Drama & Theater Arts: Grade 8

Create

Perform

Critically Respond

Creating and sustaining a believable character

Participation in improvisation and play building

Construction of technical and design elements

Characterization in performance

Technology reinforces, enhances, and/or alters a theatrical performance

Recognition and evaluation of contemporary and historical contexts of theatre history

Use critical thinking skills in character analysis and performance

Respect the value of the collaborative nature of drama and theatre works

Develop and use previously acquired movement and vocal techniques in relation to roles or characters, and make choices about them in order to develop roles or characters with commitment

Develop and use previously acquired vocal and physical techniques appropriate to conveying a variety of roles or characters

Generate, formulate, and apply character ideas to improvisation or scripted material

Discover a character's internal factors — such as objectives, motivations, status, background, experiences, independent activities, emotional responses, and personality — and translate these into voice, language, and movement that are unique to a role or character

Use the recall of sensory and personal experiences and the observation of the external world to motivate character behavior

Use improvisation techniques to explore the dramatic structures of scripts

Create new, original, and unique roles or characters of one's own imagining by experimenting with plot and narrative structures such as realistic and abstract, dialectics such as presenting conflicting or contrasting ideas, and dramatic metaphors

Write a monologue and/or a series of dramatic scenes for an invented, literary, or historical situation or character

Demonstrate previously acquired improvisation skills through the appropriate participation in improvisation games with established rules and improvisation processes

Make, accept, and extend offers in improvisation, and contribute ideas in spontaneous and rehearsed scenes with a focus on the development and resolution of dramatic conflicts

Use and adapt issue-specific themes found in history, culture, dramatic literature, and personal experience to write and create scenes and scripts

Conceptualize, hypothesize, and analyze ideas from a scripted or improvised work in to design elements

Make and justify choices on the selection, and use design elements to support scripted and unscripted material

Identify and analyze the application of design elements to scripted and unscripted material

Perform sustained characters

Develop a sense of timing in performance

Demonstrate a character's motivation by using recall of sensory and emotional experience and observation of the external world

Apply voice and movement skills that demonstrate a strong understanding of the script or text in action

Read, analyze, and evaluate a theatrical work, and name necessary technical elements

Present renderings and floor plans, build models of sets for dramatic work, and explain choices in using visual elements such as line, shape or form, texture, color, and space

Share sound choices for a production that reflect the realistic and emotional needs of theatrical work

Show appropriate respect for the safety and maintenance of the work space, tools, and equipment

Justify the necessary historical or relevant data to produce technical elements for a scripted or non-scripted play

Evaluate the elements of drama in a variety of dramatic forms and performance styles

Evaluate the nature of different dramatic forms and performance styles

Recognize and investigate societal and cultural themes in dramatic forms

Recognize the ways dramatic forms have reflected or facilitated change in various societies

Identify and discuss artistic challenges and successful outcomes encountered during the creative and rehearsal processes

Research, use, and adapt issue-specific themes found in history, culture, dramatic literature, and personal experience to write and create scenes and scripts

Describe and analyze in written and oral form a character's wants, needs, objectives, and personality characteristics

Receive and act on coaching, feedback, and constructive criticism

Develop critical questioning to appreciate and understand the role of drama and theatre,

Recognize dramatic problems, and solve them individually and in a group

Enjoy drama and theatre as a community activity

Research the contribution of various historical and contemporary drama and theatre practitioners and groups

Perform in rehearsals performances as a productive and responsible member of an acting ensemble, and demonstrate personal responsibility and commitment to a collaborative process