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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year theatre shifts from playing pretend to building scenes on purpose. Students invent characters, plan what happens in a story, and rehearse short scenes with classmates. They also watch each other perform and talk about what worked and what felt confusing. By spring, students can act out a short scene they helped plan and explain one choice they made about their character.

  • Acting out scenes
  • Inventing characters
  • Story planning
  • Rehearsing with classmates
  • Watching performances
Source: Vermont Common Core State Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Imagining characters and stories

    Students start the year by making up characters and short story ideas of their own. They pull from books they have read, places they have been, and people they know to spark new scenes.

  2. 2

    Building scenes together

    Students work in small groups to shape their ideas into short scenes. They decide what happens first, what happens next, and how the scene ends, then try it out and change parts that do not work yet.

  3. 3

    Acting with voice and body

    Students practice using their voice, face, and movement to show how a character feels. They learn to speak clearly, hold focus on stage, and stay in character even when something unexpected happens.

  4. 4

    Performing for an audience

    Students put the pieces together and present short plays to classmates or families. They think about what they want the audience to feel or understand, and make choices about costumes, props, and staging to get there.

  5. 5

    Watching and talking about plays

    Students watch performances by classmates and clips from other places and times. They talk about what worked, what the story meant, and how a play connects to their own lives or to the world around them.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 3.
Connecting

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    TH:Cn10.3

    Students connect something they know or have lived through to the characters and stories they perform. Their own experiences shape the choices they make on stage.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    TH:Cn11.3

    Students look at a play or performance and connect it to when and where it came from. Understanding the history or culture behind a story helps students make sense of what they see on stage.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    TH:Cr1.3

    Students brainstorm characters, scenes, or story ideas to build the starting point for a play or performance.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    TH:Cr2.3

    Students take a story idea and shape it into a short scene, deciding who the characters are, what they want, and how the action unfolds.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    TH:Cr3.3

    Students revisit a scene or character choice, make changes based on feedback, and decide when the work is ready to share.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    TH:Pr4.3

    Students choose a short scene or character to perform and explain why it fits the story they want to tell.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    TH:Pr5.3

    Students practice and improve their acting, movement, or voice before performing for an audience. Rehearsal is how a performance gets better.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    TH:Pr6.3

    Students act out a scene or show a piece of theater work for an audience, making clear choices about movement and voice so the story lands.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    TH:Re7.3

    Students look closely at a short play or performance and describe what they notice, like how a character moves, speaks, or reacts. They explain what those choices tell the audience about the story.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    TH:Re8.3

    Students look at a scene or performance and explain what they think the actor or playwright was trying to say. They back up their thinking with specific details from what they saw or heard.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    TH:Re9.3

    Students look at a scene or performance and decide what works and what doesn't, using specific reasons like how clearly a character spoke or whether the story made sense.

Common Questions
  • What does theatre look like for students this year?

    Students make up short scenes, play characters, and act out stories from books, history, or their own lives. They work in small groups, try out ideas, and share short performances with classmates. Most of the work happens on their feet, not at a desk.

  • How can I support theatre learning at home?

    Read a picture book together and let students act out a scene, using a different voice for each character. Ask what the character wants and how they feel. Ten minutes of pretend play, puppet shows, or family skits gives students practice with the same skills they use in class.

  • Does my child need to memorize lines or perform on a stage?

    Not usually at this age. Most work is improvised or lightly rehearsed in the classroom, with short sharings for classmates. The focus is on making choices as a character, not on polished performances.

  • What if my child is shy about performing?

    Shy students often start with puppets, masks, narration, or working in pairs before sharing with the whole class. At home, low-pressure pretend play helps. Acting out a story with stuffed animals or reading a book aloud in silly voices builds confidence without putting anyone on the spot.

  • How should I sequence theatre across the year?

    A common arc is to start with imagination and movement games, move into character and voice work, then build short scenes from stories or personal experiences. Save group-created scenes and reflection on each other's work for later in the year, once trust and vocabulary are in place.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Staying in character, listening to a scene partner, and giving specific feedback instead of just saying a scene was good or bad. Short, repeated practice with clear criteria helps more than one long lesson. Revisit these skills across the year rather than teaching them once.

  • How do I tie theatre to what students are reading and studying?

    Pick a scene from a class read-aloud or a moment from a social studies unit and let groups stage it two different ways. Students think about setting, character, and what the moment means. This covers interpretation, presentation, and connecting theatre to history or culture in one lesson.

  • How do I know students are ready for next year?

    By spring, students should be able to invent a character with a clear voice and body, work with a small group to plan a short scene, and talk about another group's scene using words like character, setting, and choice. They should also connect a scene to something from their own life or a book.