Teaching with Toni NYC

Before opening the novel Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it is crucial to introduce your class to themes, concepts, and cultural background. This bundle contains common core aligned, pre-reading activities with supplimental texts.

The bundle is perfect for an introductory drama class to introduce the behind-the-scene roles needed to create a production. This unit includes links, worksheets, and full lesson plans.

This lesson serves an introduction to Night, by Elie Wiesel. This includes 6 photographs for a "gallery walk" to introduce the Holocaust to the class. There is a graphic organizer included for students to notice, reflect, and connect to each image.

Night by Elie Wiesel is a powerful memoir about Elie's experiences during the Holocaust. This short and powerful memoir is a must read for students, but should be handled with care. These pre-reading materials provide the students with the backround needed to begin the memoir. The activties include supplemental materials including images, documentaries, and poetry. Most of the handouts contain built-in scaffolding.

Process theater is a fun unit for any introduction to drama course. The unit focuses on the process of creating theatrical art using sound, creativity, community resources, and ensemble work. The unit is divided into 4 lessons, each containing a drama warm-up activity, and is created to accomodate classrooms where materials and student creations cannot remain intact due to other classes entering. The unit involves gathering material to create sets and costumes, including garbage bags, white shee

This is a 9 lesson unit for an Introduction to Drama class. Each lesson has common core standards, a do-now/drama circle activity, and student engagement. It's a perfect way to develop comfort and teamwork in a class.

This is the 2nd lesson to an Elements of Production unit for an introduction to drama class. The lesson begins with a drama circle and focuses on costume creation for a character in a show. The lesson includes costume design worksheets, one for each gender, with a written component. This lesson uses the script for The Addams Family The Musical, which can be located online. However, any script can be used.

This is a set design template to accomany lesson 4 of the Elements of Production unit.

This timeline is an organized way to introduce the events leading up to, during, and after the Holocaust as an introductory lesson for Night by Elie Wiesel. Prompts are provided at the end of the timeline for students to reflect and respond to the events.

The emotional documentary Night and Fog is available online. It's a 40 minute, French documentary from the 1950s that has Nazi footage juxtaposed with videos of an abandoned concentration camp. I wouldn't show this documentary to younger children; it should only be viewed by a mature audience. It powerful message allows the students to truly understand the atrocities of the Holocaust. This sheet offers the students an opportunity to reflect on what they watched and learned.

This is the PowerPoint presentation to accompany the introduction lesson to an Elements of Production unit for an introduction to drama class. The lesson begins with a drama circle and focuses on color and accessory association activity.

The book ". . .I Never Saw Another Butterfly. . ." is a powerful supplemental reading to introduce Night, by Elie Wiesel. The book contains children's drawings and poems from Terezin Concentration Camp. This resourse includes excepts from the book ". . . I Never Saw Another Butterfly. . .", an activity for students to complete (independently or cooperatively), and an exemplary response sample.

This bundle offers fun, creative, and thoughtful activities to introduce the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The students work cooperatively to complete the activities and allow for various group member roles. The students think creatively, strategically, and critically with this week long, pre-reading bundle.

This is the 6th lesson to an Elements of Production unit for an introduction to drama class and can take up to 3 class periods. The lesson begins with a drama circle and focuses on the role of a director. The lesson includes links to 2 different YouTube clips from The Great Gatsby that shows the scene that introduces Daisy. A link for the full script to The Great Gatsby is also included in the lesson.

This is the 5th lesson to an Elements of Production unit for an introduction to drama class and can take up to 3 class periods. The lesson begins with a drama circle and focuses on the role of a producer. The lesson includes links to an article and trailer to the movie The Producers. The collaborative marketing activity worksheet and group choices is included.

This is a great pre-reading activity for the novel Purple Hibiscus or Things Fall Apart. It incorporates music and political cartoons to teach post-colonialism.

This is a fun lesson that can be part of an Elements of Production unit, or justa stand alone lesson, for an introduction to drama class. The lesson begins with a drama circle and focuses on costume design and character development. This is a whole-class, improvisational activity.

This is the 4th lesson to an Elements of Production unit for an introduction to drama class. The lesson begins with a drama circle and focuses on set design for scene. There is set design worksheet available separately due to different formatting. This lesson uses the script for The Addams Family The Musical, which can be located online. However, any script can be used.

This is the introduction lesson to an Elements of Production unit for an introduction to drama class. The lesson begins with a drama circle and focuses on color and accessory association activity. There is built in scaffolding and the accompanying powerpoint is available.

This Monologue Final provides equitable options for students. Students can find a monologue to perform (links are listed) or they can write their own original monologue. The elements of a strong monologue, character development questions, and monologue context prompts are listed.