Home›Lesson Plans›The Arts›Theater · Grade 2

Acting Out a Story

Second graders learn to act out a story from start to finish — picking a story, choosing characters, and performing its beginning, middle, and end — bringing a tale to life with their friends.

Grade 2Storytelling30 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Act out a story.
  • ✓Choose characters.
  • ✓Show beginning, middle, end.
  • ✓Perform together.
Essential Question

You can turn a story you love into a play! Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. How do you act out a story?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Story Steps

Project this and have children put the steps of acting out a story in order — from picking a story to the end.

📖 Put the story steps in order!Try it
Tap the first step!
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Play · Perform · Reflect)

30 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — Story to Play

4 min

You can turn a story into a play! It has a beginning, middle, and end.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Tell a short story.
  • Ask what happens first.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Think.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Explore the Story

8 min

Children explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to Order the Story Steps.
  • Order them.
  • Pick characters.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order them.
  • Pick.
  • Explain.
3

Play — Play

9 min

Children play.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Act the beginning.
  • Act the middle.
  • Act the end.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Start it.
  • Do middle.
  • End it.
4

Perform — Perform

6 min

Children perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Perform the whole story.
  • Play your character.
  • Be kind.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Perform it.
  • Be a character.
  • Be kind.
5

Reflect — Reflect

3 min

Children close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name what comes first.
  • Name what comes last.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

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

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Theatre).

NCAS
TH:Cr2.1.2

Collaborate to act out a story.

NCAS
TH:Pr4.1.2

Perform a story’s events in order.

NCAS
TH:Cr1.1.2

Imagine characters and events.

NCAS
TH:Cn11.1.2

Connect stories to acting.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Beginning/middle/end cards.
  • Sentence frame: “First ___, then ___.”
  • Use a picture story.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with beginning and end.
  • Use a short story.
  • Play one part.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Act a longer story.
  • Add a narrator.
  • Make up a new ending.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📚A picture book
  • 💻Order the Story Steps
  • 🎭A pretend stage
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

storya tale with eventscharacterwho is in the storybeginninghow a story startsmiddlewhat happensendhow a story finishesact outto performscenea part of a storyperformto act for others
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 in acting out a story?
Pick a story to act out.
QUESTION 2
What are the three parts of a story?
The beginning, the middle, and the end.
QUESTION 3
What do you do after choosing a story?
Choose who plays each character.

Reflect: act it out.

Have children act out a favorite story at home, showing the beginning, middle, and end. A printable story 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.

🃏 Acting Out a StoryFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Acting Out a StoryQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

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.

🖨️ Acting Out a StoryPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: act out, beginning, character, end, middle, perform, scene, story
  1. how a story finishes
  2. a part of a story
  3. a tale with events
  4. to perform
  5. how a story starts
  6. what happens
  7. to act for others
  8. who is in the story

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a good FIRST step in acting out a story?
  2. What are the three parts of a story?
  3. What do you do after choosing a story?
Answer key — Part A: 1) end · 2) scene · 3) story · 4) act out · 5) beginning · 6) middle · 7) perform · 8) character
Part B: 1) Pick a story to act out. 2) The beginning, the middle, and the end. 3) Choose who plays each character.