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  • 1.  5-6the grade drama

    Posted 09-12-2014 11:54
    Hello All!  
    I recently started at a school where I am now teaching 5th and 6th grade drama in addition to my HS courses.  I think it's a great opportunity however I am struggling with finding appropriate resources.  At the end of each 8 week course the students present a show.  
    Any ideas on plays that are 20-40 minutes for 15-20 actors in the 5th or 6th grade?

    I'm also interested if anyone has any best practices for working with this age?

    Thanks!

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    Aileen Zeigler
    Omaha NE
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  • 2.  RE: 5-6the grade drama

    Posted 09-12-2014 16:47
    I'd check out Playscripts or YouthPlays for suitable material.

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    Shira Schwartz
    Chandler Unified School District
    Chandler AZ
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  • 3.  RE: 5-6the grade drama

    Posted 09-13-2014 09:46
    Hi Aileen,
    How exciting for you to be able to offer this at the 5th and 6th grade level.  Personally, I would recommend doing children's theater at this age level.  Then you can invite the entire elementary to enjoy the production.  MAGIC THEATER has a few scripts that allow for wonderful flexibility in casting.  It calls for only 6 actors but I have done it with many more.  It is very easy to take children's books and convert them into scripts.  I know that Robert Munsch has done that with some his books.  He was kind enough to give me permission to script his stories for a summer camp I created.  This allowed me to envision how many players(we used 50 for one story)  and where they would work in the script.
    If you visit the main sites for plays, (Playscripts.com ... Dramatic Publishing...Samuel French)  they will often allow you to search for the age group of the performers.  Good luck!


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    Vickie Fuller
    Yardley PA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: 5-6the grade drama

    Posted 09-14-2014 15:28
    Aileen, I don't know what your experience with playwriting is, but your situation seems perfect for collaboratively written shows. 

    I had one 6th grade class of all girls a few years ago, and they chose the topic of bullying.  I provided a ton of writing prompts.  The most successful were pictures of children crying or looking sad and sentence completion starters, such as "I feel most beautiful when..." or "I feel scared when someone in class..." 

    I then took the most vital writing and sequenced it into a play.  It began with the girls entering stage yelling out the hurtful things friends had said to them.  It progressed through the girls learning to defend each other against bullies, finally ended with expressions of self-worth.  (Think "For Colored Girls...")

    They chose the parts they wanted to play, and none of them played the parts they had written.  That made the whole performance really special, as students affirmed each others feelings by voicing their experiences.

    The audience response was beautiful.

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    C. J. Breland
    Asheville NC
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: 5-6the grade drama

    Posted 09-15-2014 14:30
    Aileen,

    In college I had to do a final project and I had the pleasure of directing a play with 4th and 5th graders.  While I was brand new at this, I had a great experience and it stemmed from the show I picked.  I did Telling Tales Again, Sam? by Linda M. Abbot.  It had great characters the kids could relate to and allowed the kids to explore there creative side.  I had about 50 kids involved so I did two separate casts and two separate show, it worked out great.   The set was so simple, we made a few trees and did the rest with costumes.  Give it a look, if you have any questions please drop me a line.

    http://www.samuelfrench.com

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    Matt Erickson
    Theatre Director
    Rhodes Junior High School
    Mesa AZ
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: 5-6the grade drama

    Posted 09-14-2014 22:22
    Hello Ailleen!

    I am excited to hear that your 5th and 6th grade students will get the opportunity to experience theatre!

    I have been a 5th-8th grade Drama teacher for the past 8 years. 5th/6th is a wonderful age!

    I have had a lot of success with the students writing their own scenes and monologues. My 5th grade start off writing Fables (very cute) and end writing Shakespearean Fight Scene, complete with insults and stage fighting! My 6th grade write Superhero backstory monologues and illustrate them in art. They also write their own Stand-Up comedy routines!

    Having the students write their own work has many benefits:
    1) Knowing their work will be scene, the quality of the work is very high
    2) Seeing their work performed, gives them a sense of pride
    3) Writing should be developed in every class!
    4) Parents and administration are always blown away by student-created work
    5) Student writing is FREE, not scripts to by, no copyright to worry about

    Please feel free to contact me if you would like the lesson plans and handouts that I use. I truly believe that your students could write and rehearse their own work, ready for a performance in 8 weeks.

    Good luck!

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    Adam Moreno
    Drama and Dance Teacher
    University School of Milwaukee
    Milwaukee WI
    amoreno@usmk12.org
    Website: www.mrmoreno.com
    Twitter: @USMDrama
    Instagram: usmdrama
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    Original Message


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