Lesson 3 of Unit Plan: Costuming

Subject: Theatre/Drama and English

Grade: 9th-12th grades (elective course)

Time: Day 3 of Unit Plan 1 block=90 minutes

Number of students:24

Diversity of students:14 females: 8 Caucasian, 4 African American, 2 Bosnian

10 males:6 African Americans, 4 Caucasian

Content:

Core Content Used: AH-H-3.1.43Research and make artistic choices for a dramatic production that reflects culture, history, and symbolism. AH-H-3.1.41Select visual and sound elements (e.g., music, sound effects, actor’s voice) to clearly support the setting of a scripted drama. [PE] (2.22, 2.23)AH-H-3.1.45Interpret dramatic works by applying knowledge and skills of the components of drama and theatre. AH-E-3.1.33Identify and discuss elements of production (scenery, costumes, props, sound and music, makeup, and roles) and elements of performance (character, movement, vocal expression, speaking style, listening, acting, storytelling) in a variety of works. (2.23, 2.24)AH-H-3.1.34Identify skills and training necessary for a variety of careers related to drama. (2.23, 2.24)

Learning Goals and Academic Expectations:2.37 Students demonstrate skills and work habits that lead to success in future schooling and work. 1.15 Students make sense of and communicate ideas with movement.

New Teacher Standards: 1.1Focuses on one or more of Kentucky’s student academic expectations. 6.1 Identifies or recognizes situations when and where collaboration with others will enhance learning for students.

Objectives:

  1. Students will recall information concerning fairy tales to create costumes.
  2. Students will exhibit good cooperation skills while demonstrating teamwork.
  3. Students will practice their listening skills while the teacher discusses different methods for finding costumes.
  4. Students will understand that costuming helps form a character analysis.
  5. Students will realize costuming can be done with household products.
  6. Students will demonstrate their creativity in creating costumes.
  7. Students will show respect for costumes by learning how to remove stains from certain fabrics commonly used in costumes.
  8. Students will remember the four main things to remember when making or choosing a costume. (Aesthetics, Movement on stage, ages of actors and actresses, and inhibitions of actors and actresses)
  9. Students will appreciate make-up and learn the necessities for make-up design.
  10. Students will become analytical thinkers through creating costumes that seem to fit the personality of characters.

Rationale: This is the last activity before the exit exhibition. The students final lesson is this series is to learn to develop costumes. This is extremely important in the world of theatre because every show uses some sort of costumes. Students will learn that instead of spending money, they can create costumes from common household items. This activity will help students make costumes for the play they will soon perform.

Activity:

  1. Students will listen to a brief lecture over the fundamentals of costuming.
  2. Students will follow along with a Costuming Made Easy brochure created by a Western Kentucky University theatre class.
  3. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions after the class discussion.
  4. Students will witness a demonstration on removing stains.
  5. Students will count off and move into the designated group according to their number. (6 groups of 4)
  6. Each group will randomly select an index card with the name of a popular fairy tale on the back.
  7. Each group will be allowed to send two people to the costuming trunks filled with household items in the front of the classroom.
  8. Students will select items that could be used to create costumes for character from their fairy tale.
  9. Each group member will dress up and someone or something from the fairy tale.
  10. Students will have approximately 20 minutes to develop costumes.
  11. Each group will pose in front of the class while the other groups guess their fairy tale.
  12. Each group will have their picture taken for future classes to see their performance.
  13. Students will neatly return their costumes to the costuming trunks.
  14. As students leave the class, they will be asked to randomly select a time period out of a hat.
  15. For homework, the class will draw an appropriate costume for the time period they selected.

Strategies:

  1. The teacher will be prepared with handouts and lecture material.
  2. The teacher will perform a demonstration of stain removal.
  3. The teacher will pass around a book on historic costumes for students see.
  4. The teacher will discuss different methods of finding costumes for a show.
  5. The teacher will make index cards with popular fairy tales titles written on them for the activity.
  6. The teacher will organize a method of grouping students.
  7. The teacher will help students be creative in their costume design activity.
  8. The teacher will fill plastic containers with costuming materials.
  9. The teacher will encourage creativity and productivity.
  10. The teacher will monitor assembly time for costumes.
  11. The teacher will take pictures of each group’s presentation.
  12. The teacher will prepare pieces of paper with various time periods on them for students to sketch costumes for homework.

Resources and materials:

Costuming trunks

Lecture material

30 brochures on costuming

Index cards with fairy tale titles on them

Paper cut-outs with various time periods on them

Historic Costumes in Pictures

Extra copies of Vocabulary sheets

Stain removal products and stained material

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their ability to stay on task during the activity.

Students will be assessed their participation in homework, its accuracy and creativity.

Students will be assessed on their group creativity.

Students will be assessed on their cooperation and attitude during the activity.

Students will be assessed on their realistic depiction of the characters from the short story allowing the class to clearly distinguish the fairy tale.

Time periods and key words for students to draw as homework

The Great Depression / Victorian Age / World War
One / American
Colonial / 1960’s
Old
West / Prehistoric / Elizabethan
Time / Native
American / Civil
War
1920’s / 1980’s
Punk Rock / Medieval
Time / Futuristic
2100’s / Pioneers
In
America
American
Immigrant
In early
1900’s / 1st class
passenger
on
Titanic / 3rd class
passenger
on
Titanic / 1970’s / Vikings
Revolutionary
War / Gothic
Period / Ice Age / Industrial
Age / Aztec
Empire