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Auditioning

Ninth graders learn how to audition well — preparing thoroughly, making bold and confident choices, and recovering gracefully from mistakes — the skills that help actors land roles.

Grade 9Performance50 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Prepare for an audition.
  • ✓Make bold choices.
  • ✓Stay confident.
  • ✓Recover from slips.
Essential Question

Landing a role starts with a great audition. What does it take to audition well and show your best?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Auditioning Check

Project each item and have students answer about auditioning well.

🎭 Understand auditioningTry it
Answer each question about auditioning.
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Rehearse · Perform · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Landing the Role

5 min

Landing a role starts with a great audition — what does it take?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Describe an audition.
  • Ask what makes it strong.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Consider.
  • Wonder.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Auditioning

12 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Auditioning Check.
  • Note preparation.
  • Note bold choices.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Name.
3

Rehearse — Rehearse

14 min

Students rehearse.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Prepare a short piece.
  • Make a bold choice.
  • Practice confidence.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Prepare it.
  • Choose it.
  • Be confident.
4

Perform — Perform

12 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Do a mock audition.
  • Recover from a slip.
  • Give critique.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Audition.
  • Recover.
  • Critique.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say an audition tip.
  • Say how to recover.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Theatre, HS Proficient).

NCAS
TH:Pr6.1.HSI

Prepare and present an audition.

NCAS
TH:Pr5.1.HSI

Demonstrate performance skills.

NCAS
TH:Pr4.1.HSI

Make strong acting choices.

NCAS
TH:Cr3.1.HSI

Refine an audition piece.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Audition-tip cards.
  • Sentence frame: “In an audition, I ___.”
  • Model an audition.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “prepare well.”
  • Use one tip.
  • Practice confidence.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Prepare two contrasting pieces.
  • Explain a callback.
  • Coach a peer.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🎭A performance space
  • 💻Auditioning Check
  • 📜Audition pieces
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

auditiona tryout for a roleprepareto practice thoroughlybold choicea strong acting decisionconfidencebelief in yourselfcomposurestaying calmcallbacka second-round auditionmonologuea solo audition pieceprofessionalcomposed and reliable
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is a good FIRST step before an audition?
Prepare and practice your piece thoroughly.
QUESTION 2
What should you do during an audition?
Make bold, committed choices and stay confident.
QUESTION 3
What should you do if you make a mistake?
Keep going with composure — don’t let it throw you.

Reflect: nail the audition.

Have students name one way they’d prepare for an audition and one way to recover from a slip. A printable auditioning sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 AuditioningFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 AuditioningQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ AuditioningPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: audition, bold choice, callback, composure, confidence, monologue, prepare, professional
  1. composed and reliable
  2. to practice thoroughly
  3. a second-round audition
  4. a tryout for a role
  5. a solo audition piece
  6. staying calm
  7. a strong acting decision
  8. belief in yourself

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a good FIRST step before an audition?
  2. What should you do during an audition?
  3. What should you do if you make a mistake?
Answer key — Part A: 1) professional · 2) prepare · 3) callback · 4) audition · 5) monologue · 6) composure · 7) bold choice · 8) confidence
Part B: 1) Prepare and practice your piece thoroughly. 2) Make bold, committed choices and stay confident. 3) Keep going with composure — don’t let it throw you.