Unit Plan for an 8th Grade Design Unit

Student objectives: Students will be able to use vocabulary of designers to describe

theatrical images. They will also be able to work collaboratively with other student
designers, create their own designs for theatre, and constructively critique each others
work to create the most thorough design world possible for a production.
Jonathan Martin
Professor Leah Kirkpatrick
Lesson 1
A. Title of activity
- Lights, Sound, and PropsOh My!
B. Context of the activity
- My 8th grade class has been working on performing a play called Once upon a
Crime. Today, we will begin a design unit centered on learning how to
effectively design for a production that the students are already familiar with.
C. Concepts to be covered
- Students will learn how to describe what they are seeing and hearing in
lighting, props, and sound design. They will also learn what is required to
prepare for designing in these fields.
D. Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to use proper vocabulary to describe three of the design
elements of production, and will be able to think critically about how they
would effectively translate story through these elements.
E. SOLs
8.4 The student will work collaboratively to achieve unified productions,
demonstrating respect for self and others as well as for the theatrical form. 8.9 The
student will analyze the playwrights use of character, setting, and theme in a script to
convey meaning. 8.12 The student will design and use two technical elements (e.g.,
lighting, scenery, costumes, properties, sound) to illustrate environment, character,
mood, and/or theatrical style. 8.13 The student will fulfill the duties and
responsibilities of a production staff member. 8.23 The student will demonstrate the
ability to accept and utilize constructive criticism.
F. Materials needed
- For this lesson, I simply need my classroom. I will also have a PowerPoint
presentation complete with images from various productions, as well as some
sound cues on hand to play for students.
G. Procedure

Introduction/Warm up (10 minutes) To start, I will have students list the

design elements they can think of and define what these are and how they
affect theatre.
Implementation of Lesson (45 minutes) I will move through each design
element individually. For lights, I will show pictures to the students and ask
them to describe what they are seeing and how it affects the environment. As
we move through the images, I will teach them added vocabulary to use, such
as gobo, contrast, gel, and value. For props, I will briefly show some images
and have the students brainstorm what types of props are possible (furniture,
stage weapons, food, etc.) Finally, I will play sound cues for the class and ask
them to decide what the sound cue represents. We will talk about the quality
of sound, and explain what a cue list is.
Wrap-up (5 minutes) We will recap each design element and briefly
discuss what makes someone successful in each.

H. Modifications for students with special needs

- Showing images will help this lesson feel more concrete and less abstract.
Working as a class to work through these will ensure no student in put on the
spot to come up with ideas/answers.
I. What could go wrong?
- Students may have never experienced these elements, so the first day could
consist a lot of me explaining and lecturing. Hopefully, students will be
willing to describe the images. To assist with this, I will choose images from
productions they are hopefully more familiar with (Tarzan, Lion King, Little
Mermaid, Mary Poppins, etc)
J. Assessing learning
- My main assessment will be listening to the students apply vocabulary they
are learning and effectively describe the images they see. Today will be
primarily informal assessment.

Lesson 2
A. Title of activity
- Scenic Design
B. Context of the activity
- My 8th grade class just finished talking about basic design ideas, and learning
specifically about lights, sound, and props. Today we move on to set design
and scenic environment.
C. Concepts to be covered
- Students will learn how to describe what they are seeing in a scenic design,
and will learn some of the basic symbols used in ground plans.
D. Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to use proper vocabulary to describe scenic design, and
they will be able to create their own basic ground plans.
E. SOLs
8.4 The student will work collaboratively to achieve unified productions,
demonstrating respect for self and others as well as for the theatrical form. 8.9 The
student will analyze the playwrights use of character, setting, and theme in a script to
convey meaning. 8.12 The student will design and use two technical elements (e.g.,
lighting, scenery, costumes, properties, sound) to illustrate environment, character,
mood, and/or theatrical style. 8.13 The student will fulfill the duties and
responsibilities of a production staff member. 8.23 The student will demonstrate the
ability to accept and utilize constructive criticism.
F. Materials needed
- For this lesson, I need my classroom and projector. I will have a slide show
prepared with production images. I will also provided paper with an outline of
a stage so students can practice their own ground plans.
G. Procedure
- Introduction/Warm up (5 minutes) To start, I will have students recap the
design elements we discusses last class, then quickly list things that would be
part of a scenic design.
- Implementation of Lesson (45 minutes) I will present the images of scenic
designs and have the students discuss what they are noticing. They will learn
to better describe what they are seeing through guided discussions. We will
then go over the preparation work required of a scenic designer (ground plans,
white models, color models, elevations, etc.) Finally, I will give each student a
blank ground plan and give them the opportunity to design the set for Once
upon a Crime, connecting it back to the play they have been rehearsing for
weeks.

Wrap-up (10 minutes) We will recap what scenic design is, and students
will have the opportunity to share their ground plans.

H. Modifications for students with special needs

- Showing images will help this lesson feel more concrete and less abstract. The
hands-on experience of designing sets will give students an opportunity to
work artistically on their own, which could be useful for kinesthetic learners. I
also will not require students to present their ground plans, so that no student
feels pressured by the assignment.
I. What could go wrong?
- Students may not know how to describe what they are seeing. Hopefully, the
previous class lesson will help them, and similarly to the other lesson, I will
choose images from productions they are hopefully more familiar with
(Tarzan, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, etc). Students who think
they are not good at drawing may not want to sketch a ground plan. I will
assist them by informing them that beauty is not necessary, it is more about
communicating ideas. I will teach them symbols needed (doors, chairs, etc) so
they do not feel the need to specifically draw out everything.
J. Assessing learning
- I will be listening to the students apply vocabulary they are learning and
effectively describe the images they see. I will also collect the ground plans so
that I can make sure students that do not participate in the discussion are still
actively engaged in the experience. The ground plans will be given a
completion grade, not be graded based on ability.

Lesson 3
A. Title of activity
- Costume Design, featuring guest speaker Stephen Marks.
B. Context of the activity
- My 8th grade class has covered scenic, lighting, sound, and prop design. Today
we will finish the last design element.
C. Concepts to be covered
- Students will learn how to describe what they are seeing in a costume design,
and how to make informed choices about character and setting when
designing costumes.
D. Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to use proper vocabulary to describe costumes, and they
will be able to render their own costumes.
E. SOLs
8.4 The student will work collaboratively to achieve unified productions,
demonstrating respect for self and others as well as for the theatrical form. 8.9 The
student will analyze the playwrights use of character, setting, and theme in a script
to convey meaning. 8.12 The student will design and use two technical elements (e.g.,
lighting, scenery, costumes, properties, sound) to illustrate environment, character,
mood, and/or theatrical style. 8.13 The student will fulfill the duties and
responsibilities of a production staff member. 8.23 The student will demonstrate the
ability to accept and utilize constructive criticism.
F. Materials needed
- For this lesson, I need my classroom and projector. I will have Stephen Marks
a JMU student costume designer who has worked professionally come in
to speak to the class about his process. We will also provide blank outlines of
people for the students to render on.
G. Procedure
- Introduction/Warm up (10 minutes) To start, I will have students recap
the design elements we have discussed so far. I will also introduce Stephen
and allow him to chat briefly about his experience.
- Implementation of Lesson (45 minutes) Stephen will show various images
of costumes and have students describe what they are seeing (with my
guidance in this discussion.) Then, we will give each student a body outline
and give them the opportunity to design the costume for any character in
Once upon a Crime.
- Wrap-up (5 minutes) Students will have the opportunity to share their
renderings if they wish to.

H. Modifications for students with special needs

- Showing images will help this lesson feel more concrete and less abstract. The
hands-on experience of designing costumes will help artistic students
demonstrate their comprehension. Individual work for this assignment will
give every student a safe place to explore their own ideas without fear of
judgment.
I. What could go wrong?
- Students may not respect a guest speaker the way they respect me, which is
why I will be present and guiding the conversation and class discussion. Also,
students may not want to render costumes, which is why I will collect them at
the end of class so that students know to take it seriously.
J. Assessing learning
I will be listening to the students apply vocabulary they are learning and effectively
describe the images they see. I will also collect the renderings so that I can make sure
students that do not participate as actively in the discussion are still actively engaged in
the experience. I will grade the renderings on completion, not on artistic ability.

Lesson 4
A. Title of activity
- Design Teams
B. Context of the activity
- My 8th grade class has covered all five design elements and is now ready to
begin practical work on designing.
C. Concepts to be covered
- Students will learn how to work collaboratively in a group to design for a
production.
D. Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to work with their group to design in their area, and they
will be able to produce the materials necessary for a design presentation in
their field.
E. SOLs
8.4 The student will work collaboratively to achieve unified productions,
demonstrating respect for self and others as well as for the theatrical form. 8.9 The
student will analyze the playwrights use of character, setting, and theme in a script to
convey meaning. 8.12 The student will design and use two technical elements (e.g.,
lighting, scenery, costumes, properties, sound) to illustrate environment, character,
mood, and/or theatrical style. 8.13 The student will fulfill the duties and
responsibilities of a production staff member. 8.23 The student will demonstrate the
ability to accept and utilize constructive criticism.
F. Materials needed
- For this lesson, I need my classroom, and I will also have a set of Google
Chrome books in the class.
G. Procedure
- Introduction/Warm up (10 minutes) To start, I will have students rank the
design positions they want to work on. I will then look these over and assign
teams, trying to place students in a design element they will enjoy working on,
and also in a group that they can be productive with.
- Implementation of Lesson (45 minutes) In their groups, I will have
students discuss how they want to approach the process. Lighting students will
be responsible for finding concept images and explaining what the lighting
concept would be. Sound designers will need to look up sound cues and also
select pre-show and intermission music. Props masters will need to make a
props list and eventually pull props from the drama closet. Costume designers
will need to render for the characters of the play and eventually will need to
pull costumes from the closet. This will be the largest group since they have

more renderings to provide. Scenic designers will need to provide a ground

plan and will be responsible for setting up the stage for the performances.
Wrap-up (5 minutes) Students will upload concept images to a Google
Drive I created for the production. They will also need time to put away
Chrome books properly.

H. Modifications for students with special needs

- I will be very intentional in the groups that I make for this class. I will put
students in groups where I know they can be most productive and learn the
most from their fellow collaborators. I will also be floating between each
group to assist as needed.
I. What could go wrong?
- Students may not be happy with their group, but I will be specific about their
placements. Also some groups may have one or two students carrying the
load, which is why I will float around and ensure every student contributes.
J. Assessing learning
I will be listening to the students in their design teams to make sure equal participation is
occurring. I will also give each group a base grade based on the images they submit to the
Google drive.

Lesson 5
A. Title of activity
- Design Presentations
B. Context of the activity
- My 8th grade class has been working in their design teams and is now ready
for the first design presentation.
C. Concepts to be covered
- Students will learn how to work collaboratively in a group to design for a
production, and how to present these ideas to other designers and receive
feedback.
D. Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to work with their group to design in their area, and they
will be able to produce the materials necessary for a design presentation in
their field. They will also be able to present these materials/ideas to the class
and respond to questions and accept constructive criticism.
E. SOLs
8.4 The student will work collaboratively to achieve unified productions,
demonstrating respect for self and others as well as for the theatrical form. 8.9 The
student will analyze the playwrights use of character, setting, and theme in a script to
convey meaning. 8.12 The student will design and use two technical elements (e.g.,
lighting, scenery, costumes, properties, sound) to illustrate environment, character,
mood, and/or theatrical style. 8.13 The student will fulfill the duties and
responsibilities of a production staff member. 8.23 The student will demonstrate the
ability to accept and utilize constructive criticism.
F. Materials needed
- For this lesson, I need my classroom, and I will also have a set of Google
Chrome books in the class.
G. Procedure
- Introduction/Warm up (5 minutes) To start, I will recap what is expected
from each group, and I will let them grab Chrome books if needed.
- Implementation of Lesson (30 minutes) In their groups, I will have
students finish as much as they can in their design areas. I will have them
finish all the paperwork needed. For example, costumes will not need to go
pull specific costumes yet, they will simply need to have sketches ready to
express their ideas.
- Wrap-up (25 minutes) Each group will have 5 minutes to present their
ideas/materials to the class and receive feedback.

H. Modifications for students with special needs

- I will continue floating between each group to assist as needed. Additionally,
by presenting in groups, the students will be able to work out who is going to
speak so not every student needs to present if they are not comfortable
speaking to the class.
I. What could go wrong?
- Some groups may have more completed than others, which could make other
groups feel inferior. I will work to compliment and offer suggestions to each
group evenly so that everyone knows what they did well and feels successful,
while still being aware of how to proceed in order to improve.
J. Assessing learning
I will be listening to the students in their design teams to make sure equal participation is
occurring. I will also informally assess each groups presentation to ensure that they knew
what they were saying, and I will collect all their materials after class to assign a grade
based on effort and completion.