Writing That Performs

Unit Title: Scriptwriting for Everyone

Lesson 2 of 4
Lesson Title: Understanding Script Layout
Curriculum Area: The Arts – Drama
Curriculum Level: Level 4 of the New Zealand Curriculum

---

WALT (We Are Learning To):

• Identify and understand the correct layout of a drama script
• Apply formatting conventions (character names, dialogue, stage directions) in writing
• Collaborate to format a short scripted scene using a template

---

Lesson Duration: 60 minutes

Class Size: 20 Year 8 students
Learning Focus: Layout conventions of scriptwriting including structure, formatting, and presentation

---

Success Criteria:

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

✅ Correctly format character names, dialogue, and stage directions in a short script
✅ Use a template to layout a scene accurately and clearly
✅ Work collaboratively and give constructive feedback using drama language
✅ Demonstrate understanding of how formatting helps communicate dramatic meaning

---

🧠 Key Competencies Integrated:

• Thinking: Apply understanding of layout to organise ideas
• Using language, symbols and texts: Use dramatic conventions correctly
• Relating to others: Peer feedback and group editing
• Participating and contributing: Contribute productively in small group activities

---

🧭 Lesson Structure (60 mins total):

Time	Activity	Purpose
0–10 mins	Warm-Up Game: “Freeze & Speak”	Physical activation, confidence, vocal clarity
10–15 mins	Revise Prior Learning	Recall elements from Lesson 1 (What makes a good script?)
15–25 mins	Teacher Input: Explore Script Layout	Introduce formatting conventions using visual aids
25–35 mins	Guided Group Activity: “Script Scramble”	Apply layout knowledge by reordering and formatting scripts
35–50 mins	Paired Activity: Formatting a Short Scene	Students format a short 5–6 line scene based on a prompt
50–55 mins	Peer Review & Feedback	Offer constructive peer feedback using sentence starters
55–60 mins	Reflection & Exit Ticket	Personal reflection to reinforce learning and clarify misunderstandings

---

🧊 0–10 mins: Drama Warm-Up – “Freeze & Speak”

Purpose: Energise body and voice, practise presence and clarity

How it works:

• Students walk randomly around the room, changing pace on teacher cue
• On "Freeze!", students freeze in a dramatic pose
• The teacher gives a simple location or situation ("at the airport", "in a thunderstorm", etc)
• Students must say one line of improvised dialogue in character
• Focus on clarity, volume, and creative thinking

Encourages vocal expression, body awareness, and confidence in performing.

---

🔁 10–15 mins: Recap Previous Learning

Prompt Students:

• What are the key elements found in a script?
• Why do actors or directors need a well-formatted script?

Make a brief anchor chart on the board using key student answers to reinforce concepts.

Teacher Note: Use visual icons (e.g. speech bubble for dialogue, silhouette for character) to support dyslexic or ELL learners.

---

📖 15–25 mins: Teacher Input – Script Layout

Use a projected example (or printed colour handouts) of a simple script extract that includes:

• Character names in CAPITALS
• Dialogue underneath names, centred
• Stage directions in italics or brackets

Walk students through key features:

• Character placement
• Dialogue alignment
• Use and position of stage directions

Provide dyslexia-friendly formatted examples:

• Use Open Dyslexic font or Lexend Deca if available
• Printed in 12–14pt minimum
• Use cream or pastel background paper for handouts

---

🧩 25–35 mins: Group Activity – “Script Scramble”

Materials Needed:

• 4–5 short scenes (8–10 printed slips per scene with different formatting elements: dialogue, stage direction, character names)
• Each group (4–5 students) receives one scrambled scene

Task:

• Reconstruct the scene in correct format using a blank template
• Glue or rewrite the final version onto A3 layout sheets

Teacher Support: Roam and check for understanding, ask guiding questions, praise formatting accuracy

Encourages collaboration, communication, and understanding of structure.

---

✍️ 35–50 mins: Paired Activity – Format a Short Scene

Prompt Options (choose one or let students pick):

• Two friends lost in the bush
• Parent and child at a dairy
• Alien and astronaut on Mars

Instructions:

• Students draft a short conversation (5–6 lines)
• Insert at least one stage direction
• Format using a printed script template

Provide scaffold prompts if needed:

• Character 1: [stage direction] “Hello! Are you...?”
• Character 2: “What are you doing here?”

Differentiation:

• Struggling writers: Provide sentence openers or a cloze-style template
• Confident writers: Challenge to add tone or emotion notes (e.g. “angrily”, “softly”)

---

🔍 50–55 mins: Peer Review Carousel

• Each pair swaps scripts with another
• Use a checklist to mark:
  • Character name is in ALL CAPS
  • Dialogue is centred
  • Stage directions are in brackets or italics
• Use sentence starters:
  • “I really liked how you…”
  • “Next time, you could try…”

Focus: Collaboration and positive drama vocabulary

---

🚪 55–60 mins: Reflection & Exit Ticket

Prompt Questions (on board or handout):

• What part of today’s lesson helped you most?
• What is one goal you have for your next script?
• What did you enjoy about writing this way?

Students write 1–2 sentences and hand in their "ticket" as they leave.

---

🎯 Differentiation Strategies:

For Diverse Learners:

• Scaffolded templates
• Visual aids/posters with icons for dialogue, direction, character
• Teacher or peer modelling
• Use of font and background adapted for dyslexia
• Allow verbal responses in place of written ones for some students

For Extension:

• Encourage students to add a third character
• Integrate a surprise twist or emotional beat using subtext
• Explore aligning line breaks with dramatic pauses or beats

---

🧭 SEL Integration & Key Competency Focus

• Self-Regulation: Warm-up and creative risk-taking teach students to have control and awareness
• Collaboration: Group and paired formatting promotes shared responsibility
• Creativity: Each script reflects personal and unique narrative voices
• Communication: Emphasis on clear script format builds clarity of intention

---

✅ Key Takeaway for Teachers

This lesson plays a crucial role in supporting ākonga to present their dramatic ideas with clarity, confidence, and mana. By demystifying script formatting through visuals, collaborative games, and supported writing, students will be equipped to express themselves powerfully through text — setting the foundation for performance work later in the unit.

---

Kōrero mai, waihanga mai — Speak up, create boldly.