Creating Characters Unit Unit Objective: The students will demonstrate their understanding of how to create a character by performing a scene. LESSON 1: Discover Types of Characters LESSON 2: Building a Character Around a Name LESSON 3: Creating a Character Using Costumes LESSON 4: Building a Character Through Movement LESSON 5: Creating a Character Using Props LESSON 6: Recognizing Character Objectives LESSON 7: Creating a Character's History LESSON 8: Getting to Know a Characters' Home LESSON 9: Creating a Music Video LESSON 10: Character Created Creating Characters Unit Discovering Types of Characters Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their understanding of the different types of characters through improvisation. Materials Needed: Video Clip of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Slips of paper with character types on them. Hook: Show a clip of each character in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Step 1: Have the class describe the character traits unique to each character. Step 2: Give the name of the character types after their description. Step 3: Have each class member draw a character type from the hat. Step 4: Have the class on by one get up and improv a monologue that their character type would give. Step 5: Discuss how each student demonstrated the character types. Creating Characters Unit Building a Character around a Name Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to create a character based on a name. Materials Needed: Name tags with names already on them. Hook: Pass out the name tags. Step 1: Explain that the students have been renamed with the name tags given to them. Step 2: Inform the students that they are now at a family reunion. Step 3: Have the students stand and introduce themselves using their new names: Step 4: After the students has introduced him/herself have him or her tell about the family they come from (the familys year's events. Step 5: After each student has gone ask them How the name helped them create a dharacter. Open up the dass for discussion to see why they chose the characterizations they did for the name they were given. Creating Characters Unit Creating a Character using Costumes Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to create a character using costume pieces. Materials Needed: costume pieces for the entire class Hook: Show a clip from Tootsie or Mrs. Doubftire. Step 1: Have the class choose a costume piece. Step 2: Group the class into 3's. Step 3: Have the class in their groups prepare a three minute scene revolving around the characters that would wear the costumes they chose. Step 4: Discuss how the costumes made them feel. Creating Characters Unit Building a Character Trough Movement Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to build a character through movement. Hook: Have the class name animals and write them on the board. Step 1: Have each student pick an animal that has been written on the board. Step 2: Have the students write the animal on a piece of paper with their name on it. Step 3: Have them turn in the papers. Step 4: Randomly select one of the papers and have the student's whose paper was chosen move across the room as the animal he wrote on his paper (each student must take his/her turn.) Step 5: Have the class call out stereo types and write them on the board (dumb blonde, etc). Step 6: Have volunteers perform the stereo types as an improv. Step 7: Ask the class what is important about movement. Creating Characters Unit Creating a Character Using Props Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to create a character based on the props provided. Materials Needed: A large sum of miscellaneous items ( enough for each class member to have one, at least.) Hook: Have the props displayed on a table when the students come in to the class, ask the students to take an item from the table. Step 1: Explain that real people use these props and their entire lives revolve around these props. Step 2: Ask the class to act out a character that would use the prop provided. Step 3: Explain that they must refer to the prop in a short monologue that they will improvise. Allow only a couple of minutes to prepare for these monologues before performing them. Step 4: Have the students pair up. Step 5: When they are paired up, have them create a skit where the two established characters must interact. Step 6: Make sure they are aware that they must use the props, but they can not refer to them. Step 7: After each group has performed discuss how the props helped them create their characters, And how the props used in the scenes by their partners affected their characters. Creating Characters Unit Recognizing Character Objective/Occupation Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to recognize character objectives/ occupation. Materials Needed: Slips of paper with job occupation/objectives written on them, bowl. Hook: Have the front of the class set up as a party scene. Step 1: Split the class into groups of four Step 2: Have the group members pick someone to be the host of the party. Step 3: Have the remaining three group members pick an occupation or objective from the bowl without showing anyone what they have picked. Step 4: The guests must arrive one at a time. Step 5: The host must figure out what job or objective his three guests have. Step 6: Each guest must communicate their occupation/objective without saying what it is. Step 7: When the host has figured out each occupation or objective the next group goes. Step 8: Have the class discuss what was done to communicate the objective and occupation. Creating Characters Unit Creating a character's History Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to create a character history by writing a character background paper. Materials Needed: Dolls dressed in a various array of clothing. Hook: Show the dolls to the class. Step 1: Give the class an example of a character background Step 2: Ask the class to create the history of the dolls. Step 3: Hand out script excerpts and have the class read them. Step 4: Have the class write a character history for one of the characters in the scenes handed to them. Step 5: Have the class turn in their character histories. Creating Characters Unit Getting to Know a Character's Home Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their knowledge of their characters by designing there bedroom. Materials Needed: Old catalogs and magazines, glue, paper, scissors, crayons, and markers. Hook: Show a picture of a set familiar to the class from a television show or movie. Step 1: Pass out the supplies to the class. Step 2: Tell the students they must design a room in their character's house (bedroom or their choice). Step 3: When the students have pasted the furniture pieces to the paper have them stand and explain why they designed the room for the character the way they did. Creating Characters Unit Creating a Character's Music Video Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their knowledge of their characters by creating a music video for their character. Materials Needed: video and television and video camera Hook: Play the Girls Just Want to Have Fun sequence from the movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Step 1: Have the class pick music for their characters that supports their character sketches. Step 2: Have the students work with their scene partners to create a music video for their scene. Step 3: Give them class time to discuss and plan their video. Step 4: Have them sign up for time to use the video camera after school. Step 5: After 1 week, view the videos. Step 6: Discuss why each music selection was picked, and how it supported the characters. Creating Characters Unit Characters Created Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to create a character by performing a scene. *this lesson should span at least a week's time Materials needed: Enough scripts (different) for the entire class. Hook: Show a video clip of a well done and popular scene from movie. Step 1: Pair the class up. Step 2: Pass out the scripts. Step 3: Have the groups decide what scene they want. Step 4: Have them read through the script and scene. Step 5: Have them write a history for their characters. Step 6: Have them write what their character would wear. Step 7: Have them design a set for their characters. Step 8: Have them rehearse their scenes ( Practicing Movement). Step 9: Have them perform their scenes.