Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Content Standards
● Drama Respond #4
○ Give and accept constructive feedback, analyze and describe strengths and
weaknesses of own work.
● Drama Perform #3
○ Observe, listen, and respond in character to other actors throughout a scripted or
improvised scene.
● Drama Perform #9
o Perform a variety of dramatic works for peers or invited audiences.
Essential Questions
● What are the qualities of effective, diplomatic communication?
● What differences between parties or individuals often result in conflict?
● How can we overcome an us vs. them mentality to find common goals?
Enduring Understandings
● Students will understand that diplomacy can be an effective and useful tool to approach
relations with people from different places.
Key Knowledge
● Students will know that diplomacy is the profession, activity, or skill of managing
international relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad, or the art of
dealing with people in a sensitive and effective way.
Skills
● Students will be able to create tableaux to depict events or ideas.
● Students w ill be able to collaborate effectively to make group decisions.
ASSESSMENT
Performance Tasks
● Students will take turns performing scenes depicting the rumors about the aliens for their
classmates, and offer critique to the other performers concerning their scenes in order to
give and accept constructive feedback, analyze and describe strengths and weaknesses of
own work. Students will be graded using the checklist attached.
● Students will respond, in-role, to the academic prompts 1-4 in order to display that they
know the definition of diplomacy and that it is an effective and useful tool to approach
relations with people from different places.
● Students will work in groups to create and enact short scenes about the aliens’ history,
and the rumors about the aliens in order to observe, listen, and respond in character to
other actors throughout a scripted or improvised scene and perform a variety of dramatic
works for peers or invited audiences. Students will be graded using the rubric below.
● Students will create still images depicting their proposed compromises with the aliens in
order to create tableaux to depict events or ideas. Students will be graded using the
checklist attached.
● Students will work in groups to come up with one step in a plan of action to cooperate
with the aliens and prevent future disagreements or hostility in order to collaborate
effectively to make group decisions.
MATERIALS NEEDED
Teacher Materials.
● Smartboard, television, or projector connected to a computer.
● Mission Control Announcement 1 (see attached)
● Mission Control Announcement 2 (see attached)
● Mission Control Announcement 3 (see attached)
● Mission Control Announcement 4 (see attached)
● Mission Control Announcement 5 (see attached)
● Circle of Life Worksheets (see attached)
● Ambassador Script (see attached)
● Ship Logo (see attached)
● Galaxies Map (see attached)
● History Excerpt (see attached)
● Academic Prompts 1-3 (see attached)
● Rubric (see attached)
● Checklist 1 and 2 sheet (see attached)
● Medals
Student Materials
● Notebooks/Lined Paper
● Writing Utensil
● Colored pencils
● Crayons
● Markers
● Unlined paper
Day 1
Setup
1. Begin by setting up the room to mimic the interior of a spaceship.
a. Travelling through space projection or played on TV (link here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrgaD9I_Ct0I recommended start time 1:04:00 )
b. Set up desks/ tables like control centers, facing the board in multiple rows of half
circles.
c. Lighting should be dim and include color where possible.
2. As the students enter, play songs that have an adventurous, futuristic feel
i. NOTE: Star Trek is recommended because Star Wars is too recognizable and
therefore could be distracting. Link here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzuv4VKo6Og
Frame/ Hook
3. Mission control announcement (2 minutes)
a. Once the students have taken their seats, play the Mission Control Announcement 1
(see attached) recording, or read, in-role as a mission control operative, through the script.
During the announcement, the ship’s logo (see attached) should be displayed or projected on
screen.
Process
4. Creating Characters (5 minutes)
a. Divide the students into 7 groups as evenly as possible by counting off.
b. Give each group a Circle of Life sheet (see attached)
i. NOTE: The occupation will be filled in with one of seven occupations from a
starship and the ship’s logo (i.e.: Captain, Mechanic, Ship Security, Navigator, Flight Officer,
Computer Tech, Systems Tech, descriptions of positions on attachment)
c. Allow each group an opportunity to share the character they created
5. Mission update (3 minutes)
a. Play the Mission Control Announcement 2 (see attached) recording, or read, in-role as
a mission control operative, through the script. Display the Galactic Territories Map (see
attached) while the announcement is playing or being read.
6. Galactic Rumors (5 minutes)
a. Students gather in a circle. Teacher will explain that there are lots of rumors and
legends surrounding the Pleiadians and their hostile relationship with the humans. Teacher
explains that, like in the game telephone, one rumor will start and as it is told from student to
student it will be exaggerated or expanded upon. The teacher begins the game by stating the
following rumor:
“A human trader ship was illegally seized by hostile aliens; the merchandise was
stolen and crew imprisoned.”
b. Once the rumor comes full circle, and every student has been given the opportunity to
expand the story, the final, most exaggerated version should be written on the board.
i. NOTE: If the final rumor is not appropriate for step 7, resort to a previous or
altered version of the rumor.
7. Play within a Play (15 minutes)
a. Teacher explains that crew members will now dramatize the rumor for the
entertainment of the crew.
b. Ask the crew what characters and places would be needed to dramatize the story. Write
their responses on the board.
c. Divide the class into groups, each group containing enough students to fill the roles
determined above. Have the students prepare the room for the drama using the classroom
furniture as needed or desired.
i. NOTE: Students can play multiple roles within their group if the class does not
divide evenly.
d. Students will be given a brief amount of time to plan an improvised scene depicting the
rumor.
e. Groups will take turns performing for their classmates. After each scene, offer the
opportunity for observing students to give feedback to the performers. Each student should give
at least one piece of feedback and be graded using checklist 1 (see attached). If time permits,
groups may revise and perform their scenes again.
Reflection
8. What do we stand for? (7 minutes)
a. Based on the rumors and stories about the hostile aliens, crew members should be
asked to consider what is important to them, and what they feel a need to protect.
b. Students clear any furniture and personal belongings that they may have used in the
last activity to the edge of the classroom.
c. Place a large photo or drawing of the ship’s logo (see attached) in the center of the
cleared playing space.
d. Students will think of one thing they want to protect, are afraid of, or that binds them
together. Examples of these might include: “I want to protect the resources on our ship and our
planet” or “we are bound together by our value of human life”.
i. NOTE: Students do not need to give an example from every category, they will
only need to share one.
e. One at a time, they will stand and form a circle around the logo. As they stand they
share their thought, they will join the circle facing inward if it’s something they want to protect,
facing outwards if it is something they fear, and joining hands if it something that binds them
together.
9. Entering Alien Territory
a. Play Mission Control Announcement 3 (see attached) recording, or read, in-role as a
mission control operative, through the script.
Day 2
Set up
1. Set up the room (follow all steps from Day 1 Set Up Section)
Framing/hook
2.Reconnect to the drama
a. Replay Mission Control Annoucement 3 as a recap.
b. Mission Control Announcement 4 (see attached) will inform them that access has been
granted and will include a diplomatic briefing.
c. Teacher will ask if they have any questions or comments about diplomacy.
Process
3. Enter the Ambassador (3 minutes)
a. Teacher, in-role as an ambassador to the alien people, will enter and introduce
themselves to the crew members.
b. Ambassador will explain that their people are distrustful of the humans due to previous
encounters, and request that they vacate the territory. Because they have been cooperative thus
far, the government will give them an opportunity to plead their case for entry.
i. NOTE: Optional script for Ambassador introduction and explanation titled
Ambassador Script 1 (see attached).
4. Flashback (15 minutes)
a. Students will be read the excerpt. Take questions for clarification.
b. The students will be divided into groups 3 or 4. Each group will be given the excerpt
from the alien history (see attached).
b. Students will work in groups to create short scenes enacting this story. Have the
students prepare the room for the drama using the classroom furniture as needed or desired.
c. Groups will take turns performing for their classmates. Students will be graded using
rubric 1 (see attached). After each scene, offer the opportunity for observing students to give
feedback to the performers.
d. After each group has performed, discuss the similarities and differences between this
scene, and the scene they performed based on the rumors in Day 1. Ask how these observations
have changed their perspective on the relationship between the humans and the aliens.
5. Making Progress (5 minutes)
a. Ask the students to remember the things they determined they valued, were afraid of, or
had in common as a community. Ask them to consider what the alien people may value, or be
afraid of.
b. Ask the students to draw a picture something the aliens might value or be afraid of.
c. Students stand at their desks and share what they drew and what it represents with the
class.
6. Tableaux of Diplomacy (7 minutes)
a. Split students into small groups. Explain that the alien ambassador is willing to hear
their case for safe passage.
b.Each group will come up with one step in a plan of action to cooperate with the aliens
and prevent future disagreements or hostility. Their suggestions should be realistic, considerate
of the needs of both parties, and should be peaceful in nature. They will create a tableau, or a still
image with their body, and a caption for their tableau that represents this solution. Students will
be graded using checklist 2 (see attached).
c. Students will present these tableaux to the Alien ambassador as their plea for safe
passage.
d. Assuming the compromises are adequate, they will be granted passage.
i. NOTE: If the suggestions do not fulfill the requirements in the checklist (see
attached), they will be given feedback from the teacher in role and given the opportunity
to repeat the activity (step 6).
Reflection
7. Mission complete (14 minutes)
a. Play the Mission Control Announcement 5 (see attached) recording, or read, in-role as
a mission control operative, through the script. It will narrate the peaceful compromise with the
aliens and the rescue mission’s completion.
b. Mission control will congratulate the students, and explain that the media is hailing
them as heroes and requests a statement concerning diplomacy from each of them. This
statement should include a definition of diplomacy, and explain how it served as an effective and
useful tool in their mission. It should also include how this might be useful in their future
relations on Earth. (See academic prompts attached)
8. Hailed as Heroes (1 minutes)
a. Upon “landing” each student will be awarded a medal and thanked for their work.
Mission Control Announcement 1:
Ambassador script:
Hello travelers. I come on the behalf of the Pleiadian people. What is your business in our
territory (allow for raise of hands/response)? We understand that you desire passage, but due to
past interactions with your people, our citizens widely request that you vacate- or leave- the
territory at once. In light of your noble mission, I would like to give you a chance to plead your
case for entry and perhaps gain our trust. What do you know of our history with your people
(Allow for answers. Perhaps explain that rumors may have more than one side to them)? We will
leave your mission control with the official case file on the last Human- Pleiadian interaction in
the hopes it will help you to build your case. I will return in a short time. Farewell.
Ship logo
On Oct.11, 2040 Humans entered Pleiadian territory aboard a merchant ship. The humans
requested to dock at our main port, and we granted permission. Over-night, the humans raided
the main storage area and made off with the stolen goods. Authorities seized their ship and
recovered the stolen items, and put the crew under arrest. The human government was contacted,
and efforts at negotiation were not reciprocated. One human year later, all crew members were
released after the human government threatened a massive attack on our people as the
alternative. Since then, a general ban on humans has been in place.
Academic Prompts
NAME:
AGE:
PLAY: DAY:
Occupation/Job: Computer Technician aboard the
Gemini 2
Manages the computer systems, is in charge of
communication systems and responding to Mission
Control with “Gemini 2 copies”.
HOME:
FAMILY:
NAME:
AGE:
PLAY: DAY:
NAME:
AGE:
PLAY: DAY:
Occupation/Job: Navigator aboard the Gemini 2
Responsible for keeping track of the path that the
ship will take using maps and coordinates. Must
know a lot about spatial positioning.
HOME:
FAMILY:
NAME:
AGE:
PLAY: DAY:
Occupation/Job: Flight Officer aboard the Gemini 2
The pilot of the ship, listens to the Captain and the
Navigator and steers the ship down the safest path.
HOME:
FAMILY:
NAME:
AGE:
PLAY: DAY:
NAME:
AGE:
PLAY: DAY:
NAME:
AGE:
PLAY: DAY:
Occupation/Job: Captain of the Gemini 2
Master of the Ship, in charge of delegating
work and making difficult decisions. Has A LOT
of responsibility.
Mission to the Pleaides Assessment Checklist
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