High School Course Outline
Course Title
Drama Intermediate
Grade Level
9-12
Course Length
FY
Prerequisites
Credits per
Semester
5
Dept
VAPA
Short
Title
Approved for
Honors
Course Code
Grad
Requirement
Required
Elective
Guitar Advanced or teacher approval
Co-Requisites
Articulated with CCSF
Meets UC/CSU “a-g” Requirement
Articulated with SFSU
Meets NCAA Requirement
Course Description:
Students study drama as a performing art, an academic discipline, an aesthetic
experience and a craft. Through exercises in emotional response, body movement, and
oral interpretation, students experience basic acting techniques as well as acquire
technical knowledge of stage movement, basic makeup, and basic costuming. This course
is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of acting. Students will gain
experience as performers through mime, stage movement, improvisation, building a
character and acting in scenes from selected plays. Students will study the origins of
Theater Art, from Pre-History to Post Modern.
Emphasis in Drama Intermediate is on preparation of one-act and full-length plays
for classroom presentation and study of period acting styles, stage directions, and
production techniques. Students will receive ample opportunity to hone their individual
acting skills.
Course Goals:
 To develop an artistic ensemble.
 To develop a theatre resume. – Typed - Draft #1 due: Tuesday, August 26
 To enhance self-discovery through theatre by providing students with a sense of
what it is to be an actor.
 Drama IV: To explore post-secondary theatrical opportunities through an
internship with a professional Theatre company.
Outline of Content and Suggested Time Allotment:
I. Stage Movement and Theater Environment
II. Advanced Improvisation and Dramatic Interpretation
III. Character Development
IV. Theatre History
V. Costume Movement and Manners
VI. Play Structure and Play Criticism
VII. Advanced Theater Projects
VIII. Survey of Theater Careers
IX. Play Direction
Suggested Instructional Time
1 week
3 weeks
4 weeks
2 weeks
2 weeks
2 weeks
9 weeks
1 week
12 weeks
State Standards
Suggested Core
Connections
Suggested Resources
and Technology
Links
Suggested
Assessment
1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION: Processing, analyzing, and responding to sensory
information through the language and skills unique to theatre
1.1 Students observe
their environment and
respond
using the elements of
theatre. Students
observe
formal and informal
theatrical experience,
film/video, and
electronic
media and respond
using the vocabulary of
theatre.
1.1.1 Students will build
upon existing vocabulary
of theatre through
analysis of their own
productions/concepts.

Glossary of theatre
terms

Teacher
generated tests
on vocabulary
terms

Websites:
www.theatercrafts.c
om

Production
journal entries

Kinesthetic
theater exercise
http://playwrights.w
eber.edu/dictionary.
htm

Written analysis
of a specific
performance

Play analysis
template

Student journal

Professional
theatrical
performance
Site video library

Reflective essays

Class discussion

Performance
rubric
1.1.2 Students will
incorporate, observe, and
record perceptions of
productions into journals,
production
notebooks, and through
acting/directing workshop
environment.
1.1.3 Students will
experiment with
application of varied
acting, directing, design,
and playwriting styles
such as Shakespearean
Tragedy, Comedy of
Manners, Absurd, Farce,
and Realistic Drama.
www.schoolshows.d
emon.co.uk/resource
s


www.scene4.com.co
m/html/notes

Library, teacher, and
computer collections
of monologues,
scenes, and plays

Videos
2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION: Creating, performing, and participating in theatre
2.1 Students apply
processes and skills in
acting.
2.1.1 Students will refine
and extend use of various
acting techniques of
movement, voice,
gestures, emotion, and
motivation in a sustained,
full length play format.

2.1.2 Through the
creation of a prompt
book, students will refine
their directorial skills
such as blocking, staging,
costuming, and set design.

Flexile theater space
Prompt book
template

Performance of
selected scenes
for teacher
evaluation

Rubric-directed
class discussion
 Journal entries
reflecting
development of
directional concepts
 Director’s prompt
book
2.1.3 Students will
analyze a play to discover
each character’s purpose
and his/her motives and
desires and to understand
structural components of
the plot.

The Audition by
Michael Shurtleff
 Student directed and
performance of
selected scenes
2.1.4 Students will
perform multi-character
classical and modern
scenes and plays.

Site scene and play
collection
 Performance of
selected scenes for
teacher evaluation
 Performance rubric
3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT: Understanding historical
contributions and cultural dimensions of theatre
3.1 Students analyze the
role and development of
theatre, film/video, and
electronic media in past
and present cultures
throughout the world,
noting diversity as it
relates to the theatrical
experience.
3.1.1 Students will
research a major theatrical
period such as Greek,
Roman, Italian
Renaissance, Spanish
Renaissance, English
Renaissance, French
Renaissance, EighteenthCentury, NineteenthCentury, Modern or
Oriental, culminating in
the creation of a director’s
prompt book.

The Theater by
Phyllis Hartnoll

The Living Stage
by Kenneth
MacGowan and
William Melnitz

Prompt book
template
3.1.2 Students will direct
a scene from a one-act
play or an extended scene
from a full-length play.

www.covelo.net/art
salive/artlinks_edu
cation.shtml

Site scene and play
anthologies


Site script library
Site script library
3.1.3 Students will
perform in a one-act
play or an extended scene
from a full-length play.

Student created
director’s
prompt book

Production
evaluation
rubric

Guided class
discussion
 Production
evaluation rubric
 Directed class
discussion

Production
evaluation
rubric

Directed class
discussion
4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING: Responding to, analyzing, and making judgments
about theatrical experiences
4.1 Students analyze,
critically assess, and
derive meaning from
works of theatre and the
performance of theatre
based on aesthetic
principles.
4.1.1 Students will read
and discuss a select fulllength theatrical script
prior to viewing a
performance.

Class attends/views
a full-length
theatrical
performance
4.1.2 Students will
analyze and critique a

Textbook

Reflective
student journal
entries
 Post-production
Socratic seminar
full-length theatrical
performance, considering
personal response the
playwright’s purpose,
dramatic, elements, and
the play’s effect.
5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONS, AND APPLICATIONS: Connecting and
applying what is learned in theatre to other art forms and subject areas and to
careers
5.1 Students apply what
they learn in theatre,
film/video, and
electronic media across
disciplines. Through
the collaborative
processes of these
media, they develop
competencies in
problem-solving, intra
and inter-personal
communication skills,
management of time,
and use of resources,
contributing to lifelong
learning and career
skills.

5.1.1 Students will
incorporate public
speaking, performance
skills, production
organizational skills, and
problem solving skills
into other academic
disciplines, projects, or
places of employment.
5.1.2 Students will
explore the wealth of
opportunities to apply
skills learned in drama to
a wide range of jobs, both
in theater and beyond, in
the world of work.
Instructional Methods and Strategies:
 Mime and movement Voice
 Improvisation
 Roleplaying
 Acting techniques
 Characterization
 Play analysis
 Written critiques
 Oral critiques
 Self evaluations
 Trust exercises
 Rehearsals
 Discussions
 Ensemble work
 Video critique
 Performance techniques (projects)
Materials used in teaching this course:
Supplementary materials:
 Video technology
 Audio equipment


Career Center

Self-assessment
of work in
journals
Interdepartmenta
l interface
Oral presentation








Written materials
Bulletin boards
Television programs
Motion pictures
Stage properties
Makeup
Costumes
Set materials
National Coalition for Core Arts Standards Theatre Performance Rubric
(used to score individual student performances; a separate rubric will be completed for each performer)
Facial Expression
Movement
Above Standard
At Standard
Near Standard
Below Standard
A
B
C
D
Always
Sometimes
Unclear
Lacking Effort
Clearly expressed wide
range of emotions from
eyes, eyebrows, mouth,
and head movement.
Mulitple actions were
clearly expressed using
arms, hands, legs and
torso. Smooth and
enlightening blocking.
Clearly expressed some
Attempted to express
emotions from eyes,
emotion but facial
eyebrows, mouth, and head expressions were not
movement.
clear.
Some actions were clearly
expressed using arms,
hands, legs and torso.
Smooth blocking.
Little to no expression.
Attempted to express
actions, but movements Little to no action nor
were unclear. Choppy or blocking.
stagnant blocking.
Voice
Vocal expression was
Vocal expression was
clear, well-modulated and usually clear, but did not
fit the character.
always fit the character.
Vocal expression was
sometimes difficult to
hear / understand.
Sometimes muddy or
soft.
Characterization
Stayed entirely in
character, making
believable, clearly
motivated choices.
Broke character. Choices
Did not create nor
were not believable nor
maintain a character.
clear.
Believability
Truth
Commitment
Objective
Relationship
Stayed in character.
Choices and motivation
were sometimes not
believable or clear.
Voice was inaudible or
incomprehensible.
The character was not
The character was
The character was
The character was
believable throughout
believable throughout the believable throughout most believable throughout
most of the
entire performance.
of the performance.
some of the performance.
performance.
The character revealed
The character revealed his The character revealed
The character did not
his or her true identity
or her true identity
his or her true identity
reveal his or her true
throughout the entire
throughout most of the
throughout some of the identity throughout most
performance.
performance.
performance.
of the performance.
The actor did not
The actor committed to The actor committed to
The actor committed to
commit to staying in
staying in character
staying in character
staying in character
character throughout
throughout the entire
throughout most of the
throughout some of the
most of the
performance.
performance.
performance.
performance.
The actor clearly fought The actor fought for what The actor somewhat
The actor did not fight
for what his or her
his or her character
fought for what his or her hard enough for what his
character wanted.
wanted.
character wanted.
or her character wanted.
The actors developed a The actors did not
The actors developed a The actors developed a
somewhat clear
develop a clear
strong, clear relationship. clear relationship.
relationship.
relationship.