Hook them with a fun question
Start with something that grabs their attention:
“Have you ever watched a movie or play and thought, ‘How do the actors know what to say?’”
“What if I told you that you could write a scene that comes to life on stage or screen?”
Explain what a script is (simply but clearly)
A script is different from a regular story because:
It’s written for performance (movies, TV shows, plays, or even video games).
Characters speak out loud instead of narrating a scene, like you would in a book.
It includes stage directions to guide the actors.
Example:
Title: The Great Cookie Debate
Characters:
Cat – A calm and clever cat
Dog – A playful and energetic dog
Setting:
A kitchen with a plate of cookies on the table.
Script:
Dog: (excited) "Oh wow! Look at those cookies! I want to eat them ALL!"
Cat: (calm) "All of them? That doesn’t seem fair."
Dog: (thinking) "Okay… maybe I’ll leave one for you."
Cat: (smirks) "How about we share them evenly?"
Dog: (confused) "Evenly? What does that mean?"
Cat: "It means we each get the same amount. There are four cookies, so you get two, and I get two!"
Dog: (gasps) "That’s genius! You’re a math wizard, Cat!"
Cat: (laughs) "It’s just basic math, Dog."
Dog: (happily munching) "Mmm… I like math. It’s delicious!"
Cat: (rolling eyes) "You mean the cookies are delicious."
Dog: (grinning) "Same thing!"
Teach the key parts of a script
Go into more detail on the elements of a script:
Character Name – Who is speaking?
Dialogue – What the character says.
Stage Directions – What the character does (in parentheses).
Example Scene:
Title: The Alien Encounter
Characters:
Superhero – A brave and confident hero
Alien – A friendly but slightly confused extraterrestrial
Scientist – A curious and skeptical scientist
Setting:
A city rooftop at night. A spaceship is landing nearby.
Script:
Superhero: (pointing at the sky) "Look! A spaceship is landing!"
Alien: (waving) "Greetings, Earthling! Take me to your leader."
Superhero: (hands on hips) "Well, that depends… Are you here as a friend or a foe?"
Alien: (confused) "I do not know this 'foe' word. I come in peace!"
Scientist: (running in with a notepad) "A real alien?! This is incredible! Tell me, what planet are you from?"
Alien: (scratching head) "I am from the planet Zog! It is very far away. Also, much less noisy than here."
Superhero: (laughs) "Welcome to Earth! We like making lots of noise."
Scientist: (excitedly taking notes) "What do you eat on Zog? What is your spaceship made of? How do you—"
Alien: (interrupting) "So many questions! But first… Do you have any snacks?"
Superhero: (grinning) "Oh, you’re in luck! Earth has the best food. Ever heard of pizza?"
Alien: (curious) "Pizza? What is this 'pizza'?"
Scientist: "It’s a round, cheesy, delicious Earth food."
Alien: (excited) "I must try it! Then, I will decide if I want to take over—um, I mean… be friends with Earth!"
Superhero: (raising an eyebrow) "Hmm… I think we better get that pizza fast!"
Interactive activity: write a short scene
Give them a simple prompt to get started:
"Write a short script where two characters have a funny conversation."
Here are some ideas:
A robot and a human arguing over who’s smarter.
A pirate and a knight trying to order food at a restaurant.
A ghost and a detective in a haunted house.
A princess and a dragon debating who owns the castle.
A scientist and her own clone disagreeing on who is the original.
A magician and his rabbit arguing about a magic trick.
A robot and a smart phone discussing who is more advanced.
A sleepy sloth and an energetic cheetah trying to plan a race.
Let them pair up, write, and perform their scripts in small groups.
Boost creativity and confidence
Encourage fun dialogue, humor, and big emotions.
Let the students act out their scenes dramatically.
Remind them: There are no wrong answers in creativity!
