Open Forum

I'm in the process of creating lesson plans for this year, and really want to expand the unit on objectives in acting. I really try to get the kids to learn by doing, and not lecturing. Does anyone have any exercises, games, activities they use to teach objectives? Or unique explanations? Anyone even have lesson plans they wouldn't mind sharing? ------------------------------------------- Jessica Harms Tewksbury Memorial High School Tewksbury MA -------------------------------------------

I use the activities on goal/objective in Robert Cohen's Acting One.  The book is getting hardier to find, although Amazon has copies.  The current version also includes his text Acting Two in the same volume, making it more expensive but well worth the price.

The first book walks you through a series of activities that teach the GOTE method of acting:  goal, obstacle, tactics, and expectations.  I made a few changes to some of the suggested situations to make it more age-appropriate, but otherwise, I follow the order in the book.



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Lynnae Lathrop
MS Speech and Drama teacher
Waukee Comm. School District
Waukee IA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2014 12:08
From: Jessica Harms
Subject: Teaching Objectives?


I'm in the process of creating lesson plans for this year, and really want to expand the unit on objectives in acting. I really try to get the kids to learn by doing, and not lecturing. Does anyone have any exercises, games, activities they use to teach objectives? Or unique explanations? Anyone even have lesson plans they wouldn't mind sharing?

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Jessica Harms
Tewksbury Memorial High School
Tewksbury MA
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I love Cohen's GOTE! I long ago changed Obstacle to Obstacle/Other on the explanation I hand out, however. The high school students I've taught have a stubborn tendency to make it all about themselves, rather than see the objective as something they are actively trying get from the other person in the scene. In Theatre I, I have each student write a monologue stemming from an actual conflict. I ask them to find a recent time when they were in conflict with another person. I give them permission to choose something trivial, and suggest hyperbole if they would rather write a comic monologue than a serious one. (One of my acting teachers at HB Studios years ago said that comedy is often a "ludicrous premise pursued in earnest.") I ask them to keep the original conflict in mind (the fact), then imagine having one minute to make their case for how that conflict should turn out (the fiction.) They write a first draft, changing names to protect the identities of actual people, then read it aloud to the class, then revise the monologue based on comments I jot down while they are reading. They memorize the second draft, which they perform and I grade using a rubric. Through this one assignment, they learn about-- 1. Conflict 2. Acting Objectives 3. Tactics 4. Focal Point (physical point just over the audience's heads) Of course, some of them write about serious conflicts with parents, best friends, etc., but I have never heard of a student spilling what they heard outside of class. I wouldn't do this as the first assignment of the semester, because they need to have that supportive class atmosphere in place. ------------------------------------------- C. J. Breland Asheville NC -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 07-21-2014 11:40 From: Lynnae Lathrop Subject: Teaching Objectives? I use the activities on goal/objective in Robert Cohen's Acting One. The book is getting hardier to find, although Amazon has copies. The current version also includes his text Acting Two in the same volume, making it more expensive but well worth the price. The first book walks you through a series of activities that teach the GOTE method of acting: goal, obstacle, tactics, and expectations. I made a few changes to some of the suggested situations to make it more age-appropriate, but otherwise, I follow the order in the book. ------------------------------------------- Lynnae Lathrop MS Speech and Drama teacher Waukee Comm. School District Waukee IA -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 07-20-2014 12:08 From: Jessica Harms Subject: Teaching Objectives? I'm in the process of creating lesson plans for this year, and really want to expand the unit on objectives in acting. I really try to get the kids to learn by doing, and not lecturing. Does anyone have any exercises, games, activities they use to teach objectives? Or unique explanations? Anyone even have lesson plans they wouldn't mind sharing? ------------------------------------------- Jessica Harms Tewksbury Memorial High School Tewksbury MA -------------------------------------------

Copies of Cohen's book are available at abebooks.com for considerably less money than Amazon. Check it out :) ------------------------------------------- Cindy Skelton Drama Teacher San Mateo Union High School District Burlingame CA -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 07-22-2014 11:12 From: C. J. Breland Subject: Teaching Objectives? I love Cohen's GOTE! I long ago changed Obstacle to Obstacle/Other on the explanation I hand out, however. The high school students I've taught have a stubborn tendency to make it all about themselves, rather than see the objective as something they are actively trying get from the other person in the scene. In Theatre I, I have each student write a monologue stemming from an actual conflict. I ask them to find a recent time when they were in conflict with another person. I give them permission to choose something trivial, and suggest hyperbole if they would rather write a comic monologue than a serious one. (One of my acting teachers at HB Studios years ago said that comedy is often a "ludicrous premise pursued in earnest.") I ask them to keep the original conflict in mind (the fact), then imagine having one minute to make their case for how that conflict should turn out (the fiction.) They write a first draft, changing names to protect the identities of actual people, then read it aloud to the class, then revise the monologue based on comments I jot down while they are reading. They memorize the second draft, which they perform and I grade using a rubric. Through this one assignment, they learn about-- 1. Conflict 2. Acting Objectives 3. Tactics 4. Focal Point (physical point just over the audience's heads) Of course, some of them write about serious conflicts with parents, best friends, etc., but I have never heard of a student spilling what they heard outside of class. I wouldn't do this as the first assignment of the semester, because they need to have that supportive class atmosphere in place. ------------------------------------------- C. J. Breland Asheville NC -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 07-21-2014 11:40 From: Lynnae Lathrop Subject: Teaching Objectives? I use the activities on goal/objective in Robert Cohen's Acting One. The book is getting hardier to find, although Amazon has copies. The current version also includes his text Acting Two in the same volume, making it more expensive but well worth the price. The first book walks you through a series of activities that teach the GOTE method of acting: goal, obstacle, tactics, and expectations. I made a few changes to some of the suggested situations to make it more age-appropriate, but otherwise, I follow the order in the book. ------------------------------------------- Lynnae Lathrop MS Speech and Drama teacher Waukee Comm. School District Waukee IA -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 07-20-2014 12:08 From: Jessica Harms Subject: Teaching Objectives? I'm in the process of creating lesson plans for this year, and really want to expand the unit on objectives in acting. I really try to get the kids to learn by doing, and not lecturing. Does anyone have any exercises, games, activities they use to teach objectives? Or unique explanations? Anyone even have lesson plans they wouldn't mind sharing? ------------------------------------------- Jessica Harms Tewksbury Memorial High School Tewksbury MA -------------------------------------------

Creating Drama, Making Drama and Living Drama by Bruce Burton are great resources and build in complexity from about 8th or 9th grade through 12th. They are Australian but you should be able to source them on Amazon.

I also will promote my friend Mat Clausen's Centre Stage--some very practical and class ready activities to help teach your students about the Elements of Drama.

Also used in my classes over the years: Performance by Louise Turrelle and Acting in Person and in Style (in Australia) by Wimmer et al

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Lori Constable
Teacher; director of Drama
Independent District 112
Chanhassen MN
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2014 12:08
From: Jessica Harms
Subject: Teaching Objectives?


I'm in the process of creating lesson plans for this year, and really want to expand the unit on objectives in acting. I really try to get the kids to learn by doing, and not lecturing. Does anyone have any exercises, games, activities they use to teach objectives? Or unique explanations? Anyone even have lesson plans they wouldn't mind sharing?

-------------------------------------------
Jessica Harms
Tewksbury Memorial High School
Tewksbury MA
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