Lesson Plan : Musical Theatre

Lesson Description This lesson will contain information about the various aspects of the musical theater. Through introduction and review of vocabulary used in the musical theater, and demonstration, this lesson will provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to view a musical production, and write a critical review

Objectives
Students will become familiar with the three basic components of the musical theater : singing, dancing, and acting. Students will be broken into three groups to watch and write a critical review a musical theatre performance(either live or taped), focusing on a specific component of the production. Students will then share the review with the class, and be rated based on a rubric.

Grade Level
This lesson can be used with students grades 4+ and can be adapted for older students using a deeper analysis of the production.

Concepts Covered in this lesson
a. Content area - music, dance and theatre, writing
b. Teaching method - direct instruction, group instruction and cooperative learning

Materials/Equipment
VCR and Video of a musical
Reviews from your local newspaper for comparison, or online reviews.

Procedures - lesson outline
1. Hand out the vocabulary list, and do an online scavenger hunt. If internet technology is unavailable, have students look up the words in the dictionary, or work in teams to find the answers.
2. Beginning with the term "Musical Theater", each word needs to be defined, and if possible, demonstrated.
3. Ask students to watch a short excerpt from a musical, and have them explain the three most important components of the musical are (singing, dancing, and acting).
4. Discussion question A."When you see a musical, or a movie, or a play, what do you find enjoyable? What elements keep you interested?"
5. Discussion question B."If you haven't seen a show, how do you decide if you want to see it?" (discuss the critic's job)
6. Explain to the students that they will now have a chance to become critics. Break them into three groups, and assign each group a component:singing, dancing, or acting.
7. Show another short clip from the musical for a writing sample. The students will now write a short three point paragraph using the words from the vocabulary list to describe what they are seeing. Topic Statement, and three supporting comments should be contained within the sample. Tell students to describe what they see first, and then give their opinions in their supporting paragraphs.
8. Pick a few papers to share with the class, and critique them Based on the following rubric:
A Rating of 4 : Well written, structure is defined, the student demonstrated a knowledge of the vocabulary words and used them appropriately.
A Rating of 3: Nice start, loses a bit of focus, and could use more appropriate words
A Rating of 2 : Student needs to use more supporting examples, but shows effort
A Rating of 1 : No focus, or use of vocabulary words. The student states the show as good, or bad without supportive evidence and specific examples
9. Show the musical all the way through. Students will jot down notes in groups while watching the video or live production.
10. Students will compare their notes within their groups, and write one review per group
11. Students will share their review and recieve a grade based on the rubrics provided

Evaluation

Discussion Question, " If you are going to see a musical production in the future, what information did you learn today will help you decide whether you should tell your friends to see it?"