Transcript Journal 1-24-06 Tuesday

Journal Writing -
Match the word with the definition.
1
Writing that is intended to be performed by actors for an audience
2
Written form of the drama
3
A division in a drama when the setting changes
4
Usually located at the beginning of a drama; provides background information about each character
5
The conversation between characters; follows after the character's name in a script; given without
quotation marks in the script
6
The time and place of the action
7
The problem in the story; a struggle between opposing forces
8
The person who writes a script for a play
9
The main events in the drama; the action; revolves around a conflict
10
The “voice” or teller, of the story
11
Area within a theater upon which actors perform a play
12
Objects that actors use in the scene
13
A division in a drama made up of a group of scenes
14
Words, often in brackets and italics, that tell the actor how to say the lines and how to move about the stage
drama
conflict
scene
plot
script
dialogue
playwright
prop
setting
stage directions
narrator
act
cast of characters
stage
Crafting the Lesson
These are the elements of drama:
Drama
Writing that is intended to be performed by actors for an audience
Script
Written form of the drama
Scene
A division in a drama when the setting changes
Cast of
characters
Usually located at the beginning of a drama; provides background information about each character
Dialogue
The conversation between characters; follows after the character's name in a script; given without
quotation marks in the script
Setting
The time and place of the action
Conflict
The problem in the story; a struggle between opposing forces
Playwright
The person who writes a script for a play
Plot
The main events in the drama; the action; revolves around a conflict
Narrator
The “voice” or teller, of the story
Stage
Area within a theater upon which actors perform a play
prop
Objects that actors use in the scene
Act
A division in a drama made up of a group of scenes
Stage
directions
Words, often in brackets and italics, that tell the actor how to say the lines and how to move about
the stage
Purpose
• What are you learning?
The elements of drama
• Why are you learning this?
To understand how plays are
developed and written.
Crafting the Lesson
Drama:
•
A script is written by a playwright
•
It is intended to be performed on a stage
using props and a cast of characters
•
It is broken into scenes and acts with a
particular setting, plot, stage directions,
and conflict.
•
Some plays have a narrator, and other plays
have both a narrator and dialogue between
the characters.
•
Drama is performed before an audience.
Drama
(we)
AT CURTAIN RISE: CURTIS strides out among the rocks at right. He is
sixteen, and comfortable being alone. He stumbles on a stone and
pushes out of the trail with a slender branch he is using as a staff. A
truck door slams. He stiffens. A few minutes later VALERIE appears,
dressed like him in jeans and sweatshirt, raking her tangled hair ...
VALERIE: Curtis, don’t do stuff like this to me. I woke up and there I was,
parked all by myself in the middle of nowhere, with my feet out the
window.
CURTIS (pointing up the slope): There’s a trail up there that makes a loop.
So I walked around it, to get the kinks out.
VALERIE: Yeah, tell me about kinks. I feel like the Hunchback of Notre
Dame. How long did I sleep?
CURTIS: About six hours.
VALERIE: You’re kidding. Nobody can sleep six hours in the cab of a pickup
truck and live to tell about it.
CURTIS: Well, I guess you just made medical history.
VALERIE: Where is this? Are we still in Oregon?
CURTIS (taking a pebble out of his shoe): No, we’ve crossed back into
California. After you didn’t wake up, I thought, What am I supposed to
be doing? So I pulled off the highway and stopped here.
1. What characters are introduced in the excerpt from “Holding Out”?
2. What do you learn about the characters and the setting from the opening stage
directions?
3. How many scenes does the excerpt include? How do you know?
Drama
(two)
• Read the excerpt from “The HitchHiker,” by Lucille Fletcher on
worksheet 30a Heath Middle Level.
• With a partner, use the elements of
drama to label the excerpt.
1. In the list of the play’s cast, how many characters are identified
by name?
2. How many characters in the excerpt have dialogue? What do
you learn about these characters from their dialogue?
3. How many scenes does the excerpt include? If there are any
changes in scene, identify where they take place?
4. Why are the stage directions at the beginning of the first scene
important?
Composing Meaning
• Read the “Enormous Nose” by Mark, 8th grader. Use the
chart on worksheet 31 from Heath Middle Level 8 to
find examples of the characteristics of drama in the
play.
Dialogue
Setting
Conflict
Playwright
Narrator
Stage
Directions
Scene
Cast of
characters
Reflection
• What are the elements of drama?