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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year pretending becomes a shared activity instead of solo play. Students step into characters, act out short stories, and use their voices and bodies to show how someone feels. They also start watching each other perform and talking about what they noticed. By spring, students can take on a role in a simple classroom story and say what they liked about a classmate's performance.

  • Pretend play
  • Acting out stories
  • Character voices
  • Watching performances
  • Talking about plays
Source: Massachusetts Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Pretend play and big ideas

    Students step into pretend play with purpose. They invent characters, settings, and small stories drawn from their own lives, books they know, and things they wonder about.

  2. 2

    Building a story together

    Students shape their pretend play into something with a beginning and an end. They add details, try out ideas with classmates, and decide what to keep or change.

  3. 3

    Sharing work with an audience

    Students practice short scenes and rehearse how to share them. They work on using their voice, face, and body so a watcher can follow what is happening.

  4. 4

    Watching and talking about plays

    Students watch classmates and short performances, then talk about what they noticed. They describe what the story meant to them and what made a moment feel real or funny or sad.

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

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    TH:Cn10.k

    Students connect their own memories and feelings to what they act out on stage. A story from home can become a character, a scene, or a moment in class.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    TH:Cn11.k

    Students connect a story or character from a play to something real in their own life or community. That link helps them understand both the performance and the world around them.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    TH:Cr1.k

    Students come up with ideas for a character or a short scene to act out, drawing from imagination or everyday life.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    TH:Cr2.k

    Students act out a story or idea by deciding who plays each part and what everyone does. Together, they shape the scene until it feels ready to share.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    TH:Cr3.k

    Students finish a piece of creative work by trying it more than once and making it better. In theatre, that means practicing a character or scene until it feels ready to share.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    TH:Pr4.k

    Students choose which character or story moment to act out and explain why it feels interesting or important to them.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    TH:Pr5.k

    Students practice a scene or short performance more than once, working on how clearly they speak and move so the story makes sense to an audience.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    TH:Pr6.k

    Students use simple actions, words, and facial expressions in a short performance to show an idea or feeling to an audience.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    TH:Re7.k

    Students look at a short play or puppet show and talk about what they noticed, such as how the characters moved or what the story was about.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    TH:Re8.k

    Students look at a short performance or puppet show and say what they think the actor or character wanted to show. They explain what the story or moment meant to them.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    TH:Re9.k

    Students pick a favorite part of a classroom performance and say why they liked it, giving a simple reason for their choice.

Common Questions
  • What does theatre look like at this age?

    Most of the year is pretend play with a purpose. Students act out stories, take on characters, use their voices and bodies to show feelings, and watch each other perform. It looks like dress-up and story time, with a little more structure.

  • How can I help with theatre at home?

    Act out favorite picture books together. Take turns playing different characters, try silly voices, and ask what the character is feeling and why. Ten minutes of pretend play after a bedtime story counts.

  • My child is shy. Will theatre be a problem?

    Probably not. A lot of the work happens in small groups or with the whole class moving together, so no one is on the spot. Shy students often warm up by playing animals or objects before playing people.

  • What should students be able to do by the end of the year?

    Students should be able to pretend to be a character, use voice and body to show an idea, share a short scene with classmates, and say what they liked about someone else's work. Memorizing lines is not the goal.

  • How should the year be sequenced?

    Start with imagination and movement games, then add character and voice, then build short scenes from familiar stories. Save group sharing for later in the year once students are comfortable watching and being watched.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Audience behavior and giving kind, specific feedback take the longest. Plan to model what watching looks like and what to say after a classmate performs, then revisit it every few weeks.

  • Does my child need a costume or a script?

    No. A scarf, a hat, or a cardboard box is plenty. Scripts are not used at this age. Students make up what their character says as they go.

  • How do I assess theatre fairly?

    Watch for participation, willingness to try a character, and the ability to talk about what a scene was about. Keep notes a few students at a time during play, rather than grading a single performance.