Fine Arts · Theatre 1
SEL activities for Basic Drama Projects
33 RoseThread Connect activities matched to the chapters of Basic Drama Projects (Perfection Learning). Each one teaches the chapter's content and builds one Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) skill in about 20 minutes.
We look only at each book's table of contents (chapter titles and topics) to suggest activities that fit the flow of your course. We don't use or reproduce any textbook content, and your edition's chapter order may differ slightly. RoseThread Connect is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by these publishers.
Chapter 1: Warm Up
- Stage Fright Is Normal Self-management · Theatre 1Students identify how nerves show up in their bodies and practice breathing, grounding, and vocal warmups to manage them.
- Building the Ensemble Relationship skills · Theatre 1Through name and rhythm games, students build ensemble and agree on norms for a supportive theatre space.
- Me on Stage Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students share one meaningful object and a short story about it and name what excites and worries them about performing.
- Consent and Contact Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students learn check in and opt out signals for physical scenes and practice asking before any contact.
Chapter 2: Observation
- Body Language Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students explore how posture and gesture communicate status and emotion and notice what their own body says without words.
- Walking in Someone Else's Shoes Social awareness · Theatre 1Students shape a character from given circumstances and write a short diary entry from that character's point of view.
- Respectful Audience Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students watch classmates' scenes, respond to what they saw, felt, and heard, and practice being a supportive audience.
Chapter 3: Pantomime
- Body Language Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students explore how posture and gesture communicate status and emotion and notice what their own body says without words.
- Me on Stage Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students share one meaningful object and a short story about it and name what excites and worries them about performing.
Chapter 4: Improvisation
- Yes, And Social awareness · Theatre 1Through short improv scenes, students practice accepting and building on a partner's offer.
- Failing Forward in Improv Self-management · Theatre 1Students play games designed to fail, celebrate the flops, and reflect on how mistakes free up creative ideas.
- Listening on Stage Social awareness · Theatre 1Partners perform an open scene twice and respond the second time only to what they truly hear.
- Building the Ensemble Relationship skills · Theatre 1Through name and rhythm games, students build ensemble and agree on norms for a supportive theatre space.
Chapter 5: Movement
- Body Language Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students explore how posture and gesture communicate status and emotion and notice what their own body says without words.
- Playing Conflict Safely Self-management · Theatre 1Students stage an argument scene and practice a routine for stepping out of the character's intense emotion when the scene ends.
- Walking in Someone Else's Shoes Social awareness · Theatre 1Students shape a character from given circumstances and write a short diary entry from that character's point of view.
Chapter 6: Stage Directions
- Design Choices Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students sketch a set or costume concept and explain how their design choices create a mood for the audience.
- Playing Conflict Safely Self-management · Theatre 1Students stage an argument scene and practice a routine for stepping out of the character's intense emotion when the scene ends.
Chapter 7: Voice Production and Articulation
- Voice and Emotion Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students read one neutral line with different emotions and notice how breath, pitch, and pace carry feeling.
- Stage Fright Is Normal Self-management · Theatre 1Students identify how nerves show up in their bodies and practice breathing, grounding, and vocal warmups to manage them.
- Auditions and Courage Self-management · Theatre 1Students prepare a short audition piece and practice a routine for handling nerves and rejection.
Chapter 8: Ensemble Work
- Building the Ensemble Relationship skills · Theatre 1Through name and rhythm games, students build ensemble and agree on norms for a supportive theatre space.
- Devising Together Relationship skills · Theatre 1Groups devise a short scene from a shared theme and divide roles so every voice is included.
- Backstage Teamwork Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students explore how actors, directors, designers, and crew depend on each other and practice clear communication during a scene change.
- Curtain Call Gratitude Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students write thanks to ensemble members and crew for specific contributions and celebrate the ensemble's journey together.
- Listening on Stage Social awareness · Theatre 1Partners perform an open scene twice and respond the second time only to what they truly hear.
Chapter 9: Character Analysis
- Walking in Someone Else's Shoes Social awareness · Theatre 1Students shape a character from given circumstances and write a short diary entry from that character's point of view.
- Character Relationships Social awareness · Theatre 1Students map relationships between characters and connect what those characters need from each other to real relationships.
- Making Choices as an Actor Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Using script analysis, students choose objectives and tactics for a character and justify their choices with evidence.
Chapter 10: Character Development
- Walking in Someone Else's Shoes Social awareness · Theatre 1Students shape a character from given circumstances and write a short diary entry from that character's point of view.
- Making Choices as an Actor Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Using script analysis, students choose objectives and tactics for a character and justify their choices with evidence.
- Character Relationships Social awareness · Theatre 1Students map relationships between characters and connect what those characters need from each other to real relationships.
- Voice and Emotion Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students read one neutral line with different emotions and notice how breath, pitch, and pace carry feeling.
- Body Language Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students explore how posture and gesture communicate status and emotion and notice what their own body says without words.
Chapter 11: Dramatic Roles
- Voice and Emotion Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students read one neutral line with different emotions and notice how breath, pitch, and pace carry feeling.
- Playing Conflict Safely Self-management · Theatre 1Students stage an argument scene and practice a routine for stepping out of the character's intense emotion when the scene ends.
- Walking in Someone Else's Shoes Social awareness · Theatre 1Students shape a character from given circumstances and write a short diary entry from that character's point of view.
Chapter 12: Comic Roles
- Failing Forward in Improv Self-management · Theatre 1Students play games designed to fail, celebrate the flops, and reflect on how mistakes free up creative ideas.
- Yes, And Social awareness · Theatre 1Through short improv scenes, students practice accepting and building on a partner's offer.
Chapter 13: The Playwright
- Devising Together Relationship skills · Theatre 1Groups devise a short scene from a shared theme and divide roles so every voice is included.
- Valley Stories on Stage Social awareness · Theatre 1Students use a sample interview, or interview a person they know or imagine, about life in the Coachella Valley and turn a moment into a short monologue.
- Theatre and Social Change Social awareness · Theatre 1Students research how El Teatro Campesino used theatre to give voice to California farmworkers and consider what stories need telling now.
- Stories From Our Families Social awareness · Theatre 1Students gather a family, community, or imagined story and explore how personal beliefs shape the way it might be staged.
Chapter 14: The Director and Producer
- Notes From the Director Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students practice giving and receiving director notes in a respectful format and rehearse a scene after the notes.
- Backstage Teamwork Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students explore how actors, directors, designers, and crew depend on each other and practice clear communication during a scene change.
- Final Rehearsals Relationship skills · Theatre 1Ensembles run their final scenes, check in about stress, and repair any tension before performance.
Chapter 15: The Cast
- Auditions and Courage Self-management · Theatre 1Students prepare a short audition piece and practice a routine for handling nerves and rejection.
- Rehearsal Habits Self-management · Theatre 1Students set rehearsal goals for a scripted scene, track progress, and revise staging after each run.
- Careers in Theatre Self-management · Theatre 1Students research careers on and off stage, from stage management to lighting design, and identify one skill to build.
- Backstage Teamwork Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students explore how actors, directors, designers, and crew depend on each other and practice clear communication during a scene change.
Chapter 16: Blocking
- Notes From the Director Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students practice giving and receiving director notes in a respectful format and rehearse a scene after the notes.
- Playing Conflict Safely Self-management · Theatre 1Students stage an argument scene and practice a routine for stepping out of the character's intense emotion when the scene ends.
- Final Rehearsals Relationship skills · Theatre 1Ensembles run their final scenes, check in about stress, and repair any tension before performance.
Chapter 17: Attend a Play
- Respectful Audience Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students watch classmates' scenes, respond to what they saw, felt, and heard, and practice being a supportive audience.
- Critiquing a Performance Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students watch a live or recorded performance and evaluate it with evidence and criteria rather than likes and dislikes alone.
- Talkback Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students lead a talkback with audience members, listen to their responses, and reflect on what landed.
Chapter 18: Set Design and Construction
- Design Choices Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students sketch a set or costume concept and explain how their design choices create a mood for the audience.
- Backstage Teamwork Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students explore how actors, directors, designers, and crew depend on each other and practice clear communication during a scene change.
Chapter 19: Lighting
- Design Choices Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students sketch a set or costume concept and explain how their design choices create a mood for the audience.
- Backstage Teamwork Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students explore how actors, directors, designers, and crew depend on each other and practice clear communication during a scene change.
Chapter 20: Sound
- Design Choices Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students sketch a set or costume concept and explain how their design choices create a mood for the audience.
- Voice and Emotion Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students read one neutral line with different emotions and notice how breath, pitch, and pace carry feeling.
Chapter 21: Costumes
- Design Choices Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students sketch a set or costume concept and explain how their design choices create a mood for the audience.
- Walking in Someone Else's Shoes Social awareness · Theatre 1Students shape a character from given circumstances and write a short diary entry from that character's point of view.
Chapter 22: Makeup
- Design Choices Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students sketch a set or costume concept and explain how their design choices create a mood for the audience.
Chapter 23: Props
- Me on Stage Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students share one meaningful object and a short story about it and name what excites and worries them about performing.
- Design Choices Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students sketch a set or costume concept and explain how their design choices create a mood for the audience.
Chapter 24: Musical Theatre
- Performance Day Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students perform for an audience and journal about their emotions before, during, and after.
- Auditions and Courage Self-management · Theatre 1Students prepare a short audition piece and practice a routine for handling nerves and rejection.
Chapter 25: Other Theatre Forms
- Devising Together Relationship skills · Theatre 1Groups devise a short scene from a shared theme and divide roles so every voice is included.
- Theatre and Social Change Social awareness · Theatre 1Students research how El Teatro Campesino used theatre to give voice to California farmworkers and consider what stories need telling now.
- Día de los Muertos Tableaux Relationship skills · Theatre 1Groups create tableaux that honor the meaning of Día de los Muertos and discuss what respectful representation looks like.
- Valley Stories on Stage Social awareness · Theatre 1Students use a sample interview, or interview a person they know or imagine, about life in the Coachella Valley and turn a moment into a short monologue.
- Theatre for Our Community Social awareness · Theatre 1Students adapt a short scene for a specific audience, such as younger students, and adjust their choices to meet that audience's needs.
Chapter 26: Stage to Film
- Critiquing a Performance Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students watch a live or recorded performance and evaluate it with evidence and criteria rather than likes and dislikes alone.
- Auditions and Courage Self-management · Theatre 1Students prepare a short audition piece and practice a routine for handling nerves and rejection.
Chapter 27: Movies
- Critiquing a Performance Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students watch a live or recorded performance and evaluate it with evidence and criteria rather than likes and dislikes alone.
- Careers in Theatre Self-management · Theatre 1Students research careers on and off stage, from stage management to lighting design, and identify one skill to build.
Chapter 28: Television
- Critiquing a Performance Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students watch a live or recorded performance and evaluate it with evidence and criteria rather than likes and dislikes alone.
- Careers in Theatre Self-management · Theatre 1Students research careers on and off stage, from stage management to lighting design, and identify one skill to build.
Chapter 29: Critique a Performance
- Critiquing a Performance Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students watch a live or recorded performance and evaluate it with evidence and criteria rather than likes and dislikes alone.
- Respectful Audience Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students watch classmates' scenes, respond to what they saw, felt, and heard, and practice being a supportive audience.
- Notes From the Director Relationship skills · Theatre 1Students practice giving and receiving director notes in a respectful format and rehearse a scene after the notes.
- Talkback Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students lead a talkback with audience members, listen to their responses, and reflect on what landed.
Unit 7, Part One: The Dawn of Theatre
- Who Tells the Story Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students compare productions that adapt stories across cultures and discuss when it is appreciation and when it is appropriation.
- Theatre and Social Change Social awareness · Theatre 1Students research how El Teatro Campesino used theatre to give voice to California farmworkers and consider what stories need telling now.
Unit 7, Part Two: The Middle Ages to 1800
- Who Tells the Story Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students compare productions that adapt stories across cultures and discuss when it is appreciation and when it is appropriation.
- Theatre and Social Change Social awareness · Theatre 1Students research how El Teatro Campesino used theatre to give voice to California farmworkers and consider what stories need telling now.
Unit 7, Part Three: 1800 to the Present
- Theatre and Social Change Social awareness · Theatre 1Students research how El Teatro Campesino used theatre to give voice to California farmworkers and consider what stories need telling now.
- Who Tells the Story Responsible decision-making · Theatre 1Students compare productions that adapt stories across cultures and discuss when it is appreciation and when it is appropriation.
- Día de los Muertos Tableaux Relationship skills · Theatre 1Groups create tableaux that honor the meaning of Día de los Muertos and discuss what respectful representation looks like.
- Stories From Our Families Social awareness · Theatre 1Students gather a family, community, or imagined story and explore how personal beliefs shape the way it might be staged.
Unit 8: Monologues and Scenes
- Valley Stories on Stage Social awareness · Theatre 1Students use a sample interview, or interview a person they know or imagine, about life in the Coachella Valley and turn a moment into a short monologue.
- Stories From Our Families Social awareness · Theatre 1Students gather a family, community, or imagined story and explore how personal beliefs shape the way it might be staged.
- Me on Stage Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students share one meaningful object and a short story about it and name what excites and worries them about performing.
- Auditions and Courage Self-management · Theatre 1Students prepare a short audition piece and practice a routine for handling nerves and rejection.
- Performance Day Self-awareness · Theatre 1Students perform for an audience and journal about their emotions before, during, and after.
- Memorization and Stress Self-management · Theatre 1Students try memorization techniques and build a plan that keeps learning lines from becoming overwhelming.
RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.