Students will demonstrate their understanding of the French Neoclassical expectation of using drama to teach a lesson by determining and then modifying their fairytale to make sure a lesson is being taught.
Materials Needed
· Movies: Penelope and Remember the Titans Alternate options: Any movies with explicit themes
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook From the film Penelope, play the scene when Penelope decides not to go through with her wedding and instead accepts herself for who she is. Then skip to the scene when the children are discussing the moral of the story. Switch to the film Remember the Titans. Play the clip when Coach Boone takes his team to the Civil War battleground of Gettysburg and demands that his players respect each other. Ask students what these two very different clips have in common. (Desired answer: both clips/movies teach a lesson [Penelope: self-worth & Remember the Titans: Racial acceptance])
Instruction
Step 1: · Inform students that the fourth French Neoclassical guideline covered in this unit is that every “good” play must teach a lesson. · Ask students for modern-day examples (plays or movies) that adhere to this criteria
Step 2: · Have students individually determine a moral that could be taught through their script.
Step 3: · Once every student has a moral, send them to their groups and as a group, have them decide which lesson they want to teach through their script
Closure:
· Give students the remainder of the time to revise and work on their script · Remind groups to remember the Three Unities, verisimilitude, and isolating genres, as they continue to modify and revise their script · ASSIGNMENT: By the end of the class period, each group must turn in a piece of paper identifying 1. each group member and the lesson they thought of 2. the official lesson that was decided on to be used throughout the script 3. a 3-5 sentence justification of why/how their script can support the chosen moral
Assessment
Participation: 5pts Write-up: 5 pt Total possible points: 10 pts
Breakdown of points for Write-Up Points
Each group member and their lesson 1 The official lesson that will be taught 1 3-5 sentences, justifying their choice (Why/How the script supports this lesson) 3
