Jefferson Middle School

27900 Rockwood
St. Clair Shores, MI 48081
mwoods@scslakeview-k12.com
(586)445-4130 ext.2655

Drama Syllabus
September - June, 2015-16
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
Welcome to our Drama class where students have the opportunity to observe actors
performances, perform with other actors and study the theatre process. During this semester,
students will have the opportunity to many of the following activities; create and perform a
monologue, perform in a play for two, perform in a group play, do a choral reading with a group,
act out improvisations, script write, or create and perform a speech. Also, students will discover
what is involved in producing a play and what the responsibilities are for production team
members.
Students will be provided with a rubric for the performance based assignments. Students are
responsible for making up assignments they missed while absent from school. The make-up time
is equal to the number of days absent. Also, students may turn in classroom assignments late,
but ten percent will be deducted every day the assignment is late. Students will not be
assigned homework in this class.
The grading scale for this class is consistent with our Lakeview Public Schools standards.
Students' grades will be regularly posted on Power School.
A
A-

100-93%
92%-90%

B+
B
B-

89%-87%
86%-83%
82%-80%

C+
C
C-

79%-77%
76%-73%
72%-70%

D+
D
D-

69%-67%
66%-63%
62%-60%

59%-0%

Each student will need to bring to class every day, three sharpened pencils with good erasers
and a folder just for our Drama class.
Students must also be able and willing to follow our classroom expectations.
Drama Classroom STARR Expectations
Safety
Remain seated; when you get up push in your chair.
Walk carefully.
Give people their personal space.

 Keep your hands and feet to yourself.

Pay attention to your own equipment and leave other peoples equipment alone.
Use classroom tools with care and caution; as if they are your own.
Eating and drinking is not allowed in this classroom.
Tolerance
Be patient with others and their abilities.
Accept who you are sitting by.
Ignore people who are bothering you or tell the teacher if the person next to you will not
leave you alone.
Wait your turn.
Achievement
Get to class on time.
Work to the best of your ability.
Stay on task and complete your work on time.
Respect

Listen well to everyone who is speaking to you.

Speak in a quiet, positive voice when talking.

Responsibility

Bring three sharpened pencils with good erasers and your folder to class.

Correctly log off your computer and push in your chair before you leave.

Correctly put equipment away when you are done with it.

Keep track of your possessions and your work.

Follow your computer user agreement.

Most of my students follow all of our STARR expectations, but once in a while a few need a
reminder. Therefore, in our classroom a "Change of Behavior" form is used to help those who
need to change their behavior so a great learning environment is always maintained in our
classroom. Following is the "Change of Behavior" form procedure which is used when needed.
First, a verbal warning is given to a student who forgets any of our STARR classroom
expectations. The warning is also noted in the first section of the "Change of Behavior" form
by me. If a STARR expectation isn't followed for a second time, the same "Change of Behavior"
form will be completed by the student and me, under the second section of the form. If a
STARR classroom expectation isn't followed a third time then the "Change of Behavior" form
will be completed by the student and me, under the third section of the form. As soon as
possible I will also call home to inform the student's parent of the situation. A copy of the
student's "Change of Behavior" form will be sent home with the student so the student's parent
or guardian may sign it and the student may return it to me at the beginning of the next class.
Finally, if another STARR expectation isn't followed for a fourth time a referral will be
submitted to Mr. Townsend, our Vice Principal.

Maintaining an excellent learning environment for my students is a top priority for me. That is
why I diligently work hard to help my students feel welcome and confident that with effort and
determination all students can learn the course curriculum. Our classroom is a busy room and
sometimes a student may need to leave the room with an unanswered question, so please know
that I am available to meet, in my room, right after school or before school starts, from 7:30
to 8:00 am. Also, I respond quickly to my email messages at mwoods@scslakeview-k12.com.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me either by phone or by email. Also, I
am currently revising my weebly site, welcometothewoods.weebly.com, to include classroom
information you may find helpful.
Yours truly,
Mrs. Woods
Drama Teacher
Following are the Michigan Standards and Benchmarks we will be working with in our class.
Theatre Arts
ART.T.I.6.1 Identify and practice, with guidance, techniques for
physical and vocal conditioning.
ART.T.I.6.2 Utilize role playing and characterization skills to perform in
ensemble scenes.
ART.T.I.6.3 Serve as leader and employ effective communication skills
to facilitate the sharing of ideas.
ART.T.II.6.1 Recognize and explain the unique characterizations of the
dramatic script such as dramatic action and dialogue.
ART.T.II.6.2 Infer meaning from a script to create characters.
ART.T.II.6.3 Create monologues, dialogues, and short plays in response
to real life conflict.
ART.T.II.6.4 Discuss the role of the designer and technical elements in
the theatre process.
ART.T.III.6.1 Study a play or story, and visualize, draw, and create a
simple theatrical environment for it.
ART.T.III.6.2 Recognize elements of dramatic structure (foreshadowing,
flashbacks, rising action, crisis, and denouement) that
impact technical needs.
ART.T.III.6.3 Gather and investigate materials to support artistic choices
in the creation and portrayal of characters and their stories.
ART.T.III.6.5 Provide and listen to constructive criticism and respond in
a positive manner.
ART.T.IV.6.3 Research and identify a wide variety of professions related
to theatre; playwriting, acting, design, and directing.

ART.T.IV.6.4 Identify examples of how theatrical productions can

influence or be influenced by politics and culture.
ART.T.IV.6.5 Identify specific actions that reflect feelings and emotions
in a live theatrical production.
ART.T.V.6.1 Examine how varied art forms are expressed in recorded or
live theatre performances.
Technology
6-8.TC.2. use a variety of technology tools (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, grammar-checker,
calculator) to maximize the accuracy of technology-produced materials
Language Arts
R.CM.06.01 connect personal knowledge, experiences, and understanding of the world to themes
and perspectives in text through oral and written responses.
R.MT.06.01 self-monitor comprehension when reading or listening to text by automatically
applying and discussing the strategies used by mature readers to increase comprehension
including: predicting, constructing mental images, visually representing ideas in text,
questioning, rereading or listening again if uncertain about meaning, inferring, summarizing, and
engaging in interpretive discussions.
R.MT.06.02 plan, monitor, regulate, and evaluate skills, strategies, and processes for their own
reading comprehension by applying appropriate metacognitive skills.
W.PR.06.01 set a purpose, consider audience, and replicate authors styles and patterns
when writing a narrative or informational piece.
W.PR.06.02 apply a variety of pre-writing strategies for both narrative (e.g., graphic
organizers designed to develop a plot that includes major and minor characters, builds
climax, and uses dialogue to enhance a theme) and informational writing (e.g., problem/
solution or sequence).
W.PR.06.03 revise drafts for clarity, coherence, and consistency in content, voice, and
genre characteristics with audience and purpose in mind.
W.PR.06.04 draft focused ideas for a specific purpose using multiple paragraphs, sentence
variety, and voice to meet the needs of an audience (e.g., word choice, level of formality, and
use of example) when writing compositions.
W.PR.06.05 proofread and edit writing using grade-level checklists and other appropriate
resources both individually and in groups.