Final Project Guidelines
Objectives we are to address through this final:
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
- Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Process:
After receiving this instruction, you will have 4 class periods to complete this, then outside of the class you will need to complete it on your own.
Instructions:
- There will be three areas of focus, all are important but you only need to choose one as you write your scene.
Character Development - Theme and Central Idea Development - Stage Directions and Narrative Intent
- Keeping one of these in mind, how will you write your scene?
To propel the plot line? Will Stella leave Stanley?
To develop the characters? Will Kate Keller move through Joe’s death by suicide and gain power of their wealth to do good?
Is it your own imagining? That are conveyed through the italic narration of stage direction and set up description of the characters?
- You may write your scene in word or use an online screen writing app, there are many free ones but not without creating an account through them first – that’s up to you. If you are writing in Microsoft word, the margins are as follows:
Open Microsoft Word and click "File" and "New" to create a blank document. Save this document with a title that you and others will easily recognize as your play.
Center the text and hit the "Enter" key until you have moved the cursor down about 3.5 inches. Type the title of the play in all caps, go down the page two spaces and type "by," then two more spaces and type your name. In the lower right-hand corner of the page, put your contact information, minus your name.
Hit "Enter" until you are on the next page. This will be the first page of your script. This page--and the pages after it--need to have page numbers. At this point, you have to decide if you want to have the act number with the page number, or just the page number by itself. If you want only the page number, go to "Insert" and "Page Numbers." If you would like to number each act, go to "View" and "Headers and Footers" and have Word add "Act I" (note the Roman numerals) to the top of the page. You will have to adjust this when you get to Act II, and so on.
Set the margins for your document. The top, bottom and right margins should all be set to 1 inch. Set the left margin to 1.5 inches.
The different elements of your script (characters, dialog, stage directions, etc.) are all placed differently on the page, but they follow a standard format that you can save as a template. To begin an act and a scene, center your text and type the name of the act and underline it (all in caps). Enter down two spaces and type the scene name using the same format. Use Roman numerals for the act names and Arabic numerals for the scene names.
When it is time for a character to speak (or perform an action), you type the character's name in all caps, centered on the page.
On the line directly below the character's name, you will begin to type the dialog he is speaking, or the action he is performing. If you are typing dialog, begin all the way at the left margin, which is set to 1.5 inches. Also, dialog has no special right margin, only the 1-inch margin you set at the beginning.
Type your stage directions in parenthesis, 2.75 inches from the left side of the page. Stage directions go for 2.5 inches before wrapping, so that it makes a nice little centered paragraph on your page. (https://penandthepad.com/format-stage-play-microsoft-word-4505704.html)
Product:
[30pts.] A 2-3 page scene. This scene can be written as a supplement to one of our previous plays, or it could be one of your own creation. (keep in mind the scene on it’s own may have difficulty standing on it’s own without proper elaboration of character or stage direction of character descriptions)
[30 pts.] A 5 question quiz. You will create 5 multiple choice questions (and answers) for everyone who reads your play to answer. Think level 2 and 3 questions! This can be on paper or a through kahoot. These questions should address the following,
- author’s intent (your purpose)
- character development
- understanding of theme development through the scene
If you need assistance writing these questions PLEASE ask me, I’m here to help you!
[20 pts.] Guidance of Reading. When your play and questions are complete you will upload them to teams and I will print them out for the class. You will guide the class through your scene and then they will answer the questions. Each reading/quiz will last 15-20 minutes. In this time the scene must be read and the quiz taken then gone over.
[20 pts.] Punctuation and Presence. You are both a playwright and an audience member. You must be timely in turning your work in/communicate to me any difficulty you are having that prevents you from doing so. You must also be respectful of others while they are presenting.
Presentation:
Next week will be all about presenting. We will read your scene aloud, if you want to assign parts ahead of time, be my guest!