Lesson Overview:
In the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Jo and her sisters love to put on plays. In the 1860s, when the novel is set, melodrama was the most popular style of theatre. Louisa May Alcott wrote a rough plot of a melodrama in her book, Little Women. In this lesson, the students read the melodrama aloud. Then the class is broken into five groups, each of which is assigned an act to interpret. Each student creates a set design plan and a diorama or three-dimensional representation of the design. The students write an explanation of the design. Students assess each other’s work.
Length of Lesson:
Three 45-minute periods
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- read the melodrama described in Little Women.
- identify elements needed to create the setting for the assigned act.
- sketch a plan of a set.
- create a diorama or three-dimensional set design.
- write an explanation of the set design created.
Supplies:
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Photos of two contrasting settings, such as two caves (one dark and scary, the other well lit and magical); two castles (one in ruins, the other well maintained); or two living rooms (one from a modest house, the other from a mansion)
- Journals
- Pencils or pens
- Sketch paper
- Colored pencils, markers, crayons, and/or water color paints
- Paint brushes, if necessary
- Tag board
- Empty shoe boxes or gift boxes
- Supplies for creating a diorama, such as old magazines, tissue paper, wrapping paper, doll house furniture, colorful construction paper, etc.
- Glue
- Scissors
Instructional Plan:
In the novel Little Women, Louisa May Alcott writes a description of a melodrama that the girls performed by the March sisters. The play, Operatic Tragedy, has five acts with five different settings. Read the description of the first set in Operatic Tragedy, the melodrama presented in Little Women. (This appears in Chapter Two, "A Merry Christmas," and begins, "'A gloomy world,' according to one playbill . . ."
After you read this excerpt to the students, hold up large pictures of different settings depicting contrasting scenes. For example, show pictures of two caves (one dark and scary, the other magical and well lit); two castles (one a ruin, the other well maintained); and two living rooms (one very small and run-down, the other large and luxurious). Ask the students which picture would set the right mood for this setting? Why?
Explain to the students that set designers are responsible for creating a setting for a theatrical production. When working on a play, set designers must read the play very carefully and come up with ideas to represent the environment of the play. He or she then presents sketches and models of the set to the director. Sometimes this happens before any actor has even begun rehearsal. The director and the set designer discuss their ideas about the play. Often, a play contains clear descriptions of what the set should look like. Read the students an example of a set description from a play. A good example is found in Alan Ayckbourn's play, Living Together (see Teacher References section), but you may choose any play that contains an explicit description of a set.
Explain that playwrights often provide some description of the set, but the set designer usually must interpret a great deal about the set. Some playwrights give very little description; for example, some merely state that the play is set in a restaurant. Others, like Eugene O’Neill, are very vivid in their descriptions of the set, noting where each piece of furniture sits and where windows and doors are placed.
Distribute the Vocabulary Handout.
Have the students read the rest of Chapter 2, “A Merry Christmas.” Give the students time to read the chapter twice. When they are finished, distribute the Plot Summary of Operatic Tragedy for the students' reference in the next activity.
Break the class into five groups and assign each group an act of Operatic Tragedy. In the lesson Acting Up, A Melodrama, the students wrote the script and music for the act. The group should have already come to an agreement as to where the act is set. Now, they must decide what the set will look like. They may choose to set it as if they were actually staging the play Operatic Tragedy, or they may stage it as a "play within a play" and set it as if it were taking place in the March house in Little Women. Each member of the group should create his or her vision of the set for his or her assigned act. Explain to the students that they will be creating a miniature version of the set.
Distribute plain drawing paper to each student. Ask them to take out the handout of the Stage Diagram with stage directions on it and instruct them to use it as a reference. Each student should sketch out a version of the set, using colored pencils, crayons, or watercolor as desired. If students need inspiration, have them look at the Web site of The International Theatre Designs Archive or The Louisa May Alcott Web Site, which includes images of Alcott's house.
Using a shoe box or gift box as a stage frame, the students should create a three-dimensional version of the set. The upstage area can have a backdrop across the back that is painted or made of fabric or a magazine photograph. The set pieces can be made from tag board, construction paper, or dollhouse furniture. Finally, each designer should write out a description of his or her design choices and whether or not anything changed from the original sketch to finished product. The diorama and writing can be completed during class time or as a homework assignment.
Display the sets, plans, and writings around the room and ask students, in pairs, to evaluate each other's work using the Peer Review Assessment Rubric.
Assessment:
Evaluate the students' diorama projects based on whether they met the following criteria:
- The scene depicted is the scene the person was assigned.
- A sketched plan is included.
- The set is three-dimesional.
- There is a written explanation of the plan stating why certain design choices were made.
- The project was turned in on time.
The students should also serve as evaluators in this lesson. Use each student pair's completed Peer Review Assessment Rubric to assess the student work, as well as assign a grade for the evaluators' written response on the checklist.
Extensions:
Have the groups work on the set design together.
Build the props and collect costumes for each act in the Operatic Tragedy.
Ask students to write to persuade the director to pick their design to use in a production of Operatic Tragedy.
Sources:
Print:
- Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. New York: Grammercy, 1998.
- Ayckbourn, Alan. Living Together. London: Chatto and Windus, 1975.
- Bliss, Helen and Ruth Thompson. Craft Workshop—Modeling. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1998.
- Friedman, Lise. Break a Leg! The Kids’ Guide to Acting and Stagecraft. New York: Workman Publishing, 2002.
- St. Pierre, Stephanie and The Muppet Workshop. The Muppets Big Book of Crafts. New York: Workman Publishing, 1999.
- Wankelman, Willard, Philip Wigg, and Marietta Wigg. A Handbook of Arts and Crafts. Dubuque, Iowa: William C. Brown Company, 1968.
Web:
Authors:
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Mary Beth Bauernschub, Teacher
Kingsford Elementary School
Mitchellville, MD
