Dramatic Elements

One of the major themes of drama class throughout the years are the dramatic elements of plot, character and setting. Students in kindergarten and first grade learn what plot is by breaking stories down into the beginning, middle and end and then acting them out. Character and setting are studied in a similar manner, using familiar stories to demonstrate the different concepts.

When the students are in second and third grade we look at how the 5 W's (who, what, when, where and why) are related to the dramatic elements. The students participate in a variety of activities in which they must create and communicate different characters, setting, activities, times and motivations.

In the fourth and fifth grade students put all of this knowledge together when we work on Improv. They need to come up with characters, settings, plots and motivations for actions on the spot in order to be successful at improvisational acting. The student at OWS are so creative, which makes watching their improv scenes great fun!

Having a deep understanding of these dramatic elements not only improves the students acting, but also their understanding of what it takes to create a good story or play.

Third Grade Performance

Third grade students will perform Folktales From Around the World tomorrow at 1:30pm. Each class has chosen a folktale from a different country; The Thirsty Frog from Australia, The Blind Children and the Elephant from India and The Grateful Statues from Japan. The students have spent the past several weeks learning the music in music class and rehearsing the acting parts in drama class. We brought both pieces together to create three charming plays.