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As mentioned in the home page, playbuilding is a process in which you begin with a stimulus of some sort and engage in activities to help you create a performance. You will have many opportunities to create performances in this course and both tasks this semester will be based on your ability to playbuild. We will begin with this unit on playbuilding which will conclude halfway through the second term of the semester with a group performance. From there, you will engage in some activities to increase your improvisation skills and we will conclude the semester with an Improvisation Competition in which you will compete in a number of improvisation games with a group of 3-5 of your fellow Drama students.

Sign up to Google Classroom using the code that you teacher will provide you.

Once you are on Google Classroom, there will be an 'assignment' which will allow you to download a blank 'Digital Logbook'. Create a folder for Year 8 Drama in your Google Drive and save this document to this folder. Make sure that you share this document with your teacher.

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When engaging in Drama, it is important that you reflect on your learning as a way of increasing your skills and confidence in rehearsing, performing, and analysing drama. At the end of each week you will be need to create a one page entry in your digital logbook (in addition to the notes and resources you have inserted during class time). This entry should outline the focus of the lessons for the week and what you have learnt about the individual topics explored, identify strengths and areas for improvement for yourself as well as other class members and indicate a skill that you would like to focus on moving forward into the next week. You can also include in your logbook other activities that you have engaged in such as brainstorming, research, set and costume ideas and blocking diagrams, particularly when we move into the rehearsal process for performance tasks.

Have a look at the worksheet 'Writing a Logbook Entry' (left) to get a clearer understanding of the structure of a logbook entry, although this is just one way of constructing it. Feel free to be as creative as you want!

Below is an example of a completed entry to help you get started. In a week where you have just done general classroom work, 3/4 -1 page would be an appropriate length. During weeks when you are working on assessment tasks try to create 1-2 pages per week.

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All interesting drama requires certain elements to be engaging and entertaining for the audience. These elements are outlined in the worksheet 'The Elements of Drama' (right) and are at the core of all drama. They can be used in isolation or simultaneously and are manipulated by the performer for dramatic effect. Throughout this unit we will be particularly focusing on 7 of these elements (focus, character, space, language, sound, movement and tension), however, discussion will also be held around all elements and their ability to contribute to the number one element: audience engagement.

Save a copy of the worksheet into your digital logbook.