Download LESSON PLAN FORMAT * THEATRE CONTENT AREA

Lesson Focus: Costuming - The Process and Choices
Date:
10/14/2014
Target Group/Level: 7th grade
Educator: Jarrod Bennett
Approximate Length: 50 minutes
Materials/Resources: Powerpoint Presentation outlining the overall process of costume design
A costume design template for students to draw on
National/State Curriculum Standards:
Standard 3: The student will design a variety of technical elements for the theatre.
T7-3.1 Categorize the functions and interrelated nature of scenery, props, lighting, sound,
costumes, and makeup in creating an environment appropriate for scripted and nonscripted
theatre.
T7-3.2 Identify tools and materials for basic technical design and construction of scenery,
lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup.
T7-3.3 Analyze improvised and scripted scenes for basic technical requirements and justify his
or her choices.
T7-3.4 Create technical elements for the theatre (for example, scenery, lighting, sound)
incorporating the fundamental principles of design.
Standard 6: The student will make connections between theatre and other arts disciplines, other content
areas, and the world.
T7-6.1 Integrate the use of creative writing, visual arts, dance, music, and/or electronic media to
enhance theatre activities.
T7-6.2 Compare and contrast different career and social roles within the arts.
T7-6.3 Recognize that theatre is a synthesis of all the arts.
Vocabulary:
costume - the clothes that a character wears onstage during a play
rendering - a drawing of the costume that a character will wear
swatch - a small sample of the fabric that will make up the costum
Pre-Assessment: "What is a costume?" "Why should actors wear costumes for a play?" "How do
costumes relate to other design aspects of a show, such as the set, lights, or make-up?" "How do individual
characters' costumes relate to one another?"
Connection to Previous Learning: Students will have previously read The Arkansaw Bear and
performed a scene from the play with blocking and memorized lines. Now, they will be designing
costumes for the characters that they played.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to identify the materials and procedures of costume designing.
Students will be able to explain the importance of costumes and costume design in a snow.
Instructional procedures for each objective:
1. Begin the class with a discussion with students on what costumes are, why they're important, and how
they relate to one another and to other design aspects. Students should identify what a costume is and why
they are used with relative ease. How they relate to each other and to other design aspects should take up
most of the discussion. (i.e. "Suppose you have a play that can take place in almost any place and time
period. Why is it important for all the designers to communicate with one another?" "If everyone is
designing their own costumes, is it important for them to communicate? Why?" This should eventually
lead into a discussion of the process of costume design.
2. Show the class a one-slide Powerpoint presentation with a picture of a costume rendering. The class
should note several key things about it:
a. The costume designer notes who the character is.
b. The costume designer includes a garment list.
c. The design is NOT a work of art. It is NOT an artistic masterpiece that belongs in a museum.
It is simply meant to clearly show who the character is and what their costume is.
d. There a swatches (small samples of the costume fabric) attached to the design.
3. Give students the attached assignment sheet for their own costume design. Students will then gather
into the groups in which they performed their scenes from The Arkansaw Bear. Students will then
brainstorm ideas for costume designs. They will NOT begin drawing yet. Instead, they will take notes on
what garments the characters will wear, color choices, and decide how they fit their characters and the
theme of their play. This should continue until the end of class.
Closure: Inform students that next class, they will work independently--NOT in groups--and actually
draw their costume renderings. (Again, these do NOT have to be artistic masterpieces. They must simply
communicate who the character is and what their costume will look like.) This design must include a
garment list and a paragraph (3-4 sentences) justifying the costume choices. Students will leave their notes
on their costume design in their folders in the classroom.
Assessment of each Objective:
Formative - Can students successfully identify all the parts of a costume design? (This should be verbally
assessed right before the assignment begins.)
Summative – Have students actively discussed and noted the details of what costume pieces their
characters will wear and why? (This should be noted with a participation grade based on what notes they
have taken and left at the end of class.)