Basic Drama Projects, 10th edition (Theatre Arts I)

Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course.

The “Implementation Guide for Theatre Arts I” in the Texas Teacher Resource provides a scope and sequence divided into nine units, each titled with the unit’s main idea or focus. The units align with the course Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and include a list of concepts the unit addresses.

The concepts in each unit align with the unit focus. For example, the unit 7 “Exploring Drama and Theatre History” concept list includes “Theatre history: World and U.S. cultural influence.”

Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include suggested pacing to support effective implementation for various instructional schedules (e.g., rotational schedules) and various instructional calendars (e.g., varying number of instructional days).

The “Implementation Guide” in the Teacher Resource provides a scope and sequence with pacing suggestions for a traditional schedule to support effective implementation. It outlines the recommended weeks of instruction for each unit. For example, unit 2 recommends completing the unit during weeks 5–8.

The “Implementation Guide” in the Teacher Resource outlines the general structure for each unit, with suggestions for blocked schedules, shortened calendars, and A/B rotation schedules. An example is provided for unit 1, showing the chapter or focus, pacing information, and additional notes. The materials provide suggestions for modifications for alternate schedules, such as combining introduction and vocabulary with activities and compressing elements when necessary to fit the schedule.

Evaluation for 1.1c
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.

The Teacher Resource outlines each unit in the text, including a brief description of the unit’s main ideas. The course offers a scaffolded approach that moves students from basic to advanced theatre concepts and skill acquisition. The unit order rationale suggests that each unit builds foundational knowledge while preparing students for more complex topics.

Additionally, the Teacher Resource explains how course concepts connect through spiraling skills, the merging of theory and practice, interdisciplinary and media integration, and performance readiness. Unit breakdowns draw connections to previous units, referencing opportunities for students to apply earlier learning to new materials.

Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.

The “Implementation Guide” in the Teacher Resource provides protocols with guidance for internalizing each unit’s contents and instructional approach. Educators get a multistep protocol to prepare for teaching a unit, including utilizing the annotated text as well as resources such as the scope and sequence, assessments, and Differentiation Library. For example, the unit internalization protocol recommendations suggest unpacking the unit focus and purpose, mapping the TEKS to unit content, analyzing project sequence and structure, planning for differentiation, identifying assessment opportunities, and anticipating classroom materials.

Additionally, the “Implementation Guide” provides a protocol with guidance on internalizing the contents and instructional approach at the chapter level. The guide presents specific steps related to objectives, sequencing activities, and utilizing chapter activities for various instructional purposes. Specific suggestions at the chapter level include clarifying objectives, reviewing key activities, preteaching key vocabulary and concepts, using projects as formative assessments, anticipating differentiation needs, preparing for reflection and evaluation, and assigning meaningful extensions.

Evaluation for 1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.

The “Implementation Guide” in the Teacher Resource provides instructional leaders with key information on learning sequence, scaffolding, and differentiation in each unit. The guide also includes look-fors to help instructional leaders identify effective teaching strategies to ensure student learning.

The “Implementation Guide” provides sample coaching prompts, observation checklists, and Professional Learning Community (PLC)-ready reflection questions. Instructional leaders can use the guide’s direct instructions to communicate with educators, asking questions such as “Where do you target formative assessment in this sequence?” to find out whether educators are following program protocol and guidance.

Evaluation for 1.2a
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic and discipline-specific vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.

The materials include a unit opener for each unit in the Teacher’s Edition. The unit 1 opener, for example, gives educators instructional information including the purpose of the unit, project previews, and references in the Teacher Resource. These resources include family letters, assessments, and locations for vocabulary resources necessary for the unit.

The Teacher Resource includes comprehensive lesson plans with unit overviews. The unit 1 overview, for example, includes essential academic and discipline-specific vocabulary with definitions and suggestions for preteaching the words. The overview also outlines background knowledge educators need to teach the unit’s concepts. For example, the unit 7 overview gives educators historical context to teach students about early theatre.

Evaluation for 1.2b
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.

The Teacher Resource includes an introductory letter for families, written in both English and Spanish. This letter provides a course overview, discusses learning concepts, and outlines student responsibilities.

The materials also provide letters for each unit, with suggestions on supporting the progress of students, such as talking about key points from the unit, watching a performance together, or trying an activity at home. The letters provide information about what the students are learning and specific suggestions on how family can ask students to demonstrate their learning.

Evaluation for 1.3a
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).

The Teacher Resource unit overview includes structured, detailed lesson plans. The lesson plans refer educators to the Teacher’s Edition for information on the TEKS, lesson objectives, and required materials for each lesson. In chapter 1 of the Teacher’s Edition, the side channel lists four chapter objectives, and a chart identifies the TEKS the chapter addresses. The chart also lists required student and educator materials.

Each lesson plan includes a table titled “Teach (I Do/We Do/You Do Lesson Cycle)” that provides specific timing, tasks, and questions to guide student learning. The Teacher Actions & Questions column provides questions for instructors to ask students, such as “What skills did this game require you to use?” Both the Teacher Actions & Questions and Student Activities & Objectives Addressed columns include student activities. The student column includes specific tasks for students such as performances, presentations, and discussions.

The lesson plans also include a table that outlines assessments for each chapter, their administration timing, and the objectives they address. In chapter 3, for example, assessments include vocabulary exit tickets, performance checklists, and peer critique sheets. Educators also get clear instructions on what students should achieve during the assessments, such as “Presentation is 1–3 min; used multiple senses.”

Evaluation for 1.3b
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson (e.g., equipment, supplies, technology) and the suggested timing for each lesson component.

The materials include chapter overviews that serve as lesson overviews. Each chapter overview in the Teacher’s Edition includes a section called “To Have on Hand” that lists materials educators need to deliver instruction. For chapter 1, this section lists scenes from The Glass Menagerie and a video or DVD of the play. The section also lists student handouts.

The “Basic Drama Projects: Theatre I Lesson Plans” document includes detailed mappings of daily activities. A table breaks lesson components into “I Do,” “We Do,” and “You Do” sections that provide specific activities, educator actions, questions, and objectives, and include timing for each component.

Evaluation for 1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).

The materials guide educators on how to use the “Additional Projects” pages at the end of each chapter for extension, enrichment, and remediation. For example, guidance for the chapter 11 “Additional Projects” pages suggests utilizing a variety of student output (including digital, written, and live demonstration) to help students explore and deepen their understanding of set construction. The sidebar references specific books and an Actor Audition app to support students and educators in extension activities.


The “Pacing Guide” in the Teacher Resource includes recommendations for homework, extension, and enrichment, particularly during non-standard class periods and calendars. For example, the guide recommends using discussion prompts, vocabulary, and journaling either asynchronously or as homework.

The Teacher Information Pack in the Teacher Resource also includes recommendations for extension and enrichment. For example, in unit 9, the assignment “Texas Theatre Economy Research Report” offers an optional extension in which students propose one policy or community investment to strengthen the economic impact of local theatre.

Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions, including skills demonstration.

The Teacher Resource provides an overview for each unit that lists different types of assessments, including diagnostic, formative, and summative, at the unit and lesson level and tells educators where to find them. For example, the unit 1 overview identifies assessments that include matching, short answer, and essay questions as well as skill demonstration.

The Teacher Resource also provides a project-based cornerstone assessment designed specifically for Technical Theatre I. It includes both formative and summative elements and builds on the knowledge and skills students acquire throughout the course. This assessment acts as a final project for the course.

Evaluation for 2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.

The Teacher Resource includes an assessment guide that clearly describes and explains the purpose of instructional assessments in the program, including diagnostic, formative, summative, and cornerstone assessments.

The Teacher’s Edition further outlines how to use the assessments throughout the book. It explains the purpose of each assessment and offers visual examples to help educators use the assessments as designed. The Teacher’s Edition categorizes assessments as formal or informal. Informal assessments involve self-reflection and peer evaluation. Formal assessments include chapter tests, diagnostic tests, unit tests, and cornerstone assessments.

Evaluation for 2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.

The materials offer educators guidance on implementing assessments, including timing, suggested variations, and administration. For example, the Teacher Resource provides step-by-step instructions on using the diagnostic/posttests. It suggests that educators diagnose, group, and plan scaffolding by matching the TEKS and student needs before starting a unit. It also offers insights on rating answers, instructions for readministering assessments after finishing a unit, and guidance for using diagnostic tests to pinpoint remediation areas.

The Teacher’s Edition also offers guidance at the end of each unit, such as telling educators when to administer the unit test and readminister diagnostic tests. These directives help ensure that educators consistently administer assessments.

Evaluation for 2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.

The materials provide diagnostic assessments aligned to the course TEKS and the unit objectives in the Teacher Resource and via a downloadable PowerPoint presentation formatted for classroom use. Educators can use the assessments at their discretion for diagnostic tests and posttests. Each unit’s activities align to the TEKS and the course objectives as provided in the unit order rationale and the scope and sequence.

The Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition include chapter projects that serve as formative assessments. For example, the chapter project in chapter 10 asks students to create a three- to five-minute improvised scene. This formative assessment exemplifies how chapter projects focus on skills directly tied to the TEKS and unit objectives related to characterization.


Summative assessments in the form of chapter and unit tests align to the TEKS as well as the course and unit objectives. The Teacher Resource includes a chapter test titled “Character Analysis Test” that ties directly to the TEKS and course and unit objectives related to characterization.

Evaluation for 2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.

The materials include instructional assessments of varying complexity, with questions and activities aligned to the TEKS. The Teacher Resource provides diagnostic and post-assessments that require students to demonstrate both performance skills and knowledge. In unit 1, for example, assessment tasks range in complexity from identifying to demonstrating to creating.

The Teacher Resource cornerstone assessment includes TEKS-aligned components at varying levels of complexity, from foundational levels of recall to creating and evaluating. The components align to the course TEKS and allow students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge.

Evaluation for 2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.

The Teacher Resource includes scoring information to help educators interpret student performance. It provides directions for scoring diagnostic tests on a rating scale of 0–2 based on how well students demonstrate understanding. For unit projects, the Teacher Resource offers individual rubrics with information about ratings and observable criteria. The materials encourage educators to hold student conferences and track student progress.

The downloadable Progress Monitor spreadsheet in the Teacher’s Edition includes assessment rubric descriptors and additional scoring guidance. The rubric aligns with the four TEKS strands and includes ratings from Needs Much Improvement to Outstanding. Each rating descriptor provides clear guidance for interpreting student performance. The guidance recommends that educators hold conferences with students to review rubric scores and help students understand their performance.

Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.

The Teacher Resource guides educators to use tasks and activities in response to student assessment performance. Specifically, it recommends that educators identify the TEKS strands with which students struggle and then determine remediation steps. The Teacher Resource also suggests a variety of remediation strategies, including remediation ladders, profiles, and mini-packs, and it gives frequency and timing recommendations for integrating tasks and activities into the classroom based on student performance trends.

The downloadable Progress Monitor spreadsheet in the Teacher’s Edition guides educators’ response to student performance trends on assessments. It divides units projects by strands and organizes them by difficulty to help educators determine how to use remediation and extension projects to respond to individual student performance and performance trends.

Evaluation for 2.2c
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.

The downloadable Progress Monitor spreadsheet in the Teacher’s Edition helps educators track individual student progress and growth. Educators can use the monitor to view individual scores and student averages on diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. The monitor also tracks student success in the four main TEKS strands.

Students can use the My Theatre Toolbox Log to evaluate their skills and habits throughout the course. The materials encourage students to reflect on and rate their progress. Students can customize the log’s checkpoints and add individual skills.

Evaluation for 3.1a
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and/or paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on content and skills in the course TEKS.

The Teacher’s Edition chapter overviews offer differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency in the course TEKS. This guidance appears in the “Project Specs” section. For example, the chapter 10 overview recommends supporting students with prompts and sentence starters as well as a printable worksheet.

The “Implementation Guide” in the Teacher Resource offers additional guidance for differentiated instruction. For example, it recommends using checklists, rehearsal calendars, visual signage, and reflection prompts. Additionally, the guide offers suggestions for scenarios and roleplay, as well as ways to teach students accountability. For example, unit 2 guidance includes support structures such as visual cues and diagrams, formative assessments such as quick checks and voice and diction rubrics, the EB Resource for emergent bilingual (EB) students, and the Differentiation Library, a downloadable resource that also provides guidance on instructional modifications for EB students.

Evaluation for 3.1b
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic and discipline-specific language).

The Differentiation Library provides specific suggestions for EB students under the label “Supplemental EB Activities,” including activities targeted at listening, speaking, reading, and writing. For instance, suggestions for chapter 2 include having students listen for targeted theatre words and match the words to provided icons; having students verbalize their feelings with a partner using sentence stems; and having students match printed sentence strips to activity steps. Students also can create their own warm-up checklists.

Embedded guidance throughout the Teacher’s Edition helps educators reinforce vocabulary and references. Sidebars provide strategies to support EB students and offer a comprehensive vocabulary list at the beginning of each chapter. For example, in the chapter 10 sidebar, the “Differentiation: EB Support” section offers a Language of Theatre feature that reinforces student vocabulary and focuses on speaking and listening for comprehension. The chapter’s “Theatre Terms” section lists the chapter’s key vocabulary terms, such as conflict, motivation, and objectives, along with their definitions.

The Student Edition highlights vocabulary terms and phrases at the beginning of each chapter, and the terms are boldfaced and defined in the text. The vocabulary list for chapter 11 includes terms such as cue, fourth wall, and subtext, and the text defines each word in context as students navigate the chapter. The Language of Theatre feature for this chapter requires students to listen for unfamiliar terms with a partner and decode the terms’ meanings using prior language connections, story context, and scene cues.

Evaluation for 3.1c
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in content and skills in the course TEKS.

The materials provide educator guidance on differentiating instruction for students who show TEKS proficiency. For example, the Teacher’s Edition chapter 10 overview includes a “Differentiation: Challenge” section that suggests ways to modify an activity to provide enrichment or extension for students who demonstrate proficiency.

The Teacher’s Edition ACTivity Challenge tasks offer additional differentiation guidance for students who have shown TEKS proficiency. For example, the chapter 18 ACTivity Challenge task is an activity for advanced students that serves as an extension to the main chapter activities.

Evaluation for 3.1d
Materials include teacher guidance for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) for students receiving supports and services through special education.

The Differentiation Library provides specific guidance on instructional modifications for students receiving specially designed instruction (SDI) and special education services. Under the label “Striving/SDI,” each unit’s main project includes four categories of needs and modifications to support them: access, expression, social/collaboration, and behavior/regulation. For example, in chapter 19, suggestions for “Striving/SDI” students struggling with expression include allowing students to build a basic set layout using paper cutouts and permitting oral or video explanations of their design.

The Teacher’s Edition also guides educators to provide specially designed instruction for students receiving special education supports and services. For instance, in chapter 3, under the heading “A Test Run,” a feature called ACTivity Strategic Support tells educators to reinforce the text by having students recreate body positions of the person in the photo. This feature also provides specific prompts for educators to guide students through the instruction.

Evaluation for 3.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.

The Teacher’s Edition includes direct prompts and guidance for educators to model and explain the text’s concepts. For example, in chapter 8 of the Teacher’s Edition, a section titled “Show, Don’t Tell” provides direction on modeling inflection for the students, including direct prompts. Another section, “Try This,” provides a specific activity educators can use to explain the concept of breath control. “Show, Don’t Tell” and “Try This” sections offer modeling tips and activities throughout the text.

Comprehensive unit overviews also offer educator guidance on modeling and explaining concepts. For example, in the Teacher Resource unit 1 overview, the “Additional Unit Activities” section provides directions such as “remind students” and “ask the class” preceding the explicit prompts. An “Additional Unit Activities” suggestion for unit 1 has educators hold a class discussion about the term critical research and ask questions to guide the conversation.

Evaluation for 3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.

The materials incorporate educator guidance and recommendations in multiple ways. Both the Teacher’s Edition and the “Implementation Guide” in the Teacher Resource provide a general overview of the program’s instructional approach. Chapter overviews in both the Teacher’s Edition and the Teacher Resource provide additional guidance and recommendations on specific topics, assignments, and grouping structures for various activities and formats. The materials frequently pair student-facing concepts with specific educator directions, such as “Set up a light lab in your classroom,” for effective lesson delivery. The EB Guide and the Differentiation Library provide guidance for accommodating specific populations.

In the Teacher’s Edition wrap for chapter 18, the educator guidance supports the goals and flow of the Student Edition, starting with “Prepare” (narrative instruction) and moving toward a final collaborative project. Side channel activities range from whole-class to small-group discussions, and visual-based discussions support the talk-show format. This wrap area includes suggestions for facilitating class discussions, with prompts such as “Ask students to think about what questions they might ask themselves.” The materials also feature a variety of instructional approaches, including project-based learning, direct instruction, and differentiated instruction.

Evaluation for 3.2c
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.

The materials support varied types of practice and include recommended structures to support effective implementation. For example, Chapter 18 of the Teacher’s Edition begins with narrative instruction and moves to a collaborative project. Side channel activities include whole-class and small-group discussions, visual-based discussions, and independent practice. Each chapter includes similar types of recommendations and practice.

Chapter 14 of the Teacher’s Edition also demonstrates how the materials incorporate multiple types of practice and guide recommended structures. The activity “Why Is It Called a Play?” includes group discussion, independent practice, and collaborative work. The materials guide implementation by explaining which parts to do as a group, independently, or with a partner.

Evaluation for 3.3a
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic and discipline-specific language.

The EB Resource offers extensive educator guidance for EB students, including scaffolding, grouping, and activity and assessment accommodations. The section “More Ideas for Drama Instruction” offers specific linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency, including think-pair-share activities, specific ways to use graphic organizers, and best practices for corrective feedback.

The Differentiation Library also offers educator guidance for accommodations across language proficiency. This resource provides specific activities aligned both with the ELPS domains and text chapters. The accommodations in later chapters engage students in using increasingly academic and discipline-specific language. The “Basic Drama Projects: Technical Theatre I Lesson Plans” document also includes linguistic accommodations by proficiency level. The linguistic accommodations for unit 1 outline how to modify an activity to support students of all language proficiency levels. For example, educators can include heavy visual support for students in pre-production and encourage intermediate students to complete an activity with simple sentences and moderate educator support.

Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.

The EB Resource offers information on how to implement materials in bilingual/ESL programs. The resource suggests integrating English language development into the academic content aligned with Texas state-approved programming. The section “Guiding English Acquisition in the Drama Classroom” introduces language objectives, offers grouping suggestions, and outlines specific implementation strategies throughout the course, including incorporating the ELPS across all four domains into the academic content.

The Teacher Resource “Implementation Guide” discusses how educators can use the course materials for bilingual/ESL programs. It highlights specific elements in each resource aimed at helping these students and includes a visual showing how the course units support ELPS progressions through specific components of the Language of Theatre feature.

Evaluation for 3.3c
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic and discipline-specific vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.

The Teacher’s Edition offers embedded guidance for educators to support EB students through the Language of Theatre feature. In chapter 3, for example, the guidance suggests that students create a language notebook to track terms they learn throughout the course, helping emergent bilingual students develop academic and discipline-specific vocabulary.

The “Language of Theatre” feature in chapter 17 of the Teacher’s Edition offers another example of embedded guidance. It encourages educators to help students identify root words in the chapter’s discipline-specific vocabulary, providing a cross-linguistic exercise in oral discourse. The Differentiation Library provides activities to support emergent bilingual (EB) students in making cross-linguistic connections through written discourse, specifically in the “Supplemental EB Activities” table in the rows labeled “Writing.” One example of a specific writing task for EB students is an activity in which the student writes a card with stage directions and then has another student follow those directions to test the student’s writing.

Evaluation for 3.3d
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.

This guidance is not applicable because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.

Evaluation for 4.1a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction in discipline-specific artistic literacy in alignment with the course TEKS.

The recurring Language of Theatre feature in both the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition focuses on vocabulary and artistic literacy. The Teacher’s Edition side channel for this feature includes educator guidance on gauging prior knowledge of terminology, engaging students in listening and responding, and classroom discussions related to discipline-specific artistic literacy. In chapter 7, this feature focuses on stage directions and provides direct instruction in discipline-specific artistic literacy, offering background on stage pictures and movement aligned with the course TEKS.

The Teacher’s Edition wraparound includes the recurring section “Show, Don’t Tell,” which guides educators in providing explicit instruction. Several of these sections focus on artistic literacy. The chapter 4 “Show, Don’t Tell” section focuses on pantomime and guides educators to model nonverbal communication, then ask students to name what they saw. The “Show, Don’t Tell” in chapter 8 again pairs modeling and questions to help educators teach vocal techniques. Throughout the course, these sections provide additional guidance on direct instruction in artistic literacy that aligns with the Theatre I TEKS.

Evaluation for 4.1b
Materials explicitly connect new discipline-specific artistic literacy to prior learning across lessons and units within the course and across courses as applicable.

The Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition explicitly connect new discipline-specific artistic literacy to prior learning across lessons and units. For example, in chapter 10, the text introduces the classical approach to acting and guides educators to connect the new topic to concepts from chapter 3, including listening, observing, and concentrating. The connections continue as the text defines the classical approach as “outside-in” acting.

In the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition, chapter 10 includes a section titled “Characterization” that explicitly connects students’ prior learning about making observations, using personal experience, and investigating characters’ traits to the new concepts of physical, intellectual, emotional, and social dimensions. The text continues to make direct connections to earlier learning and offers action steps to help students apply that learning throughout the section.

Evaluation for 4.1c
Materials consistently provide opportunities for students to develop and use discipline-specific artistic literacy vocabulary.

The materials consistently provide opportunities for students to develop and use artistic literacy vocabulary. In addition to the glossary in both the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition, the materials include a theatre terminology handout in the Teacher Information Pack, and each chapter of the text lists relevant discipline-specific vocabulary and definitions. In addition, chapters include games, activities, and tasks that require students to use vocabulary terms in various ways. For example, in chapter 7, students play a theatre game involving stage directions, which incorporates some of the chapter vocabulary. Students practice the terms’ meanings and take turns calling directions for their classmates.

In the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition, the chapter 10 Language of Theatre feature asks students to use chapter vocabulary, including obstacle, conflict, and stakes. The overall lesson helps students develop and use artistic literacy vocabulary specific to the discipline of acting in theatre as they express their thoughts and opinions on two Shakespearean performances by different actors.

Chapter 11 introduces artistic literacy vocabulary related to play structure, such as rising action, climax, and falling action. In the Teacher’s Edition, the wraparound prompts educators to lead a class discussion on identifying elements in a short story students already know. This activity gives students the opportunity to use vocabulary developed in earlier instruction.

Evaluation for 4.1d
Materials include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate understanding of discipline-specific artistic literacy in alignment with the course TEKS.

The Teacher Resource includes a series of chapter tests that require students to demonstrate understanding of artistic literacy. These tests align to the course TEKS for Theatre I. The chapter 7 test includes questions on stage directions and body positions. Questions such as “How does movement onstage affect audience focus?” require students to demonstrate understanding of artistic literacy concepts.

The “Prepare and Present” sections of the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate an understanding of discipline-specific artistic literacy aligned with the course TEKS for Theatre I. For example, a chapter 7 task requires students to demonstrate their understanding of stage directions as they move onstage, following the oral instructions of another student who uses stage-direction vocabulary.

In the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition, many of the suggested projects in the “Additional Projects” pages require students to demonstrate understanding of discipline-specific artistic literacy. For example, in the “Theatre History” unit, one assignment involves a panel discussion on the multicultural heritage of the United States. As panelists, students must demonstrate an understanding of artistic literacy aligned with the course TEKS.

Evaluation for 4.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction in discipline-specific artistic skills at developmentally appropriate levels and in alignment with the course TEKS.

The Teacher’s Edition ACTivity tasks guide educators to provide TEKS-aligned instruction as students develop new artistic skills.​ For example, the chapter 19 ACTivity task includes educator guidance on delivering direct instruction on color, a key aspect of set design. Other tasks include guidance on creating improvisation (chapter 5), blocking and “stage business” (chapter 7), and practicing character movement (chapter 9).

In the Teacher’s Edition, the “Prepare” section of chapter projects guides educators to develop students’ artistic skills. In chapter 4, for example, the project asks students to develop a pantomime story performance. The Teacher’s Edition wraparound guides educators to offer conversation topics, leading questions, and specific activities to help students become more comfortable performing.

Evaluation for 4.2b
Materials explicitly connect new discipline-specific artistic skills to prior learning across lessons and units within the course and across courses as applicable.

In the Teacher’s Edition side channel, several sections guide educators to review skills introduced in previous chapters. For example, the chapter 9 side channel instructs educators to review the rules and guidelines of improvisation, and chapter 10 suggests that educators “review the skills of listening, observing, and concentrating” from chapter 3. In chapter 14, students act as playwrights and practice revealing information while advancing the plot and revealing character motivation through exposition. The text connects those concepts to the previously introduced concepts of exposition, character objectives, and obstacles, building connections for both students and educators.

Unit 8 in the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition provides scenes and monologues for performance and connects new discipline-specific artistic skills to prior learning across lessons and units. Sections on both rehearsal and performance skills emphasize the importance of reviewing and incorporating previous learning. The text cites specific pages to revisit for information on safe and effective physical, vocal, and emotional safety while performing.

Evaluation for 4.2c
Materials provide opportunities for students to develop discipline-specific artistic skills through performing, exhibiting, or presenting artistic works at developmentally appropriate levels and in alignment with the course TEKS.

The “Present” sections in the Student Edition offer opportunities for students to develop discipline-specific artistic skills through performing, exhibiting, or presenting artistic works. For example, the “Present” section in chapter 16 has students present a rehearsal schedule, and other chapters have students present set designs, lighting plans, and costume designs. These assignments are both developmentally appropriate and aligned to the course TEKS.

The ACTivity tasks in the Teacher’s Edition wraparound help students develop artistic skills. For example, an ACTivity task in chapter 19 has students analyze photographs or video clips with sets, considering the creativity evident in the design. The students then present their thoughts to the class. In chapter 23, students must select fabrics for a specific character and then present their selections in a discussion format. The activity focuses on developing skills in costuming and storytelling.

The “Additional Projects” pages at the end of each chapter offer opportunities for students to develop discipline-specific artistic skills by performing, exhibiting, or presenting artistic works. For example, “Additional Project #2” in chapter 19 asks students to either present or role-play how directors and designers communicate. Chapter 24 includes presentations on makeup techniques. These activities help students build skills through developmentally appropriate presentations aligned with the course TEKS.

Evaluation for 4.2d
Materials provide opportunities for students to refine discipline-specific artistic skills through activities and tasks that progressively increase in rigor and complexity over lessons and units within the course.

The materials offer activities and tasks that help students to refine their artistic skills. For example, most chapters conclude with an Evaluate & Apply feature that requires students to present, critique peers, and process feedback. These evaluations vary in complexity and rigor but do not increase progressively throughout the course. In unit 5, which focuses on technical theatre concepts, the chapter 19 Evaluate & Apply feature is much more complex and rigorous than those in the later chapters. Chapter 19 asks students to “repeat the evaluation process” they completed for a peer’s design on their own design. Then they must explain how they applied the design elements of theatre as an art form and evaluate themselves as creative beings. The same feature in the next chapter asks students to “explore how the processes used in technical theatre might be applied in the workforce.” These two sequential examples show the course’s lack of progression in complexity and rigor.


The “Additional Projects” pages at the end of each chapter also help students refine their skills through activities and tasks. For example, in unit 2, one project asks students to create and perform a sequence of movements, helping them refine their movement-related acting skills. In unit 7, a project asks students to create a vaudeville show, which requires them to use and refine their artistic skills. These “Additional Projects” tasks and activities involve varying levels of complexity and rigor; however, they do not steadily increase in demand across the course.

Evaluation for 4.2e
Materials include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate mastery of discipline-specific artistic skills through performing, exhibiting, or presenting artistic works at developmentally appropriate levels and in alignment with the course TEKS.

Each chapter includes a project that demonstrates students’ mastery of the artistic skills the chapter covers. For many of these projects, students demonstrate mastery through performing, exhibiting, or presenting artistic works. In chapter 19, for example, students design a set for a scene or play and then present their overall design to their peers. The differentiation options in the Teacher’s Edition wraparound help educators ensure that the task is developmentally appropriate and aligned with the TEKS.

The Teacher Resource includes a cornerstone assessment for each course. The Technical Theatre I project has students create a technical design and present their work. This assignment requires students to demonstrate mastery of an artistic skill in performance at a developmentally appropriate level, and it aligns with the course TEKS.

Evaluation for 4.3a
Materials provide opportunities for students to explore a variety of discipline-specific art forms (e.g., variety of media, variety of performance genres and styles).

The materials provide opportunities for students to explore a variety of discipline-specific art forms, as evidenced in the table of contents for units 5, 6, and 7 in the Student Edition. These pages list a variety of discipline-specific art forms focused on or applicable to technical theatre. The text spotlights playwrights from diverse backgrounds and various genres of technical work and allows students to engage with non-musical plays, musicals, television, film, and electronic media.

Chapter 27, “Other Theatre Forms,” introduces students to various discipline-specific art forms. For example, the chapter spotlights puppet theatre around the world, including Japanese Bunraku puppetry, Vietnamese water puppets, and shadow puppets from Java. Students also explore performance art, reader’s theatre, and poetry slams. Finally, students write and perform their own poetry-slam poem, allowing them to explore that art form through creation.

Unit 7 comprises a three-part series in which students explore theatre history, including a variety of genres and styles. This study covers theatre from early times to the modern era, allowing students to explore theatre over time. From the “two books of the Bible that read as dramatic literature” to the Greek tragedies and the Peking opera of China, the unit offers multiple opportunities for students to explore a range of theatrical art forms.

Evaluation for 4.3b
Materials provide opportunities for students to create, adapt, or extend discipline-specific artistic works for performance, exhibition, or presentation (in line with appropriate fair use and copyright).

Each chapter ends in a student project, which can be a presentation or a performance. Many of these chapter projects require students to create, adapt, or extend artistic works. For the chapter 12 project, students create, write, and perform a dramatic scene, and in the following chapter they do the same with a comedic scene. The rubric for both projects emphasizes demonstrating and applying acting skills, stage movement, and ensemble work.

The “Additional Projects” pages in each chapter of the Student Edition offer students opportunities to create, adapt, or extend artistic works. In chapter 13, for example, one project asks students to create a humorous scene “with believable characters and dramatic structure.” Students write, refine, and perform the scene. Projects in chapters 29 and 30 task students with adapting materials from existing artistic works, including Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and scenes from unit 8 of the Student Edition.

Evaluation for 4.3c
Materials include guidance for teachers on promoting student agency in making or selecting discipline-specific artistic works for study, performance, exhibition, or presentation.

The materials provide opportunities for student agency throughout the Student Edition, enabling students to make and select their own artistic works. However, the materials do not include guidance for educators on promoting student agency. Many of the chapter projects in the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition allow students to select their own materials for study and performance. In chapter 11, the chapter project requires students to select and perform a 10-minute play or a scene from a one-act or full-length play. The Student Edition directs students to “get together with several classmates” to select a play. The Teacher’s Edition side channel directs educators to “help students decide which plays would be appropriate for them based on their skill level and degree of sophistication.” However, the side channel does not explain how educators might promote student agency throughout that process. For their chapter 21 project, students must create a lighting design. The Teacher’s Edition side channel directs educators to help students “select the scene for design or suggest the same scene they used for the set design.” The materials provide no additional instruction or guidance for educators on promoting student agency in selecting the works they will use.

The “Unit Implementation Guide” in the Teacher Resource includes a “Sequence of Learning” section for each unit. Unit 8 includes “guided matching of texts to student strengths/goals,” but the material does not tell educators how to fulfill that directive. The unit gives students agency by encouraging them to select their own performance material, but it does not guide educators to promote that agency.

The course lesson plans address student agency, but they do not reference making or selecting discipline-specific works. For example, the student agency section in the lesson plans for chapter 1 indicates that students “choose which personal memory to recreate as a performance,” but the materials do not include guidance for educators on promoting student agency in making or selecting the artistic works.

Evaluation for 5.1a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction in interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works of other artists at the level of depth and complexity required by the course TEKS.

The materials guide students to interpret, evaluate, and respond to artists’ works. Chapter 18 of the Student Edition includes a section called “Goethe’s Principles of Criticism” to help students critique artists’ work. The Teacher’s Edition side channel offers corresponding guidance for instructors, helping them unpack the rules of criticism as students prepare to write a play review.

The Language of Theatre feature in chapter 10 of the Teacher’s Edition also gives educators guidance in interpreting, evaluating, and responding to artistic works, including performances by Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando. The guidance includes leading questions for students, such as “how believable each performer was,” as well as sentence starters to help students articulate responses. Then educators ask about each actor’s techniques, and students must analyze a film clip to support their opinions. The feature’s bullet points provide distinct guidance for educators but allow them to adjust question depth and complexity to fit the class.

Evaluation for 5.1b
Materials emphasize the use of discipline-specific vocabulary in interpreting, evaluating, and responding to artistic works.

Through tasks and assignments, particularly the “Additional Projects” pages, the Student Edition encourages students to use specific vocabulary as they interpret, evaluate, and respond to artistic works. For example, chapter 30 asks students to use words such as intent, structure, effectiveness, and worth to evaluate a YouTube video. “Additional Project #2” asks students to write a film review using “the vocabulary of criticism” introduced in a previous chapter.

Chapter 18 in the Student Edition also prompts students to use discipline-specific vocabulary to evaluate and respond to artistic works. For the chapter project, students must write a two-page paper evaluating a local theatre performance. The assignment includes post-viewing questions that reinforce discipline-specific vocabulary, and students must “use correct terminology” in their final paper.

Evaluation for 5.1c
Materials provide opportunities for students to practice interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works of other artists through activities and tasks that progressively increase in rigor and complexity over lessons and units within the course.

The Student Edition provides multiple opportunities for students to practice interpreting, evaluating, and responding to other artists’ works through tasks and activities. For the chapter 15 project, students must “analyze and evaluate a play the way a director would.” The text provides multistep directions to guide students through the evaluation process. In chapter 18, students analyze and evaluate a local play from the perspective of an audience member.
However, the rigor and complexity of the assignments do not increase between chapters 15 and 18; the review content simply shifts from a written script to a live performance.

The “Additional Projects” pages offer students opportunities to interpret, evaluate, and respond to artistic works. For example, “Additional Project #4” in chapter 18 has students review a play they attend at school or in the community and “apply the concepts of evaluation,” including citing evidence. “Additional Project #2” in chapter 28 prompts students to write a film review in which they must “provide precise and specific observations.” While these projects provide opportunities to interpret, evaluate, and respond to artistic works, the “Additional Projects” across the lessons and units do not demonstrate increased rigor or complexity throughout the course.

Evaluation for 5.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction in giving and receiving feedback on discipline-specific artistic works to self and other students.

The “Critique” and “Evaluate & Apply” sections of the Teacher’s Edition guide educators on teaching students to give and receive feedback. Many student projects focus on creating artistic works and give students opportunities to give and receive feedback. For example, in chapter 19, students evaluate a set design created by a peer and also evaluate their own work. The “Evaluate & Apply” section of the Teacher’s Edition tells educators to “help students understand the value of self-assessment.” It offers guidance on how to help students objectively evaluate their work and process peer feedback. For example, the chapter 3 project guides educators to frame a “nonjudgmental critique” for students, one aimed at fostering improvement rather than pointing out weaknesses, and to ask students what they like about a performance before making suggestions for improvement. It also recommends having students think about “ways to make a weak area as strong as the student’s best work.”

The Teacher’s Edition side channels also guide educators to help students give and receive feedback in other activities. In the chapter 14 ACTivity task, students must evaluate and respond to their peers’ playwriting work. Educators prompt students to practice active listening, provide constructive feedback, and collaborate effectively as they give feedback to their partner. The Teacher’s Guide also suggests telling students to “respond to the work they read, not the work they would like to have written themselves.” The “Spotlight on Peer Evaluation” in chapter 3 provides this guidance: “To be effective, peer evaluation requires each student to put themselves in the place of the performer.” Further guidance recommends teaching students to sandwich their suggestions for improvement between two positives and use “I statements.”

Evaluation for 5.2b
Materials provide opportunities for students to give feedback on discipline-specific artistic works created by other students.

The Teacher Resource includes Critique Sheets to help students give peer feedback. These worksheets correspond to chapter projects in the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition. For example, the chapter 19 Critique Sheet provides a clear rubric for students to respond to a peer’s set design. Students evaluate individual components, provide an overall score, and write an explanation for their score that details what works and what to improve. In chapter 2 of the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition, students review a peer’s theatre warm-up routine. The Teacher’s Edition side channel notes, “After you have reviewed students’ critiques, trim off the evaluator’s name and hand out the sheets to the subjects of the evaluation.” This gives students opportunities to both provide and receive feedback on their artistic work.

The materials provide additional opportunities for students to evaluate their peers’ work. For example, “Additional Project #7” for chapter 27 asks students to create a performance piece, perform it for the class, and “evaluate one another’s performances.” The Student Edition also includes a Student Handbook for Performance and Production. In “Part I: Acting,” the materials include suggestions on how to use rehearsal time, including a prompt to “analyze your peer’s performances” and provide feedback.

Evaluation for 5.2c
Materials provide opportunities for students to receive feedback on their discipline-specific artistic works from teachers and other students.

The materials provide rubrics and peer critique, with educator support throughout, offering opportunities for students to receive feedback on their artistic work from both educators and peers. In chapter 1 of the Teacher’s Edition, the side channel explains the critique process for the chapter projects. It states that educators and peers will assess students using the Teacher Resource feature titled Critique Sheet: The Theatre and You, which includes an evaluation rubric and a directive for critics to provide an explanation for the score. This establishes a protocol for the chapter projects and ensures that students receive feedback on their artistic works from both educators and peers.

Additionally, the Student Edition provides questions and instructions for students to use when they give feedback. For example, after students present their Director’s Vision in chapter 15, the “Process Feedback” section provides prompts related to peer feedback. In chapter 17, students consider a critique of the stage movement they create, and in chapter 19, they receive a critique of their set design presentations.

The Teacher Resource includes “Guidance for Interpreting Student Performance,” which outlines the provided rubrics and includes a downloadable Progress Monitor spreadsheet. This guidance calls for one-on-one educator-student conferences that include “reviewing rubric scores with comments to help students understand their strengths and next steps.” In addition, the Teacher Resource includes a “Unit Implementation Guide” stating that materials from unit 8 will be used in Supported Rehearsals, in which students apply performance and technical skills with educator feedback.

Evaluation for 5.2d
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide feedback to students to refine their discipline-specific artistic works.

The materials include guidance for educators on providing feedback to students. The “Unit Implementation Guide” in the Teacher Resource breaks down this guidance by unit. For example, the “Structuring Lesson/Chapter Internalization” section in unit 8 states that the PLC should focus on “norming performance feedback,” with specific suggestions for differentiation for introverts and extroverts, as well as “capturing evidence of growth over time.” Later, in the “Key Look-Fors in Implementation,” the materials outline what feedback should look like in the classroom, specifically calling for “robust, constructive feedback” and “clearly articulated criteria.”

The course lesson plans guide educators to give feedback that helps students refine their artistic works. For example, chapter 1 materials include a column titled “What Teacher Looks For” that directs educators to “Guide students to refine their work by providing direct, specific feedback on how well each memory captures a distinct moment….”

Evaluation for 5.2e
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in self-reflection or self-evaluation to refine their discipline-specific artistic works.

Within the Student Edition, most chapters end with students processing feedback or engaging in self-assessment following a peer critique of their work. In chapter 23, the “Evaluate & Apply” section asks students to identify their strengths and weaknesses on the chapter project using both their self-assessment and peer feedback. They then brainstorm strategies to address their weaknesses and apply them in the future. This assignment offers opportunities for self-reflection and self-evaluation as students refine their artistic work.

The Student Edition includes multiple references to collecting materials and assembling a portfolio for both acting and technical work. In the Student Edition, part 9 of the “Student Handbook for Performance and Production” section outlines how students can build an online portfolio to showcase their talent. Chapter 23 notes that students’ costume sketches are ideal for their technical portfolio. Selecting portfolio pieces and performances gives students another opportunity for self-reflection.

The assessments in the Teacher Resource provide additional opportunities for students to engage in self-reflection and self-evaluation. For example, the cornerstone assessment for Theatre I includes a prompt that asks students to “listen carefully to the feedback from your peers and your teacher.” The materials ask students to refine their performance based on both feedback and their own impressions, offering clear opportunities for self-reflection. The students later receive a Self-Assessment Rubric for self-evaluation.

Evaluation for 6.1a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on cross-curricular connections within and across the fine arts disciplines and between fine arts and core academic subjects (e.g., literacy, math, social studies, science) as applicable.

The materials include educator guidance on making cross-curricular connections. The course includes assignments and tasks with cross-curricular elements across multiple core academic subjects, including discussions of critical ethics (i.e., social studies/literary criticism), historical connections, and mathematics and the theatre.

The lesson plans guide educators to provide direct instruction on cross-curricular connections. For example, chapter 3 materials include explicit directions on explaining the senses’ role in creating a “richer, more vivid memory.” The guidance provides background knowledge on biology to help educators foster students’ cross-curricular connections.

Evaluation for 6.1b
Materials provide opportunities for students to explore cross-curricular connections within and across the various fine art disciplines and between fine arts and core academic subjects (e.g., literacy, math, social studies, science) as applicable.

In unit 6 of the Student Edition, the “Additional Projects” section includes several projects that provide opportunities for students to explore connections among fine arts disciplines. Two “Additional Projects” in chapter 28 require students to compare and contrast plays and films. Chapter 30 includes a project asking students to compare the structure and conventions of electronic media with those of theatre.

The Teacher Resource also includes cross-curricular opportunities for students. For example, the section “Theatre and American Ideals” suggests exploring two specific musicals, 1776 and Hamilton, through the lens of patriotism and the nation’s founding documents. The exploration includes specific activities that connect theatre and social studies as well as theatre and the fine arts, including comparing the film and stage versions of 1776. Another section, “Theatre and the Free Enterprise System,” provides opportunities for students to connect theatre and social studies by examining concepts such as economic systems, supply and demand, and theatre’s economic impact on local communities.

The Teacher Resource “Additional Unit Activities” section for each unit designates some activities as having “Historical and Cultural Relevance.” These activities provide cross-curricular connections to core subjects such as social studies and literature as well as the fine arts. In unit 1, for example, students make a “mini-museum” display comparing a theatre tradition from outside the United States with a contemporary U.S. theatre form, connecting theatre and social studies. In unit 3, students connect social studies and literature as they consider the socioeconomic and historical context of characters in Of Mice and Men and write an essay on how those constraints shape the characters’ choices.

Evaluation for 6.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on relevant discipline-specific historical and cultural context in alignment with the course TEKS.

Unit 7 in the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition is “Exploring Drama and Theatre History.” The side channel guides educators to provide specific examples, anecdotes, and illustrations to help students grasp historical context. Other sections in the Teacher’s Edition provide additional context to help educators support learning. For example, in chapter 19, the section “Vocabulary Enhancement” includes historical and cultural context for key theatre terms, including the terms’ Greek roots.

The “Historical and Cultural Relevance” section in the Teacher Resource guides educators to provide context for storytelling and writing traditions. Unit 7, for example, examines the storytelling traditions of American Indian tribes, and the “Historical and Cultural Relevance” section prompts educators to “explain that indigenous cultural traditions and belief systems have influenced theatre throughout the world….” and “have students research a traditional story or performance practice from an Oklahoma American Indian Tribe.” Another unit 7 activity introduces students to one of Texas’s official plays. The materials guide educators in delivering direct instruction, including background information about the play, historical and cultural context, and pointers for student assignments.

Evaluation for 6.2b
Materials provide opportunities for students to explore a variety of discipline-specific artistic works and traditions (e.g., variety of historical and contemporary artistic works, artistic traditions from diverse cultures).

Unit 8 in both the Student Edition and the Teacher’s Edition contains a collection of monologues and scenes for educators to use with various projects and performances throughout the course. This unit includes both contemporary works and pieces by playwrights across a range of historical periods and cultures. For example, chapter 14, “The Playwright,” includes works from Aristotle, modern African American playwright Lynn Nottage, and Indian American playwright Rajiv Joseph.

The Student Edition includes multiple “Cultural Heritage” sections that provide information and insights on artistic traditions from diverse cultures and connect those traditions to today’s American theatre. The “Cultural Heritage” section in unit 1, for example, helps students explore Japanese Kabuki theatre and modern Asian American theatre.

Evaluation for 6.2c
Materials include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate understanding of relevant discipline-specific historical and cultural context in alignment with the course TEKS.

At the end of chapter 1 in the Student Edition, “Additional Project #5” asks students to read a scene from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and then analyze it in terms of “what it reveals about the time period and culture in which the characters live.” This activity requires students to demonstrate an understanding of the piece’s historical and cultural context. Similarly, in unit 7, students read a play by a 20th-century playwright and create a visual presentation that “demonstrates historical or cultural accuracy” based on research into the play’s theatrical design. They must both present and defend the accuracy of their design ideas, demonstrating their understanding of the historical and cultural context.

The Teacher Resource also includes activities that require students to demonstrate an understanding of historical and cultural context and align with the TEKS for introductory theatre courses. For example, one creative project asks students to redesign the play Beyond the Sundown, and other tasks relate to Chinese theatre, Kabuki theatre, and Indigenous cultural arts.