The Arts · Grade 7

Active learning ideas

Monologues and Soliloquies

Actively embodying monologues and soliloquies helps students internalize the difference between public speech and private thought. Through physical mirroring and spoken performance, abstract concepts like audience awareness and subtext become concrete, memorable experiences for Grade 7 learners.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• TH:Pr4.1.7a

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Hot Seat
• 20 min · Pairs

Pairs Practice: Mirror Soliloquies

Partners face each other with one holding a mirror. The performer delivers a short soliloquy, using the mirror to check facial expressions and adjust for emotional depth. Switch roles after 3 minutes, then discuss what inner thoughts the expressions revealed.

Differentiate between a monologue and a soliloquy in terms of audience awareness.

Facilitation Tip

For Hot Seat Analysis, choose a student to sit in the ‘hot seat’ while peers ask targeted questions about their monologue’s emotional subtext based on the text’s word choice and rhythm.

What to look for

Present students with short excerpts of dialogue. Ask them to identify whether each excerpt is likely from a monologue or a soliloquy and to justify their answer based on the presence or absence of other characters and the nature of the speech.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Hot Seat
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Monologue Critique Circles

Each group member performs a 1-minute monologue. Others provide feedback on vocal variety, pacing, and audience connection using a simple rubric. Rotate performers until all have shared and received input.

Analyze how a character's internal thoughts are revealed through a monologue.

What to look for

During monologue practice, have students work in pairs. One student performs their monologue while the other observes. The observer completes a checklist focusing on: Did the performer clearly indicate who they were speaking to? Was the emotion conveyed effectively through voice and body? Provide one specific suggestion for improvement.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Hot Seat
• 40 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Hot Seat Analysis

Select a famous soliloquy script. One student performs it in the 'hot seat' as the character. Class asks questions the character might answer internally, helping everyone explore revealed thoughts.

Critique a monologue performance based on vocal delivery and emotional depth.

What to look for

After a lesson on vocal delivery, ask students to write down two specific vocal techniques (e.g., varying pitch, using pauses effectively) they used or observed during a performance and explain how each technique contributed to the emotional impact of the monologue.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Hot Seat
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Personal Monologue Creation

Students write and rehearse a 1-minute monologue revealing their character's secret conflict. Perform for a partner who notes audience awareness elements. Refine based on feedback.

Differentiate between a monologue and a soliloquy in terms of audience awareness.

What to look for

Present students with short excerpts of dialogue. Ask them to identify whether each excerpt is likely from a monologue or a soliloquy and to justify their answer based on the presence or absence of other characters and the nature of the speech.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with physical embodiment before analyzing text, since movement helps students feel the shift from private to public speaking. Avoid overemphasizing memorization; instead, focus on vocal variety and intentional pauses to reveal subtext. Research shows students grasp complex concepts like audience awareness when they experience the contrast between delivered and solitary speech firsthand.

Successful learning looks like students differentiating monologues from soliloquies by audience cues, using vocal choices to express emotion and pacing, and revising their own work based on peer feedback. Clear evidence appears in their performances and written justifications.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Hot Seat Analysis, watch for students assuming soliloquies always express sadness.

  After a student performs their soliloquy, ask peers to identify the emotion expressed and justify their claim using the text’s word choice and delivery, modeling that soliloquies can reveal any inner state.

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Methods used in this brief

• Hot Seat