Drama
Subject Name: Drama
Our Intent
Our curriculum is driven by the need to give students a performance platform to interpret the written and spoken word in a world where communication is so vital. As a result, to consciously use Drama to think critically, deepen ideas and thoughts about situations and texts is imperative. The thematic approach undertaken in Drama mimics that of English and has been carefully constructed to submerge students in ideas, situations and texts which are pertinent to their year group and content which compliments and enriches understanding of the texts and wider contexts learned in English. Therefore, acquiring knowledge about wider worlds and cultures (shared but not limited by English) is also woven through the Drama curriculum in order that students enjoy a rich and varied diet of dramatic genres and styles from a range of time periods and cultures. Students will experience, for example, the work of JB Priestley and Shakespeare, the conventions of Victorian Melodrama and Greek theatre allowing them the chance to propel and extend their appreciation of dramatic interpretation and evaluation. Equipping students with opportunities to study and watch various high-quality Dramatic productions means they can immerse themselves in a range of experiences and see differing interpretations of the same text or idea. Discussion, dialogue and reflection is underpinned by students’ knowledge of dramatic concepts and specialist vocabulary which will give them the confidence to write and speak about drama intelligently. In a region where film and TV is boosting the UK economy (providing the backdrop for the popular Downton Abbey’ film and location for gritty dramas like ‘Happy Valley’), it is essential that we nurture this growth by giving students the chance to harness their own creative and original thoughts to devise drama as an actor, director or set/stage designer. Through this, we know we can elevate students thoughts and ideas about their own locality, situations and lives and the lives of others showing students the diverse, varied and rich nature of our community, country and the wider world
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Curriculum Content
Key Stage 3
Year 7
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Theme: New Experiences |
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Subject Content Overview for the Year
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Overview of Year Year 7 students transition from Primary to Secondary School. They meet new friends and encounter lots of new things, so their theme is New Experiences. All stimulus in Year 7 will be therefore be underpinned by the theme of ‘New experiences’ to support personal development and deepen learning taking place in English and the wider curriculum The content will support students to: o Perform texts o Devise Drama o Appreciate of Drama o Apply knowledge of our society, wider world and cultures
Content of each term Term 1 Big Question: Can I explain and use the dramatic conventions of Greek Theatre to deepen understanding of key texts, seminal works and linked ideas? · Focus: An introduction to Drama though Greek Theatre · Stimulus: Harry Potter, Greek myths and ancient Greece Term 2 Big Question: How do I study setting, plot and characterisation and the effects of these in Soap Opera to deepen understanding of key texts and ideas? · Focus: Devising a Soap Opera · Stimulus: Current, popular Soap Opera and Animal Farm Term 3 Big Question: Can I perform key scenes from a Shakespearian Comedy and show appreciation of its conventions and dramatic value, deepening understanding of the theme of dreams? · Focus: Performance and appreciation of Shakespearian Comedy · Stimulus: A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
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KS3 Skills and knowledge
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Students will gain a range of skills so they can: Study wide coverage of genres and conventions: Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these Study seminal works Use Drama to enrich literary texts studied in English (Harry Potter, Animal Farm and Alice in Wonderland) Read a wide range of fiction including in particular whole plays (A Midsummer Nights Dream) devise their own Greek chorus, soap opera and dramatic monologue Students will gain knowledge of: relevant dramatic techniques and concepts including: Centre Stage / Stage Right and left/tableau / formed tableau/ freeze frame/ improv / soundscape / monologue / direct address / spontaneous improv / creative controller/duologue / stimulus, thought-tracking / hot seating/ re-enactment, dialogue, monologue / mime appropriate terminology to evaluate the work of others in live theatre e.g. tone, pitch, pace, volume, pause, facial expression, gesture, stance, body language, Term 1 Conventions of Greek Theatre: Chorus and choric ode; Stanislavksi; Sophocles Antigone the history, inspiration and wider context of Greek theatre / the storyline of at least one Greek myth in detail / the role of a news reporter and the intentions of a podcast (formal, interrogative versus upbeat and more informal)v / Sophocles ‘Antigone (Greek Achievements in humankind) / how Greek myth and theatre has inspired character, theme and plot of Harry Potter Term 2 Conventions of a Soap Opera (Realism, continuing, episodic drama, melodrama, multistrand narrative, regional identity, location, community, contained sets, social issues, relatable and topical societal ideas) the history, inspiration and wider context of soap opera / knows about soap sponsorship/ knows how Communist Russia inspired character, theme and plot in Animal Farm Term 3 know the conventions of a Shakespearian comedy; Iambic pentameter, blank and poetic verse, Shakespearian insults, dramatic irony the history, inspiration and wider context of Shakespearian theatre (especially comedy); the storyline of A Midsummer Nights Dream; relevant Elizabethan contexts |
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Background/Extended Learning |
Learn all knowledge outlined on the knowledge organiser to support students answering the ‘Big Questions’ Research Greek Mythology and how it has influenced the novel, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’. Read Macbeth in full and consider how the theme of magic is dealt with Watch recorded or live theatre performances and write reviews of them |
Year 8
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Theme: Relationships |
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Subject Content Overview for the Year
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Overview of Year Year 8 students have met new friends and formed new relationships. To support understanding of the complexity of this their theme is Relationships. All stimulus in Year 8 will be underpinned by the theme of ‘relationships’ to support personal development and deepen learning taking place in English and the wider curriculum The content will support students to: o Perform texts o Devise Drama o Appreciate of Drama o Apply knowledge of our society, wider world and cultures Content of each term Term 1 Big Question: Can I apply the conventions of Victorian Melodrama and how can I use this to support my understanding of key texts and ideas? · Focus: Victorian Melodrama · Stimulus: A Christmas Carol and other Victorian stimulus Term 2 Big Question: Can I explore how alternative productions allow for different interpretations of a Shakespearian tragedy and can I perform key scenes to deepen understanding of key texts and ideas? · Focus: Performance and appreciation of Shakespearian Tragedy · Stimulus: Romeo and Juliet Term 3 Big Questions: How do I improvise, rehearse and perform playscripts using puppetry and the unison movement to present scenes from ‘The Arrival’? · Focus: Puppetry and the Unison Movement · Stimulus: The Arrival and Of Mice and Men
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KS3 Skills and knowledge
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Students will gain a range of skills so they can: Use Drama to enrich land deepen understanding of iterary texts studied in English (A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet and Of Mice and Men) Understand how alternative staging allows for different interpretations of a play Improvise, rehearse and perform playscripts depicting thoughts about migration devise their own improvised melodrama, a dramatic monologue, and a scripted play Students will gain knowledge of: relevant dramatic techniques and concepts including: Still Image (Freeze-Frame), Thought-tracking, Narrating, Role Play, The use of space and/or level, The use of movement, mime and gesture, The use of voice, The use of spoken language, exaggerated improv, blocking, characterisation, puppetry, unison movement, non-verbal communication appropriate terminology to evaluate the work of others in live theatre e.g., transitions, group dynamics, self discipline properties, music Term 1 The conventions of Victorian Melodrama (stock characters e.g. heroes and villains) the history, inspiration and wider context of Victorian Melodrama; Victorian England; the storyline of A Christmas Carol
Term 2 The conventions of Shakespearian tragedy The plot characters and themes of Romeo and Juliet (dramatic monologue, Shakespearian sonnet) Knows the history, inspiration and wider context of Shakespearian theatre (especially tragedy), knows the storyline of Romeo and Juliet, knows about Elizabethan England Term 3 The conventions of Stanislavski Theatre (puppetry and unison) the history, inspiration and wider context of ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘The Arrival’ and portrayal of migration |
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Background/Extended Learning |
Learn all knowledge outlined on the knowledge organiser and be able to answer the ‘Big Questions’ Watch a famous Victorian Melodrama on Youtube and write a commentary on the performance using evaluative language Research Stanislavski and create a fact-file on him Watch a performance of ‘The Arrival’ on Youtube and list different dramatic techniques that you can spot |
Year 9
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Theme: Conflict |
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Subject Content Overview for the Year
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Overview of Year Year 9 students have settled in well and know how to deal with the relationships they have. This year we want them to lean how to deal with the changing circumstances of experience and relationships so their theme is Conflict. All stimulus in Year 9 will be underpinned by the theme of ‘Conflict’ to support personal development and deepen learning taking place in English and the wider curriculum The content will support students to: o Perform texts o Devise Drama o Appreciate of Drama o Apply knowledge of our society, wider world and cultures
Content of each term Term 1 Big Question: How do I interpret and evaluate the work of dramatists to deepen understanding of key texts and linked ideas?
Term 2 Big Question: How do I use Exploratory Drama techniques to explore the theme of mental health?
Term 3 Big Question: Can I devise drama to explore key texts and ideas on the theme of war and deepen understanding of them?
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(Impact) KS3 Skills and knowledge
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Students will gain a range of skills so they can: · Understand how the work of dramatists is communicated effectively through performance and explore aspects of plot, characterisation, events and settings, the relationships between them and their effect · Use role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact to a performance on the subject of mental health and to enrich understanding of Jekyll and Hyde and especially duality · Use of Drama to enrich literary texts studied in English and learn quotes off-by-heart (An Inspector Calls; Jekyll and Hyde and War Poems) · Devise their own performances linked to the set texts being learned in English as well as ideas around mental health, war and pride Students will gain knowledge of: relevant dramatic techniques and concepts including: In role improvisation, Freeze frame, Cross cutting, (Forum Theatre)Freeze Frame, improvisation, Stylised physical movement, Role play, Mark the moment, Phonic soundscaping, Text, Chorus, hotseating, narration, thought-out loud, verbatim text, inner monologue appropriate terminology to evaluate the work of others in live theatre e.g. mood, spatial awareness Term 1 The conventions of a Morality play; A Well-made play; a crime thriller, (climactic, complex) The history, inspiration and wider context of ‘An Inspector Calls’ Term 2 The conventions of forum theatre (Joker/ Facilitator/Difficultator, spect-actor, simultaneous dramaturgy) the history, inspiration and wider context of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ Term 3 The conventions of Naturalistic and non-naturalistic theatre, documentary the history, inspiration and wider context of all war poems in the edexcel conflict collection |
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Background/Extended Learning |
Learn all knowledge outlined on the knowledge organiser and be able to answer the ‘Big Questions’ Research Edwardian England. What major events occurred during this time period? Research the political viewpoint of JB Priestley. Find out the differences between socialism and capitalism. Read other plays which deal with the theme of conflict e.g. Blood Brothers |