For theater teachers · Pilot open
Stop building theater lessons from scratch.
Ready-to-teach K–8 theater lessons built from New Jersey's standards: timed plans, slides that match the student book, and assessments students understand. Pilot it free in your classroom.
For arts supervisors and administrators · Pilot open
A theater program every classroom can deliver.
A standards-aligned K–8 theater program your teachers can deliver consistently, with every New Jersey standard mapped to the lessons where it's taught and assessed. Bring it to your school through the pilot.
Aligned to state standards
A standards map shows where each standard is first taught, practiced, and scored.
See the standards mapCommon assessment
A shared rubric with self and teacher scores, and a 100-point tracker for every scored task.
See the assessment toolsConsistent across classrooms
The same objective, page numbers, and timing in every material, plus substitute plans and family letters.
See what's includedBuilt for implementation
Lessons for every grade, K–8, in three bands. A weekly planner shows standards codes for each class and lets teachers hold or reteach.
See the planner
How a lesson works
Follow one Grade 6 lesson, “Staging the Gods’ Argument,” from The Ransom of Hector unit. Click any screenshot to enlarge it. Family letters and substitute plans come with every unit.
In the package: Teacher Guide · Full Plans · Timed Quick Plans
Standards & Skills · Grade 6 Unit 1
See what is taught—and when it counts.
- Teach it before scoring it.
Explore staging solutions is first named in Week 2, practiced again in Week 3, and assessed in Week 4.
- The assessment trail is explicit.
The right-hand column identifies which standards are assessed in this unit. Week-level checks show when scoring occurs.
- The key separates three different things.
Red dot: first taught by name. Black dot: practiced again. Check: scored. Faded rows identify standards not taught in this unit.
See 2 more examples
Teacher manual · Lesson 2 · printed guide page 35
Different routes. The same artistic goal.
- Access is designed into the lesson.
Seated acting, pointing, dictation, and shorter chorus roles change the route while preserving the objective and points.
- Reteach includes an actual next move.
Gather the group, model one slow change, repeat with level, then re-check both tableaux and the responder note.
- Extension goes deeper, not just longer.
Add direct address, plan an entrance that protects focus, or sketch a third tableau for Zeus’s ruling.
Teacher Quick Plan · Lesson 2, page 1
Plan the same learning across every format.
- One objective
Build a tableau and make one slow change on a cue. The same goal appears in the student slides and work pages.
- Minutes and slide numbers agree
The teacher can move between the live teaching plan and the projected deck without translating the sequence.
- A decision before independent work
The release check tells the teacher when to move on, model again, or bring a few students to a side table.
In the package: Student Decks · Student Books · Scene-practice packets
Student Deck · Lesson 2, slide 16
Project the task students are actually doing.
- The exact book page
Page 21 is named on the slide. The teacher plan, projected directions, and student book point to the same task.
- Four visible steps
Plan both tableaux, choose one change, rehearse twice, and check from the audience side.
- Artistic and safety criteria together
The argument must visibly turn on ENOUGH!, the pictures must differ, and no one makes contact.
See 2 more examples
Student Book · page 21
Turn a stage choice into a record of thinking.
- The same task, in students’ hands
The eight-minute sequence on this page matches the group-work slide and the Quick Plan.
- Sketch before performing
Students draw both stage pictures with facing arrows and audience orientation.
- Individual responsibility inside group work
Each actor records a specific change, their role, and their cue.
Do Now · Lesson 2 · Student Book page 20
Let students see the problem before naming it.
- Same rehearsal. One visible change.
The A/B comparison changes proximity. Students inspect the stage picture before they build one themselves.
- Notice → compare → explain.
Students identify what changes, decide which picture makes the argument look bigger, and support their interpretation.
- Even the early-finisher task belongs.
Students draw a third tableau that makes the argument bigger, extending the same staging problem.
In the package: Student Books · Audience response pages
Student Book · page 22
Compare intention with what an audience saw.
- Audience evidence
One shared responder note identifies the choice and the meaning it communicated.
- Check the original intention
Students compare the plan with what the responder actually saw, citing the note.
- Name the next revision
The next change follows from feedback, rather than a general “do better” instruction.
In the package: Performance rubrics · Growth records · 100-point tracker
Student Book · page 45, Performance Day + Rubric
Score the work students have been preparing for.
- A visible contribution to the unit
The performance is worth 25 points. Its five goals match those set at the project launch.
- Described performance criteria
Voice, character and interpretation, ensemble and focus, blocking, and preparation and growth each have observable criteria.
- Student and teacher perspectives
The rubric provides adjacent self-assessment and teacher-score columns.
See 2 more examples
Student Book · page 37, Growth Record
Carry the evidence into rehearsal and performance.
- A record across lessons
Boxes A–B belong to Lesson 6, C–D to Lesson 7, and E to Lesson 8.
- Test, then decide
The actor records what changed in Version B, what stayed constant, and what the responder saw.
- Make the growth claim specific
After the performance, the student names improvement and the evidence supporting it.
Student Book · page 3 · Unit 1 Points Tracker
Students can see where every point comes from.
- The work has a home.
Each scored piece has one row, the exact lesson and page number, and its maximum points.
- The score belongs to the student, too.
Students record the score once, when work is checked, and get initials. Assessment becomes visible across the unit.
- One hundred points = one hundred percent.
Working Evidence 5 + Checks 25 + Staging Plan 15 + Growth 10 + Performance 25 + Participation 15 + Homework 5.
In the package: Online workspace (optional)
Online workspace · weekly lesson planner
Put the curriculum into the actual school week.
- Lessons carry their teaching purpose.
Class cards show the lesson, an “I can” objective, and standards codes. The calendar keeps the school week visible above the lessons.
- Classes do not all move at the same pace.
Change and Hold controls sit above each class. This captured week includes cards explicitly marked Reteach and Enrichment.
- Planning reaches the preparation list.
The side panel lists the week’s lessons and a To Print & Prep checklist, connecting scheduled teaching with materials to prepare.
See 2 more examples
Online workspace · classroom-tools hub
The curriculum has a classroom workspace.
- One place to run the room.
Dashboard, attendance, jobs, groups, seating, and schedule appear together in the pilot workspace.
- Planning sits beside delivery.
The Lesson Planner card describes assigning library lessons to classes, including holds and overrides.
- The arcade belongs to the toolkit.
Groundlings’ Arcade is linked from the same classroom-tools hub, alongside the planning and classroom tools.
Online workspace · classroom dashboard
Bring the lesson into the live classroom.
- The projected lesson is inside the workspace.
The selected Grade 2 lesson appears in the slideshow area, with its page number and arrival task visible.
- Room routines sit beside instruction.
Class Jobs and Groups are available next to the lesson. Student assignments are hidden here.
- Timing and presentation stay close at hand.
A countdown timer, quick durations, Start, widget controls, and presentation controls are visible above the lesson.
In the package: Groundlings' Arcade games (optional)
Groundlings’ Arcade · Companion classroom games
A little more room to play.
Projectable games for ensemble warm-ups, staging choices, language, and performance. These complement the curriculum; they are not required lessons in the featured Greek unit.
Call Board Games
Optional teaching connection. Suggested uses. The games are not built into the lessons. Explore Call Board Games.
- Choose the grade
The captured screen shows Grade 6 selected.
- A staging connection
Stage Picture Roulette turns a moment and a constraint into a tableau, connecting naturally to the lesson’s stage-picture work.
- A revision connection
Change One Thing asks students to replay a moment with one change. That echoes the lesson’s cue-based staging decisions.
Insult Forge Arcade mode
- Build the line.
Three word reels appear inside the arcade arena. Students spin the reels and click a word to lock it.
- A theatrical world for the word duel.
Montague and Capulet face each other on a pixel-art stage in front of the Globe. The interface makes the performance frame visible.
- The line becomes a performance.
The DELIVER control advances from forging words to performing them. The Forge → Deliver → Judge sequence remains visible above the arena.
Join the pilot
What's ready: lessons for every grade, K–8. The full Grade 6, Unit 1 package is shown above; Grade 6 Units 2–4 are mapped and being built through the pilot.
What you get
- Free access to the materials for your grade band
- A private Facebook community with other pilot teachers
- A say in what changes before the curriculum is released
What you commit to
- Teach at least one full unit
- Choose one grade band: K–2, 3–5, or 6–8. Plans across the whole band are welcome.
- Share what worked and what didn't through short surveys
How to apply: verify your email, tell me about your teaching, then get a decision and next steps.
Frequently asked questions
Which grades does it cover?
Lessons are written for kindergarten through Grade 8. Each pilot teacher chooses one grade band: K–2, 3–5, or 6–8.
What standards is it built on?
New Jersey's theater standards and district curriculum requirements. The standards map for each unit shows where every standard is taught, practiced, and assessed.
Does piloting cost anything?
No. Pilot access is free. In return, pilot teachers share feedback through short surveys and join a private Facebook community with other pilot teachers.
Can I buy it?
Not yet. The materials are being refined through the pilot before they're offered more widely.
What's included for substitutes and families?
Substitute materials, family letters, and scene-practice packets come with the unit.
Do I have to use the online workspace or the games?
No. Download the materials, project the slides, and print the student books and teacher guides. The online workspace and the games are optional extras.
Try the work.
Help make it better.
Applications are reviewed before access is granted.
Questions come through the pilot portal once you’re signed in.
Lesson pages are blank teaching materials from the current package, with blue-ink notes added for this page. Workspace screenshots have student names removed. Game screenshots are from the public Groundlings’ Arcade.