A virtual curriculum based on YPT's award-winning In-School Playwriting Program

Designed for 6th to 8th Grade Synchronous Classrooms

Are you a teacher looking for an interesting and unique approach to writing and literacy, or a parent looking for ways to enhance your child’s school-day instruction at home? Writers at Play is a 12-workshop program based on YPT's In-School Playwriting Program that includes a series of instructional videos and digital materials that will allow you to synchronously teach your students to learn the process of creating an original play from idea to page.
Purchase Writers at Play (Synchronous Grades 6-8)

What is Writers at Play?

Built on YPT’s award-winning In-School Playwriting Program, Writers at Play features 8 high-quality instructional videos delivered over 12 guided workshops. Writers at Play engages learners as they realize the power of their voices and write their own original plays. In addition to high-quality instructional videos, Writers at Play includes downloadable resources, student worksheets, a synchronous teacher guide, and more.

Writers at Play Curriculum

  • 1

    Writers at Play - Free Preview

  • 2

    Introduction

    • Welcome to Writers at Play!
  • 3

    Teacher Guide

    • For Teachers: Writers at Play Teacher Guide for Grades 6 to 8
  • 4

    Pre-Program Assessment

    • For Teachers: Pre-Program Assessment

    • For Students: Pre-Program Assessment
  • 5

    Workshop 1 - What is a Play?

    • What is a Play?

    • Deadlines

    • Brainstorming Worksheet
  • 6

    Workshop 2 - Setting and Stage Directions

    • Setting and Stage Directions

    • Freytag's Pyramid Worksheet

    • Deadlines

    • Storyboard Worksheet
  • 7

    Workshop 3 - Characters and Dialogue

    • Characters and Dialogue

    • Refer back to your Freytag's Pyramid

    • Protagonist Character Worksheet

    • Antagonist Character Worksheet
  • 8

    Workshop 4 - Tools of Playwriting

    • Tools of Playwriting

    • Deadlines
  • 9

    Workshop 5 - Inciting Incident

    • Inciting Incident

    • Refer back to your Freytag's Pyramid
  • 10

    Workshop 6 - Writing and Revision Time

    • Writing and Revision Time
  • 11

    Workshop 7 - Rising Action

    • Rising Action

    • Refer back to your Freytag's Pyramid

    • The Cookie Problem Worksheet

    • Refer back to your Storyboard Worksheet
  • 12

    Workshop 8 - Writing and Revision Time

    • Writing and Revision Time
  • 13

    Workshop 9 - Climax

    • Climax

    • Refer back to your Freytag's Pyramid
  • 14

    Workshop 10 - Writing and Revision Time

    • Writing and Revision Time
  • 15

    Workshop 11 - Falling Action and Resolution

    • Falling Action and Resolution

    • Refer back to your Freytag's Pyramid
  • 16

    Workshop 12 - Final Writing and Revision Time

    • Writing and Revision Time
  • 17

    Post-Program Assessment

    • For Teacher: Digital Program Survey

    • For Students: Post-Program Assessment
  • 18

    Final Play Assignment

    • Upload Your Students' Final Plays

Who is Writers at Play for?

  • Educators looking for creative curriculum for synchronous teaching

  • Families and caregivers supporting their young people through at-home and virtual pod learning

  • School professionals looking for virtual resources for their educators

Going Digital

An award-winning arts education company with nationally recognized curriculum, YPT is dedicated to continuing to support young people, educators, and families through virtual learning opportunities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We spent the summer outfitting the program space in our headquarters as a working video production studio to develop engaging instructional videos for virtual instruction. In Writers at Play, this new video series is paired with our signature playwriting resources and a newly developed teacher guide to help activate creativity and learning in virtual classrooms.

Writers at Play

A set of digital tools that educators and families can use to teach elementary, middle, and high school learners to write their own original plays over 12 guided workshops.

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