Teachers: Apelt

Title: Content Area: TA 2

Medieval Theater

Grade Level: TA 2 Time Frame: Date:

SOL/s:

Lesson Objectives: Resources: Word Wall:

- Medieval Theatre Morality Play
To introduce Medieval Theatre and Powerpoint Mystery Play
those who performed the plays. -Evaluation Sheet
-Classroom set of
Everyman

Instructional Strategies/Procedures:
Motivation/Initial Activity:
● Discuss: When you hear the phrase “Medieval drama” what’s the first thing
that comes to mind? Do you know what happened during this era?
● Review Powerpoint “What Happened?”. This is a brief outline of how drama
developed during the Medieval era.
● Discuss the elements of Medieval drama (powerpoint). What would it be like
to see a Medieval drama?
Explore:
● Review Powerpoint Mystery Plays and discuss.
● As a class read the Second Shepherd’s Play Story Outline.
o Discuss the characters. Who are they? What do they do in the story?
o Mystery plays had to be accessible to their audience. What 21st
century references could be added to the story to make it accessible to
a modern audience?
o Special effects were always a part of the presentation. Given that there
was no electricity, what homemade special effects could be added to
the story?
● Explain to students that as Medieval drama continued to develop, it moved
away from retelling biblical stories.
● Review Powerpoint Morality Plays and discuss.
● Highlight how the common man is the star of the Morality Play and how the
common man interacts with his soul.
o Discuss with students the word Allegory. What does it mean? Identify
some modern examples of Allegorical characters and what moral
lessons they teach. (e.g. Greed influencing a CEO, Beauty reminding a
pageant contestant she has to maintain her looks).
● Read The Greedy Man Who Would Not Help and discuss the story with the
students. Guide them to think about:
 o Which type of Medieval Theatre is this?
o What are the main characters in the story?
o What different ways might you tell the story on stage?
o What is the moral of the story?
o How is personification used?
● Explain to students they are going to read Everyman, the best-known Morality
Play.
o Give students the Everyman scripts or read as part of the projection
from online link.

Develop:
● Divide students into groups. Explain to students that in their groups, they are
going to create a modern Morality Play based on Everyman.
○ The story of the play is a senior student has been called before the
principal to give an account as to why he/she should graduate.
○ The play must have 3-5 allegorical characters. What symbols would stand
in the way of a student trying to study?
○ Plays are at least a minute long and no longer than five minutes.
○ Video
■ A short lego version of Everyman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM5Zwd427iU
● Students rehearse their plays.
● Students present their plays.

Assessments:

Modern Everyman performance rubric

Differentiation Strategies:
Student can write a script for a modern Everyman

Extension Activities:

Students can add costuming or set items.

Observations/Reflections:

Are student able to state the difference between Mystery and Morality plays?
Are students able to understand and create allegorical characters?

GROUP MEMBERS: _____________________________________________________

Medieval Drama - Morality Play

 4 3 2 1

Comprehension - Thorough Solid understanding of Some understanding Comprehension needs

Create a modern understanding of the the task. of the task. work. Little
play based on task. understanding of task.
Everyman

Content The piece meets all the The piece meets most The piece meets some The piece does not meet
assignment of the assignment of the assignment the assignment
requirements. requirements. requirements. requirements.

Group Work Group works very well Group mostly works Group sometimes Group does not work
together beyond well together and works well together. well together and does
assignment meets assignment Meets assignment not meet assignment
requirements requirements. requirements requirements.

Group Focus Group is fully Group is focused on Group is somewhat Group needs work.
focused on performance, not focused on Actors are very
performance, distracted by outside performance, distracted by outside
not distracted by influences. sometimes distracted influences.
outside influences. by outside influences.

Vocal Delivery Excellent vocal Solid vocal Satisfactory vocal Vocal delivery needs
expression. Speaks expression. Speaks expression. Some work. Lacks
quite clearly with clearly with projection issues and articulation and
excellent projection. projection. some articulation projection
issues.

Physical Delivery Excellent use of the Solid use of the stage Satisfactory use of Physical delivery needs
stage with well-defined with some stage, little use of work. No blocking, no
character-driven defined character- character-defined use of character-driven
gestures. driven gestures. gestures. gesture.

Energy Excellent energy Solid energy and Satisfactory energy Energy needs work.
and connection connection with and connection with Flat performance and
with audience. audience. Solid eye audience. Some eye does not connect to
Great eye contact. contact. contact. audience. No eye
contact.

Overall Excellent performance. Solid performance. Satisfactory Performance needs

performance. work.