Lesson 3 - Costume and Character

October 5, 2018

To continue a discussion on character, I decided to teach about costumes and how they reveal information about characters. I began with a matching activity to introduce the topic. Next, I explained that in theatre we have actors, but we also have designers that use their imaginations and creativity to build things that help tell the story. 

Then, each of the students were able to design their own costumes on a printed outline of a body. The designs included a wide variety of characters including clowns, policemen, mermaids, pirates, and zombies.  While they were designing, I went around and talked to each student about their costume and how it revealed character. 

For the next activity, I asked the students to find partnerships. One would be the costume designer while the other would be the actor wearing the costume. My directions were not clear because I had to restate them multiple times before the students finally understood what I was expecting of them. Using construction paper, markers, and tape, the students built parts of the costumes and shared their designs with the class.

After teaching the lesson, I realized that I had planned too many activities. This lesson could have easily been divided between two days. I think this would have helped the students focus and understand my directions better. In the end, the students understood the concept of costumes and how they relate to character.