All Script Frenzy lesson plans are aligned with the national Common Core Standards. Adopted by 45 states, the Common Core provides clear, effective touchstones for English content learning.

At the top of each lesson plan, you will find a collapsed list of the standards that the lesson fulfills. Below, you may also download a detailed chart of the Common Core fulfillments for the entire curriculum.

Script Frenzy Common Core Fulfillments (Grades 6-8)

If you have any questions about Common Core Standards and the Script Frenzy curriculum, please contact Chris Angotti, YWP Director.

Total Lesson Time

60 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

1. Understand the basic rules of Script Frenzy.
2. Have active profiles on the Script Frenzy Young Writers Program website (if students have access to computers with internet).
3. Know what is and is not appropriate to post in the Script Frenzy forums.

Materials

• A "Script Frenzy Rules" chart explained in Step Two.
• Computers with internet access; one for each student in your class.

Note: If you and your students do not have access to computers with internet, it is important that you at least complete Step One and Step Two of this lesson.

Lesson Plan 1: Introducing Script Frenzy to Your Students

Step One: Discuss and Write

10 minutes

1. Write the words "Script" and "Frenzy" on the board and give students 5 minutes total to write definitions of each.

2. Once time is up, ask students to share their definitions. Create a group definition of each word on the board. If your students are having trouble coming up with appropriate definitions, you can use the following:

Script: The written text of a stage play, movie, TV show, or comic book used in production or performance.

Frenzy: a) A temporary madness b) A wildly intense and often disorderly activity.

3. Explain that this April, they'll write a script in a frenzy! To explain Script Frenzy further you can say, "Script Frenzy is an international writing event in which participants young and old from all around the world attempt the creatively daring feat of writing an entire script in the month of April. This isn’t a contest, so there are no valuable prizes awarded or "Best Of" categories. Each and every one of you who attempts to write a script is victorious and awe-inspiring. Script Frenzy is run by an organization based in Oakland, California called the Office of Letters and Light. OLL is also responsible for putting on National Novel Writing Month where hundreds of thousands of people attempt to write an entire novel in the month of November." You may want to pause here to see if any of your students have participated in or are familiar with NaNoWriMo.

Step Two: The Rules

10 minutes

1. In preparation for this lesson, make a "Script Frenzy Rules" chart on butcher paper with the following:

• Script Frenzy lasts from April 1–April 30.
• You will learn what a script is and how to write one before the Frenzy begins.
• You can plan, plot, and outline your script before April.
• You can’t start actually writing your script until April 1.
• You must finish your script by midnight on April 30.
• Quantity is more important than quality until April is over.
• You can write about anything you'd like.

Depending on how much choice you want to give your students, you should list a version of each of the following as well:

• You can choose to write a script for a play, a movie, a TV show, or a comic book/graphic novel.
• You will set your own page-count goal.
• You can work on your own or with a partner.

2. Hang this chart in front of the class and go over each item on it one by one, taking questions from students as you go along. Once you've discussed all the "rules," post this chart in a prominent place in your room so students can easily refer to it before and during the event.

Step Three: Signing Up and Setting Up Profiles.

Estimated time: 15 minutes

1. Make sure all your students are at their computers and online.

2. Direct all your students to the Script Frenzy YWP website at ywp.scriptfrenzy.org. Once you see that all your students have made it to the site, direct them to click on the "Sign up" link in the upper right-hand corner of the site. Then, have them click on the "Sign up" typewriter button on this page.

3. Have your students fill in the sign-up form.

• Username: Make sure your students know that they should choose usernames that they really like. They won't be able to change their usernames once they sign up. They should also know not to use their real names as their usernames.
• Email: If a student does not have an email address, have them sign up for one on a free site such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail before they continue through the sign up process.
• Young Writer: Make sure all your students sign up as "Young Writers."
• Terms and Conditions: Read over the section on "Forums" as a class, and then give your students time to read over the rest of the "Terms and Conditions" on their own.

3. Once students are signed up, they will automatically be taken to the "Writer Info" page where they can fill out information about themselves and their script-to-be. Point out that this is where they will set their page-count goals (starting March 1), update their page counts, and post excerpts of their scripts-in-progress (both starting April 1). Explain that students can return to this when they are ready to fill out info about their scripts by 1)logging in using the usernames and passwords they created and 2) going to "My Script Frenzy," then selecting "Edit Writer Info" from the sidebar menu on the left.

3. Then direct your students to click on the "Edit Account Settings" on the sidebar menu. As a class, fill out the following:

• Emails from Headquarters: It is up to you and your students whether or not to receive emailed pep talks and newsletters from Script Frenzy HQ. Click the box if you do not want to receive emails from us!
• Author Photo: Point out that this is where one can upload an image of themselves to their profile. This is not required, and can be done at a later time.
• FrenzyMail: FrenzyMail is a site-specific mail system that allows participants to send private messages to each other. This feature can be turned off by deselecting the "Allow FrenzyMail" checkbox.
• Signature: Signatures are totally optional. If students choose to write a signature, it will appear at the end of all their comments made in the forums. Please make sure students create appropriate signatures if they choose to do so. We ask users to keep signatures short (under 20 words). Here is an example of an appropriate signature:
  
  

  Happy writing,
  Authorgirl56
  
  "Being an author is like being in charge of
  your own personal insane asylum."
  - Graycie Harmon

  
  

• Time zone: It is very important that students set their time zones correctly. If a writer's time zone is set incorrectly, he or she may run into trouble on the final day when trying to validate a script to win. Have students scroll down the list and select the date and time where you are.

Step Four: Website Tour and Forums Overview

Estimated time: 20 minutes

1. After all your students are finished setting up their profiles, take them on a tour of the Script Frenzy YWP website. You can make this tour as long or short as you would like depending on how much time you have in your computer lab. You can begin by taking a tour of the homepage:

• The Beat (upper, left-hand section): Read the current "Beat" as a class and then explain that this is where students will find updates from Script Frenzy HQ about the website and event.
• Cameos (upper, right-hand section): Read the current "Cameo" as a class and explain that this section will feature advice from professional scriptwriters.
• Scriptwriting 101 (small lower, right-hand section): Read the current scriptwriting term and definition and then explain that this section will feature a nifty new term each day.

2. After you tour the homepage as a class, have everyone click on the "Resources" tab in the top menu bar. Read over the "Overview" page as a class.

3. Then lead students to the "Help/FAQs" section. This is where they will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the event and the website. If a student is having trouble with the website, and they cannot find an answer to his or her question on this page, he or she can contact us.

4. The last stop on this tour should be the forums. Read through all the forum titles so students are familiar with them. Explain that the forums are a place where they can get advice and encouragement from young writers participating in the event worldwide. They can either start a new topic within a forum or they can comment within a topic created by another participant. Before they jump in, it is very important that your students understand the following rules pertaining to the forums:

• The Script Frenzy YWP forums are G-rated. Anyone posting inappropriate, abusive, offensive, explicit, hateful, or threatening material will have their Script Frenzy account deleted and will be banned from the site. Remind students that there are kids as young at six years old on the site! Basically, if you wouldn't say it front of your little brother or sister, don't post it on the site.
• Post in the appropriate forum. If you want to start a discussion on dialogue, don't post in the "Formatting" forum. "Off-topic" forum posts will be moved by moderators to the appropriate forums.
• Title topics clearly. Explain that titling a topic "hi" or "help" is no way to ask the community for help formatting a musical number in your screenplay. A more appropriate topic title would be: "Help formatting lyrics in my movie musical!".
• Keep it relevant: The Script Frenzy forums are a place to discuss scriptwriting. Though there is a "Recess" forum where you can discuss items a bit off topic, we ask participants to keep discussions about off-topic things to a minimum.

Step Five: Closing It Up

Estimated time: 5 minutes

Take any remaining questions students have about the event and/or website. If you don't know the answer to a question, work together as a class to find the answer in the FAQs.

Homework

If you would like your students to post actively in the forums, and if they have internet access at home, require students to start a script-related discussion of their choice in the forums. You can check to make sure they posted in the appropriate forums and used appropriate titles during the next class session in the computer lab.

Total Lesson Time

50 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT (students will be able to):

1. Put aside their impulses to edit their writing until after April 30.
2. Commit to maintaining a safe and respectful writing environment.

Materials

• An "Inner Director Chart" on the board, a transparency, or flipchart paper (explained in Step Three).
• A "Being Respectful During Script Frenzy" visual on the board, a transparency, or flipchart paper (explained in Step Four).
• "Inner Director Containment Button" handout from the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School found on page 2.

Lesson Plan 2: Getting Rid of Inner Directors, and Encouraging a Respectful Creative Environment

Step One: Discuss and Write

15 minutes

Give students a few minutes to answer this question in writing: How do you define creativity? Once they have finished writing, give students the opportunity to share the definitions they came up with, accepting all responses. Then write this follow-up question on the board: What is the most creative movie, play, or TV show you have ever seen? Explain. This time, give students a little longer to respond in writing. Explain to them that soon they will have an opportunity to use this kind of creativity, too.

Step Two: Your Inner Director

15 minutes

1. Point out to students that in a movie, play, or TV show, the “Director” is the person who is responsible for questioning and perfecting every little part of the show, from the characters’ words to the way each scene looks. You may wish to provide a few concrete examples of what directors do, or invite students to share what they already know about how famous directors work. Then ask for a show of hands for the following questions: "Who often has trouble thinking of the right words when writing? Who often ends up erasing something because it doesn’t seem good enough?" Tell students that the person who makes them struggle to find words and delete others is their Inner Director. The Inner Director can be very helpful once their scripts have been completely written, if they decide to put on a play or film their scripts, but while they are writing their initial scripts the Inner Director can really get in the way! That’s why it’s important for students to ignore their Inner Directors as they write or, better yet, to hide them away until the initial writing process is over.

2. Ask students to turn to page **INSERT PAGE NUMBER** of their Scriptwriter Workbook, or hand out copies of the "Inner Director Containment Button" worksheet. Read through it as a class. Discuss how ignoring their Inner Director will help them be creative as they write their own scripts.

3. Have students close their eyes and press the containment button. You can make this moment even more dramatic by playing climactic music from a movie soundtrack while the students push their buttons.

Step Three: Signs of Premature Directing and How to Stop

10 minutes

1. Create a list of behaviors that count as “directing” as students write (examples: thinking for more than five minutes about what to write, erasing more than three words, etc.). Take students suggestions and add your own. Remind students that, as they create their scripts, the Inner Director can really get in the way of being as creative as possible with their writing!

2. Now create a list for how your students can stop themselves from directing (examples: deep breaths, picking something from an inspirational grab bag and incorporating it into their scripts, using the Plot Machine on the Script Frenzy site as inspiration, pushing the containment button again, etc.). These items should be specific to your class. They are not rules, but tools to help students resist the urge to direct their movies or plays before they’ve even been written yet! Commit to having a grab bag and any other inspirational tools available to students during April.

Step Four: Discussion on Respect (Optional)

5 minutes

If you feel it’s appropriate for your class, you may also want to discuss respect. You can say that getting rid of your Inner Director does not mean they can be disrespectful to others in the class. Remind the class that everyone deserves the space to be creative. Post your "Respect Expectations for the Classroom and Your Script" visual aid, or refer to ones you already have as a class. Specific examples of disrespectful behavior during Script Frenzy may include making fun of someone in your script, making fun of someone else's script or script ideas, making a classmate your antagonist, and using offensive language. Offer students the chance to add to the list.

Step Five: What Have We Learned?

5 minutes

Ask for three students to respond quickly to the following:

1. Tell me one thing your Inner Director wants.
2. Tell me one way to stop themselves from directing before their scripts are even finished.

Homework

Ask students to read the section on the different types of scripts they can write from Week 1 of the Middle School Scriptwriting Boot Camp. They should stop reading when they get to "Casting Your Characters."

Total Time

55 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT (students will be able to):

1. Define what a script is and understand how it is different from other common forms of fiction.
2. Examine differences between different types of scripts.
3. Choose the type of script they will write during April.
4. Set their own page-count goal.

Materials

• Copies of the worksheet found on page 3 of the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School.
• A "Script Example Handout" comprised of one page from each type of script you are allowing your students to choose from. Examples of stage plays and screenplays are essential for this lesson. If you already know you want to steer the class towards writing TV scripts or comic book scripts, then provide examples of those as well.
• Script Frenzy's YWP Page-Count-Goal Calculator.

Note: We recommend having all students write the same type of script (e.g. screenplay, stage play, TV script, comic book script) during the Frenzy to simplify the planning process. Thus, the example film you choose to screen and analyze as a class in "Lesson Plan 3: Movie Time!" should prepare all students equally. You might also want to take into consideration that the Script Frenzy lesson plans and workbooks focus on screenplays and stage plays. You can either decide what type of script students will be writing for them, or allow them to vote as a class.

Lesson Plan 3: Introducing Scriptwriting

Step One: What Is a Script?

10 minutes

1. Ask students to name the different kinds of scripts one can choose to write during Script Frenzy. (Answers: screenplays, stage plays, TV scripts, and comic book scripts.) Distribute your "Script Example Handout" and give your students 1–2 minutes to look over the examples you've compiled.

2. Ask students to point out the main features of a script. (Answers: dialogue, character names, and action and description, which is everything that is not dialogue.) Students probably won't call the latter two by their proper names, but it's good for them to know these terms right off the bat.

3. Pass out the “What Makes a Script a Script?” worksheet and read the intro and definition aloud for students. If students claim that scripts include descriptions of how a character is feeling, make sure they realize that the writer has to use dialogue or descriptions of a character's actions to show emotions and sensations that are unseen—they write about the visual and auditory evidence of a character's experiences. Tell students to put aside the worksheet for now.

Step Two: Scripts vs. Other Kinds of Fiction

10 minutes

1. Explain to students that before they get into the nitty gritty of different script types, they must first get a little deeper into how scripts are different from other kinds of writing.

2. Read the script examples together as a class, assigning parts as necessary.

3. Make a two-column chart on the board: one column labeled "Scripts," the other labeled “Other Kinds of Fiction.” Begin by having students name the different kinds of fiction they know about such as novels, short stories, and so on. Then, drawing from the script examples you just read and other stories you have read as a class, ask students if they can name some of the differences between the two categories. They may also know about scripts from experiences in previous English or Drama classes. They should be able to say that scripts often have more dialogue than other stories. If they contribute nothing else, write the phrase “may be divided into sections or chapters” on the “Other Kinds of Fiction” side. Ask students what the word for chapters is in a script. If they don’t know the word “scene,” simply write it on the board. Point out that in most novels, there is typically a jump in time or place between chapters, and the same is true for scenes. Ask students if scripts look the same as novels or short stories. Write the formatting differences between novels/short stories and scripts on the board. You should also revisit the discussion that in scripts, you can only write what is seen and heard; in other kinds of fiction, you can describe characters' thoughts and feelings.

Below is an example chart:

Step Three: Which Script Is Which?

15 minutes

Have students take out their “What Makes a Script a Script?” worksheets. Provide time for them to read and complete it.

Step Four: Pros and Cons

15 minutes

Create a four-column chart divided into the four kinds of scripts (see example chart below). Ask students to name the pros and cons of writing each type of script. Encourage them to come up with extra and alternate benefits and challenges as well.

Step Five: Your Script Will Be…

5 minutes

1. Have your students decide what kind of scripts they will be penning this April. If you want your students to all write the same kind of script, have them vote or come to a consensus about what kind of script to write.

2. Forecast that they will be watching a movie/play in the next couple of classes that will be used as an example throughout the rest of the time they're preparing for Script Frenzy.

Homework

1. Ask students to read the appropriate introduction for the type of script they're writing. They can be found here:

• Intro to Screenwriting
• Intro to Playwriting
• Intro to Writing for TV
• Intro to Comic Book Writing

2. To help your students create a realistic page-count goal, hand out our Page-Count-Goal Calculator.

Total Lesson Time

105–135 minutes (meant to be spread over two class periods)

Objectives

During this lesson, students will:

1. View a film/filmed play to use as an example throughout the rest of the lesson plans.
2. Analyze and evaluate the key characters and sequence of events in a film.
3. Optional: Read a script of the viewed film or play and use understanding gleaned from reading to support analysis of the script’s characters and plot.

Note 1: If you and your students choose to write stage plays and you have the opportunity to actually take students to a live play, make sure you can get a video recording of the production (or of a similar production of the same play) so that you can watch clips in future lessons.

Note 2: If you plan to have students also read part or all of the related script, distribute copies of it a week or so before viewing and ask students to begin reading. You may choose to have them read just a few key scenes or the whole thing, depending on your time limitations and the reading ability of your students. Tell them they will need to finish reading by the time they come to class for viewing of the film’s second half.

Materials

• A film or filmed play and equipment to show it on. You will find a list of suggested films at the end of this lesson.
• An oversized Post-it note or butcher paper to take notes on.
• Part or all of the script for the film or filmed play to be viewed by your students, possibly available on the internet or through a bookseller or the library. You may wish to choose a well-known play to facilitate this process.

Lesson Plan 4: Movie Time!

Step One: Introduce the Film/Play

1. Tell students they are about to watch a film that will be discussed in almost every lesson after this point.

2. Show the film. Make sure students are taking notes on the characters and the plot as they watch, even if they have seen the film before. They should take notes on the main characters (names and a little bit about each one), and write about at least five major plot points: the beginning, an event leading up to the climax, the climax, an event after the climax, and the ending.

Step Two: Discuss Characters and Main Plot

1. Once you have finished viewing the film (and possibly reading the related script), create a list of the most important characters in the film on an oversized Post-it note or butcher paper. Include characters’ names and a short description of who each is. Ask questions to prompt detail such as: “What were the most important personality traits of this character? What did his or her actions tell reveal? What did other characters think of him or her? Why was he/she important to the story?”

2. Next, have students work with you to write a synopsis of the film's basic plot. Make sure to record the set-up, the inciting incident, a few events in the rising action, the climax, and the resolution. It is okay if your students aren't familiar with these terms. You just want to make sure that these plot sections end up in your synopsis. You can use specific questions to guide students to the correct plot points. (Examples: What happens in the first few scenes? Does anything happen to change your character's life? Can you name four events that happen before the climax of the film? What is the most exciting or suspenseful part of the film? Would the story have ended differently if the main character was not so determined/smart/stubborn etc.?)

3. Keep this synopsis up in your classroom so you can refer to it in future Script Frenzy lessons.

Homework

Assign students to read either a professional critic’s review or a review that you wrote yourself of your example movie/play. You can find a ton of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes!

For play reviews, check out the New York Times Theater section online.

Suggested Movies and Filmed Plays

Movies

• 10 Things I Hate About You
• Elf
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Independence Day
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Toy Story

Filmed Plays

• Romeo and Juliet (1968 version)
• A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theatre (1979)
• CATS – The Musical (2000)
• Les Miserables - The 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall (1995)
• RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway (2009)

Total Lesson Time

50 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT:

1. Identify what they think are aspects of good and bad scripts.
2. Identify which of those good aspects they want to incorporate into their scripts, and which of those bad aspects they want to avoid writing into their scripts.

Materials

• "Last Group Standing Grid" visual aid (see example in Step Four).
• Scrap paper (two pieces per group of three or four students).
• Copies of the “Good Script, Bad Script” worksheet found on page 6 of the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School.
• Prizes.

Lesson Plan 5: Good Script, Bad Script

Step One: You Be the Critic

5 minutes

Discuss the review of the example movie/play that you assigned for homework. Did students like the way the reviewer critiqued the movie/play? Did they agree or disagree? You may have to define the word critique as a critical comment on why something should be judged in one way or another—good or bad, boring or entertaining, right or wrong, etc. Ask what kinds of comments the critic made about the movie/play. Let them know that today—and tonight for homework—they are going to act as critics to figure out what they like and don’t like in movies/plays.

Step Two: Good Scripts

10 minutes

1. Tell students they are about to play a game in which they get to be the critics of the film you viewed as a class. In the game, they will have to come up with many articulate, complex critiques of the film in order to win. For example, instead of saying something like “it was funny,” they should be more specific and say “the characters used physical humor in the right places.” As long as they agree with them and can put them into their own words, they are allowed to use critiques made in the review they read for homework.

2. Then ask all students to get into groups of three or four (select randomly or let them select, according to group dynamics). Number each group 1–? , and give students 3 minutes to write down (as a group) as many things as possible that make the example film good. They should put their group number on the piece of paper. Post a list of forbidden phrases/words like "it’s good," "not boring," "it's funny," "it's sad," etc. Tell students to keep their lists a secret.

Step Three: Bad Scripts

10 minutes

Give groups 3 minutes to write down as many things that they think make the example movie/play not so great.

Step Four: Last Group Standing

15 minutes

1. Reveal a grid on the board like so:

2. Make sure you have one marker color per group (or another system of keeping track of group additions to the chart). Have students stand up and make sure all pens/pencils/markers/etc. are put away, so that no additions can be made to the lists.

Here is how the game is played:

• Groups must offer up one new reason at a time to go on the “Why this script is good” list, with the goal of becoming the team with the most additions to the list.
• To give groups an equal opportunity to answer, call on them in order like this: Team 1, 2, and so on, until the highest numbered team goes. Then go backwards back down to team 1.
• If Team X adds something that is also on Team Y’s list, Team Y must cross it off their own list, meaning they cannot add it to the list on the chart. There are no repeats allowed. (If a group has come up with unique and original reasons why the example film is good, they should have the most items on the chart.)
• If a team eventually does cross everything off, they are out of the game.
• Paraphrase as you write their ideas down.
• Teams should compete until only one group still has reasons to add to the board.
• For the "Bad Script" section, repeat the above. To level the playing field, reassign team numbers so that the middle teams are now the first and last groups, and the first and last groups are now in the middle.

After teams have run through all their original ideas for these lists, count which team has the most. Hand out prizes to the members of the winning team.

Step Five: Closing

10 minutes

Pass out the "Good Script, Bad Script" worksheet, and have your students work on their personal lists for the remainder of the class. Make sure they know to list examples from the genre of script they are writing.

Homework

1. Have students complete the "Good Script, Bad Script" worksheet at home.

2. Also ask students to read the “Casting Your Characters" section of the Scriptwriting Boot Camp, Week 1.

Total Lesson Time

55 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT:

1. Understand and identify types of characters in a script.
2. Discuss the characters in the film watched as a class.
3. Create characters for their own scripts.

Materials

• A short actor bio from IMDb.com or a similar website.
• Copies of the "Casting Your Characters" worksheet found on page 9 of the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School.

Lesson Plan 6: Creating Well-Developed Characters

Step One: Your Actor Bio

5 minutes

1. Ask students if they have ever looked up an actor on a fan site or on IMDb.com to see what other movies the actor has been in. Have they watched their biography on TV? Well, it’s now their turn to write a bio for themselves. Read the example from IMDb aloud so that students understand what their bio should sound like. Point out that the bio is written in the third person, and that their bios should be as well. Tell students they have 2–3 minutes write a bio, including as much detail about themselves as possible.

2. Say, “When you just wrote your actor bios, you had to really think about what makes you you, but did you take the time to think about what would make someone want to watch a movie based on your life? Of course, it’s nearly impossible to explain an intriguing, three-dimensional character in a paragraph that takes 3 minutes to write, so today and tonight you’re going to be doing a lot of thinking and writing about the complex characters for your scripts. By the time you're done filling out your character questionnaires, you'll know your characters better than you know yourselves!"

Step Two: Who Makes the Story?

15 minutes

1. First ask students what they remembered about the three types of characters in a story from the reading assignment. Ask them to name and describe these three types of characters, and ask if they remember what is said about how a writer can create good ones. Ask if anyone remembers the word starting with a “v.” (Answer: visualization.) Say, “In order to write about intriguing, believable characters in your script, you must first be able to visualize walking, talking, breathing beings.”

2. Hand out copies of the "Casting Your Characters" worksheet (one for each student). Read through the worksheet as a class. Read examples together as a class, and then discuss whether your example movie/play has an abstract antagonist or a physical antagonist (or both). If you are teaching students whom you think are not ready for this concept, simply skip over it. Tell them to ask you about it outside of class if they are intrigued.

3. Answer three or four questions from Section One of the "Character Questionnaire" for the protagonist, a few supporting characters, and the antagonist of the example movie/play. If the film itself did not answer the questions directly, that is totally fine. This will give your students an opportunity to flesh out the characters even more. Ask students what they think the answers to the questions might be, knowing what they do about each character from the play/movie.

Step Three: Make Your Own Characters

20 minutes

Give students a good amount of time to begin filling out the questionnaires for their own characters in their notebooks. Prompt them to start by answering the questions in Section One for their protagonist. If they have time, they can move on to answer the questions in Section One for one supporting character and their antagonist.

Step Four: Share

15 minutes

Give each student a chance to briefly dramatize his or her protagonist for the rest of the group by introducing themselves and giving one important character detail (“Hi, my name is ___ and I ____”). Remind them that because they do not have costumes or props, they should really “show” what their characters are like by what they say and how they act!

Homework

1. Students should finish filling out Section One for their protagonist, one supporting character, and their antagonist.

2. For extra credit, they can fill out Section Two for their supporting character and Section Three for their antagonist.

3. For even more extra credit, students can fill out Section Four for one or all of their characters. Encourage your students to use this questionnaire throughout Script Frenzy. They will inevitably have more than one supporting character, and can complete Section One through Section Four each time a new character pops into their script.

Total Lesson Time

60 Minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT:

1. Understand and identify internal and external conflicts in a script.
2. Identify the conflicts in the example movie/play.
3. Create dual conflicts in their own scripts.
4. Convert their scripts' conflicts into clever loglines.

Materials

• "Conflict Definition" visual aid with the meanings of internal and external conflict written out on the board or on a transparency (explained in Step Two).
• Copies of the "Creating Conflict" worksheet found on page 14 of the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School.

Lesson Plan 7: Creating Conflict

Step One: Hard to Get!

5 minutes

Write on the board: What is something you once really wanted but had a hard time getting? What made it hard to get? Give students 5 minutes to write. Do not allow questions until afterward—simply tell students to write about the first thing that comes to mind, even if they are not sure it counts. Walk around the room and check in with select student as they write. Try and find two students who have written stories that include internal and external conflicts.

Note: If you taught National Novel Writing Month with your students in November, they may already be familiar with the above activity. In that case have them write to describe what one of their novel characters wanted more than anything else. If it looks like no students are coming up with internal conflicts, make one up from your own life to mention in Step Two.

Step Two: The Two Faces of Conflict

20 minutes

1. Ask the two students who had interesting goals and struggles to read what they just wrote aloud. Name these struggles as conflicts, and say that there are two kinds of conflicts that exist in scripts: internal and external.

2. Hand out copies of the "Creating Conflict" worksheet to each student. Ask them to give proper names to the conflicts on the board. Call on students to read aloud the parts about conflict on the worksheet. If students are struggling with the concepts, supply them with a "Conflict Definition" visual that says something like this:

• External Conflict: What the protagonist wants vs. what the antagonist wants.
• Internal Conflict: What the protagonist wants vs. the protagonist's fears and/or weaknesses.
• Conflict DOES NOT = your best fight scene.

3. Discuss which of the students' example conflicts (struggles) were external conflicts and which were internal.

4. Divide students into small groups and ask them to identify the internal and external conflicts in the film you watched as a class. Give the groups 10 minutes to do this. After the 10 minutes is up, ask each group what they came up with. Discuss the internal and external conflicts as a class.

Step Three: Create Your Own Conflict!

15 minutes

1. Give students time to create their own conflicts for their scripts using the "Creating Conflict" worksheets. Walk around the class to assist students who are having trouble coming up with conflicts for their scripts.

2. Have two or three students explain their internal and external conflicts with the class. Encourage students to discuss ways in which shared conflicts can be improved upon.

Step Four: Loglines

15 minutes

1. Ask students to read the part of the worksheet about loglines aloud. Revisit the conflicts for the example movie that are summarized on the board and revisit the plot points you came up with during "Movie Time!"

2. Ask students to take a few minutes to individually think of a logline for the example film. Have students submit their loglines to you on small slips of paper. Explain that you will select your top ten favorite loglines before the next class, and in the beginning of the next lesson, you'll allow the class to vote on the best one.

3. Give students some time to create their own loglines for their scripts. Walk around and ask students to show you what they have. If they don't finish their loglines in class, they can complete them at home.

Step Five: Share

5 minutes

If there's still time, ask a few students with compelling loglines to share them with the class.

Homework

Hand out and ask students to read through the "Outlining Your Script" worksheet from the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School.

Teacher's Homework

Make a clean copy of the script for the example movie or play that your class watched together. Mark the pages for the set-up, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution for next two lessons. You may want to make copies of pages of these parts for each of your students as well, but this is not necessary.

Total Lesson Time

50 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT:

1. Identify and understand the beginning, inciting incident, and rising action sections of the Plot Rollercoaster.
2. Apply these parts of the Plot Rollercoaster to the example movie/play.
3. Create the set-up, inciting incident, and rising action for their own scripts.

Materials

• Transparency of the ten best loglines (in your opinion) that students wrote for the example movie/play in the previous lesson.
• Transparency of the blank Plot Rollercoaster.
• The script you prepared of the example movie/play with tabs on the Plot Rollercoaster's plot points. Be ready to read sections from those parts aloud and/or have handouts of relevant pages prepared.
• Students’ copies of "Outlining Your Script" worksheet assigned as reading homework in the previous lesson.

Note: If you also taught National Novel Writing Month with these students in November, they will already be familiar with the Plot Rollercoaster and will not need as much review. In that case, you may choose to condense this lesson and the following lesson, also on plot, into one day’s instruction. You can do this easily by plotting all the major sections of the sample movie/play on the rollercoaster all at once, and having students plot their own scripts all at once as well. If time allows, however, you may wish to have them compare how the script adaptation of the story on the worksheet—about Boris the Unicorn—is different from the novel version they read in November. Looking at these excerpts side by side would be a great way to drive home the unique qualities of scripts.

Lesson Plan 8: Introducing the Elements of Plot—Part One

Step One: And the Best Logline is . . .

5 minutes

Announce that it is time to decide on the best logline for the example movie. Project the transparency of the top ten (in your opinion) loglines that students wrote in the previous lesson, and have your students choose a winner by vote. It may be best to post the loglines anonymously, so the vote does not become a popularity contest. If the race is close, allow students to advocate for their favorite logline even if it is their own. Decide if you want the winner to get some kind of extra prize or validation.

Step Two: Reviewing the Plot Rollercoaster

10 minutes

Project the blank Plot Rollercoaster without the sections labeled. Ask students to label and describe each plot point on the rollercoaster through rising action. Let them refer to their worksheets if necessary.

Step Three: Plotting the Example Movie/Play on the Plot Rollercoaster

15 minutes

1. Have your students describe the beginning, inciting incident, and the rising action (four events max) of your example play/movie. Have your students refer to the example movie/play synopsis and read sections from the example script as you go along. Write the plot points on the board.

2. Explain that something usually changes in a script as the events happen. Ask if anyone knows what or who changes in a story. (Answer: The characters, and particularly the protagonist.) This change happens gradually as protagonists battle fears, defeat villains, and form friendships and relationships with supporting characters. All of these adventures will end up changing the way your main characters see the world and their place in it. If your students happen to be writing TV scripts, they should remember that the characters are not really supposed to change much, but they will at least go from someone who has not experienced X to someone who has. This will create a set-up for another adventure in the next episode.

3. Ask students to open their notebooks and write a two-sentence before snapshot of their protagonist. This should be a snapshot of who a character is in the very beginning of the script's story. It might help if students refer to their questionnaires and their protagonist's internal and external conflicts. They will later do an after snapshot at the end of the next lesson.

Step Three: Plotting Their Own Scripts

15 minutes

Tell students they have the rest of class to work on their plots up through rising action. Walk around and give more counsel than usual. Since the plot may be very difficult for students to map out, students may need more attention from you or from classmates. Allow students to work among friends.

Step Four: Sharing

5 minutes

Ask three students to share their plot points with the class. Praise all their hard work!

Homework

Have your students finish anything they could not get done in class as homework.

Total Lesson Time

55 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT:

1. Identify and understand the climax, falling action, and resolution sections of the Plot Rollercoaster.
2. Apply the Plot Rollercoaster to the example movie/play you watched as a class.
3. Create the rest of a plot for their own scripts.

Materials

• Blank Plot Rollercoaster transparency from the previous lesson.
• The "Outlining Your Plot" worksheet that students worked on in the previous lesson.

Lesson Plan 9: Introducing the Elements of Plot—Part Two

Step One: Plot Rollercoaster, Revisited

10 minutes

1. Bring back the now partly filled-in Plot Rollercoaster transparency that you labeled through rising action in the last lesson; it should be lacking the climax, falling action, and resolution. Ask students to label where the climax, falling action, and resolution go on the rollercoaster and have them define each plot point. Let them refer to their worksheets if necessary.

2. Remind students that in many scripts—especially stage plays and movie screenplays—scenes are divided into three big “acts.” Explain that, although there are no hard and fast rules about how to divide a script into acts, one common technique is to use the first two acts to “set up” and develop the conflict, and then to place the climax towards the end of the second act or beginning of the third. Invite students to speculate about the logic of this and offer ideas about other ways that the Plot Rollercoaster might be divided into acts. (If your students actually read a script for the movie you watched together in Lesson 3, have them recall whether and how the script was divided into acts and how this might relate to the Plot Rollercoaster.) You may draw wavy or dotted vertical lines on the rollercoaster graphic to illustrate students’ ideas.

Step Two: Spot the Plot

15 minutes

1. Talk about how the protagonist in your example movie/play changed by the resolution, and discuss what caused that change. Ask a couple of students to share some ways they think that characters can change and how they want their characters to change.

2. Ask students to take a look at the before snapshot they wrote in their notebooks in the previous lesson. Have them write an after snapshot—how they want their protagonist to be, act, think, etc. by the end of their script. Tell them that this change can’t happen all at once, or without explanation; it has to happen because of experiences your protagonist has during the script.

3. Have your students describe the climax, the falling action, and the resolution of the example movie/play. As you go along, read sections from the example script which correspond with the plot points. Jot down each plot point on the board.

Step Three: Finishing Up Their Plots

30 minutes

Tell students that they have the remainder of the class to complete the "Outlining Your Plot" worksheet.**If any students finish early, challenge them to consider whether they will divide their scripts into three acts and, if so, where the breaks will occur on their rollercoaster graphics. Students can mark these breaks directly onto their papers.

Homework

Students should read through the section on dialogue from Scriptwriting Boot Camp, Week 3, including the "Writing Really Good Dialogue" worksheet.

Teacher's Homework

Read the instructions for the game in Step Three of the following lesson plan covering dialogue and write out several scenarios on slips of paper. You should create at least one scenario per two students in your class.

Total Lesson Time

50 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT:

1. Understand the dual purpose of dialogue in a script.
2. Create dialogue that moves the story forward and reveals the relationships between characters.

Materials

• Copies of the "Writing Awesome Dialogue" worksheet found on page 31 of the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School.
• Materials for "Can’t Say It!": one scenario per two students in your class written on a small piece of paper, and a container to mix them up in so pairs can randomly choose one (see Step Three for game instructions).

Lesson Plan 10: Dialogue

Step One: Dialogue Discussion

5 minutes

Ask the class what they thought were some of the most interesting or important conversations in your example movie. Then ask what made these conversations so meaningful. Tell them that since a script is made up of only four things—dialogue, character names, action, and description—learning how to write good and meaningful dialogue is essential. Say, “Some of you will be writing more dialogue than others. Typically, comedies contain a lot of dialogue, as do most plays. Action movies, on the other hand, usually contain very little dialogue." Make sure your students know that this is not the rule. Have them consider Wall-E, if they've seen it. Point out that it's a comedy, but contains no dialogue for the first 40 minutes! How much or how little dialogue they include in their scripts it totally up to them.

Step Two: Dialogue’s Two Jobs in a Script

10 minutes

1. Pass out the "Writing Really Good Dialogue" worksheet. As you read it together, make sure students understand that character names go in all caps, and that the words underneath a name are spoken by that character. After reading the example dialogue that shows the relationship between characters, discuss how the dialogue accomplishes this goal. Repeat this step after reading example dialogue that moves the story forward. Write the two jobs of dialogue on the board as an extra reminder.

2. You might also want to tell your students that while dialogue in movies/plays is supposed to be realistic and believable, it should not be boring and everyday. In scripts, the dialogue should be more exciting, dramatic, funny, and clever than it is in real life. Say, "For example, if I were your long lost sister I might, in real life, just say, 'I'm your long lost sister,’ but in a movie, to make things more interesting, that conversation might go something like this:" (write the following conversation on the board or just read it aloud)

• Me: "We might have more in common than you think."
• You: "How's that?"
• Me: "Well, we have the same mom for starters."
• You: "That's impossible. I'm an only child."
• Me: "Not anymore!"

Step Three: Can’t Say It

20 minutes

Tell students you are about to play a game called “Can’t Say It.” This game is designed to help your students express their characters’ relationships and incite action through dialogue. To clarify its purpose, you can say, “In a book you can write ‘Patrick is secretly depressed’ but in a script, Patrick has to say and do things to show he is secretly depressed. And because the last thing a secretly depressed person would say is ‘I am secretly depressed,’ you can't have your character come out and say just that. Perhaps it might seem as though an easy solution to the problem of expressing Patrick’s secret depression would be to include a narrator in your script who could just say ‘Patrick is secretly depressed.’ While there is a remote chance that this would work and be interesting, it is more likely that this would make the script boring. Generally, it is more fun to learn about a character through their words and actions. While it would be nice if everyone came equipped with a narrator who could tell you Kim is mad that you didn’t call her back last night, that’s not realistic. Kim will likely show you she is mad by ignoring you or by being mean or rude to you."

Instructions for "Can't Say It":

1. Ask students to find a partner quickly.
2. Place your scenarios in a hat and pass the hat around so that students can select one scenario at random. All scenarios should either describe relationships between two characters or prompt a story to move forward, or both. Each scenario should also include a list of words students may not include in their dialogue. (We've listed five example scenarios at the end of this lesson.)
3. Inform students that they are limited to writing two lines of dialogue each and that their lines need to either convey their relationship to the other character or move the story forward. Challenge your students to try and write dialogue for the scenario that does both at the same time.
4. Give students 5 minutes to think of and write down their lines.
5. When planning time is up, have each student group perform their lines.
6. After the performances, take a few minutes to discuss which pairs’ dialogue defined relationships between characters, which moved the story forward, and which did both. Ask how well each pair accomplished their goal. Ask a few pairs if and how they considered their characters' feelings, history, and demeanor as they wrote the dialogue.

Step Four: Writing Really Good Dialogue Worksheet

10 minutes

Give students time to do the practice activity on the "Writing Really Good Dialogue" worksheet. Go around the room and check to see how well students are grasping these concepts. On a certain level, writing dialogue is intuitive. Tell your students to follow their gut or pretend they are watching the movie or play of their script in their minds as they write.

Step Five: Share

5 minutes

Ask brave students to hand over their newly written dialogue to two other students to be “performed” for the class. Tell students that dialogue can often sound really different read aloud by others than how it sounds in their head. You can suggest that after Script Frenzy is over, if they are serious about revision, they should host a table reading of their scripts. Students can get friends together, assign parts, order pizza, and have their scripts read to them.

Homework

Ask students to read the action and description section (including the "Lights, Camera, Action!" worksheet) from Scriptwriting Boot Camp, Week 3.

Examples Scenarios

Scenario 1: One character is a lonely vampire who wants to be normal. The other is a normal person who wants to become a vampire. They are new friends. Write a conversation where the normal person asks to become a vampire.

Can’t say: the words “vampire” or “normal.”

Scenario 2: Both characters are highly competitive and want the captain position on an athletic team. They do not like each other. Write a conversation where they confront each other about the tryouts tomorrow.

Can’t say: the phrases “I’m going to be captain” or “I don’t like you.”

Scenario 3: One character has lost hope of ever finding his/her brother who went missing ten years ago. The other character is a police officer who has been on the case the whole time. Write a conversation in which the officer tells the other character that his/her brother has been found. Alive or dead….that’s up to you.

Can’t say: the phrase “found your brother” or the words “alive” or “dead.”

Scenario 4: Character A’s dad just left her/his family suddenly and he/she blames him/herself. Character B is his/her caring best friend. Write a conversation where B consoles the distraught A.

Can’t say: the word “fault” or the phrases “left because of me” or “best friend.”

Scenario 5: One character is coaching the other to an Olympic victory amidst a lot of obstacles. Write a conversation in which the coach convinces the athlete not to give up.

Can’t say: the phrases “you can do it” or “I can’t” or “give up.”

Total Time

55 Minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson SWBAT:

1. Understand what constitutes action and description in a script, and how it translates into the realized production of a script.
2. Adapt narrative prose into action/description in a script.
3. Use well-chosen sensory details to improve a script.

Materials

• Short clip from your example movie/play and corresponding pages of its script.
• Copies of the "Lights,Camera, Action" worksheet found on page 36 of the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School.

Lesson Plan 11: Action and Description

Step One: Write About Your Morning

10 minutes

Ask students to open their notebooks and write down everything they did that morning from the moment they woke up to the moment they got to school. They should describe their whole morning routine: what they did, where they did things, who shared their morning with them, and what everything looked like. They should also describe their feelings and physical sensations throughout the morning (was it cold in the house, did they have a headache, what did their breakfast taste like?). Basically, they need to relive their mornings on paper, step-by-step. Make sure that they know to write everything in the present tense. So instead of writing, "I opened the cupboard and looked for my Captain Crunch," they should write, "I open the cupboard and look for my Captain Crunch." Give students about 5 minutes to write, then ask them to put their descriptions aside.

Step Two: Breaking Down Action and Description

5 minutes

Hand out the "Lights, Camera, Action!" worksheet and read through it as a class. Make sure to go through the “Facts about action and description” carefully.

Step Three: Movie Clip and Discussion

20 minutes

1. Hand out the pages of the script that correspond to the clip you are about to show the class. Read it aloud. Assign character parts and have one student act as the narrator and read all the action and description. Periodically, stop and ask why things are capitalized, and if the action/description is appearing as a scene heading/slugline or in the middle of dialogue.

2. Play the clip that corresponds to the pages you just read as a class. You may want to press pause on a part where the scene is much more elaborate than described in the script.

3. Ask students to point out the differences between the description in the script and how it appears on screen. The idea is to get them to see two things: 1) Scriptwriters must "show" intangible things like emotions, tastes, smells, and thoughts through the actions and words of their characters; 2) Scripts lack detailed descriptions, whereas the end product is very detailed. Ask for examples of details added by the director that are not present in the script.

4. Ask if anyone knows why scripts leave out so many details? (Answer: Because the details are up to the director, artists, and designers.) The writer should only write what is necessary, giving creative freedom to those who are in charge of bringing a script to life. Plus, if a writer constantly went on and on about what the characters were wearing, doing, and feeling, the script would be too big and heavy for any actor, artist, designer, or director to use, let alone carry around from set to set.

5. Use a recipe as a metaphor. Say, "Think about how strange and annoying it would be if a recipe went into how white and soft the flour is as you sift it through the sparking silver sifter into the freshly washed white ceramic bowl from Target." Just like recipes, scripts should be short and to the point. Bring your students attention back to the example clip. Have them think of alternative choices that the director or designers could have made while making the movie. (Could the characters have worn different clothes? Could they have used different fight moves on each other? Could a different actor have been just as good in a certain role?)

Step Four: Your Morning as Action/Description

15 minutes

1. Ask students to revisit their descriptions of their morning. Tell them it is time to turn their mornings into a script. To make things easier, they should choose one location for this scene (breakfast table, bedroom getting ready, ride on the bus, etc.). Post a visual of these suggested rules:

• All action and description must be written in the present tense.
• It must be written in the third person—turn “I” into your name in ALL CAPS and make sure that all other names of "characters" from your morning are also written in ALL CAPS.
• Write any important props in ALL CAPS.
• Think of yourself as a character, and write how someone would act out all your important emotions, physical sensations, and thoughts. Use sensory detail! Describe, in as few words as possible, what things should look, sound, smell, feel, and even taste like.
• If your morning actions somehow contradict your thoughts, write what people see, not what you secretly think.
• When in doubt, close your eyes and watch yourself doing everything. Write instructions for how someone else can do what you did.
• You are not required to include dialogue, but you can if you would like. If you do, be sure to follow the formatting rules discussed in the previous lesson.

2. Walk around the room and help individual students adapt their descriptions. Find students who did a great job and ask them to share in the next activity.

Step Five: Share

5 minutes

Ask a few students to read their scenes aloud.

Homework

Ask students to also read the appropriate “How To” on Formatting:

• Screenplay Formatting
• Stage Script Formatting
• TV Script Formatting
• How-To: Comic Book Writing

Total Lesson Time

50 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT:

1. Format dialogue, character names, action, and description into their scripts.
2. Identify when a change in location or a time lapse necessitates a scene change.
3. Understand that each scene in a script should act to move the plot forward.

Materials

• Sugar cookie recipe on a transparency or copied as a handout.
• Students will need their filled-out "Writing Really Good Dialogue" worksheets and their filled-out "Lights, Camera, Action!" worksheets from the previous two lessons.
• Copies of the "Formatting Your Script" worksheet found on page 40 from the Scriptwriter Workbook for Middle School.
• Visual of the "Good Scene Criteria" checklist detailed in Step Three.
• Access to a computer lounge if you want to familiarize your students with the scriptwriting software found here.

Lesson Plan 12: Scenes and Formatting

Step One: Script as Recipe, Revisited

5 minutes

Write a recipe for sugar cookies on the board, hand out copies of one, or project a transparency of the recipe on the board. Ask the class to remind you of the similarities between scripts and recipes per the discussion you had in the action and description lesson. (Answer: Both are brief and to the point when it comes to description.) Now ask the class why recipes are always written the same way. Why are the symbols always the same? Why does the author put the steps in a certain order? What does this have to do with writing a script? (Answer: In addition to having concise descriptions of action, a script, like a recipe, needs to be consistently formatted so it is easy to follow.)

Step Two: Formatting Your Script Worksheet

10 minutes

Pass out the "Formatting Your Script" worksheet to each student and read through the instructions as a class. Ask students to take out their filled-in "Writing Really Good Dialogue" worksheets and "Lights, Camera, Action!" worksheets, and copy their dialogue, action, and description into the appropriate script template. When they are done, congratulate students on putting all the pieces together to create their first full scene!

Step Three: Scenes that Move the Story Forward

25 minutes

Ask students if they know what a scene is and when a scenes changes. Write what they come up with on the board. Discuss this until you feel your students have a good understanding of scenes and scene changes.

Here are example definitions:

Scene: A continuous block of storytelling either set in a single location or following a particular character for a certain amount of time.

Scene Change: The end of a scene is typically marked by a change in location or time.

2. Bring up an example of a memorable scene from your example movie/play. Briefly discuss what occurred in the scene to refresh students’ memories. Now post the "Good Scene Criteria" list found below on the board or on a transparency. Discuss each criterion and ask which ones were met by the example scene that you just discussed.

This scene…

1. introduces a new character or multiple new characters.
2. introduces or develops the internal conflict.
3. introduces or develops the external conflict.
4. introduces a supporting character’s internal or external conflict for a subplot.
5. develops an existing character or characters' relationship with each other.
6. develops the main plot.
7. develops a subplot.

3. Now ask students to apply these criterions to the scene they just formatted. Give students a minute to write the numbers of the criteria they feel their scene meets in their notebooks.

4. Ask students to pair up with the person seated nearest to them. Give each partner 1 minute to describe the main plot of their script and at what point their formatted scene takes place. Then ask students to read each other’s scenes. After both students have read each others’ scenes, have them check off any and all criteria that they feel their partner’s scene meets. Give pairs 4 minutes to discuss each other's scenes. Perhaps Partner A does not think Partner B’s scene really develops a subplot, but Partner B thinks it does and can explain why. Call for partners to switch to discussing the other person’s scene at the 2 minute mark. Walk around to make sure your students are grasping the concept of this activity, and to find a few students who have scenes that do a good job in meeting at least one of the criterion.

5. Leave the "Good Scene Criteria" checklist up for the rest of Script Frenzy.

Step Four: Share

10 minutes

1. Ask for the writers you found when walking around to read their scenes aloud, including their dialogue, action, description, and character names (they can have their partner read one of the parts or act as the narrator and read the action and description) to the class. Present which criteria they think their scene meets and how it does so. Only choose students whose work will serve as a good example to the rest of the class.

2. Give students a final reminder that dialogue, action, and description are all they have to move the cars of their plot rollercoaster along at a good pace, reaching all their plot points at a reasonable time. Mention that in a movie, one page of script equals one minute of film. That means each page has to count!

Total Lesson Time

55 minutes

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, SWBAT:

1. Understand the purpose of a movie/play poster.
2. Identify structural features of a movie/play poster and evaluate what makes a poster successful at advertising.
3. Create their own movie/play posters for their scripts.

Materials

• White paper for students to outline their posters on.
• A piece of construction paper or poster board for each student in your class.
• The poster for your example movie/play, and three to five other movie/play posters for movies unfamiliar to your students. You can either print examples off the internet, or you can ask your local movie rental shops, movie theaters, and playhouses if they have any they'd be willing to give you. It is best if you choose posters from different genres: comedy, horror, drama, indie, action.
• Markers, colored pencils, scissors, old magazines, and rubber cement.
• If available, letter stencils, rulers, protractors, paint, and brushes—whatever art materials your students are familiar with. You can even take a trip to the art room to work.
• If you have access to a computer lounge where the computers have Photoshop or another graphic design program, you can make your posters there as well.

Lesson Plan 13: Designing Your Movie/Play Poster

Step One: Want to See It?

5 minutes

Post three examples of posters for movies/plays that your students have probably never seen. Ask students which movie/play they would most like to see and why. Write students’ responses on the board. Say that posters can be the first taste that potential audience members get of a movie/play, so they need to be eye-catching. In the real world of movie/play advertising, writers have no control over the poster, just as they have no control over bringing their scripts to life on the stage or screen. Nevertheless, it’s a fun exercise to get students thinking about what makes their scripts unique and interesting.

Step Two: What Makes a Poster Good?

15 minutes

1. Discuss the kinds of things students noticed and were attracted to about the posters. Were they intrigued by some mysterious image? Was a catchy logline included? Did the poster quote critics? Did the film win awards? Is the poster just cool-looking? Encourage students to notice features that the posters have in common such as the names of the important actors and writers/producers/directors, eye-catching graphics, and “teaser” sentences or phrases that give clues to the plot. (Students may be amused—or horrified—to note that the writers of movie scripts usually get far less credit on these posters than other contributors; students can observe this by trying to read the small, skinny type that lists contributors’ names at the bottom of the posters.) Also encourage students to notice features of the posters that seem potentially exaggerated or even misleading, such as claims that the viewer’s mind will be “changed forever,” that the viewer will “never sleep again,” flattering quotes from magazines that no one has ever heard of, and so on.

2. Use students’ observations to create a list of things an effective poster should have.

Here is a sample list:

• An important/symbolic image or object from the script.
• The most important characters in the script.
• A catchy logline.
• Critical acclaim!
• An important "event" from the script.

3. Now hang the poster for your example movie/play. Does it make students want to see it? Why or why not? Check it against your list of good movie poster qualities.

4. Tell them they are about to start working, but there are a few more things to consider when making their poster. Here are some important things that your students should think about as they design their own movie/play posters (write these on the board so your students can refer to them as they create their designs):

• Their main conflict.
• Their characters and what makes them unique.
• The “mood” of their script (is it a funny, feel good movie/play or is it dramatic and serious?)
• The “genre” of their script (is it fantasy, sci-fi, drama, indie, horror, etc.?)

4. Discuss the differences between the posters you brought to class. Have students point out elements that are common in comedies, dramas, indie films, etc.

Step Three: Making the Posters

30 minutes

1. Now pass out the practice paper. Ask students to first sketch their poster with just a pencil. Remind your students to think about what makes their script unique. As they sketch, they should refer to both of the lists that are posted. If you think they would like this, ask students to write two lines of imaginary praise for their partner's script to be included on his or her poster.

2. As students are satisfied with their outlines, give them poster board or big construction paper and assorted art materials to make their poster. You can also take a trip to the art room or computer lounge to work with either more sophisticated art supplies or a graphic design computer program like Photoshop. We recommend taking steps towards making your students' posters look as professional as possible.

3. When all posters are complete (which could be long after this lesson is taught, depending on the media used), it might be fun to host a gallery showing of the posters, or to post them at your final party where students read from their scripts.

Script Frenzy is over, and now it's time to celebrate!

It is very important to host a "Wrap Party." Your students deserve all the accolades, soda, pizza, and prizes they can get! There are a lot of things you can do to make this party special. Here are a few tips we’ve collected from experienced teachers:

Bind Your Students’ Scripts

This is an easy one. No matter if your students wrote their scripts by hand or on a word processor, your students will appreciate a bound copy of their script, which they can keep forever. Many teachers do this after their students turn in their final product and then hand them out at the Wrap Party.

Note: You may want to wait on this if you’re planning on bringing back those Inner Editors in May. Many teachers give their students two weeks to a month to revise their scripts before binding them.

Remember, when binding a script, use a three-hole puncher and brass-fasteners (also known as brads). To be super-official, use Acco #5 solid brass brads. These are generally accepted as the industry standard in the scriptwriting business. When binding the scripts with the brads, leave one out of the center hole. You can explain to your students that “professional scriptwriters” do not put a brad in the center hole. Since they are now scriptwriters, they deserve to be treated like the industry veterans that they are!

Host a Reading or a Night of Short Plays

A reading might the best way to celebrate your students’ new scripts, and it is fairly easy to pull off. You can host a reading in your class during class period, or you can host one after school so your students’ families can come bask in the glory of their young scriptwriters. If you have the time and energy, call your local independent bookstores or playhouses to see if you can host a reading there. Let them know that it will benefit them as well, since you will bring a good-sized crowd to their establishment.

Script readings are little different from poetry or fiction readings. Instead of just the author reading his or her work, a whole cast of friends can read an excerpt of a script. It's different from a play in that it lacks props and costumes, and the readers do not have to memorize their lines. You may want to encourage your students to choose a short scene (around three pages or three minutes long) that has only two or three characters in it. Once they have chosen their scene, they can "cast" their friends or classmates.

If they want to take it up a notch, they can memorize their lines and actually perform the scene in costume. Or, if your school has a drama department, it might be fun to contact them and see if some of their drama students would like to perform some scenes from your students' newly-written scripts. You can then have a joint event, inviting parents and friends of both the scriptwriters and the actors. That way, your new scriptwriters can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Hand Out Prizes

• Hand out the "Stop Watching. Start Writing." buttons from your classroom kit!
• Make sure you print out official Script Frenzy certificates for all of your students. We have both winner certificates and participant certificates, so everyone, no matter what their final page count is, should get one.
• Many teachers give out special prizes for things like “Highest Page Count” and “Best Opening Scene” etc., but this is not necessary.

Above and Beyond

Some of our more energetic teachers have gone above and beyond for their students’ Wrap Parties and invited local scriptwriters to speak, purchased Script Frenzy T-shirts for their students, or videotaped their classroom readings and plays. We encourage you to make your Wrap Party special for your class.

Also keep in mind that some students will continue to work on their scripts even after the project is over, or may even start new scripts on their own! Consider checking back in with the group periodically to see who’s still revising or writing. For those who get their Script Frenzy scripts to a stage they feel is final, encourage them with ideas of how to connect with the drama department or local theater houses to put on staged readings and performances.