Drama & Theatre

The Middle School Drama curriculum aims to develop an understanding of different styles and genres through exploration of a range of dramatic techniques, mediums, contexts and conventions. It also develops confidence and fosters cooperation skills, enabling students to explore and respond to various different stimuli throughout the year.

By the end of Year 7 all pupils will be using a wide variety of drama strategies; they will have begun to explore drama techniques and practitioners and will be able to evaluate their own and other people’s work identifying areas for improvement verbally.

Drama & Theatre is taught once a week within the timetable, but there are also opportunities for the students to become involved in productions within the School.

Course materials

We use material specifically created and adapted for each topic. Extracts are used from Package Holiday by David Walke. We will also be looking at the story of Prometheus and Pandora.

What is Drama? / The Scrapbook

Confidence, cooperation and creativity
Introduction to drama strategies
Developing Structure
The use of space and levels

Physical Theatre

Introducing stylised movement creating soundscapes and atmosphere
Considering the importance of aesthetics and use of space in performance

Greek Theatre

History and structure of Greek Theatre
The use of masks in performance
The use of Greek chorus and narration
Stage blocking

Whole Group Role Play

Sustaining and developing a role within a fictional context
Suspension of belief
Developing a drama with improvisation

Scripts and Storytelling

Using the imagination to keep a script alive whilst understanding the playwright's intentions
Different genres of theatre: comedy, suspense, naturalistic
Creating a script as a group to perform
Considering the technical and design aspects of theatre.

How will I be assessed?

Each half term, students take part in several assessments:

Peer Assessment
Teacher Assessment
Self Assessment.

The peer assessments form part of the rehearsal process and aims to give students ideas on what works and what needs refining.

The teacher assessment is the formal assessment of the term which is through a final performance showing skills and techniques learnt during the topic.

Self assessment is an evaluation questionnaire, where they are able to consider their successes and set targets to move forward.

All students are encouraged that making mistakes is all part of the process, and that sometimes, the best work in Drama comes from an unexpected moment

If you have any queries about this curriculum, please contact: Mrs Emma Spires, Head of Drama, Theatre & Media, on ers@farlingtonschool.com