Playwriting Unit

Lesson Plan Two – The Monologue

Subject:Theatre Topic: Playwriting

Teacher: Mr. Kingsbury Date: April 29th 2009

NC Standard Course of Study Objective: COMPETENCY GOAL 1: The learner will write
based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature, and history.
 1.01 Read, understand and relate the basic content of a play.
 1.04 Understand and convey the function of a playwright.

1. Focus and Review (Establish prior knowledge)

(a) Description of Activities and Setting
i. Begin by reviewing the Script and the Play
A. What is a Play?
B. What is the Script?
C. What elements might you find in either?
D. What drives a play?
ii. Ask introductory question regarding the Monologue
A. What is a Monologue?
(b) Materials and Time
i. PowerPoint Slide 1
ii. This segment should take about 5-7 min

2. Statement (Inform student of objectives)

(a) Description of Activities and Setting
i. Inform students that the class shall be exploring the Monologue
ii. Students should come out of class having a better understanding of what is
needed within a good monologue and have heard some examples of some
monologues
(b) Materials and Time
i. PowerPoint Slide 2 (What to Expect)
ii. This segment should only take about 2-3 min

3. Teacher Input (Present tasks, information, and guidance)

(a) Description of Activities and Setting
i. Refer back to answers given at the beginning of class “What is a Monologue”
then give a good working definition of a Monologue
A. A long speech by one character (human, animal or object) to self, an
imagined other character, or audience
ii. Ask what students think is needed for a monologue
iii. Explain to students that a good monologue should reveal the following with the
way its written and read
A. Character: Who it is speaking
B. Voice: tone, word choices, attitude
C. Character Traits (Characterization) for your character
• Courage, Respect, Honorable, Depressed, Lonely, etc...
 D. Emotions of the Character
E. Typically solves some conflict or at least tries too.
(b) Materials and Time
i. PowerPoint Slide 3 – 4
ii. This segment should take about 5-7 min

4. Guided Practice (Elicit performance, provide assessment and feedback)

(a) Description of Activities and Setting
i. Show 2 clips from “The Incredibles” where the super mentions “You've got me
monologuing again”
A. Ask students how was the character monologuing?
B. Did the students catch any of the elements that were mentioned in the
lecture?
ii. Mention that you (Instructor) are now going to read a monologue in character.
A. Students must pick out everything they can tell about the character speaking
and write it down in bullet form
iii. Read Monologue A in full character
A. Ask some students what they noticed about the character in the monologue
B. Write responses down on the board
C. Ask students what might be missing based on criteria given in lecture for a
monologue. EG. Does it reveal a voice, character traits, etc...
iv. Read Monologue B in Full Character
A. Ask some students what they noticed about the character in the monologue
B. Write responses down on the board
C. Ask students what might be missing based on criteria given in lecture for a
monologue. EG. Does it reveal a voice, character traits, etc...
(b) Materials and Time
i. You will need Monologue A – Monologue A could be any monologue though one
is attached with this lesson Plan
ii. You will need Monologue B – Monologue B could be any monologue though one
is attached with this lesson Plan
iii. This segment takes 25 to 30 min.

5. Independent Practice -- Seatwork and Homework (Retention and transfer)

(a) Description of Activities and Setting
i. During the presentation of both monologues read by the instructor, each student
will be writing out in bullet form everything they can tell about the character.
A. Students will also note if they notice something that maybe should have
been added so the character is better revealed to the listener through the
monologue.
ii. For homework students are asked to write about a personal experience with
some conflict which occurred, something they don't mind sharing with the class.
They will need to bring it in to the next class period
(b) Materials and Time
i. Each student will need paper to take notes on for each monologue.
ii. They will also need some kind of journal/notebook to write their personal
experience in.
iii. This segment is intermingled with the time frame of the previous segment
6. Closure (Plan for maintenance)
(a) Description of Activities and Setting
i. Ask what should be revealed within a good monologues
ii. Put PowerPoint Slide up which answers previous question and briefly go over
again to reinforce the information
iii. Collect the bulleted list which students made for each monologue
(b) Materials and Time
i. PowerPoint Slide 3-4
ii. Segment should take about 5-10 min
Sources:
"Welcome to the World of Monologue." Jefferson County Public Schools. Jefferson County
Public Schools. 28 Apr 2009
<http://web2.jefferson.k12.ky.us/CCG/supp/HS_Monologue.PDF>.

“Other Monologues." Why Sanity. 28 Apr 2009

<http://www.whysanity.net/monos/others.html>.

Monologues
A: Hello, I'd just like to tell you about this cigarette case. It used to belong to my grandfather
on my parents' side. He was given it by his godneice as a kind of "loss of virginity" present,
really. He took it with him to Flanders in 1912 when he went there on holiday...then he took it
again in 1915 when he went to fight in the War. Now, what grandfather used to do is he would
keep cigarettes in it, like this, and if he wanted one he would simply take it out, smoke it, and
close the case again. He used to keep his cigarette case here in the breast pocket of field
tunic or "battle blouse." Now, one day, Grandfather had to go over the top, out of the trenches,
into action...and he was shot by a German sniper clear through the temple. Now if
Grandfather had worn his cigarette case here (holds case to temple) it would have an
unpleasant dent in it and I'd be alive today.

B: Relationships don't work the way they do on television and in the movies: Will they, won't
they, and then they finally do and they're happy forever -- gimme a break. Nine out of ten of
them end because they weren't right for each other to begin with, and half the ones that get
married get divorced, anyway. And I'm telling you right now, through all this stuff, I have not
become a cynic, I haven't. Yes, I do happen to believe that love is mainly about pushing
chocolate-covered candies and, you know, in some cultures, a chicken. You can call me a
sucker, I don't care, 'cause I do...believe in it. Bottom line...is the couples that are truly right
for each other wade through the same crap as everybody else, but, the big difference is, they
don't let it take 'em down.
PowerPoint Outline:

Slide 1: The Monologue

Slide 2: What to Expect

 What is a Monologue
 What makes up a good monologue
 Watch a clip of “monologuing”
 Observe 2 monologues being read and discuss
 Review whats in a good monologue

Slide 3: The Monologue

 A long speech by one character (human, animal or object) to self, an imagined
other character, or audience

Slide 4: What Makes the monologue

 Character: Who it is speaking
 Voice: tone, word choices, attitude
 Character Traits (Characterization) for your character
 Courage, Respect, Honorable, Depressed, Lonely, etc...
 Emotions of the Character
 Typically solves some conflict or at least tries too.