A Component of the
Washington State Assessment System
The Arts
Theatre
Greetings, Sister City!
Grade 5
OSPI-Developed Performance
Assessment
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
September 2015
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Old Capitol Building
P.O. Box 47200
Olympia, WA 98504-7200
For more information about the contents of this document, please contact:
Anne Banks, The Arts Program Supervisor
Phone: (360) 725-4966, TTY (360) 664-3631
OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination
based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged
veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or
identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a
trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Questions and
complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil
Rights Director at (360) 725-6162 or P.O. Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200.
This work is licensed as a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
product by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. For more information on this
license, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/.
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................................... ii
Overview ......................................................................................................................................................... 1
Test Administration: Expectations...................................................................................................... 1
Description of the Performance Assessment ................................................................................. 2
Learning Standards .................................................................................................................................... 2
Assessment Task ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Teacher’s Instructions to Students................................................................................................. 3
Accommodations .................................................................................................................................... 3
Student’s Task .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Supporting Materials and Resources for Teachers ...................................................................... 9
Preparation for Administering the Assessment ....................................................................... 9
Recommendations for Time Management ............................................................................... 11
Glossary ................................................................................................................................................... 12
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page i
OSPI-DEVELOPED PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS
FOR THE
ARTS
Introduction
To Washington educators who teach theatre:
Welcome to one of our OSPI-developed performance assessments and this
implementation and scoring guide. This document is part of the Washington
assessment system at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
The assessments have been developed by Washington State teachers and are
designed to measure learning for selected components of the Washington State
Learning Standards. They have been developed for students at the elementary and
secondary levels. Teachers from across the state in small, medium, and large
districts and in urban, suburban, and rural settings piloted these assessments in
their classrooms. These assessments provide an opportunity for teachers to
measure student skills; they can both help teachers determine if learning goals have
been met, and influence how teachers organize their curricula. They also provide an
opportunity for students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have gained.
These assessments:
 Provide immediate information to teachers regarding how well their students
have acquired the expected knowledge and skills in their subject areas.
 Inform future teaching practices.
 Provide resources that enable students to participate in measuring their
achievements as part of the learning experience.
Included in this document are:
▪ directions for administration
▪ assessment task
▪ scoring rubrics
▪ additional resources
Our hope is that this assessment will be used as an integral part of your instruction
to advance our common goal of ensuring quality instruction for all students.
If you have questions about these assessments or suggestions for improvements,
please contact:
Anne Banks, Program Supervisor, The Arts
(360) 725-4966, [email protected]
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page ii
G REETINGS , S ISTER C ITY !
An OSPI-Developed Performance Assessment
Theatre
Grade 5
Overview
This document contains information essential to
the administration of Greetings, Sister City!, an
OSPI-developed arts performance assessment for
theatre (Grade 5). Prior to administration of this
assessment, all students should have received
instruction in the skills and concepts being
assessed. Please read this information carefully
before administering the performance
assessment.
This classroom-based performance assessment
may be used in several ways:
 As an integral part of instruction.
 As a benchmark, interim, or summative
assessment.
 As a culminating project.
 As an integral part of a unit of study.
 As a means of accumulating student
learning data.
Synopsis of
Greetings, Sister City!
Each student gives a vocal
presentation of a haiku
poem that she/he has
either written, or chosen
from a selection offered
by the teacher. The student memorizes the poem, rehearses it, and performs it for a partner, who
offers feedback. The student uses the feedback to
refine the poem. Her/his
final performance will be
recorded. Students must
also respond to questions
about their performances.
 As an individual student portfolio item.
Test Administration: Expectations
 The skills assessed by this task should be authentically incorporated into
classroom instruction.
 This assessment task is to be administered in a safe, appropriately supervised
classroom environment following district policy and procedures.
 All industry and district safety policies and standards should be followed in
the preparation and administration of OSPI-developed performance
assessments in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 1
 Accommodations based upon a student’s individualized education program
(IEP) or 504 Plan may require additional modifications to this assessment.
 Additional modifications to the administration of this assessment may be
required to accommodate cultural differences, diversity, and religious
mores/rules.
Description of the Performance Assessment
 Performance prompts ask each student to create and perform a solo, vocal
presentation based on the criteria outlined in the task. The teacher will
record (film) the student’s final performance in order to facilitate scoring and
document each student’s performance.
 Students must also respond to short-answer questions and instructions. Their
answers may be written or verbal. All written work must be completed on the
response sheets provided. All verbal responses must be recorded to facilitate
scoring and to document each student’s performance.
Learning Standards
This assessment addresses Washington State Learning Standards for Theatre,
including the GLEs from the Options for Implementing the Arts Standards through
Theatre by Grade Level document.
GLE 1.2.1
5th Grade
GLE 2.3.1
5th Grade
Applies his/her understanding of given circumstances to create a
character’s facial expressions, gestures, body movements/stances,
stage positions, and blocking in a performance.
Applies a responding process to a presentation.
Depending on how individual teachers build their lesson units, additional
Washington State Learning Standards can be addressed.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 2
Assessment Task
Teacher’s Instructions to Students
1. Say: “Today you will take the Grade-5 Washington OSPI-developed arts
performance assessment for theatre. This assessment is called Greetings,
Sister City!”
2. Provide the class with copies of the student’s section of the assessment
(which may include the student’s task, response sheets, rubrics, templates,
and glossary), along with any other required materials.
3. Tell the students that they may highlight and write on these materials during
the assessment.
4. Have the students read the directions to themselves as you read them aloud.
We also encourage you to review the glossary and scoring rubrics with the
students.
5. Answer any clarifying questions the students may have before you instruct
them to begin.
6. If this assessment is used for reporting purposes, circle the scoring points on
the first page of each student’s response sheets.
Accommodations
The following accommodations can be made for students with special needs or
whose English language skills are limited:
 To complete the response sheets, students may dictate their answers to an
instructional aide, who will write them down.
 The student may give the written and/or recorded responses in their first
language. We request a written and/or verbal English translation for
consistency (validity/reliability) in scoring the rubric.
Refer also to the student’s individualized education program (IEP) or 504 Plan.
Student’s Task
The following section contains these materials for students:
 The student’s task: Greetings, Sister City! (Grade 5)
 Assessment rubric
 Response sheets
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 3
Student’s Task
Greetings, Sister City!
Your school has been invited to perform at a cultural exchange program with your
town’s Japanese sister city. The mayors of your town and its sister city will attend,
along with other important city officials.
Your theatre teacher has provided a selection of haiku poems: You may choose one of
these poems for your vocal presentation, or you may use a haiku that you have
written. You will memorize and create a vocal presentation of the haiku. You will
rehearse your vocal presentation for a partner assigned by the teacher. Using the
feedback that you receive from your partner, you will refine your performance.
Your theatre teacher and the mayors will decide who will perform at the cultural
exchange program based on the vocal presentations. Your final performance of your
vocal presentation of the haiku will be recorded. After your final performance, you
will respond to questions about your performance.
Your Task
First, create your performance—
Your teacher explains that you must meet the following requirements when
performing your haiku:
 Select a haiku from those provided by your teacher or use an original haiku
that you have written.
 Memorize the haiku.
 Use voice skills when performing your haiku, including the following:
o appropriate expression (how the character says words to show meaning
and emotion)
o appropriate projection (so that you can be heard by the entire audience)
o clear articulation (speak clearly enough to be easily understood)
o appropriate variety of rate (the variety of speeds at which you speak
words to show character)
 Use movements to express the ideas of the haiku, including the following:
o appropriate hand gestures
o appropriate/effective body movements
o clear facial expression
o accurate posture/stance
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 4
After you select and memorize the haiku, you will develop and rehearse a
performance. You will perform the haiku first in front of the partner assigned by
your teacher; the partner will give you feedback. You will then have time both to
refine your performance based on the feedback that you received, and to rehearse
your haiku again before your final performance in front of the teacher. Your final
performance will be recorded.
You must begin and end your performance with a three-second neutral pause to
indicate a clear beginning and a clear ending. You may end “off stage” or “off
camera.”
Second, show how you fulfilled the requirements—
Your teacher explains that you must also respond to questions about your
performance:
 You must respond in writing or verbally following the final performance.
 You must use the vocabulary of theatre correctly in your responses.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 5
Assessment Rubric
Responding
Performing (movement)
Performing (voice skills)
Greetings, Sister City!
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
No Score
The student demonstrates a thorough
understanding of voice skills by meeting all
four of the following requirements:
The student
demonstrates
an adequate
understanding
of voice skills
by meeting
three of the
four requirements listed at
left.
The student
demonstrates
a partial understanding of
voice skills by
meeting two
of the four
requirements
listed at left.
The student
demonstrates
a minimal understanding of
voice skills by
meeting one
of the four
requirements
listed at left.
The student
demonstrates
no understanding of
voice skills,
having met
none of the
four requirements listed
at left.
The student demonstrates a thorough
The student
understanding of movement by meeting all demonstrates
four of the following requirements:
an adequate
understanding
 Uses hand gestures appropriately.
of movement
 Uses body movements effectively.
by meeting
 Uses facial expressions clearly.
three of the
 Uses posture/stance accurately.
four requirements listed at
left.
The student
demonstrates
a partial understanding of
movement by
meeting two
of the four
requirements
listed at left.
The student
demonstrates
a minimal understanding of
movement by
meeting one
of the four
requirements
listed at left.
The student
demonstrates
no understanding of
movement,
having met
none of the
four requirements listed
at left.
The student meets four or five of the
following requirements, thereby
demonstrating a thorough understanding
of how to apply a responding process to a
performance:
The student
meets two of
the five requirements
listed at left,
demonstrating
a partial understanding of
how to apply a
responding
process to a
performance.
The student
meets one of
the five requirements
listed at left,
demonstrating
a minimal understanding of
how to apply a
responding
process to a
performance.
The student
meets none of
the five requirements
listed at left,
demonstrating
no understanding of
how to apply
a responding
process to a
performance.
 Performs the haiku with appropriate
expression.
 Performs with appropriate projection to
be heard by the entire audience.
 Articulates clearly when performing the
haiku.
 Varies his/her rate of speech appropriately when performing the haiku.





The student
meets three of
the five requirements
listed at left,
demonstrating
Describes how he/she developed ideas
an adequate
to create the haiku performance.
Describes how she/he used vocal skills in understanding
of how to apply
the performance.
a responding
Describes how he/she used movement
process to a
in the performance.
performance.
Describes how she/he refined the
performance based on feedback.
Uses the vocabulary of theatre correctly.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 6
Scoring Notes
The following scoring notes should be used as guidelines when scoring this item.
For the responding rubric:
 In order to receive any points, the words/ideas must correlate to the
student’s actual performance.
 First bullet: The student earns credit by explaining how the idea was
developed. In other words, the student’s response should address the
inspiration for the idea, not just the results. A response in which the student
says “I acted like I was a sloth” would not be credited, but one in which the
student says “I moved slowly, because sloths are slow animals” would be.
Discussing the creative process is also acceptable.
 Second bullet: The student earns credit by discussing voice skills (volume,
projection, articulation, etc.) and should include “voice words.”
 Third bullet: The student earns credit by discussing movement skills and
should include “movement words.”
 Fourth bullet: The student earns credit for discussing the changes made to a
performance, not just for relating what the partner’s feedback was.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 7
Response Sheets
Student’s Name/ID# _____________________________________________ Grade Level _________
(circle number)
Creating Score (voice skills)
4
3
2 1
NS
Creating Score (movement)
4
3
2 1
NS
Responding Score
4
3
2 1
NS
Responses
Respond to the following prompts and questions to explain how you met your
teacher’s requirements.
1. What did you think about and do to create your haiku performance?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What vocal skills did you use in your haiku performance and how did you use
them?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How did you use movement in your haiku performance?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. After you received feedback from your partner, what changes did you make for
your final performance?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 8
Supporting Materials and Resources for Teachers
Preparation for Administering the Assessment
Tools & Materials
Teachers will need the following materials and resources to administer this
performance assessment:
 copies of the task, including the glossary of terms (one for each student)
 copies of the student-response sheets (one set for each student)
 one pencil per student
 a variety of haiku poems
 a marked performance space
 an audio/video recording device
Guidelines
This assessment is an individual performance.
 Copy the student’s task, rubric, response sheets, and glossary. Make one set
for each student.
 Props and costumes should not be used in this assessment. Chairs may be
used as “sitting devices.”
 Provide copies of a variety of haiku poems.
o Each student may select and memorize one of the poems that you
provide, or the student may write an original haiku poem prior to the
start of the assessment.
o Alternatively, you may assign a haiku poem to each student.
o Sources of appropriate haiku samples include school library/media
centers, age-appropriate websites for children, and teacher resource
websites.
 Students may have written haiku poems for this assessment ahead of time.
 Assign to each student a student-partner who will watch the student rehearse
the performance and provide feedback to the performer.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 9
 Each student’s performance must be recorded for this assessment.
o Video set up should be in a defined space so that the performer can be
seen at all times. The camera should be placed so that it records the
performance from the audience’s point of view.
o Students need to be coached by the teacher to face the audience while
performing. The performer’s face must be seen so that her/his facial
expression can be assessed.
o Performers need to have a three-second neutral pause at the beginning
and ending of the performance to indicate a clear start and clear end.
The student may end “off stage” or “off camera.”
o The student should be prompted to say her/his name, number, and
current grade level into the recording device before beginning the
performance.
 Students who respond in writing must include their names/numbers on their
response sheets.
 As an alternative to a written response, you may permit video or audio
recording:
 Video set up should be in a defined space so that the performer can be
seen at all times.
 The student should be prompted to say her/his name, number, and
current grade level into the recording device before beginning the
performance.
 Coach the students who are being recorded to face the recording device
when they are responding.
 Students must have a copy of the response sheet when they are being
recorded.
 The teacher’s role during recording is to read questions. Students may
use resources that are visible in the testing classroom, but you may not
prompt or coach students during the assessment.
 If necessary to meet individual needs, a student may dictate her/his
response-sheet answers (to be written down by a teacher or aide). Students
may use resources that are visible in the testing classroom, but you may not
prompt or coach students during the assessment.
 When you are administering the assessment, students may ask questions to
clarify the process. You should encourage students to ask questions at any
time throughout the administration of the assessment.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 10
Recommendations for Time Management
Students may have as much time as they need to complete the task. The timeframes
suggested here are meant only as a guide, and you may shorten or lengthen them to
suit the individual circumstances of the class and students.
The following is a three-day suggested timeframe:
DAY 1
 10 minutes: The teacher provides the class with the task and reads it aloud.
The students may ask questions. The teacher answers questions.
 15 minutes: Each student selects a haiku, memorizes it, and develops and
rehearses a performance. (Students may have previously
selected, been assigned, or have written their haiku poems; they
may also have memorized the haiku prior to the assessment.)
 15 minutes: Each student performs the haiku in front of the partner assigned
by the teacher; the partner offers feedback.
DAY 2
 10 minutes: The students refine and rehearse their performances, applying
the feedback that they received from their partners.
 35 minutes: Each student performs her/his haiku for the teacher, who
records the performance.
DAY 3
 5 minutes:
The teacher distributes the response sheets to the students.
 15 minutes: The students prepare their verbal or written responses.
 5 minutes:
The teacher collects all written responses.
 20 minutes: The teacher records the verbal responses.
All students who remain productively engaged in the task should be allowed to
finish their work. In some cases, a few students may require considerably more time
to complete the task than most students; therefore, you may wish to move these
students to a new location to finish. In other cases, the teacher’s knowledge of some
students’ work habits or special needs may suggest that students who work very
slowly should be tested separately or grouped with similar students for the test.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 11
Glossary
acting skills—the use of voice, movement, improvisation, and characterization.
action—events within the play that move the plot along.
aesthetics—an idea of what is beautiful or artistic; a set of criteria for judging
something to be beautiful or artistic.
articulation—the use of all of the articulators (lips, teeth, tongue, soft and hard
palettes, larynx, and glottis)to deliver speech or language clearly.
audition—a tryout for a theatrical role.
balance—the arrangement of design elements and actors to create visual
stability on stage.
blocking—an actor’s traffic pattern on stage.
business—movements that mime or make use of props, costumes, and make-up
to strengthen the personality of a character that the actor is portraying.
character—a person, animal, or thing in a scene, story, or play.
character development—creating from a text a character who uses tactics to
overcome obstacles to achieve objectives; portraying this character by
choosing physical actions, vocal qualities, and believable emotions that are
sustained throughout the performance
conflict—a struggle between two or more opposing forces, events, ideas, or
characters in a scene or play.
costumes—the clothing an actor wears to create a character.
creative dramatics—a teacher-led dramatic enactment of story, setting, and/or
characters; an experiential process-based activity, not a performance for an
audience. The teacher may assume a role.
cue—1. a signal for a performer or technician to perform an action or say a line;
2. a signal from a side-coach to perform an action or say a line.
design—a purposeful plan for the spectacle of a play (such as costumes, set,
props, lighting, sound) based on an overall concept.
design concept—the overall visual theme for a combined theatrical design in
which features such as lights, sets, costumes, make-up, props, and sound work
together to tell the story. A design concept is a visual way of expressing how
the technical elements will illuminate the central theme of the play.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 12
dialogue—a conversation between two characters in a theatrical performance.
diaphragmatic breathing—using the diaphragm muscle to support the breath.
diction—choice and use of words.
drama—a literary composition (a play) intended for a performance before an
audience.
dramatic structure—the composition of a theatrical work (such as a play, scene,
or improvisation) that includes exposition, inciting incident, rising action,
conflict, climax, falling action, and resolution.
elements of theatre—setting, character, conflict, dialogue, plot, and theme.
ensemble—a group of actors working together cooperatively and responsibly to
achieve the group’s goal by means of problem solving and creativity.
enunciation—saying the vowels and consonants correctly.
event—something that happens at a certain place and time.
expression—the way the character says words to convey meaning and emotion.
facial expression—movements of the face that show feelings or ideas
focus—1. the intended point of interest on stage; 2. the actor’s ability to
concentrate and keep attention fixed on the matter at hand.
genre—a type or category of theatrical work that is defined by a particular style,
form, or set of characteristics and is often associated with a specific historical
period or culture.
given circumstance—in the text of a play, the information that the playwright
gives concerning character, setting, and relationships.
haiku—an unrhymed Japanese verse that consists of three lines, the first
containing five syllables, the second containing seven syllables, and the third
containing five syllables.
improvisation—a spontaneous performance during which the actors establish a
story (including objectives, setting, character, and relationships) with minimal
preparation.
improvisational blocking—refusing/denying/ignoring/rejecting an offering.
improvisational theatre—a structured, yet non-scripted scene or play.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 13
inflection/pitch—the use of high and low sounds in speech to convey meaning
and emotion.
levels—1. the placement of an object or person on the stage from upstage to
downstage; 2. the vertical height of an actor or set piece from the stage floor.
lighting—using a variety of instruments to illuminate both the actors and sets on
stage.
make-up—cosmetics applied to the face and body to enhance character.
mime—to act out a movement or the use of an object without words or props
(totally silent).
monologue—a speech within a play delivered by a single actor alone on stage.
movement—physical action used to establish meaning and emotion to create
character, including:
blocking—an actor’s traffic pattern on stage.
business—movements that mime or make use of props, costumes, and makeup to strengthen characterization.
facial expression—movements of the face that show emotions and/or ideas.
gestures—movement of a body part (arm, leg, hand, etc.) which is used to
communicate.
posture/stance—the position of the limbs and the carriage of the body as a
whole that communicate character.
whole-body movements—locomotive and non-locomotive uses of the body
that communicate character.
nursery rhyme—a short song or poem for young children.
objective—the character’s wants, needs, and desires.
obstacle—what stands in the way of the character achieving his/her objectives.
offering (offer)—a suggestion (conveyed verbally or by means of movement)
that is given by one actor to another to initiate or further an improvisation.
open—maintaining a body position in which the character’s face/frontal body
can be seen by the audience in a proscenium or thrust-stage setting.
pantomime—conveying a story by use of expressive body and facial movements
without speech, props, costumes, or sounds (instrumental music can be used
as background).
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 14
pause—the moment of silence within a speech; used to show meaning or
emotion and/or to develop character.
performance—a structured presentation of a theatrical work in front of an
audience.
phrasing—the use of punctuation, pause, and word- or phrase-emphasis to
create meaning and emotion.
play—a form of writing intended for live performance.
plot—a storyline that includes exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax,
and resolution of a conflict.
production—a structured performance created and presented for an audience.
props/properties—objects used by an actor on stage.
projection/volume—the appropriate use of loud and soft sounds to convey
meaning and emotion to the entire audience.
pronunciation—the correct way to speak or articulate a word.
rate/cadence—the speed with which words are spoken to convey meaning and
emotion.
readers’ theatre—an orchestrated reading that relies primarily on vocal
characterization and does not include the elements of visual theatre (such as
costuming, sets, or blocking).
rehearsal—the period of time used to prepare a play for performance in front of
an audience.
resonance—fullness of voice created by vocal vibrations.
scene—a subdivision of a play, characterized by a single situation or unit of
dialogue.
set—the on-stage space and its structures (scenery), within which the actors
perform and that represent the setting of the play.
setting—the time, place, and atmosphere in which the scene or play occurs.
side-coaching—comments made by the teacher during an activity that affirm or
correct students in the achievement of objectives, especially in creative
dramatics.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 15
sound—the process of using music, audio effects, and reinforcement to enhance
setting and mood.
stage—the place where the actors perform.
status—the importance (or lack thereof) of a character or object on the stage.
subtext—an implied meaning or unspoken complication that generally runs
concurrently with the main plot.
sustainability—an actor’s sustained portrayal of a character—with no
noticeable break or lapse—throughout a performance.
stage geography—physical areas of the stage labeled center stage, down center,
up center, stage right, stage left, up stage left, down stage left, up stage right, and
down stage right.
stage picture—a visual image created by using any combination of set, costume,
props, lighting, and character placement.
style—the distinctive characteristics or techniques of an individual artist, group,
or period as seen in a work of theatre.
tactics—the possible ways the character can overcome obstacles.
technical design—the plan (based on an overall concept) for costumes, set,
props, lighting, sound, make-up, and special effects in a production.
text analysis (script)—the examination of the theatrical elements of a text to
gain greater understanding both of the theme and of the character which the
actor portrays.
theatre (or theater)—1. the place where plays are presented to an audience; 2.
the art of creating performances.
theatre etiquette—appropriate behavior of audience, performers, or technicians
in a variety of theatrical settings.
theatre text (script)—any written text used as a script.
theme—the central idea of a play.
three-dimensional character (round)—a character that is developed
emotionally, psychologically, and physically.
venue—a place where a performance is held.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 16
vocal placement—resonating the voice in different parts of the body, such as
chest, head, nose, throat.
voice—vocal qualities that are used to convey meaning and emotion in order to
create character; these include:
articulation—the clear delivery of speech or language utilizing all of the
articulators (lips, teeth, tongue, soft and hard palettes, larynx, and glottis.)
breath support—the use of the diaphragm in correct breathing.
enunciation—saying vowels and consonants correctly.
expression—the way the character delivers words to convey meaning and
emotion.
inflection/pitch—the use of high and low sounds in speech to convey meaning
and emotion.
projection/volume— the appropriate use of loud and soft sounds to convey
meaning and emotion to the entire audience.
rate/cadence—the speed with which words are spoken to convey meaning
and emotion.
pause—the moment of silence within a speech; used to show meaning or
emotion and/or to develop character.
pronunciation—the correct way to speak or articulate a word.
word emphasis—selection of the most important word or words in each
phrase or sentence to create meaning, show emotion, and convey character
(pointing up the word).
Note: The entire glossary for theatre is included here as a resource for teachers and
students.
Greetings, Sister City! Arts Assessment for Theatre, Grade 5
Page 17