between adding a piece of clothing to change the character. They can relate it to almost as a "Superman" like transformation. This lesson is based on the lesson linked below:
  • http://www.kamplays.com/uploads/1/1/0/4/11040740/a_characters_shoes.pdf
  • Students will write several scenes based on the character choices inspired by the different types of props and clothing. As in all performances, there is both teacher and peer critique and an actor's reflection tool.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 7

ELA21.7.5

Evaluate rhetorical strategies used to develop central and supporting ideas in recorded or live presentations, including point of view, purpose, comparison, categories, and word meanings (figurative, connotative, and technical).

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.7.5

Vocabulary

  • Rhetorical strategies
  • Central ideas
  • Supporting ideas
  • Recorded presentations
  • Live presentations
  • Point of view
  • Purpose
  • Comparison
  • Categories
  • Figurative word meaning
  • Connotative word meaning
  • Technical word meaning

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Speakers utilize specific rhetorical strategies in their presentations to convey meaning.
  • Rhetorical strategies that can develop central and supporting ideas include point of view, purpose, comparison, categories, and word choice.
  • Speakers develop the central idea of their presentation by including supporting details to further elaborate on the presentation's central meaning.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify a speaker's rhetorical strategies related to point of view, purpose, comparison, categories, and word choice.
  • Evaluate an author's rhetorical choices related to point of view, purpose, comparison, categories, and figurative, connotative, and technical word meanings.
  • Evaluate how a speaker's rhetorical choices developed the central and supporting ideas of the presentation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • When creating and presenting a presentation, speakers make specific decisions about structure, format, and vocabulary to accurately convey their central and supporting ideas.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

The student will identify the main idea of a monologue. The student will select an image that expresses the monologue's main idea. The student will perform the monologue with the image serving as the backdrop.

Activity Details

Each student will have a one to two-minute monologue. The text should be memorized. The teacher can utilize a computer lab or allow the students to use another digital resource. The teacher has each student submit an image that represents the main idea of the monologue. If there is a projector screen present in the classroom or media center, the teacher then projects the images while the students perform. The monologues presented sequentially with the projection of the images can create a moving performance. The images support the students' monologues. Other classes can be invited to the performance making this a formal performance.

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

When the students submit their images, the teacher needs to check each image to see if it correctly identifies the main idea. If the image is not suitable, the teacher can have an in-depth conversation with the student discussing the main idea of the monologue.

Students should be able to site the text directly to support their chosen image and discuss the image with peers and the teacher.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Students will need one to two-minute monologue assignments. There are many monologue compilation books that can meet the needs of a middle school classroom.

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

jsalvant
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