Class: Senior Secondary School 1 (SS1, SS 1, SSS1, SSS 1)
Term: 1st Term
Week: 3
Age: 15 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: Literature-in-English
Curriculum Theme: Literature-in-English
Previous Lesson: Genres of Literature.
Topic: Terms Used in Drama
Subject Matter: Stage, audience, dialogue, soliloquy, aside, character, flashback, foreshadowing, prologue, epilogue, prompt, script, backdrop, costume

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain:

Define common terms used in drama.
Differentiate between dialogue, soliloquy, and aside.
Identify terms that relate to stage setting and performance.
Explain flashback and foreshadowing as plot devices.

Affective Domain:

Show interest in reading drama texts and identifying drama terms.
Appreciate the role of stage setting, costume, and audience in a play.
Demonstrate a positive attitude to group work while drawing and using the chart.

Psychomotor Domain:

Draw a neat chart of drama terms with correct spelling.
Use selected drama terms correctly in simple sentences.

Work cooperatively to organize drama terms into groups on a class chart.
Participate in class discussion by giving examples of drama terms from familiar stories or plays.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
State Unified Scheme of Work
Literature-in-English textbook for SSS 1 (Drama section)
Sample drama script pages (class handouts)
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Drama
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Soliloquy
BBC Bitesize: Drama and Theatre Key Terms

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

Drama terms chart (prepared sample)
Cardboard chart paper
Markers and rulers
Sample drama script pages
Pictures showing stage, backdrop, and costumes

Rationale for the Lesson

Drama terms help pupils understand what they read in plays and what they watch in performances. Knowing these terms supports clear answers in tests and improves pupils’ ability to discuss drama in class.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have read short play extracts or watched short drama performances and can identify basic parts of a story such as setting and characters.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Terms Used in Drama

Stage and Performance Setting

The following are terms used for the stage and the performance setting:

Stage – the raised platform or space where actors perform.
Backdrop – the background scene or design behind the actors that shows the place of action.
Costume – the clothes worn by actors to show the character, period, or role.

People in Drama

The following are terms used for people involved in drama:

Audience – the people who watch a drama performance.
Character – a person in a play, acted by an actor/actress.
Prompt – a helper who gives cues or reminds actors of their lines when needed during rehearsal or performance.

Speech in Drama

The following are terms used for speech in drama:

Dialogue – spoken conversation between two or more characters.
Soliloquy – a speech by a character alone on stage, showing the character’s thoughts and feelings.
Aside – a short remark a character makes to the audience (or to another character) that other characters on stage are not meant to hear.

Play Structure

The following are terms used for the structure of a play:

Prologue – an opening part of a play that introduces the background or prepares the audience for the story.
Epilogue – the closing part of a play that gives a final comment, lesson, or outcome after the main action.
Script – the written text of a play showing the dialogue and stage directions.

Plot Devices

The following are plot devices used in drama:

Flashback – a scene that takes the story back to an earlier time to explain past events.
Foreshadowing – hints or signs that suggest what may happen later in the play.

Examples of Correct Usage in Simple Sentences

The following are examples of using drama terms in simple sentences:

The audience clapped when the actor finished the scene.
The dialogue between the two friends revealed their secret.
In his soliloquy, the king spoke about his fears.
The actor made an aside to the audience and smiled.
The backdrop showed a village market.
The flashback explained how the conflict began.
The writer used foreshadowing to warn that trouble was coming.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Lecture, Demonstration, Question and Answer, Visual Aids

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Set Induction
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils to mention any play or drama they have watched or read and draws out familiar words like stage and actors, then states the topic and lesson focus.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond, mention familiar drama experiences, and give a few terms they have heard before.
Learning Point: Drama has special terms that help pupils understand plays and performances.

Step 2: Presentation of Key Terms

Time: 10 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher presents the terms and gives short meanings using a prepared chart, grouping them into stage/setting, people, speech, structure, and plot devices.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, copy key terms, and ask questions where meanings are not clear.
Learning Point: Drama terms have specific meanings used in reading and writing plays.

Step 3: Guided Chart Organization

Time: 8 minutes
Teaching Skill: Demonstration
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to organize the terms into a neat chart with headings and examples, using cardboard chart paper.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the chart layout and suggest where each term belongs.
Learning Point: Grouping terms helps recall and supports exam answers.

Step 4: Class Activity (Chart Drawing)

Time: 8 minutes
Teaching Skill: Guided Practice
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils (individually or in small groups) to draw a chart of drama terms and checks spelling and arrangement.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils draw the chart neatly and fill in the terms under correct headings.
Learning Point: Pupils can organize drama terms correctly in a chart.

Step 5: Using Terms in Sentences

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Drill/Practice
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher models simple sentences using selected terms and guides pupils to create their own sentences orally.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils make simple sentences using terms like dialogue, audience, character, stage, and script.
Learning Point: Drama terms can be used correctly in spoken and written expressions.

Step 6: Consolidation

Time: 4 minutes
Teaching Skill: Reinforcement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarizes the groups of terms and corrects common errors, especially the differences among dialogue, soliloquy, and aside.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils revise their chart entries and note corrections.
Learning Point: Clear understanding of key drama terms supports correct interpretation of plays.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

Define stage and audience.
State the meaning of dialogue and mention one example sentence using it.
Differentiate between soliloquy and aside.
Explain flashback and foreshadowing in drama.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 0 minutes
Teaching Skill: Closure
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher gives a short recap, checks that charts are complete, and gives a short reading task from a drama extract for pupils to identify at least five terms used in context.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils submit or display their charts and note the task.
Learning Point: Drama terms are identified and applied in reading and class discussion.

Lesson Keywords

Stage – the space where actors perform.
Audience – the people who watch a play.
Dialogue – conversation between characters.
Soliloquy – a speech by a character alone expressing inner thoughts.
Aside – a remark meant for the audience, not for other characters.
Character – a person in a play.
Flashback – a return to past events in the story.
Foreshadowing – hints of what will happen later.
Prologue – the opening part of a play.
Epilogue – the closing part of a play.
Script – the written text of a play.
Backdrop – the background scene used on stage.
Costume – clothing worn to show role and setting.

Differentiation

Fast learners write two sentences each for soliloquy, aside, and foreshadowing; average learners write one sentence each for five selected terms; learners who need support match terms to meanings using the teacher’s chart and copy correct sentences.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Insist on correct spelling of terms and clear differences among similar terms. Use a short drama extract to show how the terms appear in real play scripts, and allow pupils to keep their charts for revision.