Common Planner
K–12 Standards

Theater: Grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Other Alabama Arts Education sets

Level I Theatre

  •  

    Produce

    1. 1.

      Identify basic elements of theatrical training, including vocalization, kinesthetics, and emotional and intellectual processing.

      1. •

        Demonstrating ways an actor controls voice through pitch, rate, volume, pronunciation, and enunciation

      2. •

        Developing characters through various postures, gestures, and facial expressions

      3. •

        Identifying basic stage directions

      4. •

        Using high, medium, and low spatial levels to enhance the effectiveness of a scene

      5. •

        Demonstrating a variety of actor positions or profiles

    2. 2.

      Describe the acting process, including memorizing, determining, and enacting character objectives and motives; listening; and maintaining concentration.

      1. •

        Using the acting process to perform a monologue or dialogue

      2. •

        Using improvisation to discover character and motivation

      3. •

        Demonstrating understanding of text, subtext, and context through improvisation

      4. •

        Identifying the structural elements of plot in a script or production

    3. 3.

      Identify basic components of staging a production, including set design, blocking, costumes, lighting, and sound.

      1. •

        Selecting sets, props, costumes, lighting, and sounds to support a drama

      2. •

        Producing a rehearsal notebook that includes a record of acting choices, directions, and blocking

      3. •

        Analyzing the technical parts of a theatre facility and their functions, including flats, platforms, backdrops, cyclorama, and drapery, to determine their roles in effectively staging a production

  •  

    Respond

    1. 4.

      Explain emotional responses to the whole as well as to the parts of a dramatic performance.

      1. •

        Discussing different goals and feelings of characters

      2. •

        Comparing character wants and needs to personal wants and needs

    2. 5.

      Use appropriate theatre vocabulary, including blocking, character, scene, empathy, aesthetics, and enunciation, to describe theatrical experiences.

    3. 6.

      Explain artistic choices made collaboratively by a group.

      1. •

        Choosing special effects to enhance a story

  •  

    Understand

    1. 7.

      Explain legal and ethical ramifications of using another's work in a production, including copyright and intellectual property rights issues.

    2. 8.

      Compare various theatre styles from different time periods and cultures.

      1. •

        Designing masks, puppets, props, and sets in a variety of styles

      2. •

        Describing the use of literary historical archetypes as dramatic characters

    3. 9.

      Identify ways the arts influence and are influenced by culture and politics.

    4. 10.

      Use theatre skills to communicate ideas from other curriculum areas.

    5. 11.

      Identify job requirements for a variety of theatre and theatre-related careers.

    6. 12.

      Identify various uses of technology, including the Internet, in theatrical design.

Level II Theatre

  •  

    Produce

    1. 1.

      Demonstrate use of the body and voice as creative instruments.

      1. •

        Demonstrating staging techniques

      2. •

        Participating in a variety of subtext vocal exercises accompanied by physical reactions

      3. •

        Demonstrating resonance, projection, and articulation through vocal exercises and personal vocal warm-ups

      4. •

        Performing scenarios for pantomime using characters involved in an initial incident, conflict, rising action, climax, or conclusion

      5. •

        Performing stage combat exercises

      6. •

        Demonstrating spontaneity through improvisation exercises

    2. 2.

      Analyze scripts, including dialogue, action, and expository information, to explain and justify character motivation.

      1. •

        Depicting behaviors based on interactions, ethical choices, and decisions made by characters

      2. •

        Justifying artistic choices made when rewriting an original work

      3. •

        Creating an original work in a selected theatrical style

    3. 3.

      Utilize the components of playwriting to create short scenes.

      1. •

        Illustrating language and action used to define characters

      2. •

        Interpreting metaphors, themes, and moods in scripts

      3. •

        Adapting student-written scenes for dramatic media

    4. 4.

      Create scripts that reflect specific periods, events, or cultures.

      1. •

        Demonstrating how improvised dialog and scenes can be used to tell stories and develop characters based on a variety of sources

      2. •

        Identifying ways plays can represent the time periods in which they are set

  •  

    Respond

    1.  

      Explain the functions of technical theatre.

      1. •

        Identifying roles of different members of the production staff

      2. •

        Developing sound effects to support a production

      3. •

        Designing a set for a given piece, including floor plan, set materials, props, lighting, costumes, and sound requirements

    2. 6.

      Determine criteria necessary to review a theatrical production.

    3. 7.

      Analyze selected texts to determine how they incorporate figurative language and imagery.

    4. 8.

      Use various self-evaluation processes, including journaling, rubrics, and aesthetic responses, to evaluate personal choices and performances.

  •  

    Understand

    1. 9.

      Explain the impact of social and cultural events on theatre.

      1. •

        Describing ways American history has been reflected in the theatre

    2. 10.

      Identify the major periods of theatre history.

      1. •

        Identifying major writers of various historical periods

    3. 11.

      Apply theatre skills to reflect concepts presented in other curriculum areas.

    4. 12.

      Identify ways technology has impacted theatre, including American theatre.

      1. •

        Describing the effect of modern media on live theatre

      2. •

        Describing the impact of computers and the Internet on the arts

Level III Theatre

  •  

    Produce

    1. 1.

      Create characters, situations, and events based on personal experience, literature, historic events, or research to introduce tension and suspense in a theatrical production.

      1. •

        Demonstrating exercises for physical and vocal conditioning

      2. •

        Performing pantomimes or improvisations using voice, blocking, and gesturing to depict characters and tell a story

    2. 2.

      Demonstrate an understanding of characterization and scene work through a group performance.

      1. •

        Analyzing a scene from a play read in class to adequately portray a character or action

      2. •

        Demonstrating understanding of subtext and emotion through vocal and physical work

      3. •

        Demonstrating a relationship to other characters in a scene through interaction with and reaction to other characters in the scene

      4. •

        Memorizing a scene

      5. •

        Performing a scene accurately, including actions designed during the rehearsal process

    3. 3.

      Create a video that tells a story or depicts an overall theme, including the effective use of modern technology.

      1. •

        Using various artistic camera shots, framing techniques, and digital photography to enhance a video

      2. •

        Using a storyboard to plan a scene and develop plot, character, and theme

  •  

    Respond

    1. 4.

      Interpret directional goals in scenes and plays from a variety of playwrights.

      1. •

        Analyzing the form and structure of scripts and scenes to identify theme, plot, character functions, subtext, setting, and dialogue

      2. •

        Choosing the appropriate acting style for a scene or play

    2. 5.

      Describe the impact various components of technical theatre have on a dramatic production, including lighting, sound, scenery, props, costumes, makeup, and hairstyling.

      1. •

        Identifying how technical theatre elements can be effectively used to communicate mood, character, and location in a formal and informal scripted or improvised production

      2. •

        Using computer graphics or models for theatrical design

      3. •

        Comparing different performance spaces, including arena, proscenium, thrust, and informal venues such as sidewalks and classrooms

      4. •

        Comparing stage acting to acting before a camera

    3. 6.

      Describe theatrical experiences using theatre vocabulary, including genre, style, acting values, themes, and designs.

    4. 7.

      Critique theatre productions to determine the effectiveness of verbal and nonverbal interpretation, director's intent, audience response, and technical elements.

      1. •

        Identifying strengths and weaknesses of one's personal acting voice as well as the voices of other actors

      2. •

        Differentiating between positive and negative responses to criticism

    5. 8.

      Describe the impact of audience behavior on cast performances and the impact of cast performances on audience behavior.

      1. •

        Clarifying how production space impacts both the audience and cast members

  •  

    Understand

    1. 9.

      Describe the impact history and theatre have upon each other.

      1. •

        Comparing dramatic texts to historic texts for accurate portrayal of cultural, social, and political ideas and events

      2. •

        Depicting cultural environments and historical periods through settings, props, costumes, and makeup

      3. •

        Recognizing the influence of a historic event on the work of a playwright

    2. 10.

      Identify major writers of theatre.

      1. •

        Comparing scripts of various major writers

    3. 11.

      Identify ways in which theatre originating in different times and cultures can reflect the same theme.

    4. 12.

      Compare the fundamental elements used to communicate in dance, music, theatre, dramatic media, and visual arts.

      1. •

        Defending theatre as a synthesis of all arts disciplines

Level IV Theatre

  •  

    Produce

    1. 1.

      Apply basic dramatic structure, including exposition, complication, crisis, climax, and resolution, in the script writing process.

    2. 2.

      Direct formal and informal productions by interpreting dramatic texts and organizing and conducting rehearsals.

      1. •

        Identifying various schools of thought for coaching and directing

      2. •

        Communicating effectively to a small ensemble the directional choices for improvised or scripted scenes

      3. •

        Directing a selection of scenes or a one-act play, assuming all responsibilities of a director

    3. 3.

      Demonstrate rehearsal techniques, including pacing, polishing, and vocal and physical encoding, with technical proficiency.

    4. 4.

      Create a multimedia production using advanced technologies.

      1. •

        Developing a director's notebook

      2. •

        Planning a rehearsal schedule

      3. •

        Staging production with blocking, casting, and technical designs

  •  

    Respond

    1. 5.

      Analyze classical, contemporary, realistic, and nonrealistic texts to determine character development.

      1. •

        Creating characters for a dramatization through script analysis and revision

      2. •

        Explaining choices for creation of a character's voice

      3. •

        Explaining choices for the creation of a character's physical appearance based on social and psychological dimensions

      4. •

        Improvising scenes based on dramatic texts to reveal complex characteristics of characters

    2. 6.

      Analyze productions that reflect life situations to determine how they broaden the range of human understanding.

      1. •

        Identifying personal and universal meaning in a production

      2. •

        Relating motifs, symbols, and metaphor to personal experiences

      3. •

        Communicating the personal impact of theatrical experiences

    3. 7.

      Identify requirements and responsibilities of a dramaturge.

      1. •

        Determining appropriate dialect, set, and costume design for the historical period of a play through research

    4. 8.

      Compare a variety of genres of dramatic literature using complex evaluation and terminology.

      1. •

        Identifying the use of metaphor, subtext, and symbolic elements in various genres

    5. 9.

      Analyze a dramatic work to determine its effectiveness regarding intent, structure, and quality.

  •  

    Understand

    1. 10.

      Describe the effect of historic events on works of great playwrights and screenwriters.

      1. •

        Identifying ways film, theatre, television, and electronic media influence values and behavior

      2. •

        Describing ways in which writers reflect and influence culture through their works

    2. 11.

      Analyze a variety of theatrical styles to ascertain basic commonalities.

      1. •

        Performing pieces from a variety of playwrights representing different schools of thought and specific theatre styles

      2. •

        Comparing directing and acting styles from a variety of periods

    3. 12.

      Identify career options in the dramatic arts.

      1. •

        Identifying the education, training, and work experience needed to enter an arts field

      2. •

        Developing a portfolio for audition purposes

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grade 12
When were these standards adopted?
2006
Where can I read the official document?
Alabama Course of Study: Arts Education Theatre

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