Lesson Plans The following are four individual lesson plans for the This is a Play unit on Brecht s Epic Theatre. Each lesson will include individual lesson learning outcomes, teaching points, student activities and assessment opportunities. LESSON 1/8 Subject: Drama Year 13, Level 8 Time: Three one hour lessons. Resources: Video of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui ; DVD player; TV; Studying Brecht worksheet and handout; A3 Paper; Coloured markers; pre-recorded teacher lecture; and preplanned slideshow of theatre/political images. Set Up: Students will sit in the designated audience. The lesson outline (for the next three classes) will be placed on the board with learning outcomes and teaching sequence. Literature on Brecht, photos of productions and teacher notes with be scattered around the room to make the teaching structure and lesson preparation to the students/audience. Achievement Objectives: Students will select and adapt elements, techniques, conventions, and technologies in various dramatic forms for a range of purposes (Practical Knowledge) 1. Students will be able to identify at least three key aspects of Epic Theatre. (Lesson 1) 2. Students will work in groups to identify at least three elements of realistic theatre from previous learning. (Lesson 1 and 2) 3. Students will present information on at least one key aspect of Epic Theatre and how it compares and contrasts against realistic theatre. (Lesson 3) Teaching Points: (Lesson One) 1. Teacher will begin lesson using place cards to deliver learning outcomes and reflection questions to the students. (5 2. Teacher will lead a class brainstorm and concept mapping of realism, and solicit what the opposites of those may be. (LO 2) (15 3. Teacher will launch into a multimedia presentation, where a slideshow will be projected against the background consisting on political images, while the teacher plays a prerecorded video of themselves introducing the topic at the same time pausing and interjecting the video to introduce some of the features found in Epic Theatre (multimedia and juxtaposition) (20 4. Teacher will distribute handout on Brecht and the key features of Epic theatre and discuss the differences between Epic theatre and Realism. (LO1) (10
5. Teacher will show a ten minute video of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui to the class, asking them to record examples of Epic theatre techniques discussed on the handout. (LO 1) (10 6. Teacher will question students as a review on key concept of Epic theatre and reiterate reflection questions. (LO1) (5 Activity: (Lesson One) 1. Students will record learning outcomes and reflection questions into their journals. (5 2. Students will participate in brainstorming session on Realism and list what elements make up realism. Students will then be asked to define the opposites of those elements. (LO2) (15 3. Students will read aloud the key features of Epic theatre and brainstorm examples for each in class discussion. (LO 1) (10 4. Students will watch short piece of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and record examples of Epic theatre techniques discussed earlier in class. (LO 1) 5. Students will review key concepts and lesson through oral questions and use responses to ask journal reflection question. ( LO 1) 1. Diagnostic assessment of the students prior knowledge of realism through the brainstorming activity and what dramatic elements they are have learned to date. 2. Continuous formative assessments, as students discuss and record Epic theatre conventions and techniques. (LO1) Rationale for this lesson as an introduction to the unit The decision to begin the unit with place cards and lesson preparation around the classroom is to subtlety expose the students to the idea that the process hidden in a realism performance is out in the open in Epic theatre. This continues afterwards when the teacher combines a slideshow and video while lecturing to demonstrate the use of multimedia and juxtaposition in Epic Theatre. The brainstorming of Realism will allow the students to identify what they are accustomed to in drama and clearly identify that this unit and performance is not based in Realism or a Stanislavski method of theatre; but rather a theatre form that emerged as a reaction to Realism. Identifying key features of Epic Theatre in the beginning will allow students to create a personal checklist of techniques and conventions to include and strive for during this unit, and familiarise them to the structure around which Epic Theatre is based. The video of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui should provide the students the opportunity to view performance examples to link back the key features and give them a model that
distinguishes Epic Theatre from Realism. And finally, the use of video reinforces the concept and importance of multimedia in Epic Theatre. In the event of technical difficulties, which may make viewing the video impossible, students will be asked in activity four to divide into groups and improvise a short one minute scene from everyday life. Each group will present their slice of life scene and after feedback from the audience as to what Realism techniques and conventions they used. Each group will then perform it a second time using process drama during the performance (i.e. spoken thoughts, soliloquies, decision alley) and comment of their characters during performance to provide an improvised example of aspects of Epic theatre. LESSON 3/8 Subject: Drama Year 13; Level 8 Time: Two one hour lessons. Resources: Student journals and access to internet for e-portfolios, miscellaneous video (accidents, sporting events, etc), TV, DVD player. Set Up: Students will sit in the audience and divide up amongst the room to prepare process scenes. Achievement Objectives: Students will select and adapt elements, techniques, conventions, and technologies in various dramatic forms for a range of purposes (Practical Knowledge) 1. Students will watch and participate in a series of activities that focus on alienation. (Lesson 1) 2. Students will select and use at least two drama techniques and conventions to communicate relevance of activities to the audience (Lesson 1 and 2) Teaching Points: 1. Teacher will write and discuss learning outcomes and reflection questions on the whiteboard. (5 2. Teacher will question students to review the feature of Epic theatre. Teacher will than show the students a series of miscellaneous videos consisting of accidents, sporting events, news features; and ask students to record commentary into their journals about the characters and the relevant features of each clip. (LO 1) (20 3. Teacher will model an example dialogue and commentary to one of the clips from the video. Teacher will than give individual students a chance to record audio dialogue and commentary for a clip and re-run clip while the student is commenting on the action
taking place in the clip and any relevant themes, etc. (LO 1) (25. In next lesson, students will improvise these scenes, rather than watch clips, and reuse recorded audio. 4. Teacher will question students on how this lesson ties into the features on Epic theatre and ask students to submit journal entries (5 Activity: 1. Students will record learning outcomes and reflection questions in their journals. (5 2. Students will review features of Epic Theatre, watch a series of clips and record commentary into their journals and e-portfolios about the characters and the relevant features of the clips. (LO 1) (20 3. After watching an example, students will individually and orally provide the commentary and dialogue for a second viewing of the clips. (LO 1) (25 4. Students will orally review the features of Epic theatre in today s lesson and cross off with the Epic theatre checklist from introductory lesson. (5 1. Continuous formative assessment of the students performance during second viewing of the clips and the collection of the journals and reflection questions. (LO 1) Once again, if technical problems occur, students will progress directly to the next lesson and create the scenarios in the video clips through improvised scenes, which other students from different groups will provide the commentary. LESSON 4/8 Subject: Drama Year 13; Level 8 Time: Three one hour lessons. Resources: Student journals and access to internet for e-portfolios, access to theatre lighting, dimmer board, audio recording and CD player; data projector, laptops will archive of images. Set Up: Students will partner up and find a corner of the room where they can plan a 5 minute multimedia presentation for presentation in the third lesson. Stations will be set up around the classroom for the following: record audio; record video; select images from the laptop; video editing on the laptop. Achievement Objectives: Students will select and adapt elements, techniques, conventions, and technologies in various dramatic forms for a range of purposes (Practical Knowledge)
1. Students will select one message from the devised script and present it using Epic Theatre/Multimedia conventions in their presentation... (Lesson 1) 2. Students will select and use at least four Epic theatre/multimedia conventions to communicate the selected message in a multimedia presentation (Lesson 3) Teaching Points: 1. Teacher will write and discuss learning outcomes and reflection questions on the whiteboard. (5 2. Teacher will reintroduce the following theatre conventions through student devised activities: soliloquy, soundscape, narration, montage, chorus of movement, chorus of voice, and sound and lighting. (45 3. Teacher will question students about the relationship between theatre conventions and Epic theatre conventions. (10 4. Teacher will assign each group 10 minutes to the previously established stations: audio recording, video recording, images and video editing. (10 Activity: 1. Students will record learning outcomes and reflection questions in their journals. (5 2. Students will review features of theatre conventions: soliloquy, soundscape, narration, montage, and chorus of movement, chorus of voice and sound and lighting. (15 3. Students will participate in a series of devised activities on each theatre convention. (30 5. Students will review features of Epic Theatre, establish connections between devised conventions and Epic Theatre conventions (10 6. Students will select one message from the devised script and record the message and plan to devise it using multimedia and Epic Theatre conventions in their e-portfolios. (LO 1) (20 7. Students will spend 10 minutes at each station recording audio, video, selecting images and editing for their devised multimedia presentation. (40 8. Students will present their multimedia presentation with their partner running their multimedia presentation in conjunction with their performance. (LO1, LO2, 60 1. Continuous formative assessment of the students performance (LO 1) 2. Evidence in formative stage towards use of multimedia in the development of role and understanding of Epic theatre conventions. (LO2) If there is a problem with laptops or projectors, display images can be printed prior to the presentation and the student s partner could perform some of those multimedia concepts through the theatrical conventions of soundscape, chorus of movement, narration, etc.
LESSON 8/8 Subject: Drama Year 13; Level 8 Time: One hour lesson. Resources: Student journals and access to internet for e-portfolios, access to audio recording and video editing; TV and DVD player. Set Up: Students will view the taped performance prior to the lesson and come to the lesson with a prepared commentary and evidence of sustained performance using Epic Theatre conventions and multimedia. Achievement Objectives: Students will rehearse and perform works in a range of dramatic forms, assuming diverse artistic or technical responsibilities. (Communicating and Interpreting) 1. Students will prepare and submit journals and e-portfolios for assessment. Teaching Points: 1. Teacher will assign each student 5 minutes to record their audio commentary to layer over the videotaped performance; and run post mortem with each individual student on their production roles (acting/production/technical). These individual post mortems on progress and performance will review the fundamentals required in their e-portfolio (60 Activity: 1. Students will alternate between selecting their segment of video, recording commentary to layer over the performance; and conducting a post mortem interview with the teacher. (60 (LO1, ULO3) 1. Summative assessment of criterion 1-4 through the assessment of e-portfolio concluding with criteria 3 and 4 where the student performs a role in a significant production demonstrating Epic theatre conventions. Teacher will make notes of student s reflections during individual post mortem interviews to use as supporting evidence, should there be any technical difficulties with the recording or playback of the recorded commentary on the e-portfolio.