Drama — Year 9

 

Drama Overview
Curriculum

Term 1: Stage Combat

In this unit, pupils will be taught how to safely use stage combat before looking at a range of scenes which contain arguing and fighting. They will then put the two together to create convincing fight scenes.

In small groups, pupils perform a short scene which ends with a fight. The assessment focus includes rehearsing and performing safely and effectively using techniques taught in class.

stage combat
a safely choreographed fight which takes place on stage

health and safety
rules and procedures which must be followed to keep people safe

choreography
planned movement or dance

conflict
the internal or external struggle between opposing forces, ideas, or interests that creates dramatic tension.

emotion
someone's feelings

tone
how a character speaks to show their emotion

contrast
dynamic use of opposites, such as movement/stillness, sound/silence, and light/darkness.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
Pupils will learn teamwork skills and build confidence.

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will learn teamwork skills and build confidence.

Term 3 and 4: Page to Stage

In this unit, we explore a play. Lessons focus on the themes of the play alongside learning drama and performance techniques. We will focus, not only on performance skills, but also creative choices of the director and designers of the play.

In groups, pupils learn and perform a scene from the play using techniques taught in class. The will also have a written assessment answering exam style questions on the text.

arena staging
type of stage without a frame or arch separating the stage from the auditorium, in which the audience surrounds the stage area; see theatre-in-the-round

end on
traditional audience seating layout where the audience is looking at the stage from the same direction. This seating layout is that of a Proscenium Arch theatre.

forth wall
the invisible wall of a set through which the audience sees the action of the play

parody
a mocking or satirical imitation of a literary or dramatic work

proscenium arch
a frame or arch separating the stage from the auditorium

sight lines
imaginary lines of sight that determine what areas of the stage are visible to the audience from any given seat in the house

site specific
any type of theatrical production designed to be performed at a unique, specially adapted location other than a standard theatre

set
the physical surroundings, visible to the audience, in which the action of the play takes place

theatre in the round
an acting area or stage that may be viewed from all sides simultaneously

traverse
form of staging where the audience is on either side of the acting area

wings
offstage areas to the right and left of the acting/onstage area

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
Pupils will learn teamwork skills and build confidence.

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will learn teamwork skills and build confidence.

Term 2: Devising: WW2

Linking with their learning in history, pupils will devise group performances based on stories from World War 2. They will use several devising techniques and theatrical conventions from Y7 and 8 as well as learning new ones.

Performances will be recorded and evaluated by the pupils. Assessment focuses on team work and focus.

mood
the tone or feeling of the play, often engendered by the music, setting, or lighting

style
the decisions made when presenting a play in performance, influenced by the social, historical and cultural context and artistic choices of the creative team

staging
another term for blocking; deliberate choices about where the performers stand and how they move on stage to communicate character relationships and plot

turning point
the climax or high point of a story, when events can go either way

dialogue
spoken conversation used by two or more characters to express thoughts, feelings, and actions

mark the moment
one moment of a scene which is exaggerated in some way for the audience to see clearly

focus
in acting, the act of concentrating or staying in character

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
Pupils will learn teamwork skills and build confidence.

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will learn teamwork skills and build confidence.

Term 5: Spoken Language: Making speeches

This unit will introduce students to the spoken language component that they complete in GCSE English in Y10. They will look at what makes a good speech before writing and performing their own speeches.

In groups, pupils learn and perform a scene from the play using techniques taught in class. The will also have a written assessment answering exam style questions on the text.

inflection
change in pitch or loudness of the voice

interaction
the action or relationship among two or more characters.

mannerism
a peculiarity of speech or behaviour

motivation
the reason or reasons for a character’s behaviour

pace
rate of movement or speed of action

posture
physical alignment of a performer’s body or a physical stance taken by a performer which conveys information about the character being played

proxemics
spatial relationships between two characters which can tell the audience about the relationships, status or circumstances or those characters

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
Pupils will learn teamwork skills and build confidence.

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will learn teamwork skills and build confidence.

Term 6 : Live Theatre Evaluation

Students will watch a theatre production and learn how to evaluate and analyse the production using drama terminology they have learnt throughout KS3.

Students will complete 2 written exam-style live theatre questions.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:

Create a supportive community: