WELCOME! The eighth grade Drama program is designed to allow students to improve communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, stimulate clear thinking, creativity, imagination, social awareness, and co-operation. To promote and develop healthy self-concept, knowledge of self, and to develop and promote empathy, sympathy, and acceptance of others. It should encourage fun and emotional and physical release. These goals are achieved by allowing and encouraging students the opportunity to explore situations, places, and even their own thoughts feelings and ideals through their imaginations. Since imagination is the spark that sets off creative people, effective use of our imaginations can only help in all problem solving or creative areas in their lives. EVERYONE has imagination, and EVERYONE is creative. It is the goal of this class to teach students to access and utilize those parts of them that are imaginative and creative.
The eighth grade drama program is divided into two sections: Advanced Drama and 9 week 8th grade Drama. The objectives for each of these classes is different.Advanced Drama Course Objectives:
Advanced Students will participate in team building/trust activities, identify the key members of a production staff and their responsibilities, students will identify what items are included in a master production schedule checklist, students will understand how to prepare a budget, make a promptbook, conduct and participate in an audition, understand the purposes of scenery in a play, the effects of scenery in a play, types of sets, some of the basic principles and considerations of set design, how to construct and erect a set, how to paint and build scenery, how to shift and set scenery, and demonstrate an understanding of backstage safety, understand how lighting affects a play, the basic equipment that needs to be available for a performance, how lighting plans and cue sheets are prepared, the basic sound equipment needed for the theater, and how sound effects are made, understand why effective costuming is important to a good production, color coding, important considerations in period costuming, the key to believable costuming, how to measure bodies for costumes, understand why stage makeup is used, the items that belong in a makeup kit, how to create highlights and shadows, students will define improvisation, identify the important factors in creating a successful improvisation, understand the narrative essentials of a written play, demonstrate an understanding of the influences Aristotle had on drama, compare and contrast modern drama to traditional drama, identify and demonstrate the ability to graph the structure of a play and how a plot is divided into parts, understand how playwrights create characters, identify the theme of a play, and recognize that playwrights use dialogue, action, and situation to create a play, identify the basic principles of pantomime, will identify the keys to a good speaking voice, demonstrate and understand the importance of breath control, and develop a rich, strong and interesting stage voice, understand the differences between tragedy and comedy, students will identify the types of comedy, students will demonstrate an understanding of the dramatic styles that have influenced theater in the twentieth century, understand and identify the types of musical theater, the special concerns in planning and directing a musical play, techniques that work well for performers in a musical play, and the special staging requirements for a musical play, understand and use acting terminology, students will identify the different types of roles, students will demonstrate an understanding of how to create a believable character on stage, and understand what it means to act, demonstrate an understanding of how drama has evolved since it’s inception around the globe, students will understand how scenic design developed from ancient Greece through modern times, and Students will work in teams to complete the Georgia arts and the artists trivia contest.
Students will need one a 1’ binder for this class. They will also need 10 dividers. (Dividers can be student-made, they do not need to be the purchased variety) Students will need several floppy disks, a flash disk, or a CDR-W. Students will need to bring the folder and floppy disks to class with them EVERY DAY. The students will also need to come to class armed with a pencil, and their willing imaginations.
Students will be asked to use their folder to hold;
1. An assignment sheet & syllabus
2. Musical Theatre Log
3. New Vocabulary & Class Notes
4. Acting Notes
5. People Observations
6. Given Circumstances & Script Analysis
7. Character Back Stories
8. Copies of Scripts & monologues
9. Technical Theatre Information
10. Theatre History, Playwright, and Actor worksheets
Their folder must be divided into sections corresponding to the categories just listed. Folder check will be part of their final grade. Students must bring their drama folders to class every day as drama is process oriented and many times activities will build from one day to the next.
Each student will receive a weekly participation grade.
v Participation will count for 3O% of their final grade for this course.
Class Participation Rubric
Your behavior daily will culminate in a weekly participation grade!
100 points: The student is consistently engaged with all aspects of the class
90 points: the student is usually engaged with all aspects of the class
80 points: usually engaged with most aspects of the class
70 points: sometimes engaged with most aspects of the class
60 points: rarely engaged with most aspects of the class
50 points: usually disengaged or disruptive to the class
v Tests and quizzes will be weighted accordingly and the averages will equal 10% of their grade
v Folder will count for 10% of their grade
v Projects and Performances will be worth 20% of their grade
v 9 weeks exam will equal 10 % of their grade
Class work and homework will be weighted accordingly and equal 20 %
Regular 8th Grade Drama Course Objectives:
In the eighth grade drama program Students will understand the production process. They will learn to examine dramatic literature and decide upon its type and style. They will take the role of Director, Set Designer, Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, Costume Designer, Make-up Designer and create designs for a play they read.
Students will need one folder for this class. They will also need 10 dividers. (Dividers can be student-made, they do not need to be the purchased variety) Students will need a way to save computer work. It is my advice that you purchase a flash or jump drive. These have enough storage space for students to use them for all of their work in all of their subjects. Students will need to bring the folder and computer storage disk to class with them EVERY DAY. The students will also need to come to class armed with a pencil, and their willing imaginations.
Students will be asked to use their folder to hold;
1. An assignment sheet
2. Musical Theatre Log
3. Class Notes, new vocabulary & graded work
4. Theatre History, playwright and Actor worksheets
Each student will receive a weekly participation grade.
v Participation will count for 3O% of their final grade for this course.
Class Participation Rubric
Your behavior daily will culminate in a weekly participation grade!
100 points: The student is consistently engaged with all aspects of the class
90 points: the student is usually engaged with all aspects of the class
80 points: usually engaged with most aspects of the class
70 points: sometimes engaged with most aspects of the class
60 points: rarely engaged with most aspects of the class
50 points: usually disengaged or disruptive to the class
v Tests and quizzes will be weighted accordingly and the averages will equal 10% of their grade
v Folder will count for 20% of their grade
v Projects will be worth 30% of their grade
v 9 weeks exam will equal 10 % of their grade