DRE3: Level 3 Drama & English: From the Page to the Stage

We all have stories to share, and both Drama and English allow ākonga to explore, understand, create and express their ways of seeing the world and to see the world through others’ eyes. Drama and English help us understand others, examine the world and build empathy and social skills. The study of world theatre and literature contributes to ākonga developing sense of identity, their cultural capital, their understanding of heritage, and of the world. Through experiencing this shared journey, ākonga can appreciate and enjoy texts in all their forms and gain the skills to tell their own stories. 

This course can be taken as an alternative to Level 2 English. Level 2 English is a requirement for many trades and for specialist programmes in the armed services. It also provides key preparation for tertiary study in any subject.

We will focus on how to interpret Elizabethan Drama, confidently perform in a group, devise your own interpretation of a scene and perform in front of a live audience. You will develop your collaboration and group-work skills. 

Ākonga will study one of Shakespeare's plays in depth, as well as other plays and poetry by Shakespeare and other writers. Understanding, using, and creating oral, written, and visual texts, of increasing complexity is at the heart of English teaching and learning, and this includes play scripts and dramatic performance. By engaging with text-based and drama activities, ākonga become increasingly skilled and sophisticated speakers and listeners, writers and readers, and presenters and viewers. This equips ākonga to be able to form developed ideas and to communicate them with confidence, participating critically in their communities, society, and in the wider world.

The objective of this course is to build skills and confidence in creating, performing and understanding Elizabethan Drama. You will study the style and theatre form of Elizabethan drama and will prepare and perform scenes in this style for the Regional Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival. 

Ākonga will bring the language to life in speeches and performance. They will communicate sustained ideas by selecting and integrating a range of language and drama techniques appropriately for a variety of purposes, including drama performance and writing. 

Ākonga will show an analytical understanding of increasingly varied and complex texts, using examples and/or details primarily from a text but also beyond it, by studying Shakespeare's time. They will analyse and interpret plays and other texts, and acknowledge their own perspectives through their responses, and show an analytical understanding of why and how text creators position their intended audience, and why and how a text relates to other texts and contexts.

The Level 3 course will cover 5 Achievement Standards (3 internal and 2 external), which includes 8 Drama credits and 10 English credits. Students are able to gain up to 18 credits towards Level 3 NCEA (10 Internal credits and 8 External credits). There are additional standards which could be offered to meet individual student needs.

Drama Standards

• AS91515 Drama 3.4 Select and use complex performance skills associated with a drama form or period (internal)

• AS91514 Drama 3.3 Interpret a text from a prescribed playwright to demonstrate knowledge of a theatre form or period

English Standards

• 1. • AS91476 English 3.5 Create and deliver a fluent and coherent oral text which develops, sustains, and structures ideas (internal)

     • AS91480 English 3.9 Respond critically to significant aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence (internal)

     • Either AS91472 EITHER English 3.1 Respond critically to specified aspect(s) of studied written text(s), supported by evidence (external

     • Or AS91473 English 3.2 Respond critically to specified aspect(s) of studied visual or oral text(s), supported by evidence (external)

Note: this course alone will not provide 14 Level 3 UE credits in Drama, so Y13 students wanting to pass UE in Drama should take this course in addition to DRA3. This course could be either in addition to or an alternative to ENG3, as it could include 14 L3 English credits by negotiation.

• Chrome Book and Headphones

• Clever Kiwi Lined Assignment Book

• Document Wallet and lined refill

All readings and worksheets will be provided in class or electronically.