Students will be able to showcase their characters’ motivations by performing an original monologue that comes from their character.
Facet of Understanding
#2 Interpretation, # 3 Application, #5 Empathy
Enduring Understanding 1:
Monologues come from within the character.
Enduring Understanding 2:
Understanding the character’s motives can create strong objectives.
Essential Question 1:
How can characters’ actions be prompted by motivations?
Essential Question 2:
How can characters’ motivations be prompted by actions?
Materials:
N/A
Hook:
Assign each student a number as they’re coming in. Use each number twice. Or if not enough students to do that, use one number twice, and use 0. Instruct students not to share their number with any other classmate. Instruct them to arrange themselves in numerical order without using gestures or talking. Repeat: No gestures, No talking. Let them go. When they think they’ve done it check and see if they were right. Step 1 — Discuss: If they got it congratulate them and evaluate what led to their success. If they were off discuss what they did well, how they interacted, and what led to the things that threw them off? Were they open to trust each other, even if what another person did wasn’t what they were sure was correct? Especially if you used a zero, how could they have recognized and figured out what was wrong? Lead into how we can trust each other and be a good audience for each other as they present their monologues.
Step 2– Monologues to the Wall: Repeat as warm-up activity. Step 3 – Performance: Jump into the monologue performances through the end of the period. Have students perform their monologue in the backwards order that they lined up in the warmup activity. Step 4 – Coaching: Work them and have each student do their monologue a couple times giving them feedback and correction (and praise!).
Final Assessment for Lesson 7:
Monologue performances. Monologues: Student has a monologue written and performed that is relevant to the character. Student participates and performs their monologue. Student has a good attitude and has worked to include feedback from partners and teacher.
Rubric:
50 points – Participation and good Attitude, 10. Preparation, 10. Memorization, 5. Distinct Character choices – physical, emotional 10. Taking direction, 15.
