VOLUME II ISSUE I
E ng lish Newsletter
CONTENTS Drama in the English Classroom: the Voice
1.1-2.1
DRAMA IN THE ENGLISH 1.1 Drama in the English
CLASSROOM-THE VOICE
curriculum is often
either relegated
3.1- 4.1 OUR FAVORITE
AUTHORS! to the occasional
oral reading of a
Arthur Miller, and Tennessee
Williams & George Bernard Shaw script from a text,
and Henrik Ibsen or it is studied as a
distinct genre apart
4.2 WEBSITES FOR from short stories, poems, and
novels. If drama becomes
THEATRE
performance, then we separate
4.3 IN MEMORIAM
the drama from our classroom
Some writers we have lost this
and it becomes “theatre” and is
year. .
taught by the drama teacher or
4.4 BULLETIN BOARD theatre teacher, but not often in
IDEAS the “English” class. I taught
5.1 YOUR PROFESSIONAL drama for all of my 33 years
LIBRARY- DRAMA
and I incorporated it into all my
RESOURCE BOOKS
classes, not just those that were
5.2 FAMOUS AUTHOR designated as “theater” or
BIRTHDAYS “drama”. This article will focus
5.3 RECOMMENDED on vocal activities that mix
READING literature and vocal practices.
5.4 BOOKS INTO MOVIES I.Reader’s Theatre: This
dramatic form has many
6.1 Puppet Play Assignment advantages. You can use any
reading material, including non-
7.1 Creating a Model Set
fiction pieces, to create a script.
Using simple materials to
Students do not need or use
create a 3-D diorama or model
props, costumes, or other
set for drama or English classes.
common drama equipment,
although you may add such
things if you wish. The focus is
on the text the performer is
reading. Students are allowed to
have text/scripts in hand and to
read from that. It helps to
encourage readers to practice
before performance. This
ENGLISH NEWSLETTER VOLUME I I WINTER 2008-2009
WINTER 2008-2009
reduces the risk for the student.
Creating a script and practicing
helps readers recognize the
different voices that exist in a
text: concepts of tone,
subtext,and character. The
following websites are excellent
resources:
Reader’s
Theatre
scripts:
http:/
www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE.html
Reader’s
Theatre
scripts:
http://
www.teachingheart.netreaderstheat
er.htm
Reader’s
Theatre
Lesson:
http://
www.readwritethink.org/lessons/
lesson_view.asp?id=172
Script
formatting
sample:
http:/
www.proteacher.com/cgi‐bin/
outsidesite.cgi?
id=11452&external=http://
www.humboldt.edu/~jmf2/
Jloss323rt.script.example.html&orig
inal=http://www.proteacher.com/
070173.shtml&title=An
%20Example%20of%20Script
%20Formatting
Reader’s
Theatre
Basics:

http://
bms.westport.k12.ct.us/
mccormick/rt/
RTHOME.htm
II.Choral Reading is not for
the elementary school alone.
High school students can enjoy
the activity as well. Although it
is similar to Reader’s Theatre, it
relies more on group
reading than RT
has to. Voices can
be divided by
BELINDA BAIR 1
 VOLUME II ISSUE I
male/female, high, low, etc.
Pacing, tempo, rhythm are more
important . Listening skills are
enhanced so that everyone in a
group will be speaking in unison.
Begin with whole group reading
and then re-read several times
changing the pattern each time.
Poetry and play text work best.
There are a number of ways to
organize the reading: 1. unison -
everyone reads aloud together;
2. two part with group
alternating with another - girls
vs. boys for example; 3. solos
and chorus. One person speaks
and a group responds. 4. varying
volume during the reading; 5.
read with musical
accompaniment. The act of
choral reading is the origin of
theatre - all Old Greek theatre
was choral reading. Thespis
created the first actor when he
had one performer speak alone
in front of the chorus. I used to
choose a poem and have
students read it aloud several
times - each time a different
style. Finally we would add in
music and match the rhythm.
Sometimes we would add
movement to match the text or
the mood. This is a great way to
help struggling readers, to
improve vocal performance, and
best of all to engage a text in a
personal and fun way. Some
websites with additional info:
Choral
Reading:
http://
members.tripod.com/~emu1967/
choral.htm
Choral
Reading:
http://
www.edb.utexas.edu/
readstrong/
choralreading.html
ENGLISH NEWSLETTER
Choral
Reading
lesson:
 http://www.thematzats.com/
http://www.classzone.com/
books/
language_of_lit_gr06/
page_build.cfm?
content=sl_choral_reading_u
5&u=5
Choral
Reading
sample:
 Format
for
a
Radio
Script:
http://loiswalker.com/
choralgh.html
Story
Theatre:
http://
www.ncela.gwu.edu/practice/itc/
lessons/storytheater.htm
Choral
reading
guide:
 shows:
http://
www.readwritethink.org/
lesson_images/lesson1121/
IntroductionandGuidelinesChoralR
eading.pdf
Choral reading also helps
students understand concepts of
alliteration, rhyme, meter, and
onomatopoeia.
III.Radio Theatre: RT and CR
are related to Radio Theatre in
that they
emphasize the
voice, but a radio
script allows students more
freedom to use sound effects,
background music, and create
character voices. Scripts can be
found online and can be written
by students based on stories,
plays, or novels they are
reading. Since a radio show has
to fit a set time, a script needs to
condense and abridge the
original and the process of
writing helps students focus on
main ideas, key events, adapting
text to script etc. Some websites
to help with this:
Radio
Days
–
a
wonderful

webquest
with
many
resources:
 custom/portlets/recordDetails/
VOLUME I I WINTER 2008-2009
WINTER 2009
radio/
Old
Time
Radio
–
the
Golden

Years:
http://www.old‐
time.com/golden_age/
index.html


http://
www.greatnorthernaudio.com
/audio_theater/format.txt
Vintage
Radio
scripts:
over

130
scripts
from
classic

www.genericradio.com/
library.php
Writing
for
Radio:
http://
www.balancepublishing.comCl
assroomWritingWritingStruct
ure.htm
IV.Oral Interpretation: This
performance art usually is a solo
activity. High schools and
college often include this as part
of their forensics (speech)
teams. A good starter activity is
to have students read aloud a
children’s book to a group.
Performing
Oral
Interpretation:

http://www.scsk12.org/
STT99_WQ/STT99/Houston_HS/
parkern3/TheatresWebPg/POI.htm
Oral
Interpretation:
http://
glory.gc.maricopa.edu/~kshinema/
INTERPMAIN1.HTML
Oral
Interpretation:
http://
debate.uvm.edu/NFL/rostrumlib/
interpJigliola0295.pdf
Oral
Interpretation:

http://unjobs.org/tags/
oral‐interpretation
Oral
Interpretation
in

Competition:
http://
www.lhup.edu/speechNdebate/
oralinterp.html
Teaching
Oral
Interp:
http://
eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/
detailmini.jsp?
BELINDA BAIR 2
 VOLUME II ISSUE I
_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_Searc
hValue_0=ED098642&ERICExtSearc
h_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED0986
42
3.1 Our Favorite Authors!
It is impossible to include all the
wonderful playwrights who have
enriched our literary canon. So I have
chosen four whose work transformed
the art of playwriting in profound
ways. This issue’s favorite authors
represent four distinctly different
‘voices’ in the American and World
Theatre. Most high school curriculums
include one or more of these authors’
works.
Arthur Miller: With plays such as All
My Sons, Death of a Salesman, and
The Crucible, Miller showed a
profound
understanding of the
desperation of the
middle class, the impact
of events beyond their
control and the conflict
between the struggle
for the American Dream and the
reality of modern life.A recent revival
of All My Sons , currently playing on
Broadway, is especially contemporary
as an anti-war play. Although set in
the Salem witch trials, The Crucible is
a thinly veiled condemnation of the
madness of the Communist witch-
hunts of the McCarthy Era but it also
has insights into the dangers of
authoritarianism. His plays offer rich
opportunities for discussion and
analysis because most of these issues
continue to haunt us.
Arthur
Miller
–
a
PBS
American
 dynamics.
Master:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/
americanmasters/episodes/arthur‐
miller/none‐without‐sin/56/
Arthur
Miller
biography:
http://
www.kirjasto.sci.Ji/amiller.htm
Arthur
Miller
lesson
plans:
http://
www.webenglishteacher.com/
miller.html
The
Crucible
Lesson
Plan:
http://
edsitement.neh.gov/
view_lesson_plan.asp?id=440
Arthur
Miller
lesson
plans:
http://
www.lessonplanet.com/search?
keywords=arthur+miller&rating=3
The
Crucible
lesson
plan:
http://
www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cruc/
crucsg1.html
ENGLISH NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2009
Death
of
a
Salesman
guide:
http:// Streetcar
Named
Desire
Lesson

www.teachervision.fen.com/ Plan:
http://
curriculum‐planning/teaching‐ www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/
methods/3499.html printables/penguin/Streetcar.pdf
Death
of
a
Salesman
lesson
plan:
 TW
–
Online
Literary
Criticism:

http://www.teach‐nology.com/ http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/
lessons/lsn_pln_view_lessons.php? litcrit.out.pl?au=wil‐74
action=view&cat_id=4&lsn_id=1785
4
Plays to Movies: Many of TW
works were made into movies with
Plays
to
Movies: Streetcar... filmed at least 3 times.

 All My Sons (1948)
All My Sons (1986) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Broken Glass (1996) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1984)
The Crucible (1957) The Fugitive Kind (1960)
The Glass Menagerie (1987)
The Crucible (1996)
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
Death of a Salesman (1986)
Everybody Wins (1990) A
Streetcar
Named
Desire
(1951)
Focus (2001) A
Streetcar
Named
Desire
(1984)
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ A
Streetcar
Named
Desire
(1995)
Tennessee
Williams:
 ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
With
plays
such
as
Cat
on
a
Hot
Tin
 George
Bernard

Roof,

The
Glass
Menagerie,

and
 Shaw:
Perhaps
most

Streetcar
Named
 famous
for
Pygmalion

Desire,
Williams
 which
was
adapted

established
his
place
 into
My
Fair
Lady,

as
one
of
America’s
 Shaw
has
many
other

greatest
playwrights.
 plays
worthy
of
study

More
than
Miller,
 and
discussion
such
as

Williams
was
a
 Man
and
Superman,
Arms
and
the

deeply
personal
playwright
whose
 Man,
and
Major
Barbara.

Shaw
used

subjects
often
reJlected
the
pain
and
 his
plays
as
a
forum
for
exploring
his

pathos
of
his
own
life.
His
plays
are
a
 deeply
socialist
views
on

morals,

character
driven
exploration
of
the
 politics
and
economics.
These
plays

human
experience
.
The
Glass
 offered
witty
commentary
on

Menagerie

is
probably
the
best
to
 important
issues
of
the
day,
many
of

teach
at
the
high
school
level
and
 which
are
just
as
relevant
today.


provides
many
opportunities
for
 GB
Shaw:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
discussion
of
complex
family
 wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw
GB
Shaw
lesson
plans:
http://
Tennessee
Williams:
http:// www.webenglishteacher.com/
www.imagi‐nation.com/ shaw.html
moonstruck/clsc9.htm Arms
and
the
Man
pdf
unit
plan:

TW
Lesson
Plans:
http:// http://www.shakespearefest.org/
www.webenglishteacher.com/ PDFs/Arms_Man%20Guide%20.pdf
twilliams.html The
Pygmalion
Effect
Drama

lesson
plan­http://www.yale.edu/
The
Glass
Menagerie
Study
Guide:

ynhti/curriculum/units/
http://www.latw.org/acrobat/
1985/2/85.02.06.x.html
glass.pdf
Pygmalion
Study
Guide
Questions:

Streetcar
Named
Desire
Lesson
 http://drcsbritlit.blogspot.com/
Plan:
http://artsedge.kennedy‐ 2008/11/pygmalion‐study‐
center.org/content/3277/ questions.html
Streetcar
Named
Desire
Lesson
 ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
Plan:
http://www.southernct.edu/ Henrik
Ibsen:
Modern
theatre
owes

organizations/hcr/2001/nonJiction/ Ibsen
a
huge
debt.
He
introduced
the

lessonplan.htm concept
of
realism
in
plays.
Widely

regarded
as
the
‘father
of
modern

VOLUME I I WINTER 2008-2009 BELINDA BAIR 3
 VOLUME II ISSUE II
WINTER 2009

drama,’
he
believed
in
creating
a
 http://fuzzyco.com/super/improv/ cancer. His work excited and

drama
focused
on
important
ideas
 games.html terrified us as well as caused us to
and
he
had
a
wide‐ranging
interest
 Improv Encyclopedia: http:// think about how science and
in
social
issues.
A
Doll’s
House
 technology impact our lives.
www.improvencyclopedia.org/
Although he wrote non-fiction, he is
explores
the
repressive
nature
of
 index.html best remembered for his “fiction as
marriage;
Enemy
of

The Living Playbook – improv fact” style in novels such as Jurrasic
the
People
explores
 Park, Prey, Andromeda Strain and
terms and activities: http://
the
individual
vs.
 Congo. He contributed his many
www.unexpectedproductions.org/
society
and
is
hugely
 talents to television and movies as
living_playbook.htm
relevant
today.
 well.
Ghosts

challenges
 Theatre History: http:// =========================
conventional
views
 www.theatrehistory.com/
of
morality
both
 4.4 Bulletin Board Ideas
Theatre History: http://
Victorian
and
 www.cwu.edu/~robinsos/ppages/ 1. Create a bulletin board
contemporary.
Homosexuality,
STDs,
 highlighting books that feature
resources/Theatre_History/
inJidelity,
and
psychological
trauma
 winter or snow in the title. Below
were
subjects
Ibsen
explored
in
his
 Theatre History: http:// is a list of examples:
many
Jine
dramas.
Although
A
Doll’s
 www.videoccasions-nw.com/ Winter
Books:Brian’s

House
is
most
often
taught,
other
 history/jack.html Winter

by
Gary
Paulson

Ibsen
plays
are
worth
teaching
as
 Theatre lessons: http:// (teen
Jiction)
well. www.webenglishteacher.com/ The
Coldest
Winter

by
David

Henrik
Ibsen
lesson
plans:
http:// dramagen.html Halberstam
(U.S.
and
the
Korean

www.lessonplanet.com/search? War)(NF)
keywords=henrik+ibsen&rating=3 =======================
Winter
Study

by
Nevada
Barr

4.3 In Memoriam (mystery)
Ibsen
notes:
http://
script.vtheatre.net/ibsen.html It’s always sad The
Long
Winter

by
Laura
Ingalls

when we lose Wilder
(youth
Jiction)
Novellinks
for
HI:
http:// gifted writers
who have Winter
World:
the
ingenuity
of

english.byu.edu/novelinks/Novel
enriched our Animal
Survival

by
Bernd
Heinrich

%20Pages/Doll's%20house.htm
lives and (NF)
broadened our The
Winter
Solstice:
The
Sacred

Ibsen
Literary
Criticism:
http://
appreciation for Traditions
of
Christmas

by
John

www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/ our culture and
litcrit.out.pl?au=ibs‐295 Matthews
(NF)
life. We lost two
such writers in October - Studs
Hedda
Gabler
lit.
analysis:
http:// Turkel, whose oral histories are Winter’s
Heart
(book
9
of
Wheel
of

www.helium.com/items/149636‐ amazing for their insights into the Time)

by
Robert
Jordan
(fantasy)
literary‐analysis‐hedda‐gabler‐by‐ American experience. Generations The
Winter
Queen
by
Boris
Akunin

henrik‐ibsen will know us better because he (historical
mystery)
asked us the important questions ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
============================ and recorded our Snow:
A
Retelling
of
Snow
White…

4.2 Websites of thoughts. by
Tracy
Lynn

Theatre Interest Tony Hillerman Snow
Crash

by
Neal
Stephenson

Teaching Drama in was one of my (SF)
the Classroom: http:// favorite mystery Snow
Falling
on
Cedars

by
David

www.angelfire.com/ writers and I will Guterson
ego/edp303/index.html miss the opportunity Snow
Treasure
by
Marie
McSwigan

to enjoy more of his (youth
Jiction)
Theatre Games: http:// wonderfully complex
www.creativedrama.com/ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
and exciting stories.
theatre.htm I
Have
a
Dream...

Using
Martin

He revealed the world
Theatre Lesson Plans: http:// of Navaho in ways few Luther
King
as
a
starting
point
,
have

www.teach-nology.com/teachers/ writers have done. students
write
out
their
dreams
on

lesson_plans/arts/drama/ index
cards
and
post
on
a
bulletin

Michael Crichton
board
next
to
a
poster/picture
of

Fuzzyʼs Game List: List of died in November
theatre games w/description: after a long battle with MLK.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
ENGLISH NEWSLETTER VOLUME I I WINTER 2008-2009 BELINDA BAIR 4
 VOLUME II ISSUE I WINTER 2009

Inauguration
Day:

Create
a
bulletin
 Jan.
27
–
Lewis
Carroll For
more
detail
on
all
these
books


board
with
pictures
of
recent
 Feb.
1
–
Langston
Hughes plus
many
other
recommended

Presidents.
Compare
the
inaugural
 Feb.
2
‐
James
Dickey,
Ayn
 books
of
all
types,
including

addresses
of
2‐3
20th
century
 Rand,
James
Joyce cookbooks,
graphic
novels,
mysteries

Presidents.
 Feb.
3
‐
James
Michener,
 etc.
check
out
this
website:
http://
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Gertrude
Stein www.npr.org/templates/story/
Chinese
New
Year
­

focus
on
 Feb.
7
–
Charles
Dickens,
 story.php?storyId=96539642
writers,
novels,
etc.
of
China.
 Laura
Ingalls
Wilder ============================
============================ Feb.
8
–
Jules
Verne 5. 4 Upcoming Movies from
5.1 YOUR PROFESSIONAL Feb.
11
–
Jane
Yolen Books
RESOURCES Feb.
12
–
Judy
Blume
**Theatre Games for Feb.
26
‐
Victor
Hugo Inkheart

based
on

Young Performers: Feb.
27
–
Henry
Wadsworth
 the
popular
fantasy

Improvisations and Longfellow,
John
Steinbeck series
about
book

Exercises for ============================ characters
who
come

Developing Acting Skills by 5.3 2008 Books Recommended to
life
and
the
readers
who
become

Maria C. Novelly. Includes excellent for Reading book
characters
themselves.

activities for Vocal Presentations, Recommended by NPR
 (January)
Improvisations, and Pantomime. If American
Wife
by
Curtis
Sittenfeld
you have never taught drama and Tallgrass

by
Sanora
Dallas He’s
Just
Not
That
Into
You

want something that is easy to I
See
You
Everywhere

by
Julia
 (PG‐13)
based
on
the
humor
of
the

follow and creative, this is the book Glass book
by
the
same
name.
(January)
I would recommend. It is almost a Unaccustomed
Earth

by
Jhumpa

complete curriculum in itself. Lahiri Killshot
based
on
the
Elmore

Includes suggested worksheet Mrs.
Astor
Regrets

by
Meryl
 Leonard
thriller

(Jan.)
guides for students. (Amazon 4+ Gordon
(NF)
stars) $12.21 The
Last
Templar
based
on
the

Recommended by novel
will
be
on
TV
as
a
mini
series

The
Drama
Teacher’s
Survival

 Nancy Pearl Jan.
25.
Guide:
A
Tool
Kit
for
Theatre
Arts:
 Firmin

by
Sam

Margaret
F.
Johnson
(Amazon
5
stars
 Savage DeXiance

based
on
a
true
Holocaust

‐
$13.57) Alice
in
Sunderland

by
Bryan
 story.
Starring
Daniel

Craig.
(R

112
Acting
Games:
A
 Talbot rated)
(Jan)
Comprehensive
Workbook
of
 Borges
and
the
Eternal

Theatre
Games…
by
Gavin
Levy
 Orangutans

by
Luis
Fernando
 Coraline


Animated
version
of
the

(Amazon
4+
stars)
$12.21 Verissimo children’s
classic
by
Neil
Gaiman

In

Reader’s
Theatre
in
the
 The
Ghost
in
Love

by
Jonathan
 the
style
of
Nightmare
before

Classroom:
A
Manual
for
Teacher
 Carroll Christmas.
(
PG
13)

(Feb.)
of
Children
and
Adults:
by
Melvin
 The
Lost
Spy

by
Andrew
Meier
Campbell
(Amazon
$20.95) The
Ginseng
Hunter

by
Jeff
 Watchmen

based
on
a
graphic

Improvisation
Starters

by
Philip
 Talarigo novel
and
features
superheroes.

Bernardi
(Amazon
4
stars)
$10.39.
 (March
release)
(R
rated)
Dozens
of
situations
for
 Recommended on “All Things
Considered” on NPR
improvisational
drama
with
focus
on

Supreme
Courtship

by
Christopher

teens.
Buckley
======================= Just
After
Sunset

by
Stephen
King
5.2 Famous Author Birthdays Still
Alive

by
Herbert
Gold
(essays)
Jan. 1 - J.D. Salinger John
Lennon

by
Philip
Norman

Jan.
2
–
Isaac
Asimov (bio)
Jan.
3
–
J.R.R.
Tolkien Birdscapes
:
A
Pop
Up
Celebration

Jan.
4
–
Jakob
Grimm of
Birdsongs
in
Stereo
Sound

by

Jan.
6
–
Carl
Sandburg Miyoko
Chu
($60
–
but
worth
it
for

Jan.
12
–
Jack
London this
remarkable
use
of
actual
bird

Jan.

18
–
A.A.
Milne songs
and
pop
up
visuals)
Jan
19
‐
Edgar
Allan
Poe

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER VOLUME I I WINTER 2008-2009 BELINDA BAIR 5

 VOLUME II ISSUE 1 WINTER 2009

That’s Entertainment!

Congratulations! You and your partner have been hired by Puppetry Inc.
to develop their latest project.

The Challenge: Create a new puppet play for the Puppetry Inc. company.
You may adapt a previously created work of literature, folklore, mythology,
etc. You may create an original story that teaches a lesson, expresses
commentary on a modern problem or situation, or simply entertains.

General Guidelines:

1. The language and situation used must be suitable for a family audience.

2. The total program should run approx. 10 minutes but no longer than 20.

3. The play must feature more than 1 puppet and more than 1 change of scenery.

4. The play must have a balance of dialogue spoken by the puppets and narration
read by a narrator who may be human or puppet.

5. The puppets may of any style you wish to use: paper bag puppets, finger puppets,
sock puppets, shadow puppets, wooden spoon puppets, or any other style you
have time, materials and skill to produce. Research on various styles may be
needed as you proceed.

6. You will need a puppet theater. I recommend the use of a tri-fold presentation
board. You can cut out a stage opening and hang dark cloth across the two side
panel ends to create a place to hang scenery and block view of the puppeteers.
However, you are free to try another style or type. Again, you may find suitable
models on the internet.

7. Divide responsibilities among group members so that everything gets done on

time.

Before final approval:

Before issuing final approval for production, the board of Puppetry Inc. needs to see
your ideas. Please submit the following:

A. A plot sequence chain to show the general movement from beginning to end of
the story. This will be text that describes or explains the order of events in the story.

B. A story board collection of sketches with text/dialogue that shows the step by
step presentation of the story exactly as you expect it to be presented.

Permission is given to copy this.

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER VOLUME I I WINTER 2008-2009 BELINDA BAIR 6
Volume II Issue I Winter 2009

Set Design Project

Objective:
1. Create a model set that illustrates basic design elements ( line, color, mass, space)

Materials:
two sheets of white or ivory card stock or a regular manila folder
crayons or colored pencils (avoid magic markers as they “bleed” into the paper too much)
rulers, scissors (some with small blades for fine cutting) pencils
Desirable: model samples of paper dollhouse furniture. Available online at the sites listed at the end of this project. These models will help
students create simple paper furniture. Students may also want to use scrapbooking stickers and embellishments to enhance their design, but
these are not necessary to create an effective, interesting and creative elements.

Directions:
1. Fold one sheet of the card stock in half. (If you use a file folder, just open it up.)
2. The “back wall” of the set is one side and the “floor” is the other side of the folded card.
3. Draw and color in the back drop of the set. If it’s an interior set, include a window and/or door if appropriate.
4. Decorate the “floor” side as appropriate to the scene.
5. Use the second piece of card stock or folder to make your set pieces (tables, chairs, trees, etc. ) The card stock
can either be the base you draw on, or used as backing for items you have stamps or stickers for. Be sure to add a tab on the bottom of
each piece so it can be glued to the base and stand up.
6. At least one and preferably two items should be glued to both the base (floor) and the back (set wall) in order for the setting to sit up at the
90 degree angle.

Possible scenic designs: Students can create set or scene designs for classes other than theatre classes. Below are some suggestions:
1. scenes from a Shakespeare play for any English class - It’s a great idea to compare different student interpretations of the same scene.
2. scene from a reading (I used to give my students an assignment to recreate a scene from Beowulf based on their understanding of the
text.

folded card stock forming back

and floor of set.

Back of set - in this case, a

cave interior photo.
Drawings work well too.

Rocks and a Viking warrior

are added.Also a cave floor.

Completed “set” - Beowulf

battling the dragon.

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER VOLUME I I WINTER 2008-2009 BELINDA BAIR 7