Drama
Drama involves students making, performing and appreciating though various roles, dramatic contexts, elements and forms.
Drama is best delivered when the learning experiences are integrated.
Making
Making allows students to develop skills in playwriting, role-playing and other situations. This involves using the elements of dramatic tension, contrast, symbol, time, space, focus and mood through the dramatic forms of:
- improvisation
- movement
- mime
- storytelling
- reader’s theatre
- puppetry
- mask
- video drama
- play building.
Performing
Performing gives students an opportunity to practise their skills and critically evaluate that of their peers and others, including professionals.
Appreciating
Appreciating offers students an opportunity to consider live and on-screen dramatic works, of themselves and others, through viewing, talking, reading and writing about the works.
Teaching and learning activities
Act Ease
Act Ease - Module 1 includes:
- drama and literacy
- digital drama and film
- improvisation
- mime and movement
- playbuilding and role play
- puppetry and mask.
Each unit includes:
- extensive curriculum-based teaching and learning activities
- footage of students and teachers engaged in these activities
- videos of quality practice
- interviews about drama.
Drama groups
Duration: 11:38
Julia Brennan (NSW K-6 Creative Arts Advisor) chats with Renee Adele Anton (Summer Hill Public School) about the implementation of drama group rotations at Summer Hill Public School.
Programming of drama
Early Stage 1
Suggested activities
- lots of teacher involvement in drama
- high level of teacher direction in structuring what?s going on
- mostly short-term activities
- lots of whole-class work
- lots of spontaneous imaginative dramatic play
Examples
Improvisation
- lots of whole-class dramatic play structured by teacher
Mime
- enacting simple activities, songs and texts
Movement
- moving in response to stories and music
Storytelling
- listening and responding to stories read aloud
- simple retelling
Reader's theatre
- enacting simple texts
- teacher often as narrator
Script
- teacher often as scribe records class stories and ideas in drama
Puppetry
- lots of dramatic play using puppets
Stage 1
Suggested activities
- still lots of teacher involvement in drama
- teacher direction in structuring what?s going on
- longer activities, some ongoing
- whole-class and small-group work
- topics, issues and themes often linked to personal experience
Examples
Improvisation
- whole-class and small-group improvisations structured by the teacher
- simple role-play
- simple play building structured by the teacher
Mime
- enacting simple activities, songs and texts movement
- simple depictions
- simple movement sequences
Storytelling
- listening to stories read aloud
- simple storytelling in pairs and small groups
Reader's theatre
- enacting simple texts
- teacher and student narrators
Script
- simple outlines of ideas and scenes
Puppetry
- role-play, storytelling and simple playbuilding using a variety of puppets
Stage 2
Suggested activities
- some teacher involvement in drama
- less teacher direction in structuring what's going on; students are doing more of this on their own
- more ongoing activities showing development over a period of time
- whole-class and small-group work
- varied topics, issues and themes
Examples
Improvisation
- whole-class and small-group improvisations with minimal structuring from teacher
- extended role-play in more challenging situations
- more student-devised playbuilding with less guidance from teacher
Mime
- extended mime sequences based on varied sources
Movement
- extended depiction work, often in combination with other forms
- extended movement sequences
Storytelling
- use of storytelling in combination with other forms
- more student-devised stories
Readers' theatre
- enacting more complex texts
- student narrators
Script
- Reading and discussing others' scripts
- Writing and performing playbuilt scripts
Puppetry
- any of the above using puppets
Stage 3
Suggested activities
- less teacher involvement in drama
- more ongoing activities showing development over a period of time
- whole-class and small-group work
- more challenging topics, issues
Examples
Improvisation
- whole-class and small-group improvisations with less structuring from teacher
- varied role-play activities
- playbuilding with less guidance from the teacher and some student-devised playbuilding
Mime
- longer mime sequences based on varied sources
Movement
- depiction sequences
- longer movement sequences
Storytelling
- storytelling of known texts from different points of view
- some student-devised stories
Readers' theatre
- enacting variety of texts
- student narrators
Script
- reading and discussing others' scripts
- using conventions of script to record and develop drama work
Puppetry
- any of the above using puppets
Using written texts in drama
Early Stage 1
Suggested activities
- lots of teacher involvement in drama
- high level of teacher direction in structuring what?s going on
- mostly short-term activities
- lots of whole-class work
- lots of spontaneous imaginative dramatic play
Examples
Improvisation
- lots of whole-class dramatic play structured by the teacher
Mime
- enacting simple activities, songs and texts
Movement
- moving in response to stories and music
Storytelling
- listening and responding to stories read aloud
- simple retelling
Reader's theatre
- enacting simple texts
- the teacher often as the narrator
Script
- the teacher often as scribe records class stories and ideas in drama
Puppetry
- lots of dramatic play using puppets
Stage 1
Sample activities
- still lots of teacher involvement in drama
- teacher direction in structuring what?s going on
- longer activities, some ongoing
- whole-class and small-group work
- topics, issues and themes often linked to personal experience
Examples
Improvisation
- whole-class and small-group improvisations structured by the teacher
- simple role-play
- simple play building structured by the teacher
Mime
- enacting simple activities, songs and texts movement
- simple depictions
- simple movement sequences
Storytelling
- listening to stories read aloud
- simple storytelling in pairs and small groups
Reader's theatre
- enacting simple texts
- teacher and student narrators
Script
- simple outlines of ideas and scenes
Puppetry
- role-play, storytelling and simple playbuilding using a variety of puppets
Stage 2
Suggested activities
- some teacher involvement in drama
- less teacher direction in structuring what?s going on; students are doing more of this on their own
- more ongoing activities showing development over a period of time
- whole-class and small-group work
- varied topics, issues and themes
Examples
Improvisation
- whole-class and small-group improvisations with minimal structuring from teacher
- extended role-play in more challenging situations
- more student-devised playbuilding with less guidance from the teacher
Mime
- extended mime sequences based on varied sources
Movement
- extended depiction work, often in combination with other forms
- extended movement sequences
Storytelling
- use of storytelling in combination with other forms
- more student-devised stories
Readers' theatre
- enacting more complex texts
- student narrators
Script
- Reading and discussing others? scripts
- Writing and performing playbuilt scripts
Puppetry
- any of the above using puppets
Stage 3
Suggested activities
- less teacher involvement in drama
- minimal teacher direction in structuring what?s going on; students are doing this with greater independence
- more ongoing activities showing development over a period of time
- whole-class and small-group work
- more challenging topics, issues
Examples
Improvisation
- whole-class and small-group improvisations with less structuring from teacher
- varied role-play activities
- playbuilding with less guidance from the teacher and some student-devised playbuilding
Mime
- longer mime sequences based on varied sources
Movement
- depiction sequences
- longer movement sequences
Storytelling
- storytelling of known texts from different points of view
- some student-devised stories
Readers' theatre:
- enacting variety of texts
- student narrators
Script
- reading and discussing others' scripts
- using conventions of the script to record and develop drama work
Puppetry
- any of the above using puppets