Advanced Drama is a year long theatre intensive for experienced Drama students seeking to heighten and refine their acting craft.  In class students will prepare and perform improvisations, monologues, scene work and  plays from both classical and contemporary sources.  There will be an evening performance for family and friends.  This class is aligned with the National Arts Standards as well as the California Visual and Performing Arts Standards. 

Performances

There is a performance date for Advanced Drama students to mark on the calendar. Advanced Drama students will perform on Thursday, April 30th and Friday, May 1st 7:00 p.m.  For performances, students should be available one hour before curtain time and expect performances to last two hours total. Dress Rehearsal for our play will be on Wednesday, April 22nd and Thursday, April 23rd, from 3:00- 6:00 p.m. Please mark all of these dates carefully on the calendar.

*All Performances will be graded. Due to the collaborative nature of performance, please notify me immediately if of any conflicts with performance and Dress Rehearsal dates or times. The deadline to notify me of conflicts is by September 12th.

Learning Targets

Students will be able to:

• show confidence onstage

• speak loudly, distinctly and communicate meaning.

• create characters using voice body and imagination

• partner with others effectively onstage and in rehearsal

• exchange ideas, insights and feedback with stage partners, classmates, and directors

•  understand the work as a whole, how to meaningfully contribute their part to the overall effect

• effectively prepare themself for rehearsal or performance

• be responsible for learning lines and blocking (stage movement)  as required

• utilize my rehearsal time appropriately and productively

• understand the purpose and emotion of the work being performed

• take risks onstage

• add their own voice/ interpretation to theatrical work

Essential Standards

These standards represent the core learning targets of the Advanced Drama program. They are from the California Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards are were selected as the most fundamental skills for success in the course and future college and career pathways. While we will cover many other skills and concepts, the course is shaped for students to master the following standards.

Creating: 

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and Conceptualize Artistic Ideas and Work

• Develop a scripted or improvised character by articulating the character’s inner thoughts, objectives, and motivations in a drama/theatre work.

Anchor Standard 2: Organize and Develop Artistic Ideas and Work

• Share leadership and responsibilities to develop collaborative goals when preparing or devising drama/theatre work.

Anchor Standard 3: Refine and Complete Artistic Work

• Refine effective physical, vocal, and physiological traits of characters in an improvised or scripted drama/theatre work.

Performing:

Anchor Standard 4: Select, Analyze, and Interpret Artistic Work for Presentation

• Use various character objectives and tactics in a drama/theatre work to overcome an obstacle.

Anchor Standard 6: Convey Meaning Through the Presentation of Artistic Work

• Perform a rehearsed, scripted scene from a drama/theatre work for an audience.

Responding:

Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and Analyze Artistic Work

• Apply appropriate criteria to the evaluation of artistic choices in a drama/theatre work

Anchor Standard 8: Interpret Intent and Meaning in Artistic Work

• Recognize and share artistic choices when participating in or observing a drama/theatre work.

Gradebook Weighting

All assignments, designs, rehearsals, performances,  peer and self evaluations and other work in Advanced Drama class will be separated into three weighted categories to compile a student grade.

The three categories are:

Creating ( envision, conceptualize, rehearse, develop) 50%

Creating grade may include:  in class exercises, improvisations, scene work, selecting character objectives, rehearsals

Creating Rubric

Performing (select, prepare, share, present) 35%

Performance grade includes:  line tests, scene work, monologues, plays

Performing Rubric

Responding (reflect, interpret, evaluate) 15 %

Responding grade includes: self and peer evaluations, script work, research

Responding Rubric

Grading Rubrics

Each assignment and project within these categories is scored using a 5 point rubric.

0= Incomplete, missing

1= Far Below Standard (the student provides little or no evidence of meeting the learning objective.)

2= Below Standard (the student is below the learning objective.)

3= Approaching Standard (the student is approaching the learning objective.)

4= Skillful (the student has met the learning objective.)

5= Accomplished (the student has met the learning objective and can apply and transfer it)

Grading Scale

After the assignments are graded according to the rubrics,  they will be weighted by category, and the total grade will be displayed in the gradebook according to this scale:

A= 80-100%

B= 60- 79%

C= 40-59%

D= 25-39%

F= 0-24%

Assignment Tracking

We will be using Google Classroom as the information hub to for class communication and assignment tracking. Assignment grades will be exported into Infinite Campus. To see a student's cumulative calculated grade, view into Infinite Campus. 

Grades will be updated every two weeks.

Attendance and Absence Policy

Students who miss school due to excused absences will be given the opportunity to make up all missed work. Upon returning to school, the student should check Google Classroom and/or  Infinite Campusto see what what missed. Absent students should utilize tutorial sessions as needed to go over missed work.  Late work will be accepted for full credit up until the last week of the semester. If a dress rehearsal or performance is missed due to a legitimate illness or family emergency, students will be assigned an alternate project of equal weight.

Tardy Policy

Students are expected to be in the classroom at the start of the class.  Students or in their seats by the bell can be marked tardy and receive classroom and schoolwide consequences. 

Consequences for unexcused tardies (per quarter):

• 1-3 tardies: Attendance office/teacher will document and attempt to resolve a student’s tardy problem by discussing the situation with student and parents, an optional assignment will be given reinforcing the importance of being on time.

• 4 tardies: Attendance office/teacher will document the tardies and advise an administrator. An administrator will conference  with the student and assign detention.

• 6  tardies: If tardies continue, additional detention will be assigned and an attendance contract will be put in place

• 9  tardies: If tardies continue and the  attendance contract as is not adhered to, consequences may include additional detention

• 12 tardies: Students and guardians will be recommended for Student Attendance Review Team (SART) and School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process referral. Students may also be advised to spend one or more days of a weekend at the school site. 

Homework

Excepting script memorization, there will be little to no homework in Advanced Drama.  All other reading and writing will be structured into our class time. As Advanced Drama students, performers have an expectation to be "off book" (memorized) when required. Students will be given plenty of notice regarding memorization deadlines.

SRVUSD Homework Policy

Late/Missing Work

All late written work will be accepted until the last week of each quarter.  For practical activities such as in class performances, improvisations, line tests, students will either be assigned to perform in class upon their return, or assigned to a student support/tutorial to perform. In the case of missing our  Advanced Drama play,  students will either need to submit conflicts before September 12th or submit a doctor's note to be given a make up assignments of equal weight. 

Artificial Intelligence/ AI

All usage of AI programs in this class requires prior approval from the teacher. Before incorporating any AI tool into an assignment or activity, you must discuss your intent with the teacher. Any assignment created with (or supposedly without) the use of AI programs is subject to a verbal review with the teacher.  Be prepared to explain and discuss the content of your work, without the contributions or assistance of AI. 

Tutorial/ Student Support

On Wednesdays and Thursdays students are afforded  30 minutes of tutorial time. Tutorial is designed to provide students an opportunity to receive reteaching, intervention, enrichment, or time to work on projects, readings, and redos. Students will select which tutorial to attend weekly, based on their needs.  In some cases, teachers will assign students to attend tutorials they offer as needs arise. Weekly sign ups are in Infinite Campus and it is recommended that students wait until Friday to sign up for tutorial. Not all of the sessions are available until then. Students who fail to sign up for the week’s tutorials  by Monday at 8:30am may receive a lunch detention. 

 Academic Honesty

Please review page 13 of the IHMS Family Handbook

Students will need pencils, paper, earphones/earbuds and a place to safely store class handouts and/or scripts. They will also need their chromebook charged and ready to use. All other materials will be provided in class. Students will be expected to bring assigned scripts to class daily.

All of our Elective programs are maintained by donations from the community and are given no start up funds for consumable materials or equipment from the district or school.We are fortunate to have a supportive community that values the quality and breadth of Electives offered to students and has kept our programs afloat through generous donations.

In order to procure and maintain scripts, rehearsal props and furniture, microphones, our costume supply and other classroom and performance expenses, a donation of $40.00 (or any other amount) would be greatly appreciated. Donations are entirely optional, and will be collected this week and happily accepted throughout the semester. Donations may be made in cash or check (made out to IHMS). Unfortunately, I can not make change for cash donations.

LINK TO DONATION LETTER

Please view the embedded presentation below to view the class expectations, rules and procedures.