Lesson Objective: Students will demonstrate their ability to analyze dialogue and decide what they think makes dialogue effective by analyzing existing film clips and their own homework assignments based on certain criteria.
Standards:
TH:Re7.1.8 – Apply criteria to the evaluation of artistic choices in a drama/theatre work.
Watch “Gilmore Girls” fight, “The King’s Speech” clip, and “Boyhood” haircut clips.
Discussion:
Do the lines give enough information to understand the scene? Too much?
What do the lines tell us about character relationships?
Was it engaging?
Did we understand things about the scene and about characters that were not explicitly stated in the dialogue? How did we understand those things without them telling us?
Does the interaction feel true to life? Why or why not?
Step 1:
Pass out Script Writing Tips worksheet.
Have students volunteer to read a point and then discuss this point as a class, referring back to the clips we just watched if necessary.
Step 2:
Have students get out their conversation dialogue homework, find a partner, and share the dialogue piece they recorded and wrote down. Have them discuss in their partnerships how the real life conversations they observed use exposition, subtext, logic, and if they feel true to life.
Step 3:
Come together as a class and ask pairs to share their observations. Talk about ways real life dialogue might need to be changed to be more engaging. For example, real dialogue often doesn’t give the exposition an audience member would need to understand. Real dialogue often doesn’t make sense because as humans we tend to ramble and repeat ourselves.
Step 4:
Pass out Final Assignment sheet and go over expectations, due dates and questions. For the remainder of class, have students begin brainstorming ideas. Go around and check on student progress, helping them with ideas and questions.
