ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN - Core Program Year 2 Art-Infused
THEATER LESSON - The Story Volcano
Theater/Reading Lesson
Artist-Mentor - Dave Quicksall (modified: from Carrie Nath)
Grade Levels: Third – Fifth Grade
Examples:
Enduring Understandings
Parts of a story can build cumulatively from the beginning through a sequence of actions to the climax
and resolution.
Target: Knows and identifies the parts of a story.
Criteria: Records the introduction, rising action and climax, and falling action and
resolution/denouement) on the Story Volcano Worksheet.
Target: Understands and demonstrates the cumulative actions that move the story through its
different parts.
Criteria: Creates a series of short scenes that incorporate sequential key events from the
recorded information and build action.
Target: Applies understanding of the story’s structure to a presentation/performance.
Criteria: Shows rising and falling action through presentation/performance.
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Introduction to Arts-Infused Concept through Classroom Activity:
Concepts for reading instruction: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action,
resolution/denouement
Concepts in everyday life:
Oh Yeah! Start with the students touching their toes and have them unroll to a standing position,
with their arms ending up straight above their heads. AS they straighten up they say “Ohhhh” with
rising pitch and intensity. When they reach their full upright position, arms over heads, they use
their big voices and say “Yeah!”
This lesson could be divided into three sections if needed. The first section is the BRAINSTORMING and
RECORDING section, the second is the CREATION of scenes that incorporate the written information,
the third as the PERFORMANCE section. Also, the preliminary written part of the lesson could be done
individually by each student before putting them into groups.
BRAINSTORMING
1. Selects the story (or stories) the class will be working on. It should be a story with which everyone
is familiar, if needed leads the class through a verbal retelling of the story. Divides the students into
groups and assigns them a story. Introduces the Story Volcano Worksheet to the class.
Arts Impact Core 2 – Arts Infused Summer Institute – Theater: Story Volcano
Prompts: This is a lesson that is a theater lesson and a reading lesson at the same time. If you look on
this worksheet, you will notice that the structure of a story could be thought of as a VOLCANO. The
action of a story is like the molten lava in a volcano: it keeps rising until it explodes at the top. Once
the explosion happens, the lava pours out and flows down the other side. The two sides of the volcano
are called the RISING ACTION and the FALLING ACTION.
Student: Gets into his/her group and follows the introduction to the worksheet.
2. Guides the students in recording the information needed on the INTRODUCTION TO THE
CHARACTERS section of the worksheet. Prompts: Think of the beginning of the story as an introduction
to the characters. As we have previously learned, characters are defined by who they are and what
they want. Determine who the main characters are in your story and write down their information on
the worksheet. Remember we use the word OBJECTIVE when referring to what a character wants. If
the story doesn’t clearly lay out what the characters want use your imagination and create objectives
that make sense.
Student: Brainstorms with the group to determine who the main characters are and their objectives.
Records this information on the worksheet. They should refer back to the book if needed.
Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist
3. Guides the students in recording the information needed on the POINT OF
CONFLICT/PROBLEM section of the worksheet. Prompts: As the story heads up the slope of the
volcano there are spots where the action grows in strength or intensity. We call those spots points of
conflict or, simply, the problem. The problem could be between characters, i.e. their different
objectives colliding. It could be something presented to a character that he/she must overcome. The
idea is that the rising action keeps moving up the side of the volcano from point of conflict to the next
point of conflict. Write down at least three points of conflict on your worksheet.
Student: Brainstorms with the group to identify at least three key points of conflict/problems in the
rising action in sequence. Records the information on the worksheet.
Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist
4. Guides the students in recording the information needed on the CLIMAX section of the
worksheet. Prompts: Now, we are at the top of the volcano and the explosion that is caused by the
rising action. We call this explosion the climax of the story. It is usually the biggest moment in the
book where everything turns around or changes, for better or worse. Where does your story have its
big explosion? What happens in the story that makes everything unravel or change? Write your story’s
climax on the worksheet. Does your story have more than one climax?
Student: Brainstorms with the group to identify the climax and records it on the worksheet.
Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based self assessment with checklist
5. Guides the students in recording the information on the RESOLUTION section of the
worksheet. Prompts: Now we are heading down the falling action side of our volcano to the resolution.
How does your story end? What are the actions that bring the story to a conclusion? What do the
characters do? What do they want? Have they changed since the beginning? Another word used for
resolution is the French word denouement, which means “to untie.” How does your story untie? Is it a
quick resolution or a long, drawn out one?
Student: Brainstorms with the group and records the story’s resolution on the worksheet.
Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist
Arts Impact Core 2 – Arts Infused Summer Institute – Theater: Story Volcano
CREATION OF SCENES
6. Leads the students in creating 10 – 15 second scenes that communicate each section of
their worksheet and build cumulatively through points of conflict to climax and resolution. There should
be an introduction in which the characters and their objectives are presented, followed by at least three
short scenes demonstrating the points of conflict/problem, followed by the climax, and ending with the
resolution. The students should use words an/or dialogue as they create the scenes. The teacher
should float through the room and touch base with each group as they rehearse and refine their
choices. Each member of the group should perform in some capacity. Prompts: Each group has to
create a small 10 – 15 second scene that incorporates all the key information. There should be an
introduction scene, at least three points of conflict scenes that build, a climax scene, and a resolution
scene. Remember to always think about the actions of the characters. We need to see the story action
BUILD from point to point, so make that clear to us.
Student: Using the information on the worksheet creates the scenes with the group. Rehearses and
refines the scenes as they work on them showing how the story builds, guided by the teacher.
Embedded Assessment: Criteria-based teacher checklist
PRESENTATION OF SCENES
7. Guides the students in presenting their scenes to the class. Prompt: Now each group will show
us how the actions that make up their Story volcano build rising and falling action.
Student: Performs scenes with the group
Embedded Assessment: Peer reflection
Vocabulary
Arts Infused: Theater
and Reading:
climax, falling action,
point of
conflict/problem,
resolution, rising
action, sequence
Theater:
denouement
Materials and Community Resource
Performances:
Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Tacoma,
WA
Seattle Children’s Theater, Seattle, WA
Performance Materials:
selected stories
WA Essential Learnings & Frameworks
Essential Learnings
AEL 1.1 concepts: character, parts of a story, plot,
resolution, conflict
AEL 1.1.2 principles of organization: sequence of
actions
AEL 1.2 skills and techniques: movement, feelings of
characters
AEL 2.2 artistic process: working to solve a dramatic
problem: conceptualization
REL 2.2.3 understand story elements
Arts State Frameworks
Kindergarten: identifies main character(s)
Grade 1: identifies main and minor character(s)
Grade 2: identifies and describes main and minor
action in a scene/ply/story
Grade 3: identifies the sequence of actions within a
scene/play/story
Grade 4: identifies and describes probable actions
leading to conflict resolution with a scene/play
Reading State Frameworks
Kindergarten: identify story elements of character and
important events with teacher guidance
Grade 1: identify and explain story elements
Grade 2: retell the important events of a story
Grade 3: describe the problem faced by a character
and how he/she/it solves the problem
Grade 4: identify the main events in a plot, including
the case and effect relationship in problem solving
Grade 5: identify the major actions that define the plot
and how actions lead to conflict or resolution
Arts Impact Core 2 – Arts Infused Summer Institute – Theater: Story Volcano
THE STORY VOLCANO WORKSHEET
CLIMAX
RISING ACTION
FALLING ACTION
Point of Conflict/Problem #3
Point of Conflict/Problem #2
Point of Conflict/Problem #1
Introduction to the Characters
Resolution
(Denouement)
Who are they?
What do they want (objectives)?
Who are they?
Arts Impact Core 2 – Arts Infused Summer Institute – Theater: Story Volcano
What do they want (objectives)?
ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN - Core Program Year 2 Art-Infused
LESSON TITLE: Story Volcano
ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET
Disciplines
Concept
READING
PARTS OF A STORY
THEATER
PARTS OF A STORY
Sequential Key Events
THEATER
PERFORMING
Student
Introduction
Rising action,
climax
Falling
action,
resolution
Introduction
Rising
action,
climax
Falling
action,
resolution
Shows storyline
through
performance
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Total
Percentage
Criteria-based Reflection Questions: (Note examples of student reflections.)
Self-Reflection: What are the actions that bring the story to a conclusion?
Peer to Peer: What actions did the group use to show rising and falling action?
Thoughts about Learning:
Which prompts best communicated concepts? Which lesson dynamics helped or hindered learning?
Lesson Logistics:
Which classroom management techniques supported learning?
Teacher:
Date:
Arts Impact Core 2 – Arts Infused Summer Institute – Theater: Story Volcano
Total
Points
7
ARTS IMPACT INSTITUTE LESSON PLAN - Core Program Year 2 Art-Infused
LESSON TITLE: Story Volcano
SELF-ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET
Disciplines
Concept
READING
PARTS OF A STORY
THEATER
PARTS OF A STORY:
Sequential Key Events
THEATER
PERFORMING
Student Name:
Introduction
Rising action,
climax
Falling
action,
resolution
Introduction
Rising
action,
climax
Falling
action,
resolution
Shows storyline
through
performance
Criteria-based Reflection Questions:
Self-Reflection: What are the actions that bring the story to a conclusion?
Peer to Peer: What actions did the group use to show rising and falling action?
Arts Impact Core 2 – Arts Infused Summer Institute – Theater: Story Volcano
Total
Points
7
ARTS IMPACT FAMILY LETTER
THEATER AND READING LESSON – Story Volcano
Dear Family:
Today your child participated in a theater and reading lesson in which we used the Story Volcano
worksheet to explore the points of conflict, climax and resolution of a story.
•
We brainstormed and wrote down the parts of the story on our worksheet and learned how
the building action is like a volcano with bubbling lava.
•
We created scenes to dramatize the points of conflict, the climax, and the resolution of the
story’s action
•
We performed our key scenes in sequence for the class.
At home you could take your favorite story and see how it fits into the Story Volcano, and then act out
the actions.
Enduring Understanding
Parts of a story can build cumulatively
from the beginning through a sequence of actions to the climax and resolution.
Arts Impact Core 2 – Arts Infused Summer Institute – Theater: Story Volcano