Autumn
There is no Drama for Year 8 in the Autumn Term.
Spring
Students will begin Year 8 Drama by exploring the build-up of tension, students will be taken on a journey through Darkwood Manor – a haunted house with a disturbing past, present and future. Students will build on their understanding of core techniques as well as being introduced to how the stage space can be used through proxemics.
In the second half of the Spring term, students will explore the play text Noughts & Crosses. The focus of this topic is to consider how clear themes of racism, social class and heroism are communicated through theatre whilst applying their knowledge of previously taught skills and techniques.
Summer
Students will explore how to make puppets and how to combine both puppetry and human acting in a performance.
The final topic is Devising. Students are given freedom to create their own pieces based on a given stimulus whilst including a wide variety of taught techniques.
Year 8 assessment
All assessments in Key Stage 3 are 2-fold. Students are initially assessed every week on their group work skills, including how they communicate and listen to ideas as well as how dedicated they are to creating an outstanding performance. Students will then perform at the end of each topic as their opportunity to demonstrate skills and techniques learnt in that half term. The breakdown of half termly assessments is as follows:
Spring 1 – Darkwood Manor
- A created performance that shows the end of a 5-part story, including soundscape, proxemics, vocal and physical skills.
Spring 2 – Noughts & Crosses
- A scripted performance of a given section of the play. Students will include levels, proxemics, 1st person narration, characterisation skills.
Summer 1 – Puppetry
- Students will perform in groups whilst combining the management of a puppet per group (3 people to control) as well as ordinary acting utilising taught skills and techniques.
Summer 2 – Devising
- A performance that links to a given stimulus. Students will select from a variety of techniques to include in their work.