Written by: Will Kawalec
Lead Play to Learn Facilitator
Play Writing Activity Materials:
Scene writing template, downloadable here
Clothes to dress up and act out the scene and play
Length:
Set Up: 10-20 minutes
Activity: 15 minutes-1 hour
Academic Subject(s):
English, Writing, Literacy, Music
This lesson supports your child’s NYS curriculum: ELA 3rd – 5th Grade
We have been presenting several activities to assist with literacy and vocabulary development for our friends under 8 years old. This activity, inspired by the famous play King Lear by William Shakespeare, is perfect for your upper elementary students to get creative and have fun will building up their literacy skills! Use the steps below and follow the attached guide to create your own play right in your living room!
Directions:
Step 1: Print out or copy down the template attached below (note: this can be used for multiple scenes or simply just once). This will direct your child to create a scene of a play or musical that can be acted out at home.
Step 2: Have the child fill out the sheet emphasizing imagination and creativity.
Step 3: Quickly read over the play and have the child dress up and/or prepare are stage. This can be as simple as putting a sheet up or even taking a reading lamp and shining it on the performer.
Step 4: When ready sit and watch or act in the original performance!
Vocabulary Words
· Playwright: A person who writes plays or musicals, such as William Shakespeare, Lin-Manuel Miranda, or Arthur Miller.
· Composer: A person who writes music, this can be for plays, musicals, movies, television.
· Stagehand: A person who assists behind the scenes of a stage performance, assisting with scenery, lighting, visuals, and sound.
· Setting: The location or place where a story takes place. The setting is where everything happens!
· Plot: What happens in a story or a scene! The plot is what is happening.
· Dialogue: The words said by characters in a story.
Fun Fact: William Shakespeare wrote the famous play King Lear while in quarantine. Maybe this play can be the next great one!
