Dramas

ELA 3/8/21

Write your ELA title in your notes and be ready to do some writing!

For the last few weeks we've been talking about nonfiction.

This week we're going back to fiction, and we're going to learn about dramas.

Open Ended

What do you think dramas are?

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

Dramas are stories that people act out on a stage or in front of a camera.

Sometimes called a play

A drama is divided into parts called acts and scenes.

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

• An act is the largest part of a play.

• A scene is a small part of an act.

Poll

Have you ever seen a play or a drama in a theater?

• Yes

• No

When you read a fiction story, the author usually describes everything. They tell you what the characters look like, what they do, and how they feel.

In a drama, the author doesn't have to describe much because it's made to be watched.

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

When you watch a drama, the setting you see is called the set.

The author describes the set at the beginning of an act or scene. The words are usually written in italics.

Multiple Choice

What does italics mean?

• It's another word for Italian.

• It means the letters are written slanted, like this.

• I don't know, sorry, I wasn't listening.

Multiple Choice

Read this setting, where does the drama take place?

Setting: A sunny fall day. The curtain opens on a large room with many desks and chairs. At the front of the room is a chalkboard with the words "Welcome Students!"

• In a garden

• In a home

• In a classroom

• At the grocery store

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

The characters in a drama are called a cast.

The cast of characters are written at the beginning of a play in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

Open Ended

Read the cast of characters. How many characters are in the cast?

Cast of Characters

MR. LOPEZ, a teacher

LAYLA, a student

BILLY, a new student

The characters in a play do a lot of talking. In fact, almost the whole story is told through dialogue. Dialogue helps you know what the characters feel and think.

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

Dialogue is what the characters are saying.

In a play, the dialogue doesn't have quotation marks around it.

The words the characters say come after their names.

What words are spoken in this example? (Raise your hand and I'll call on you.)

MR. LOPEZ: Layla, this is Billy. Billy just moved here.

LAYLA : (Shakes Billy's hand) Hi, Billy. How do you like our school so far?

BILLY: It's a lot bigger than my old school. (sighs) I hope I don't get lost.

LAYLA: Don't worry. I'll help you. Everyone will. I know because I was a new student last year!

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

Stage directions give instructions to the actors on how to speak and move.

They're written in italics and are in parenthesis ( ).

(stage directions)

Multiple Choice

What should Layla do when she says hi to Billy?

MR. LOPEZ: Layla, this is Billy. Billy just moved here.

LAYLA : (Shakes Billy's hand) Hi, Billy. How do you like our school so far?

BILLY: It's a lot bigger than my old school. (sighs) I hope I don't get lost.

LAYLA: Don't worry. I'll help you. Everyone will. I know because I was a new student last year!

• sigh

• shake Billy's hand

• smile really big

• giggle

Multiple Choice

What does Billy do when he answers Layla?

MR. LOPEZ: Layla, this is Billy. Billy just moved here.

LAYLA : (Shakes Billy's hand) Hi, Billy. How do you like our school so far?

BILLY: It's a lot bigger than my old school. (sighs) I hope I don't get lost.

LAYLA: Don't worry. I'll help you. Everyone will. I know because I was a new student last year!

• he sighs

• he shakes Layla's hand

• he smiles really big

• he giggles

Multiple Choice

Think back to what you already know about fiction stories. What is a theme?

• It's all the events that happen in a story.

• It's the people in the story.

• It's the central message or lesson of the story.

• It's where the story takes place.

WRITE THIS IN YOUR NOTES:

Dramas usually have a theme - a lesson or message that the author is trying to teach through the story.

Because dramas are mostly dialogue, they are often written in the way that people speak. People sometimes use a figurative language called idioms.

Idioms are words or phrases that have a different meaning from the individual words.

What idioms can you think of?