Backwards lesson design

Unit name: “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie

Stage 1

Knowledge that is worth being familiar with

• Mystery/Suspense techniques
• Dramatic conventions
• Background of author

Knowledge and skills that are important to do

• Creating basic sets and props
• Character development
• Basic dramatic terms and techniques

Understandings that are enduring

• Dramatic voice
• Set conventions
• Roles of actors and stage crew
• Stage direction

Stage 2

Essential questions

• How does our interest in a mystery make it unique and engaging?
• How do you create an effective dramatic voice?
• Why are the roles of actors and stage crew interrelated?
• How does clear stage direction enrich a play?

Essential Understandings

• Effective mysteries are supported by dramatic actors and by the creation of suspense that leads to the revelation scene
• Stage crews and actors must communicate in a clear and effective manner to create a believable play.

Performance tasks

• TLW assume roles of both set design and acting.
• TLW create the criteria for a believable set design and effective acting.
• TLW reflect on his/her contributions to the dramatic process.

Rubrics

• Student-generated

Stage 3

(I color coded how I did these by day on an 84 minute block schedule)

(Page numbers refer to the Bantam Books Edition, 1978…ISBN0553259024)

Engaging and effective learning activities

1. Ask students what they know about Agatha Christie. Why do people still read her stories?
2. Give a one-minute mystery to students – analyze why it is interesting and post on board.
3. Give short mysteries to students in sentences strips and have them organize them.
4. Show storyboard sample. List the qualities that make it effective.
5. Have students create storyboards and illustrations for their mysteries.
6. Post the essential questions on the board.
7. Give notes on stage positions.
8. Quiz students on stage directions by having them move to the correct place on stage/ standard quiz.
9. Read p 320 (end of Act I). Is murder ever justified?
10. Begin “The Mousetrap” with p 289-290. What kind of a person is Mrs. Boyle? Giles? Mollie? List qualities on board.
11. Students fill in background of characters on chart and add to information as it becomes available in Act I, scene 1. Students justify who did it and why for homework.
12. Read Act I, scene 2. Group students according to their choice. Have them select the most convincing argument in their group and present it to the class. Groups should be no larger than 5 students.
13. Students list essential requirements for actors and for set designers---creation of a rubric. Include a self-assessment piece in the rubric.
14. Read act II, scene 1. Groups from previous class write a developed scene.
15. Present the scene as a series of 3 tableaux. Class will analyze who did it and why.
16. Create scene with props and character staging in models. (2 classes)
17. Students perform skits based on their choice of guilty party in the play. Use student-based rubrics to assess groups. Debrief characters by hot-seating them.
18. Students reflect using a KWL chart. Students also revise rubrics to be a more accurate picture of effective sets/acting. Are any roles more important?
19. Read revelation scene p 349-end. Were they surprised? Why? Does it meet their requirements of a well-developed scene?

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