Make 'em laugh!

Teacher notes

Discover how effective comedy is in communicating ideas and engaging an audience

Student drama resource developed by The Arts Unit

Years 7 to 10 drama

What will your students learn?

Your students will:

explore elements of drama to develop a comic role, situation and action
devise and enact drama using performance techniques to expressively communicate dramatic meaning
reflect on the performance styles, dramatic techniques and theatrical conventions of comedy to create dramatic meaning
perform stories using the dramatic techniques and theatrical conventions of comedy to engage an audience and communicate dramatic meaning.

Syllabus outcomes

Drama 7-10 Syllabus

4.1.1: explore the elements of drama to create belief and clarity in character, role, situation and action.
5.2.1: apply acting and performance techniques expressively and collaboratively to communicate dramatic meaning.
5.2.3: use a variety of dramatic forms, performance styles, dramatic techniques, theatrical conventions and technologies to create dramatic meaning.
5.3.1: respond and and reflect on and evaluates elements of drama, dramatic forms, performance styles, dramatic techniques and theatrical conventions.

Suggestions for how to use this resource with your students

This lesson would work well for EAL/D students as it develops skills in telling personal stories and using humour to engage and entertain an audience.

You could use this lesson as a starting point for students to tell their own stories and express their ideas and feelings about their experiences on a range of topics depending on your current unit of work.

Collection of student work

Google Form: create a Google form with activities and/or questions. Students can also upload any files they create. Email this form to your students with the Creative Class link and all your student responses will be combined in a Google sheet.
Google Classroom Assignment: create an assignment or a quiz in your Google Classroom with activities and/or questions. Students can also upload any files they create.
MS Teams: create a quiz or assignment in your class team drive where students can submit responses and upload any files they create.
Email: ask your students to email you any responses and files they create.
Flipgrid: a website that allows teachers to create 'grids' to facilitate video discussions. Each grid is a message board where teachers can pose questions called 'topics'. Students can post video responses that appear in a tiled grid display.
Jamboard: an interactive whiteboard which can be used for class feedback.

For further support on how to create these resources

Offline access

Download and print this document to send to students with limited access to online resources.

Make 'em laugh - @The Arts Unit Creative Classes.docx

Would you like to promote your school and showcase your students' work as a result of engaging in this Creative Class?

Help us celebrate the fantastic work of NSW public school students by emailing photos or videos that you have permission to share and comments on how your students enjoyed the class to digital.artsunit@det.nsw.edu.au.

Please include the Creative Class title and your school name in the email so we can share on The Arts Unit social media and our website.

Teacher feedback

We are very interested in your feedback.

Please complete this short survey reflecting on this resource.

Return to @The Arts Unit Creative Classes home page

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Third-party content attributions

Drama 7-10 Syllabus, © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2003, copied under s113P, accessed 10 May 2020.

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