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Hats Off Theatre Company/Triangle Family Theater: Lesson Plan: Basic Scriptwriting

This lesson plan outlines the basic elements of scriptwriting including the 5 elements that make up a script (who, what, when, where, why) and the typical script structure of beginning, middle, and end; it provides guided practice activities for students to analyze stories and create their own scripts applying these elements. The plan is intended to help students develop scriptwriting skills in preparation for submitting original scripts to a theatre company's scriptwriting festival.

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Education OCT
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62 views3 pages

Hats Off Theatre Company/Triangle Family Theater: Lesson Plan: Basic Scriptwriting

This lesson plan outlines the basic elements of scriptwriting including the 5 elements that make up a script (who, what, when, where, why) and the typical script structure of beginning, middle, and end; it provides guided practice activities for students to analyze stories and create their own scripts applying these elements. The plan is intended to help students develop scriptwriting skills in preparation for submitting original scripts to a theatre company's scriptwriting festival.

Uploaded by

Education OCT
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson Plan: Basic Scriptwriting


Hats Off Theatre Company/Triangle Family Theater

The North Carolina Standard Course of Study:


Goals covered in this program as stated on www.ncpublicschools.org

The theatre arts focus is to encourage students to make personal choices through movement,
dialogue, and expression. Theatre arts in the public schools teaches the basic life skills, thinking
skills and personal qualities which:

• provide an intense study of what playwrights seek to convey and how this is intensified
through theatrical production, thus giving students insights into countless aspects of the
diverse and changing world.

• engage students in the creative process and the practical application of theatre techniques
(such as observing, considering possibility, and communicating) which students can use
in studying other areas of the curriculum and for life-long learning.

• and enable students to function and communicate more proficiently, work independently
as a member of a team, to value the individual contributions of others, and to learn
virtually any subject matter in a more dynamic way.

Overview:
The scriptwriting lesson plan will explore the basic elements of scriptwriting and the student will
apply these elements to stories through short performances and/or presentations. The student
will utilize this knowledge of script analysis and development to the process of independent
scriptwriting.

Instructor Information:
This lesson plan will allow the instructor to adapt the Guided Practice suggestions and activities
to age appropriate levels. All guided practice activities can be expanded by incorporating
critique of performances and/or of the scripts.

**Students are invited to submit original scripts by December 16, 2006 to Hats Off Theatre
Company/Triangle Family Theater Scriptwriting Festival.
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Lesson Plan: Basic Scriptwriting


Hats Off Theatre Company/Triangle Family Theater

Essential Questions

• What are the five elements that make up a script?


Who characters
What plot (events/sequence of actions)
When year, season, day, etc.
Where setting
Why reason the story takes place

• What is the structure of a script?


Beginning introduces characters, setting, and the story situation

Middle highlights the conflicts, develops characters, and sets up the


resolution to the story

End Resolution of the story which resolves the conflict or creates a “to
be continued” scenario to be explored

Guided/Independent Practice

• Favorite Story Activity (movie, book, play, etc.)


-Student will choose a favorite story.
-Student will analyze that story to answer the 5 elements that make up a script.
-Student will identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
-Student will discuss why he thinks his story was the most memorable.

• Trigger Word Activity


-Student will write a significant person, animal, or object on an index card.
-Student will flip the card and write the events of the story that relate to the trigger
word.
-Instructor will guide student to focus on a beginning, middle, and end to create a
story.
-Instructor will invite each student to present his story to the class.
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• Given Circumstance & Characters Activity


-Instructor will provide each student with a list of given circumstances and/or
characters:
Given Circumstance Examples:
Child is handed favorite ice cream cone which drops on the floor
Parents return from work to find the house sparkling clean
Puppy destroys homework

Character Examples:
Crying young girl
Hungry baby
Laughing old man

-Student will select a given circumstance and/or characters.


-Student will create a story from the information selected.
-Student will present the story to class (group work could create a scene to be
performed)

• Story Analysis
-Student will read a classic fairytale/fable/myth.
-Student will identify the 5 elements and structure of the story.
-Student will perform the sequence of events of the story.

• Alternate Ending Activity


-Student will read a classic story.
-Student will choose an alternate ending for the story.
-Student will create a short story to incorporate the new information.
-Student will present this information to the class.

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